Housing density increasing at Milwaukie property

A worn-out public housing complex in Milwaukie is being redeveloped into three adjacent buildings with a total of 275 affordable housing units.

Built in 1942, Hillside Park included 100 units on a 13.7-acre site. But the aged structures have exceeded their useful lives and require recapitalization, Stefanie Kondor, senior vice president of development at Related Northwest , stated in an email.

In 2018, the Housing Authority of Clackamas County (HACC) initiated a process to create a master plan for transformation of the Hillside Park property into a walkable, medium-density community. HACC and Scott Edwards Architecture undertook an extensive community engagement process involving community surveys and stakeholder visioning sessions to ensure the master plan embodied community-informed design and participatory planning, Kondor stated. The approved master plan called for demolishing the existing structures and constructing higher-density housing.

Through a competitive request for expression of interest (RFEI) process, Related Northwest was selected as the master developer for the Hillside Park redevelopment.

The project team also includes architect and interior designer Ankrom Moisan , supporting design firm DAO Architecture , civil engineer Emerio Design LLC , structural engineer VALAR Consulting Engineering , landscape architect Shapiro Didway , general contractor Walsh Construction , and construction manager GLI Advisors .

Other project partners include the city of Milwaukie, Clackamas County, Oregon Housing and Community Services , and the federal government.

Construction will take place in phases. Currently, 54 of the existing structures are being demolished. The first new building, “C,” will have 100 units. Buildings “A” and “B” will have 92 units and 83 units, respectively. The buildings will be at 10282 S.E. Blossom Way, 2981 S.E. Meek St., and 3097 S.E. Meek St. in Milwaukie.

The development site will receive “new roads, sidewalks, curbing, a pedestrian plaza, trees and landscaping,” Kondor stated.

The total cost for the project, including infrastructure, is $147 million. Project completion is anticipated before the end of 2026.

“All residents impacted by the redevelopment’s first projects have been successfully relocated, receiving rental assistance through Tenant Protection Vouchers, as well as support from a relocation specialist,” Kondor stated.

Upon the project’s completion, all relocated or existing residents will have an opportunity to move into any of the new buildings, she added.

All 100 units in Building C will be supported by project-based Section 8 vouchers. Sixty-eight units will be restricted to households earning up to 30 percent of the area median income (AMI) and 32 units will be restricted to those earning up to 50 percent of AMI. The building will include three studios, 22 one-bedroom units, and 75 two-bedroom units.

In buildings A and B, a total of 40 units will benefit from project-based rental assistance and be restricted to households earning up to 30 percent of AMI. The 135 remaining units will be restricted to those earning up to 60 percent of AMI. Building A will include 25 studios, 32 one-bedroom units, 29 two-bedroom units, and six three-bedroom units. Building B will include 18 studios and 65 one-bedroom units.

HACC will retain land ownership and solely own Building C. The agency will co-own buildings A and B with Related Northwest.

Amenities will include on-site management offices, resident service offices and meeting spaces, parcel lockers, multipurpose community rooms, bike rooms, and laundry rooms on every floor. One community room will be able to serve as a resilience hub during a natural disaster.

“The hub at Hillside Park will be equipped with basic supplies like fresh water, medical supplies and community resource brochures, and (be) connected to a backup power source in the case of a power outage,” Kondor stated.

On most days, the resilience hub will function as a service-oriented space with regular programming from one of Related Northwest’s co-service providers.

Other amenities will include a food pantry, a plaza adjacent to Southeast 32nd Avenue, three courtyards, a playground, a large community garden, and walking paths.

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