Construction of the new mixed-use housing site next to the new Gateway Discovery Park has been delayed. Expected to break ground last month, the development means 75 units of new housing (40 deemed “affordable” and the remaining 35 at market rate). The site will offer 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space with 10,000 square feet on the floor above for Human Solutions’ new headquarters.
COURTESY HUMAN SOLUTIONS

Among other things, Human Solutions owns and operates emergency shelters and affordable housing sites around Portland. The east Portland 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization had planned to begin construction of its newest building overlooking the park on Halsey Street between Northeast 105th and 106th avenues (“Gateway mixed-use development site update,” MCM June 2018) in December. However, it’s been delayed. “[The mixed-use site has been] a little delayed based on paperwork,” explains Kim Watson, Human Solutions’ executive assistant and office manager. “We hope to break ground in the first quarter of 2019—between January and March—and the goal is to be finished by June 2020. We’re looking at about 18 months.” 

In partnership with investment company Gerding Edlen, Human Solutions has been plotting since June 2016 to build a “catalytic mixed-use site.” According to Human Solutions, the park is its primary motivator for moving its headquarters to Gateway. “One of the main reasons we have chosen to build our facility near the park is because the plot of land near it came up for sale and Human Solutions won the bid to purchase it. That is the simple and straightforward answer,” says Watson. “But to delve deeper into it, parks are a great aspect of any community and help bring people together and provide a shared space for people to engage with and in the communities they live.”

All in all, the development would mean 75 units of housing (40 deemed “affordable” and the remaining 35 at market rate). The site will offer 10,000 square feet of ground floor retail space with 10,000 square feet on the floor above for Human Solutions’ new headquarters. The building’s original construction timeline saw the mixed-use site breaking ground in December, but now it appears hard hats won’t be appearing until well into the new year.

The mixed-use site has stirred both excitement and controversy. The bad news: the parking situation may be dire. At a Gateway Area Business Association meeting last May, Dave Ott, an architect behind the project from Holst Architecture, broke the situation down. There will be 10 spots for the offices, 10 spots reserved for retail and 51 spots for residents. On the bright side, there might be a brewpub. Whether or not taps will flow, however, is not up to Human Solutions. “The ground floor will be master-leased by Prosper Portland, and they will coordinate on retail shops,” says Watson.

Learn more about Human Solutions’ Gateway Park Mixed-Use Development at its official webpage, humansolutions.org/gateway-park.