TriMet completes first phase of TOD project near Hollywood/NE 42nd Ave MAX Station
TriMet has completed the first phase of a transit-oriented development (TOD) project near the Hollywood/NE 42nd Ave MAX Station, as a new and permanent ramp connecting the MAX station to a pathway leading to Northeast Halsey Street opened on Nov. 1, near the future home of BRIDGE Housing’s hollywoodHUB project.
The agency notes the new ramp gives all riders access to the Hollywood/NE 42nd Ave MAX Station and replaces the temporary structure that has been in place since fall of 2023, which TriMet installed to replace the previous concrete structure to make room for the construction of hollywoodHUB. The mixed-use development will bring 222 new affordable housing units to Portland, Ore.
In addition to the new ramp, TriMet’s public investments will include an updated substation to power MAX trains, along with stairs running alongside the ramp, which will open soon.
Making way for hollywoodHUB
hollywoodHUB is the latest project to come out of TriMet’s TOD program. The hollywoodHUB project is a partnership between TriMet, developer BRIDGE Housing and resident services provider Hacienda CDC, with major funding coming from the region’s affordable housing bonds.
According to the agency, 151 of the homes will be for residents with incomes at or below 60 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) and 71 units for residents with incomes at or below 30 percent AMI. The agency notes 55 of the homes will have rental assistance vouchers ensuring residents only pay 30 percent of their income on rent and utilities. BRIDGE Housing will break ground on hollywoodHUB at the end of this year.
During construction, TriMet says there will be a temporary 20-foot pathway providing access to the new ramp, leading people to the I-84 pedestrian bridge and Hollywood/NE 42nd Ave MAX Station. When construction of the complex is complete, the new ramp and stairs will offer safer crossings of Northeast Halsey Street by connecting to hollywoodHUB’s public plaza.
TriMet notes the Portland metro area has a history of developing successful TOD projects, particularly in the 1990s and early 2000s. TOD projects completed in the past five years have increased the region’s affordable housing supply by 477 units and have also added another 241 market-rate units.
The agency says the Portland Housing Bureau and TriMet pooled resources to provide $33 million of affordable housing bond funding for hollywoodHUB, which is the largest funding award ever issued for an affordable housing project in Portland. TriMet notes voters approved the agency’s $652.7 million bond program in 2018, earmarking money for permanent affordable housing projects across Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties.
