(Photos | Courtesy of Pacific Crest Affordable Housing)
Pacific Crest Affordable Housing, LLC has broken ground on its seventh affordable housing project in Central Oregon; the company’s fourth in Bend. Canal Commons is located on Bend’s eastside, adjacent to Pine Nursery Park.
The project consists of a 48-unit apartment community (12 one-bed/one-bath, 28 two-bed/one-bath, eight three-bed/two-bath) for families and workforce households in Bend, with rents set at 30 to 53 percent of AMI for 60 years. This translates to monthly estimated rents ranging from $431 – $1,089 based on the 2019 HUD figures, with all utilities included. The project is expected to be completed late 2020 and these rents could change based on next year’s HUD figures.
“We are pleased with the level of commitment our partners, including the City of Bend, have shown in supporting the creation of more affordable housing,” said John Gilbert, Pacific Crest Affordable Housing co-operating manager. “The State of Oregon and the City of Bend currently have a shortage of affordable housing, and we are working diligently to provide more housing opportunities to our community.”
Canal Commons will include sustainability principles that put its other affordable projects amongst the very most sustainable affordable housing projects in the entire nation. Canal Commons will include highly energy-efficient staggered-stud exterior walls, super high-efficiency air source heating/cooling, Energy Recovery Ventilation for all units, solar-generated electricity and solar-heated water for the whole building (including all the apts.), triple-pane equivalent windows, dual-flush toilets and drought-tolerant landscaping. Combining solar
energy and energy net efficiency measures will reduce Canal Commons’ energy consumption by 75-80 percent from Oregon code minimum, and thus insulate it from sharply rising utility costs in the future.
“Not only are we producing high-quality affordable housing, but we are also utilizing as many sustainable building practices as we can incorporate into the project,” said Robert Roy, Pacific Crest Affordable Housing co-operating manager. “It is important to us to provide housing that our residents can be proud of and feel that they are part of a larger effort creating a positive impact on their surroundings.”
Pacific Crest Affordable Housing, LLC is an award-winning developer of high-quality housing for low-income tenants in Central Oregon. These projects are public-private partnerships, funded with various combinations of public funds, private investment, grants, loans and in-kind contributions. Five of the six projects are restricted to seniors (aged 55 and better) and all are income-restricted to serve households earning 60% of the Area Median Income or less. Pacific Crest aims to locate its projects in some of the most desirable neighborhoods in the communities in which they are located to foster a seamless blend of low-income housing with the rest of the community.
