QuickTake:
The Cornerstone Community Housing property is designed to support seniors, people with disabilities and domestic violence survivors.
The internal courtyard at the new Alma Apartments in Springfield is meant to be safe and inviting.
That’s because the affordable housing community has 10 units set aside for domestic violence survivors. The fenced-in courtyard with raised garden beds feels secure while also fostering community, said Leah Pettus-Czar, director of asset management at Cornerstone Community Housing, which designed the apartment and courtyard.
The organization also had seniors and people with disabilities in mind when they built Alma Apartments. The two-floor, one-building community has an elevator and features apartments with a variety of Americans with Disabilities Act accommodations, such as roll-in showers.
“There just isn’t enough housing that accommodates people aging in place and people with limited mobility, and so we were really hoping to provide some options for that,” said Pettus-Czar, who noted the building’s waitlist already has a high number of requests for ADA units.
Cornerstone Community Housing hosted an official grand opening at Alma Apartments on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Springfield Mayor Sean VanGordon and Cornerstone Executive Director Darcy Phillips cut a purple Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon with an oversized pair of gold scissors while surrounded by community partners.
The 39-unit Alma Apartments is Cornerstone’s ninth property in Lane County and second in Springfield. The nonprofit community housing development organization provides supportive services to its residents, such as access to food, onsite dental clinics, kids programs and health coaching, which are intended to promote personal growth and economic independence.
While Cornerstone designed the community with specific populations in mind, it is not limited to them, Phillips said. Alma Apartments are restricted to families and individuals who make 60% or less of the area median income. In Lane County for a family of four, the area median income is $91,700. That means 60% of the area median income for a family of four is about $55,000.
Phillips said Cornerstone purchased the 1.2-acre property at 1885 16th St. in 2022. The organization broke ground on the building in September 2024. The community features three studios, 30 one-bedroom apartments and six two-bedroom apartments.
Studio apartments are about 400 square feet and rent for $919 a month, according to the website for Alma Apartments. One-bedroom apartments are about 600 square feet and rent for $810 to $1,190 per month. Two-bedroom apartments are about 900 square feet and rent for $1,181 to $1,261 a month.
To build the apartments, Cornerstone received $2,054,013 in federal funds, $578,000 from the city of Springfield, $7,935,000 from Oregon Housing and Community Services, and a $2.35 million permanent loan, according to the organization’s website.
Phillips said Cornerstone likes to focus on smaller properties with fewer units.
“We’re OK with filling in those little gaps and finding the smaller properties where we can build something very elegant and have a design that really suits the folks that we’re going to serve,” she said. “It’s a small number to some. It’s a huge number to the people who will call this home.”
She said the smaller community also allows residents to get a more personal touch with the services Cornerstone provides. This includes partnering with other local organizations to bring resources on site, such as a flu shot clinic in the apartment building’s community room.
“We’re not going to duplicate other work that’s happening in the community,” Phillips said. “We’re going to connect our residents with those agencies.”
Focusing on food and nutrition
Phillips said Cornerstone works with Food for Lane County to provide food and nutrition programs to residents.
Healthy food, Phillips said, “is kind of the first thing that we know people will give up to pay rent.”
Cornerstone also plans off-site programs, such as field trips to local blueberry farms and the Coburg antique shops, to facilitate positive community experiences.
“Those are really important, especially because a lot of seniors struggle with social cohesion,” Phillips said.
Pettus-Czar said Cornerstone has more than 60 people who have inquired about Alma Apartments. Property managers will call people on the waitlist, offer them tours and complete an income verification and application process. She said Cornerstone is hoping to start moving residents into the community later this month and in October.
