Construction is now complete on Arts Plaza Apartments, a four-story, 97-unit mixed-use building at 492 N.E. Second Street in Gresham, Oregon, with leasing underway. Developed by Gibbins Kaplan Development and Capstone Partners, the $26 million project – with a distinctive 200-square-foot mural on the building’s west side – is now under management by CloudTen Residential.
Arts Plaza Apartments is located in historic downtown Gresham, a vibrant city on the eastern outskirts of Portland, Oregon. “The new community consists of 20 studios, 48 one-bedroom units, 21 two-bedroom units, three three-bedroom units and five live/work units – all ranging from 442 to 1,172 square feet,” said Lydia Stiles, regional asset director of CloudTen. The 82,000-square-foot building also encompasses 950 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, occupied by Autumn Coffee Roasting, a local purveyor of freshly roasted coffee which was launched at the nearby Gresham Farmers’ Market and now has its first Gresham location at Arts Plaza. Known for its small-batch roasting process and commitment to quality, Autumn Coffee offers a cozy space for the community to enjoy exceptional coffee while taking in views of the changing seasons at the park.
According to Stiles, Arts Plaza also features a rooftop terrace – the first of its kind in Gresham with expansive views of Mt. Hood – as well as a private fitness studio opening onto a resident courtyard with lush greenery. Additional highlights include a BBQ area and firepit as well as a vibrant mural on the building’s west side – a collaboration between Wesi Murals (Christian Téllez) and Wonderfolk, a Portland-based nonprofit which has a mission to develop diverse young leaders through travel, art and civic engagement. Developers Gibbins Kaplan Development and Capstone Partners commissioned the 20-foot-long mural, which celebrates plants as a metaphor for a natural community by depicting a colorful burst of plants and flowers from around the world, all intertwined and growing.
The new development is adjacent to the Gresham Arts Plaza – a public open-air park and plaza that serves as a dynamic community hub and hosts seasonal farmers markets and events. With this in mind, the building’s design reflects the interactive character of the Arts Plaza park, engaging with the area’s environment, historic landscape and the outdoors, creating a lively urban edge.
