New affordable projects: Owens Adair opens; modular micro-studio pilot and Pacifica update

Monica Steele (assistant county manager) announced the Owens Adair grand opening in Astoria: a 50-unit development for seniors and disabled residents that includes 15 supportive-service units in partnership with Clatsop Community Action; she said the building is fully occupied.

Separately, staff reported the Pacifica project (near the high school) is on budget and on schedule, with occupancy expected in spring or summer next year. Project rent is restricted to 60% AMI and restrictions will last 60 years, and speakers said the city plans to target local workers such as school-district staff. "50 units, for senior disabled individuals in Astoria, with 15 units of those as supportive, service units, in partnership with Clatsop Community Action," Steele said.

The task force also discussed a modular micro-studio pilot coordinated with Restoration House and a modular manufacturer in Klamath Falls. The pilot would produce 10 micro-studios (two stories of five units each) with unit footprints cited between 204 and 240 square feet; speakers noted an OHCS grant square-footage minimum (350 sq ft) excluded some modular options from particular grant programs and emphasized permitting/site utility costs as significant factors.

Why it matters: These projects together increase local supply of restricted and supportive units, offer models for modular delivery, and provide case studies for prioritizing local workers in occupancy. The modular pilot tests smaller-unit models for shelter and quick-delivery housing.

What happens next: Project managers will circulate details about unit sizes and cost breakdowns, continue permitting and site-preparation work, and present more detail at the next board meeting and planners' technical session.