Housing Authority

Shortstack Milwaukie represents Clackamas County’s first Housing Bond-funded home-ownership project. It will deliver 15 affordable homes, priced for households earning 80% AMI, through smart densification at the “missing middle” scale.

The cottages will utilize mass timber to deliver beautiful, replicable homes, featuring a compact, open floorplan concept that is desirable and marketable for home buyers. These ~900sf cottages are 2-bedroom, 1.5 bath, two-story structures clustered together utilizing the City of Milwaukie’s recently adopted cottage cluster zoning provision. The units are intended to serve a mix of small families, couples, and individuals – all of whom are constituents in need of more affordable home buying options.

The all-electric homes are designed to standards that exceed the energy efficiency requirements set forth by the City of Milwaukie building code. The team is pursuing Energy Trust of Oregon’s Pathway to Net Zero Program.

The 24,300-sf site, located in the Ardenwald neighborhood, is well-connected to Milwaukie’s thriving downtown commercial center, good schools, and major employers. The site is within ½ mile of the MAX Orange Line, and less than ¼ mile from several TriMet bus lines (the nearest stop is only a block away) and within walking distance to Providence Hospital, Safeway, Ardenwald Elementary School, Downtown Milwaukie, and many other public amenities. Water Tower Park is a block away and the larger Mintorn North Natural Area is ½ mile.

To execute Shortstack Milwaukie, the development team is requesting gap financing of $700,000 in Housing Bond funds. The project was awarded OHCS LIFT funds covering 90% of its funding needs and is seeking Regional Affordable Housing Bond funds to close the remaining financing gap. Other primary sources include a USDA Wood Innovation Grant and a Construction Excise Tax grant from the City of Milwaukie.

• Development phase: Construction
• Construction completion: Q3 2025
• Address: 3736 SE Harvey St - Milwaukie
• Units: 15
• Developer: Shortstack Developer
• General Contractor: GSI
• Architect: Works Progress Architecture

Vuela (formerly Wilsonville TOD) will be a mixed-use development with 121 affordable housing units over an active ground floor space. All of units will be restricted to households earning between 30% - 80% of the area median income (AMI), including 35 units reserved for households making 30% of AMI or below. The units will be a mix of studio, one, two-, and three-bedroom units.

The proposed building will be a single five-story elevator building with a landscaped plaza and a mix of on-site and shared parking on the adjacent Tri-Met parcel. In addition to providing affordable housing for 121 households, Palindrome proposes to activate the ground floor with community amenities such as, the SMART transit welcome center, Wilsonville Community Sharing food bank, and a commercial space. For the commercial space, Palindrome proposes to create a coffee shop and craft beer tap room with a focus on commuters, area employees, and neighborhood residents within walking or biking distance.

Building amenities include on-site management offices, social service offices, parcel lockers, fitness room, multi-purpose community room, bike room and laundry room. The building will be fully accessible and served by two elevators. Common areas will include complimentary Wi-Fi access.

Exterior amenities include, a children’s playground, sports court, covered picnic tables, outdoor patio spaces, and EV charging stations.

The project will pursue an Earth Advantage sustainability certification. Sustainability features include a rooftop photovoltaic solar system for common area electricity. Enhanced insulation and high-performance windows, LED lighting, Energy Star appliances, and smart thermostats will provide energy-efficient units for residents. The landscape design uses native water-smart plants, and the units include low-flow water fixtures.

Palindrome will be partnering with Latino Network, which is a Latino-led education organization that is grounded in culturally-specific practices and services, to provide outreach services during the predevelopment period to inform design and programming, referral services to the property management agent, and programming at the new apartment community.

• Development phase: Construction
• Construction completion: December 2025
• Address: 9699 SW Barber Street - Wilsonville
• Units: 121
• Developer: Palindrome Properties Group
• General Contractor: PacifiCap Construction
• Architect: YBA Architects
• Service Provider: Latino Network