(VIDEO) Transit-Oriented Development near TriMet’s Hollywood MAX Station reaches milestone with accessibility improvements

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As part of the hollywoodHUB development, a new permanent ramp structure leading to the MAX station opens

Improved connections have arrived near the Hollywood/NE 42nd Ave MAX Station, with the first phase of public investments completed for a new transit-oriented development project. With TriMet’s leadership and funding, a new and permanent ramp connecting the MAX station to a pathway leading to Northeast Halsey Street opened on Friday, Nov. 1, near the future home of BRIDGE Housing’s hollywoodHUB project.

Artist's rendering of hollywoodHUB
The rendering shows the hollywoodHUB’s public plaza, looking south, with the ramp and stairs leading to the Hollywood/NE 42nd Ave MAX Station in the background.

The new ramp gives all riders access to the Hollywood/NE 42nd Ave MAX Station. It 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. 

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 Transit-Oriented Development Program, which works to deliver high-density housing and community-centered uses of available properties near our transit services. 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. 

One hundred and fifty-one of the homes will be for residents with incomes at or below 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and 71 units for residents with incomes at or below 30% AMI. Fifty-five of the homes will have rental assistance vouchers ensuring residents only pay 30% of their income on rent and utilities. BRIDGE Housing will break ground on hollywoodHUB at the end of this year.

During construction, there will be a temporary 20-foot pathway providing access to TriMet’s 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. 

What is transit-oriented development?

Transit-oriented development is a concept as old as mass transportation itself: create new buildings and infrastructure around transit. Today, this typically means development that includes a mix of uses–as well as a mix of housing affordability. These projects maximize density while creating walkable neighborhoods near transit, relieving congestion by reducing car dependence and increasing the supply of affordable housing and community resources accessible by transit. 

The Portland metro area has a history of developing successful transit-oriented development projects, particularly in the 1990s and early 2000s. In recent years, TriMet has reinvested in our Transit-Oriented Development program, recognizing there was untapped potential to build on or around the transit system and ease the region’s affordable housing crunch.

TriMet’s solution takes underutilized properties that can accommodate residential and mixed-use buildings. While not a developer, TriMet works with developers to envision and deliver these projects that benefit the community. 

Transit-oriented development projects completed in the last five years have increased the region’s affordable housing supply by 477 units. They have also added another 241 market-rate units. Our Transit-Oriented Development program accelerates the amount of housing that is delivered. At the same time, it promotes economic and social opportunities through the development of new commercial or community developments.

Other recent examples include the new East County Library, under construction on the former site of TriMet’s Gresham City Hall Park & Ride, and the Fuller Station Apartments. Completed and opened for residents at the end of 2021, Fuller Station features 100 apartments for families and individuals who earn between 30% and 60% of the area median income.

hollywoodHUB: investing in the community

The Portland Housing Bureau and Metro pooled resources to provide $33 million of affordable housing bond funding for hollywoodHUB. All together, this is the largest funding award ever issued for an affordable housing project in Portland, reflecting the scale and impact of this project and the urgent need for affordable housing across the region. Voters approved Metro’s $652.7 million bond program in 2018, earmarking money for permanent affordable housing projects across Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties.

Of the contractors working for TriMet on the project, 20% are state-certified Small Business Enterprises. For construction of hollywoodHUB itself, BRIDGE Housing hired O’Neill-Walsh Community Builders, a general contractor that is 49% minority owned.  

TriMet is proud to be working alongside regional partners to add more affordable housing and help more people reach work, recreation and opportunities within the larger Portland metro area. Transit-oriented developments like hollywoodHUB allow for more people and neighborhood businesses to thrive and prosper. For more information about TriMet’s Transit-Oriented Development program, visit trimet.org/tod.