Mayor Steve Callaway and panelists discussed affordable housing on a recent episode of Community Conversations featuring:

• Erica Calderon: Housing Director, Bienestar
• Steve Messinetti: President & CEO, Habitat for Humanity Portland Region
• Chris Hartye: Senior Project Manager, City of Hillsboro

For many of our neighbors, housing costs have a significant impact on their overall cost of living and reduce the funds they have available for critical needs such as food, health care, utilities, and childcare.  

• About 45% of renters in Hillsboro are cost-burdened — spending more than one third of their monthly income on housing.
• Nearly 11% of Hillsboro residents live in poverty. 

Hillsboro has more than 2,600 regulated affordable units and is still in need of many more. There are significant needs for larger units serving families and deeply affordable units for the lowest income levels.

As part of our efforts to support affordable housing development, the City has implemented the following actions, among others:

• Established a Nonprofit-Owned Affordable Housing Property Tax Exemption for qualifying properties in Hillsboro
  
  
• Reduced Minimum Parking Requirements for Regulated Affordable Housing
  
  
• Provided gap financing for Willow Creek Crossing Apartments, 120 affordable units at 185th Avenue and Baseline Road, in partnership with the Housing Authority of Washington County and DBG Properties.
  
  
• Donated two City-owned properties, totaling nearly 10-acres, for new affordable housing developments at NE 53rd Ave and Hidden Creek Drive and at SW Century Boulevard and Lois St
  
  
• Became a local implementing partner (LIP) of the Metro Housing Bond, utilizing $17 Million in bond funds for the Nueva Esperanza project
  
  
• Contributed $80,000 to $100,000 annually to the Community Housing Fund for predevelopment loans and services in Washington County

In partnership with the City and other funders, Bienestar and Housing Development Center have broken ground on an affordable housing project at NE 53rd Avenue and NE Hidden Creek Drive.”

Nueva Esperanza — “New Hope” in Spanish — is the first affordable housing project in Hillsboro to be funded in part by the 2018 Metro Housing Bond. The project will provide 150 new housing units, including: 

• 60 units priced for families at or below 30% AMI
  
  
• 105 units with two bedrooms or more 

To support the project, the City donated the 6-acre property and allocated $17 million of its share of Metro Regional Housing Bond proceeds. 

Funding and development agreements with Bienestar and Housing Development Center will help provide for ongoing affordability, maintenance and operations. Completion is expected in late 2023.

Learn more about Nueva Esperanza

Century Commons, a partnership with Habitat for Humanity Greater Portland Region, will provide 18 affordable homeownership units in the form of 3 and 4-bedroom townhomes and detached homes. 

The City will donate a 3-plus acre property at the intersection of SW Century Boulevard and SW Lois St.

The homes will be available to low-income community members whose household income is 80% AMI or below.  

Groundbreaking is anticipated in summer 2023 with completion expected in late 2024.

View the full-size Century Commons Site Plan.

Regionwide, Metro's plan sets the following goals for a five to seven year period: 

• Create 3,900 affordable homes at 80% of Area Median Income (AMI) or below 
• Designate 1,600 of those affordable homes for households earning 30% of AMI or less 
• Build at least half of the affordable homes with family-sized units of two to five bedrooms
• Ensure a maximum of 10% of the bond-supported affordable homes are for residents making 60% to 80% of AMI
• Advance racial equity and other guiding principles through investments in regional housing

The City has access to up to $40.6 million of the total bond to produce an estimated 284 affordable units. 

To guide the use of these resources, the City has developed a Local Implementation Strategy that prioritizes meaningful engagement with communities of color and other marginalized communities. The Strategy was created with input from hundreds of community members and stakeholders and will guide implementation of the bond over the next five years.

• Read the Local Implementation Strategy in English
• Lea la Estrategia de Implentación en español

Thus far, the City has utilized approximately $17 Million of the funds to support the Nueva Esperanza affordable housing project described above.

The proposed Dolores development in the Tanasbourne neighborhood would provide 67 new affordable apartments for community members earning 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and below.

The three-story, elevator-served building will include 74 off-street parking spaces and offer:

• 20 one-bedroom units
• 17 two-bedroom units
• 26 three-bedroom units
• 3 four-bedroom units

Twelve apartments will be reserved for Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) with wrap-around services for individuals and families exiting homelessness.

Named for Latina agricultural activist Dolores Huerta, the community and design are inspired by the area’s cultural diversity and the site’s history as a hazelnut orchard.

Construction is expected to begin in fall 2024, pending additional consideration of City and Metro project approvals, including land use. 

Read our latest news item or visit Hacienda CDC’s website to learn more.