SUSTAINABILITY

Recognizing that developers have an obligation to both the community and the environment, Pacific Crest Affordable Housing has invested a lot of energy (pun intended) into maximizing the efficiency of our projects.  With each building, we implement progressively more impactful sustainability features; for example, from our 2nd project to our 4th, we doubled the size of the solar array from 15 kw to 32 kw, and then again to 67 kw for our 5th project, IronHorse Lodge.  

Other sustainable features used throughout our buildings include insulated concrete form walls, innovative truss design and thermal breaks.  Pacific Crest uses geothermal heating and cooling where appropriate, and high-efficiency HVAC systems. Our lighting is 90% sensor-controlled and 100% LED, and all of the appliances are Energy Star qualified.  We are pushing the envelope in multi-family sustainable building, and the community is taking note: the second phase of Little Deschutes Lodge received Novogradac's Renewable Energy Power award and IronHorse Lodge 1 is certified Platinum, EarthAdvantage's highest resource efficiency rating. 

LIVABILITY

Central Oregon is an incredible place to live - it boasts endless outdoor recreational opportunities in tandem with a community that invites tourism, nurtures small business growth and encourages entrepreneurship (along with anything on tap!)   As new folks flood to Bend and the surrounding towns to enjoy all that Central Oregon has to offer, the community as a whole will need to adapt to accommodate a higher population as well as a shifting demographic.

Recognizing this trend, Pacific Crest builds with the theories of New Urbanism in mind.  In essence, affordable projects create economic and housing diversity, one of the most important components of a thriving community, but our higher density buildings never compromise aesthetics or human connection.  The inclusion of common rooms, additional shared kitchens and libraries, game rooms, and raised bed gardens at each of our buildings emphasizes community space.  We develop spaces for people, not just their cars, and encourage biking or walking by building in proximity to local services and transportation networks.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

The connection between healthcare and housing comes more into focus every year: if people have a safe and comfortable place to live, their dependency on the healthcare system drastically decreases.  Pacific Crest is working hard to further improve resident well-being by nurturing partnerships with local healthcare and social service organizations in each of our current and upcoming projects. These partnerships lead to increased access to immunization clinics, health education, prenatal care education and referrals, mental health screenings and referrals, substance abuse education and assistance, nutrition education and services. Additionally, all 6 of our buildings have fitness centers for the residents to use at their convenience. 

As we transition to workforce housing, Pacific Crest will be implementing other resident services in our future projects, that, if successful, will be retro-fitted into some of our older projects as well. Additionally, we are creating bike loaner programs so our residents will have access to bikes, improving their community access and personal well-being. 

AFFORDABILITY

Undeniably, a diverse community is a healthy community.  In the midst of our region’s current growth, it is more important than ever that we strive to serve the the underserved population of Central Oregon.  At Pacific Crest, we wade through the complexities of federal, state, and local funding sources to help create diverse neighborhoods and the countless other tangible benefits of affordable housing. If we are able to facilitate the connectedness and financial security of lower-income community members as we have done for the past 12 years, Pacific Crest can continue to contribute to our city’s growth with accountability and intention. 

All of our buildings are reserved for community members that make 60% of area median income, but we strive to do one better and offer rents that are affordable for those making 30-50% of area median income.  This is done largely through multiple funding/financing sources including Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, HOME funds, Oregon Housing Trust Funds, Oregon GHAP Funds, Oregon Affordable Housing Tax Credits, various energy tax credit programs, property tax exemption, donations and traditional private bank loans.