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A four-story affordable housing proposal has underwhelmed Portland Design Commissioners.

The approximately 85,000-square-foot building, developed by Community Development Partners and Self Enhancement Inc. (SEI), would be located on the corner of North Alberta Street and Williams Avenue in Portland鈥檚 Humboldt neighborhood. It would provide 75 affordable homes in a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units.

It is fourth affordable housing project that SEI is codeveloping with Community Development Partners, along with 5020 N. Interstate that is under construction in North/Northeast Portland.

The Holst Architecture designed project is valued at $24 million by the Bureau of Development Services. A central courtyard is planned for the development along with ground floor residential services, a community room and lobby, and 32 surface parking spaces.

While commissioners liked aspects of the project, like the material quality, a lot left to be desired, they said during Thursday’s meeting.

鈥淲hat I am I think having problem with is that you (the team) are touching on all of these issues that are related to the guidelines,鈥� Commissioner Zuri Santner said. 鈥淏ut they are in a sort of minuscule ways 鈥� they鈥檙e not generous.鈥�

For example, due to the building being recessed for ground floor residential units along Alberta Street, the team is requesting a modification to not include street trees with the overhanging roof. However, Santner said, in the void of trees, there needs to be adequate landscaping in a variety of sizes, not just the groundscape proposed.

Commissioner Chandra Robinson said for those ground floor units it needs to feel like someone cannot just reach in. Typically, what makes a successful ground floor residential unit is that it is lifted up many feet and pushed back with there being some kind of guardrail or handrail and landscape screening with it, so residents feel they can keep their curtains open.

鈥淏ut as (the units) are right now,鈥� she added, 鈥渨indows will be locked and the curtains will be drawn 24/7 and just be a little bit blank.鈥�

As proposed Thursday, the building’s exterior design would be a combination of dark brick, light and grey fiber cement siding with metal accent panels, which commissioners said made the building feel “introverted” and not residential. The development’s corner on Alberta and Williams bridges two heavily commercial zones with residential behind.

Commissioners encouraged the team to add balconies or Juliet balconies to give the building more of a residential feel. Chair Commissioner Brian McCarter said, “that would just soften this building a little bit into that realm of a residential building and not an institutional building.”

The development aimed at African-American families would bring much-needed housing to the Humboldt area. Sahaan Mckelvey, director of community and family programs at SEI, said that affordable housing in the community is scarce.

鈥淲e know that a number of individuals from the African-American community cannot afford to live in this geographic space because of the lack of affordable housing available here,鈥� he added.

Thursday鈥檚 meeting was a design advice hearing meant to provide initial guidance. The project is expected to proceed to a Type II design review, which would be overseen by Bureau of Development Services staff.