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Affordable Student-Centered Housing at Portland Community College

Portland, Oregon

Affordable Student-Centered Housing at Portland Community College

Portland, Oregon

Portland Community College’s Southeast Campus is nestled in a bustling outer Southeast Portland neighborhood known as the Jade District, home to a large population of immigrants and people of color. This new student-centered affordable housing community on campus, utilizing unused surface parking, will give residents access to a thriving small business community and multimodal transportation options while offering a tangible pathway to higher education.

The community-focused development is a collaboration with Our Just Future and APANO and will help transform one of Portland’s most diverse and rapidly growing neighborhoods, aiming to build social and economic capacity while mitigating displacement from gentrification.

Targeting completion in 2026, the 124-unit affordable housing project will feature units from studio to 3-bedroom and will connect to the broader PCC campus by linking a new courtyard to community amenities. Biophilic interior spaces also offer residents ample connections to nature. The building is being designed to the Passive House standard, ensuring resilience, enhanced air quality, and reduced utility bills for residents.

Climate

  • Preservation of mature trees on site for shade
  • Rooftop photovoltaics offset energy use
  • Energy storage system for power backup
  • Health

  • Advanced air filtration
  • Airtight building envelope
  • Operable windows
  • Chemically safe interior finishes
  • Equity

  • Resilient building
  • Neighborhood and campus integration
  • Welcoming, tree-filled courtyards
  • Size

    112,000 sf; 124 apartments

    Collaborators

    Our Just Future

    APANO

    Portland Community College