PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Housing Bureau (PHB) unveiled four new proposed projects that will provide an additional 267 units of affordable housing in North and Southwest Portland. The projects will be funded primarily through Metro's regional housing bond.
PBH will submit the four proposals to Metro for concept endorsement, a process that's expected to take about 30-45 days, the bureau said. If they're approved, the sites are projected to open between 2025 and 2029.
The new units will use $26 million from Metro affordable housing bond funds and another $13.7 million in Interstate Corridor funds. The four sites under consideration are already owned by Metro or PHB and another site was donated by Kaiser Permanente, the bureau said.
The projects also take advantage of contributions from public agencies, including Home Forward, and additional funding assistance from the Supportive Housing Services Measure through the Joint Office of Homeless Services.
Here's information on the four new sites:
Carter Commons
- Address: 3715 North Interstate Avenue
- Development partners: Northwest Housing Alternatives and the Urban League or Portland
- Site description (provided by the city): "Named after Oregon's first Black woman legislator, Margaret Louise Carter, Carter Commons will deliver 62 units of senior housing to the Overlook Neighborhood for N/NE Preference Policy households. The project, located on land donated by Kaiser Permanente, will have low barriers to entry, and more than one-third of the units will be affordable at extremely low incomes (30% area median income or below) with community and resident services provided by the Urban League."
- Projected opening date: Summer 2025
- More information
Strong Family Site
- Address: 4931 North Williams Avenue and 20-114 North Alberta Street
- Development partners: Community Development Partners and Self Enhancement Inc.
- Site description (provided by the city): "The proposed project offers 75 rental units, 11 of which will be affordable to households earning 30% area median income or below. 72% of the units will be family-sized with two or more bedrooms. Resident services and community outreach will be provided by SEI. Including homeownership opportunities on this site is a priority of the N/NE Oversight Committee and supported by PHB. As such, the project sponsors will continue to research how the proposal could include rental and homeownership units and pursue additional partnerships."
- Projected opening date: Winter 2025-26
- More information
Carey Boulevard Site
- Address: 6623/6631/6702 North Syracuse Street, 7235 North Minerva Avenue and 6634 North Oberlin Street
- Development partners: Habitat for Humanity in partnership with Proud Ground
- Site description (provided by the city): "The proposed project consists of a clustered arrangement of 53 townhomes with two to four bedrooms. All townhomes would be affordable to households earning up to 60% of area median income. Proud Ground would ensure permanent affordability via a community land trust, and First Republic Bank would lend to the homebuyers at a reduced, fixed rate. PHB has offered a conditional award for the development team to pursue the inclusion of some detached single-family homes as well."
- Projected opening date: Spring 2029
- More information
Portland Value Inn
- Address: 10450 Southwest Barbur Boulevard
- Development partners: Community Partners for Affordable Housing in partnership with HAKI Community Organization and the Urban League
- Site description (provided by the city): "This redevelopment proposal would turn the Portland Value Inn site into a 77-unit multifamily rental development targeting families. 50 units have at least 2 bedrooms, and 39 units will be affordable to households with incomes at 30% area median income or below. The proposal includes 15 Supportive Housing units for families with a head of household with a disabling condition who are exiting long-term, literal homelessness. CPAH and HAKI will offer resident services, HAKI will lead outreach efforts, and Urban League will provide case management and Supportive Housing services."
- Projected opening date: Winter 2025
- More information
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All four projects advance the city's goal for the housing bond funds as well as its N/NE Neighborhood Housing Strategy, the bureau said in a news release. The city also said the projects align with the bureau's commitment to advancing racial equity.
"Each of these projects represents the work and dedication of many organizations and community partners coming together to meet the diverse housing needs of Portlanders, and especially our Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities, families with children, and our neighbors experiencing chronic homelessness," said Molly Rogers, interim Portland Housing Bureau director.
The four projects will help PBH surpass affordable housing goals established in 2018, when the city was granted $211 million from Metro's regional affordable housing bond.
The goals established by the bureau at that time was to create 1,475 units of affordable housing, including 605 deeply affordable units (at 30% of area median income) and 737 family-sized units. PBH also set a goal of 300 units of permanent supportive housing (PSH) through Metro bond funding.
The bureau said these four projects will surpass all of its goals except one, the creation of deeply affordable housing units, which will reach 95% of its target.
If these four projects are approved, PBH said there will be $48 million left over that's set aside for future projects.
The four new sites, if they are approved by Metro, will bring the total number of affordable housing projects in Portland under the Metro housing bond to 20. A spokesperson said Metro has also "allocated bond funds to various other jurisdictions in the region which are also producing their own affordable housing projects with the funds."
"This is a critical time for so many Portlanders struggling with housing instability and economic uncertainty," said Housing Commissioner Carmen Rubio. "This slate of projects responds to the urgency of this moment with ingenuity and innovation."
Metro Council president Lynn Peterson praised PBH and the city's development partners "in addressing our region's No. 1 need — more housing."
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly used the word "units" instead of "projects" when reporting on the total number of affordable housing projects in Portland under the Metro housing bond.
