South Cooper Mountain: Amity Orchards Beaverton, Oregon

The Amity Orchards development is a public-private partnership that consists of three multi-family buildings that add 164 affordable housing units and community facilities, as well as 40,000 square-feet designated for commercial space, as part of the South Cooper Mountain community plan. With a focus on sustainable design, community amenities, and access to transit, Otak managed everything from land use planning and entitlement to site surveying and construction documentation to complete this mixed use development.

Affordable Housing with A Sustainable, Accessible Design

Enhancing its affordable housing goals, the project is designed to exceed high universal design standards, going above and beyond code to provide accessible features. A multi-day design charrette with City of Beaverton staff delivered a site design that met the needs of the community, the jurisdiction, the developer and future residents and tenants. In designing the residential buildings, a sustainable approach in accordance with universal design principles includes solar-ready and electric vehicle (EV)-ready infrastructure. The site design includes low-impact stormwater management techniques including vegetated planters and swales. To save and incorporate mature trees on the property, an urban public plaza was also included in the design to complement the project’s varied utilization. That park project consists 0.25-acre plaza that will be owned and operated by Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation District (THPRD). Additional landscaping consists of native and drought-tolerant plant species and the site’s transit design of the TriMet stop to support community access to multimodal transportation. All together, the sustainable elements position Amity Orchards to be certified with at least Earth Advantage Silver standards. Supporting primary goals around residential uses, the site received funding through the Metro Affordable Housing Bond, administered by the City of Beaverton as well as Oregon Housing and Community Service (OHCS) tax credits.