Clackamas County and partners broke ground on Marylhurst Commons on Nov. 18, 2022, on the former Marylhurst University Campus in Lake Oswego. When completed, 80 percent of the apartment homes at Marylhurst Commons will have two and three bedrooms, meeting a critical need for affordable family housing in Clackamas County. Forty of the apartments will include supportive services for homeless households. The development includes playgrounds, on-site offices for management and resident services staff, a community room with a kitchen, and a technology center for residents.
A welcoming space for children, Marylhurst Commons will work with the Lake Oswego School District to provide housing for families with children that have experienced homelessness. Lake Oswego School District Superintendent Jennifer Schiele said, “A lot of people don’t believe that Lake Oswego has families that are in this kind of situation; but we do, and we have a lot of them actually. We have many who live in hotels, many who live with relatives. It’s important to us to make sure all of our students have a safe home.”
“Clackamas County needs more housing — particularly affordable housing,” Clackamas County Commissioner Paul Savas said. “The county has a strategic goal to build at least 1,500 new affordable homes, and Marylhurst Commons is helping us exceed that goal. This project will provide crucial housing for lower-income workers and their families,” he said.
Building more affordable housing like this is a win-win, allowing high-cost areas to retain service workers and allowing people to live in the community where they work.
This project is made possible thanks to Mercy Housing Northwest, the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM), Metro, Oregon Housing and Community Services, and the Housing Authority and supportive housing services program of Clackamas County.
SNJM conducted extensive community outreach to understand how the former Marylhurst University campus could continue to serve community needs. Affordable housing emerged as a top priority from those conversations. The Marylhurst Commons Affordable Housing project is the result of over two years of planning and community outreach.
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