More affordable housing options for Portland students

Portland area college students will soon have access to more affordable housing in the Goose Hollow Towers of Southwest Portland thanks to College Housing Northwest, a local nonprofit housing developer.

The future student housing site will be called “The Amy” as a dedication to Stan Amy, a co-founder of CHNW, and will open to Portland college students in the spring of 2018.

The Amy will be the first building designed by CHNW since the 1999 development of Goose Hollow Plaza.

Students who are interested in living at The Amy are required to submit an application that requires a credit check and a proof of enrollment from either PSU, Portland Community College, or other public colleges in Oregon. Applications will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.

The Amy, which has recently replaced a 30-unit apartment building, will consist of five floors that will provide 141 fully furnished units. The future student building will consist mostly of studios, along with two 1-bedroom apartments. Each studio is 310 sq. ft. and contains one bathroom, a bike storage, a small kitchenette, a bed, and a desk. The 1-bedroom units are 600 sq. ft. CHNW has already begun hiring for Amy resident assistants to live on each floor.

As for now, pricing of the housing will be $1,150 per unit including utilities, which is 15 percent below the current market rate. The Amy’s housing cost will also provide free high-speed Wi-Fi and three common kitchens with lounges.

“The purpose of the Amy was to create more affordable housing for college students,” said David Garnand, executive director of CHNW. “It’s a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. No one else benefits from this but college students.”

The Amy will provide places to study with large study tables and a ground floor lobby with a fireplace and a movie projector. In addition, Amy residents will also be able to utilize an outdoor courtyard with a fire pit and BBQ, 230 secure bike parking spaces, and 32 secure car parking spaces.

For more information, visit theamy.chnw.org.