The first new development to be completed in the Tigard Triangle Urban Renewal Area has its first tenants.

Even while cleanup was taking place and finishes were being applied, the first two residents of the 48-unit Red Rock Creek Commons affordable housing complex were moving in. The new building is at 11090 S.W. 68th Parkway, slightly south of the intersection with Oregon Route 99W. The project was built by general contractor LMC Construction and designed by Carleton Hart Architecture for Community Partners for Affordable Housing (CPAH).

Ground was broken in summer 2019, but this year LMC Construction faced last-minute design changes, COVID-19 and wildfire smoke. Recently, the team attained a temporary certificate of occupancy.

“These guys worked very hard to bring this in pretty much ahead of schedule despite the COVID challenges that hit, the wildfires that shut us down for a couple of days and the smoke,” LMC Construction Vice President Kyle Anderson said. “It went surprisingly well, considering it was 2020.”

Each apartment has one bedroom. A large community room with a kitchen and other community spaces allow residents to gather for events. Also, access was created to the natural area around Red Rock Creek.

A lounge on the ground floor is designed as a doorless extension of the corridor, but exists as a separate space. It hosts mailboxes, bicycle storage and a lending library as well as provides access to an outdoor deck that overlooks the natural area.

The exterior is marked by cedar siding at ground level, along with composite siding for the upper three floors. Metal-panel accents feature under each window, while architectural metal sunshades are affixed to the edges of south-facing windows to prevent interior heat buildup.

Construction did not take place without difficulty, according to LMC project manager Aaron McGuire.

“Originally, with the design of the building, we were going to have a crawl space, not a slab on grade,” he said. “Right before we started construction we changed that and did a slab on grade. But the topography of the site meant that we had to bring so much rock back in to get us to that point. We ran into some grading issues along the way because of it. It was a very challenging grade, but it was a fun challenge to get through that process.”

That was true, McGuire added, not only from a design and engineering standpoint, but from a management one as well.

“With challenges obviously comes the financial piece that plays into it, and the project schedule and budget,” he said. “Again, with the climate, the fire and smoke delays and COVID, we were able to get it done on time and get these residents in relatively quickly.”

Anderson and McGuire both noted that the fact LMC has worked with both Carleton Hart and CPAH in the past made these things easier to surmount.

“We lost six days alone to the wildfires and smoke, but we were able to recoup that time,” McGuire said. “We were in the finishes stage working the exterior of the building, trying to get the rest of the cladding up, working the irrigation and starting site work, so a lot of the outdoor activities could not be achieved because of that.”

Some subcontractors couldn’t even get their crews on site during that time, Anderson added. But perseverance prevailed.

“It was a great team out here,” McGuire said. “Everyone came together and realized if we have obstacles we need to address them quickly and then figure out another avenue or a design change that they’re willing to accept within a good time frame to achieve that schedule.”

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