PORTLAND, Ore. — Construction crews have broken ground on a recovery-oriented affordable housing development in Portland’s Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood.
Meridian Gardens, a U-shaped, four-story, 38,800-square-foot building will have 85 housing units. It’s rising at 11280 S.E. Division St., adjacent to the Cedar Commons Phase I building, which holds permanent supportive housing units for chronically homeless individuals.
Ankrom Moisan Architects designed the project for Central City Concern. The project team also includes structural engineer VALAR Consulting Engineering, civil engineer Emerio Design, landscape architect Shapiro Didway, and general contractor Walsh Construction.
An approximately $5.6 million building permit was issued by the Portland Bureau of Development Services on July 14. Construction began July 20 and is scheduled to finish in fall 2024. The total project cost is approximately $25.3 million.
The development is intended to resemble Crescent Court Apartments, a building across 115th Avenue from Meridian Gardens also designed by Ankrom Moisan Architects, principal Laurie Linville-Gregston said. Crescent Court was completed last year. Ankrom Moisan designed both Crescent Court and Cedar Commons for Related Northwest and Central City Concern.
Meridian Gardens will provide 65 single-room occupancy (SRO) units of permanent supportive housing for individuals in recovery from substance use disorders and 20 affordable studio units. Each SRO unit will have a bed, a small closet, a water closet, a small fridge, and a hot plate. There will be communal showers on each floor.
Housing units will be available for people earning up to 50% of the area median income. Long-term subsidies for operations will be provided by Multnomah County’s Joint Office of Homeless Services to support ongoing services such as case management, employment support, addiction treatment and recovery-focused programming.
People emerging from houselessness will move into the SROs and then enter programs. They will have the option of moving into a studio unit later. Studios, on the fourth floor, will offer more of an apartment feel when compared to the SROs.
Prospective residents can apply for housing through Central City Concern.
The design includes a central courtyard, an access point to welcome residents and visitors, and a concrete ping pong table.
“It’s supposed to feel like home,” Linville-Gregston said of the design. “One of the things that drives these buildings is the focus … on designing a comfortable place to live.”
Like Crescent Court, Meridian Gardens’ exterior will feature fiber-cement panels and brick. Colors will be deep, dark blue shades with slight variations as part of the trauma-informed design. There will also be glazing and flexible spaces.
“The whole goal of the interior design concept is trauma-informed design, really taking those principles and instilling them and considering them with everything that is going on,” Ankrom Moisan Architects interior designer Jenna Mogstad said.
A window between the communal laundry room and the lounge will let residents relax there while monitoring their laundry. Bike storage will be available throughout the building. Lockers will be available in the community lounges for items such as kitchen tools. Folding benches will be provided for the showers.
Central City Concern established targets for sustainability that influenced design choices.
“We’re using mini-splits instead of PTACs,” Linville-Gregston said.
An energy-efficient mini-split allows someone to choose which rooms to heat and cool. The condenser is located outside as opposed to a packaged terminal air conditioner (PTAC) that is in a room.
The project team is seeking Earth Advantage platinum certification. There will be solar arrays on the roof, heat pump water heaters, low-flow toilets, durable materials and all-electric appliances.
Planned amenities include common kitchens and community rooms, recovery group rooms, a supportive services office, a gym for residents, and a secondary outdoor courtyard that will connect to Cedar Commons. A community garden with raised beds will be shared with the Cedar Commons community and be expanded once project construction wraps up.
link
More Stories
Early Talent & Internship Opportunities at McKesson
Construction Begins on $47 Million Transit-Oriented, Mixed-Income Development in Braintree, MA
I Quit Amazon After I Cracked the Code for Promotions, Took 14 Years