Glisan Commons

An innovative transit-oriented development located in Portland’s emerging Gateway Urban Renewal District, Glisan Commons provides low-income housing combined with robust services for vulnerable populations.

Project Details

Location

Portland, OR

Clients

Our Just Future & Ride Connection

Year Completed

2014

Project Size

73,000 sq. ft.
67 units

Certification

LEED Platinum

Land Recognition

We have a responsibility to not only acknowledge but also elevate Native communities and their needs. This project sits in the area currently known as Portland, which encompasses the traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes who made their homes along the Columbia River.

Educating ourselves is an important action. We encourage you to explore the stories of these communities through Native-led resources like David G. Lewis, PhD’s The Quartux Journal and Leading with Tradition.

Investing in the Community

A long-awaited symbol of community investment in this outer area of Portland, the building provides affordable homes, plentiful transit options, and important social services to lower-income seniors and working families. Located at the corner of NE Glisan and 100th Avenue, in a neighborhood positioned to become the most intensely developed area outside of the city center, Glisan Commons uses a rich program of social impact to transform the area from a suburban low-density area to a dense, mixed-use regional center.

Stable Housing

Glisan Commons has been fully occupied with a waitlist since it opened, with many of the tenants transitioning directly from homelessness. The ground-floor commercial space is home to the new headquarters for Ride Connection, a nonprofit that provides transportation options for the elderly and people with disabilities.

Gathering Spaces

Community ties established in shared spaces grant residents certainty, stability, and a sense of place.

Equal Access

The ground-level commercial space is home to Ride Connection headquarters of Ride Connection, a nonprofit that provides transportation options for older people and people with disabilities.