Downtown Revitalization Through Housing as Infrastructure
At 800 Beneficial Apartments in downtown Portland, Burnside One represents housing at infrastructure scale—transforming affordable development from shelter provision into comprehensive urban revitalization strategy.
Addressing Multiple Crises Simultaneously
Downtown Portland needs residential density to survive. Working families need affordable housing. Communities need reduced carbon emissions. Traditional development treats these as competing priorities. Beneficial Apartments recognize them as integrated opportunities.
The Economics of Density
This project at First & Ankeny requires policy evolution to reach full potential. Current Floor Area Ratio restrictions limit development density necessary for 800 units at this location. Lifting these constraints maximizes efficient use of limited urban land while setting precedent for high-density affordable developments that benefit rather than burden their surroundings.
True Mixed-Income Integration
Serving households from 30% to 80% AMI creates economically diverse communities where teachers, healthcare workers, service professionals, and families across income spectrums live as neighbors. This isn‘t segregated affordable housing—it‘s inclusive urban living that mirrors healthy cities worldwide.
Resident Liberation at Scale
With 800 units delivering reduced utility costs through efficient design, transportation savings through downtown location, and access to employment without car dependency, the cumulative financial impact reaches tens of millions annually. That‘s capital redirected from utility companies and auto lenders back into household budgets and local economies.
24/7 Downtown Activation
Empty downtown cores die. Residential populations create the constant activity that supports retail, services, and street safety. Eight hundred households generate foot traffic, support local businesses, and create the economic multiplier effects that catalyze broader investment.
Environmental Scale Impact
High-density urban housing reduces sprawl, cuts commute emissions, and when built using Upright’s sustainable approach, actively sequesters carbon through material choices. At 800 units, the environmental benefits compound from significant to transformative.
Partnership Investment Opportunity
Realizing this vision requires collaborators who understand that affordable housing infrastructure generates compounding returns across commerce, community, and environment. This isn’t charitable subsidy—it’s intelligent capital deployment where success metrics include reduced poverty, increased downtown vitality, and measurable environmental improvement alongside financial returns.
The Replication Model
Burnside One demonstrates that Beneficial Apartments work at any scale. Success here establishes the template for urban cores nationwide facing identical challenges. The question isn’t whether this model works—demonstrated projects prove it does—but whether decision-makers will deploy it where impact multiplies most powerfully
- 800 Beneficial Apartments at First & Ankeny in downtown Portland
- Mixed-income community serving 30%-80% AMI households in integrated development
- Downtown revitalization catalyst bringing 24/7 residential density and economic activation
- Sustainable design reducing environmental impact while minimizing resident operating costs
- Transit-oriented location eliminating car dependency and maximizing employment access
- Economic multiplier redirecting millions annually from utilities to household budgets and local commerce
- Policy innovation partnership requiring FAR modifications and creative financing structures
- Replicable urban model demonstrating high-density Beneficial Apartments in city centers
- Infrastructure-scale impact addressing housing crisis, downtown vitality, and climate action simultaneously
