Fairhaven Gardens, an 87-unit affordable housing development in Salem, Oregon, re-opened after an extensive renovation in 2017. Credit: Community Development Partners and Klik Concepts

Originally built in 1969, the 87-unit Viking Village had been providing an affordable housing option in Salem, Oregon, the state’s second-largest city, for nearly a half-century. By 2017, however, the property’s owner was contemplating converting the development into market-rate rentals. Learning of this prospect through a broker, developer Community Development Partners (CDP) purchased Viking Village and undertook an extensive renovation of the property that improved and updated the 10 buildings, replaced aging site infrastructure, and added amenities, including more than an acre of community gardening space. The development reopened under the name Fairhaven Gardens in February 2018 and, in addition to its main stock of affordable units, now provides 5 units reserved for those who were formerly homeless and 10 units reserved for low-income agricultural workers.