The Blackberry Hill Apartments won the Golden Hammer Award!

Building on a steeply sloping site was a challenge; but the payoff is a building where residents enjoy beautiful views overlooking a protected natural area. Photo by Jason Kaplan, courtesy of Capri Architecture.

Housing Oregon honored the Blackberry Hill Apartments with the Golden Hammer Award (Rural Division)! The award, presented on September 15, recognizes a multifamily rental project completed in rural Oregon in the past year that best demonstrates the ideals of affordability, quality of design, livability, community revitalization or service integration.

“This award recognizes a multifamily rental project completed in rural Oregon in the past year that best demonstrates the ideals of affordability, quality of design, livability, community revitalization or service integration.”

Veterans make up more than 10% of the population in coastal Lincoln County, an area where devastating wildfires in 2020 worsened an already severe housing shortage. The Blackberry Hill Apartments, developed by Northwest Coastal Housing with HDC’s support, provide eleven affordable homes for rural veterans at risk of housing insecurity and homelessness. Three of the homes are permanent supportive housing (PSH) units. Wraparound services and peer support help residents to stabilize and thrive.

The Blackberry Hill project team overcame unique challenges to deliver energy-efficient, durable homes that take full advantage of the site’s natural beauty. From Housing Oregon’s award announcement:

“The project’s small size constrained financing options, and the property’s steep slope added to construction complexity. The City of Toledo passed a first-time ordinance to waive the project’s systems development fees and the design/construction team persisted through difficult market conditions to ensure the building provides energy-efficiency, sound protection, and durability in coastal weather.”

We extend a big congratulations to Northwest Coastal Housing and the whole Blackberry Hill Apartments development team—including HDC project managers Shauna Childress and Kayla Murphy and our partners at Capri Architecture and Meili Construction—for bringing this project to life and earning this well-deserved and appreciated recognition!