With a food bank, public transit center and food hall at ground level, Vuela is a 121-apartment complex that brings conveniently located and much needed affordable housing to Wilsonville, a community where rents have been rising faster than people’s pay for years.
Vuela officially opened on May 27, when elected leaders from Congress, Oregon Legislature, Metro, Clackamas County and Wilsonville joined the project’s developer, Palindrome, in cutting the ribbon on the new, innovative community.
The apartments at Vuela are available to households earning up to 30%, 60% and 80% of the area median income. Latino Network is providing services and community events for residents, and 20 permanent supportive housing apartments to aid those most in need come with rent assistance and wraparound services funded through the regional Metro Supportive Housing Services measure.
The City of Wilsonville donated the land where Vuela sits and provided a $1.9 million legislative grant, which funded ground floor amenities including a permanent home for Wilsonville Community Sharing food bank and a welcome center serving Transit Center passengers riding South Metro Area Regional Transit buses and TriMet’s WES Commuter Rail.
“Vuela reflects the compassion of this community and our shared commitment to helping people build stability in their lives,” said Wilsonville Mayor Shawn O’Neil. “This development is about more than housing — it connects individuals and families to transit, community support and greater economic opportunity, helping create a stronger sense of security and belonging.”
Wilsonville Community Sharing food bank is located on the ground floor of Vuela.
The project’s construction was also supported with $8 million from the voter-approved Metro Affordable Housing Bond awarded by Clackamas County and a $250,000 grant from Metro’s Transit-Oriented Development program, which supports housing built near high-frequency public transit.
“Vuela means ‘to fly’ in Spanish, and I think that sentiment captures how the planners of this project seized upon opportunities to provide benefits to both residents and the surrounding community,” Metro Councilor Gerritt Rosenthal said. “With access to the broader metro area with the WES Commuter Rail and multiple bus lines just steps away, this project enhances mobility while promoting environmental sustainability. It simply makes sense.”
Builders were able to preserve three large, historic Douglas fir trees on the property, which now shade a natural play area for children.
“Palindrome is proud to deliver Vuela in partnership with the City of Wilsonville, Clackamas County, Metro and the State of Oregon,” Palindrome President Robert Gibson said. “Vuela exemplifies the kind of development Palindrome is committed to: creating places for people to experience happiness.”
Dining and Cooking