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The staccato rhythm of nail guns and a piercing roar from power saws punctuate the soundtrack for KOGAP Enterprises’ latest project along Myers Lane in south Medford. Carpenters, plumbers and heavy equipment operators relentlessly fashion a 92-unit amalgamation of one- and two-bedroom apartments rising above the old KOGAP mill site visible from South Riverside Avenue, which ended its run in 1993. It’s the first phase of an anticipated 300 residential units at Stewart Meadows Village, with the first tenants expected to move in next spring. “We’ve been working on this project for well over 10 years,” said Brent Hackwell, KOGAP’s construction and development director. “There is a real need for more housing in our community. The whole idea behind Stewart Meadows Village is where people could come and stay and become part of the overall community experience.” The first building to go up on the 79-acre development was the 64,000-square-foot Providence Stewart Meadows Medical Plaza, which opened last January. Pairing the apartment architecture with the Providence building proved a formidable task. “One of our biggest challenges was just overcoming the difference of architecture from where we started and where we are today,” Hackwell said. The medical building, designed by David Thruston of S&B James Construction Management, paid homage to the KOGAP mill with a distinctly industrial feel. “You’ll notice the materials being used are concrete, brick, steel — all those elements we brought out in the Providence building,” Hackwell said. The desire was to use similar materials in building the residential complex, but it didn’t pencil out. “The challenge we face is that it isn’t economical,” Hackwell said. “We had to mix those materials and bring in wood for the wood siding.” Construction on the 16-month project will continue into September, with apartments — yet to be priced — ranging from 730 square feet to 1,000 square feet. Architect Ray Kistler of Kistler + Small + White in Ashland employed floor-to-ceiling windows to flood the second and third stories — above ground-level parking — with natural light. “We were going for the Northwest contemporary style, which we just don’t have yet in Medford, that we see elsewhere in the whole Northwest,” Kistler said. A 2,100-square-foot community center with pool tables, gym and dog-washing station is adjacent to an outdoor pool and barbecue area. The project has employed 60 to 80 tradesmen. “We’ve had people requesting reservations, but we won’t start marketing the units until after the first of the year,” Hackwell said. Hackwell said the next residential phase isn’t set. It could be a 90-unit complex along Garfield Street on the south end of the development or it could be duplexes facing Stewart Meadows Golf Course along Myers Lane. “Really there’s a lot of places we could go,” he said. “But for now we’re focusing on the first phase. We’re trying to provide an upscale feel for people — to be part of the golf course and be part of the south Medford area.” The development’s walking-path system and proximity to south Medford’s commercial clusters are attractive to both younger and older demographics, Hackwell said. “Instead of driving all over town and causing more congestion, you can come here and stay here,” he said. “That’s our goal.” Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter @ GregMTBusiness or www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31 .