Cascadian Terrace
PORTLAND, OREGON
Goal: Rehabilitate and preserve Cascadian Terrace as a vibrant affordable housing community that enhances residents’ quality of life through food security initiatives, arts and culture programming, and environmental sustainability.
Cascadian Terrace rehabilitates and preserves a fifty-year-old, 103-unit affordable housing community in Northern Portland, Oregon. The four-story, concrete-framed and brick building was originally constructed as a dormitory for the adjacent Portland Community College. Residents are very low income and an extension of the HAP contract maintains their rents at affordable levels. Nonetheless, the fixed income of the residents—typically limited to social security disability and retirement benefits— results in a lot of food insecurity, particularly at the end of the month.
To address the need for healthier food, CDP is constructing a commercial kitchen where the old dormitory dining hall kitchen used to be. Partnerships with several different organizations will deliver fresh produce and prepared foods for residents, hot meals from an on-site catering operation, and cooking classes for residents taught by resident staff and volunteer chefs.
An extensive budget for the arts will include art classes for residents and resident-and community-driven selection of art for the building’s common areas. Cascadian Terrace is our first development to partner with A Black Art Ecology of Portland, a black-centered arts and culture project built upon the Arts and Culture section of the People’s Plan developed by the Portland African-American Leadership Forum. The remodel will include new raised beds for resident vegetable gardens, and a 77-kilowatt solar array on the roof.
DEVELOPMENT
The scope of work includes replacement of the plumbing system, a new roof with a large solar array, new high efficiency boilers and hot water heaters, a new commercial kitchen, extensively upgraded community room, and new cabinets, appliances and flooring in the units.
Financing was provided from the sale of 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), Tax Exempt Bond financing in partnership with Freddie Mac, Citi Community Capital and Oregon Housing and Community Services, and a seller-carry loan back to the partnership.
DATA
- Completion Date: 2019
- Total Development Cost: $32.2M
- Affordability: 50% AMI & below
- Total Units: 103
- Unit Mix: 86 0BD, 16 1BD, 1 2BD
- Parking Spaces: 20
- Affordability: 50% & below
TEAM
- Developer: CDP
- Architect: Salazar Architect
- Contractor: LMC Construction
- Property Management: Guardian Management LLC
- Resident Services Partner: EngAGE NW
WEBSITE
PARTNERS
CDP is proud to partner with these organizations that are critical team members and who share our mission of enhancing the quality of life for the communities in which we work.
EngAGE NW
EngAGE NW is a nonprofit that takes a holistic approach to community and creativity by providing on-site arts, wellness, lifelong learning, community building and intergenerational programs to thousands of seniors and families living in affordable senior and multi-generational apartment communities. Providing on-site programs reduces primary barriers to engagement – cost and transportation– maximizing impact.
Founded in 1999 as More Than Shelter for Seniors, EngAGE has worked continuously as leading experts in aging arts programming. In the last few years, they have adapted to include intergenerational communities. The goal of EngAGE is to change lives across generations by transforming affordable housing into centers of community, learning, and well-being.
A Black Art Ecology of Portland (BAEP)
A Black Art Ecology of Portland (BAEP), an initiative she launched in 2019 to bring together community organizations in support of creating, reclaiming, and redefining spaces for Black art and audiences in Portland. BAEP remaps historical and contemporary Black creative life in Portland and beyond. Activities have included developing co-creative spaces for art, murals, public art activation, video, COVID relief, residencies, DIY publishing, a comedy show, memorials for Black life, and more.
