DIG Real Estate: Bringing Good Energy to Multifamily Housing

For Oregon brothers Brenner and Josh Daniels, eco-friendly building should be a marriage of form and function. The two are the principals behind our client DIG Real Estate, a Portland-area firm that focuses on commercial and mixed-use developments, with an emphasis on multifamily housing. Their latest project, The Steward, is the first building on the west side of the Willamette River in the Portland, Oregon metro area to receive the Energy Trust of Oregon’s “Path to Net Zero” designation, for energy-efficient buildings designed to operate with renewable energy produced onsite.

For residents in the new five story, all-electric building with 55 apartments and about 1,700 square feet of commercial ground floor space, their sleek new apartments come with a big bonus—meaningful savings on their monthly electrical bills. The Steward, which opened in Tigard in late 2024, has photovoltaic solar panels on the rooftop that create energy to help offset the building’s operating requirements.

“Our residents have significantly reduced electricity bills most months,” said Josh. “This is one of the most sustainable buildings in the Portland metro area.”

Josh and Brenner both have extensive development experience and a portfolio of other assets in Oregon and Southern Washington. While climate goals are important, The Steward—their first ground-up development under DIG Real Estate—is also filled with creature comforts. Case in point: double-paned floor-to-ceiling windows in the apartments, induction ranges and energy-efficient heat pumps for heating and cooling.

The Steward’s other green features include heat pump water heaters with two 600-gallon tanks and a 350-gallon “swing tank,” 16 electric vehicle chargers and an EV-ready parking garage that can be scaled to power electric and hybrid cars for each apartment, as needed. The Steward has achieved Earth Advantage Gold, a building certification for developments committed to eco-friendly construction that go beyond code requirements.

DIG worked closely with the City of Tigard, which helped fund The Steward with grant money for developments that help create more mixed-use buildings in the Tigard Triangle.

Banner served as the lender for The Steward and supports the DIG team with related business banking services. Bryce Payne, SVP and Oregon CRE Market Manager, worked with DIG on the development and says the firm is raising the bar for energy-efficient design.

“They delivered a very well-designed community,” said Bryce. “They’re highly engaged and they care about the details. We can’t wait to see what they do next.”