Mahonia Crossing

SALEM, OREGON

Goal: Serve Salem residents as a Community for All Ages—an intentional community where people of all ages live, work, and play together with access to the essential services and amenities needed to thrive.

Located on over 11 acres in Salem’s vibrant South Gateway neighborhood, Mahonia Crossing is a thoughtfully designed campus community that offers 313 units of intergenerational housing for families and seniors. This project also provides homes for individuals displaced by Oregon wildfires, as well as for agricultural workers and their families. Featuring one- to three-bedroom apartments for households earning 30% to 80% AMI, Mahonia Crossing fosters an inclusive community where residents of all ages and varying income levels can grow.

More than just a place to live, Mahonia Crossing is also a Community For All Ages. EngAGE NW leads various wellness and creative programs that encourage strong intergenerational bonds among residents. The community includes a dedicated Senior Building equipped with an elevator, along with its own community and fitness center, accessible to all residents.

The site design highlights expansive green spaces while preserving clusters of mature trees, enriching the natural environment. The standalone community building, known as the Amafa Center, houses on-site resident services and property management offices, as well as community spaces, including a demonstration kitchen for classes and events. Additional amenities feature community gardens, walking paths, children’s play areas, outdoor picnic areas, a movie/game room, a book share library, and computer stations.

Originally owned by Wildwood|Mahonia, a local developer with over 40 years of experience in shaping the South Gateway neighborhood, the owner was motivated by CDP’s mission and commitment to detail to negotiate the off-market sale of this site. In a neighborhood with a significant need for affordable housing, Mahonia Crossing offers both opportunity and community, fostering a welcoming environment where residents can truly feel at home.

DEVELOPMENT

The first phase of Mahonia Crossing was made possible by $16.5 million in OHCS LIFT funds awarded in 2021, providing essential gap financing. In addition, OHCS allocated GHAP and Agricultural Workforce Housing Tax Credits. HOME funding was administered by the City of Salem, along with 56 Project-Based Vouchers (PBVs), administered by the Salem Housing Authority. Umpqua Bank provided construction financing, while R4 Capital invested in the project’s equity.

Phase II utilized an innovative funding strategy. As a prior CDP project neared completion, CDP was able to recycle bonds from that project to fund Phase II—an Oregon first. Paired with $25.2 million in OHCS Wildfire Direct funds, this innovative approach allowed Phase II, encompassing 129 of Mahonia Crossing’s 313 homes, to be fully financed without tax credits. Citi supported the financing with both construction and permanent loans for Phase II and a permanent loan for Phase I.

DATA
  • Number of units: 313
  • Lot size: 11.47 acres
  • Density: 24.66 units/acre
  • Unit size: 600–1,050sf
  • Unit mix: 83 1BD, 123 2BD, 107 3BD
  • Parking Spaces: 241
  • Affordability: 30% - 80% AMI
  • Sustainability: Earth Advantage Platinum
  • Total Cost: $57M
TEAM
  • Architect: Scott Edwards Architecture
  • Landscape Architect: PLACE
  • Contractor: Gerding Builders LLC
  • Property Management: Guardian Management LLC
  • Nonprofit Partner: Engage NW

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 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 in California, Oregon, and Minnesota. 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. To learn more, please visit: https://engagedaging.org/northwest

Center For Public Interest Design (CPID)

The Center for Public Interest Design is a research [+action] center at Portland State University that aims to investigate, promote, and engage in inclusive design practices that address the growing needs of underserved communities worldwide. Through research and design, fieldwork, and public outreach, CPID promotes a mode of practice that is socially conscious, environmentally sustainable, and economically accessible to all.

From a practical standpoint, CDP and NOHA engaged CPID to lead the asset-based development outreach and research in St. Helens. This research identified existing resident-serving assets that are in the surrounding community as well as identifying needs that are not being met by those existing assets. The process involved utilizing PSU Master of Architecture studio students and CPID fellows and staff for on-the-ground outreach and interpretation of findings into a conclusive report. The entire process produces an in depth understanding of the community’s assets and needs that can then be utilized to inform the concept and design of the project. The end result is a project that has been thoughtfully concepted and that provides the greatest benefit to the community. To learn more, please visit: https://www.pdx.edu/public-interest-design