Construction is underway on Ruby-Mac Place, a 31-home affordable homeownership development in Northeast Portland's East Columbia neighborhood where every house will get rooftop solar (via Portland Housing Bureau).
Self Enhancement, Inc., or SEI, broke ground on the 6.5-acre site at 9801 NE 13th Ave. The homes are three- and four-bedroom houses, duplexes and townhomes for purchase, aimed at families with kids and multi-generational households. All of them will be permanently affordable to buyers earning up to 80% of area median income.
The city's project page breaks the first phase down as four three-bedroom homes and 27 four-bedroom homes, with a total estimated development cost of about $24.3 million (Portland Housing Bureau). Colas Construction is the general contractor, and Propel Studio is the architect.
Every home is designed to be "visitable," meaning step-free entries and a ground-floor bathroom so people of all mobility levels can get in and around. Each one will have a front porch or terrace, and the plans include green space, trails and elevated walkways.
The rooftop solar arrays make the homes net-zero ready. That piece is funded by $5 million from the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund, according to the bureau. The Housing Bureau is putting in $1.5 million, money City Council approved this spring.
That vote came June 3, when council approved $2.5 million from the city's Construction Excise Tax fund for two homeownership projects in District 2, including $1.5 million for SEI (City of Portland). It passed 10-2. Councilor Loretta Smith, who pushed the funding, said at the time, "Too many families have been locked out of homeownership and the opportunities it creates" (City of Portland).
Ruby-Mac uses a community land trust model, with SEI as the steward. Buyers own their homes but lease the land under a long-term ground lease with a restricted resale formula. That keeps the homes affordable for the next buyer while still letting owners build some equity. Residents will also be able to use SEI's youth and family programs.
SEI is Oregon's largest Black-led nonprofit, and Ruby-Mac is part of a housing pipeline the group is building under its SEI Living arm, alongside its Mississippi Heights rental project (Oregon Business).
A second phase would add 12 more homes, though the bureau says no city funding is planned for it right now. Earlier coverage and council materials described the project as 49 homes. The city's current plan is 31 in phase one and 12 in phase two.
The site has some challenges, too. A design partner on the project described significant wetland and soil conditions that the team had to plan around.
Why it matters for Contractors
A 31-home for-sale project with a mix of detached houses, duplexes and townhomes is a big job, and with Colas running it, there should be work for subs in nearly every trade over the next couple of years. The city's project page lists summer 2028, which appears to be the target for finishing.
Solar on every roof is the detail to notice. If you're a roofer, electrician or solar installer in the Portland area, net-zero-ready homes like these mean coordinating roofing, wiring and solar from the design stage, not bolting panels on afterward. On projects like this one, that coordination is part of the job.
The visitable design standards are worth knowing too: step-free entries and ground-floor bathrooms are showing up on more affordable projects. Small builders who can deliver them cleanly on tight budgets will be well positioned when the next land-trust or affordable homeownership project goes out.