Celebrating
‘City
of
Roses’
BLACK
HISTORY
MONTH
Volume XLVIII • Number 8
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • February 20, 2019
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
photo by D anny p eterson /t he p ortlanD o bserver
Community leaders break ground Friday on a new 70 unit affordable housing complex at Northeast Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks Way. The project by Portland
Community Reinvestment, Inc. (PCRI), a housing provider rooted in the African American community, is the nonprofit’s second major effort to create housing for people who
have been displaced from inner north and northeast Portland. Pictured (from left) are Nancy Merryman of Merryman Barnes Architects, Oregon Public Health Institute Chief
Executive Officer Cyreena Boston Ashby, PCRI Executive Director Maxine Fitzpatrick, former City Commissioner Dan Saltzman, Colas Construction’s Andrew and Hermann
Colas, Office of Mayor Ted Wheeler representative Cupid Alexander, Umpqua Bank Affordable Housing Manager Gina Leon, and US Bank CDC Manager Jodi Enos.
Mitigating Displacement
Nonprofit breaks ground for second major build
by D anny p eterson
t he p ortlanD o bserver
A new 70 rental-unit affordable housing
development in the heart Portland’s his-
toric African American community began
construction Friday, marking continued
progress on a longtime housing provider’s
effort to mitigate and reverse displacement
of primarily the black community, indige-
nous populations, and other long-term and
low-income residents, in partnership with
the city of Portland.
Officials with Portland Community
Reinvestment Initiatives, Inc. (PCRI), the
nonprofit behind the soon-to-be Kings +
Parks building on the corner of Northeast
Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and
Rosa Parks Way, said the effort is a part of
its Pathway 1000 initiative designed to ad-
dress a long history of urban renewal and
other actions by city government in north
and northeast Portland that have historical-
ly marginalized and displaced many res-
idents, mostly low income and people of
color.
“King Parks is another step in the right
direction that seeks to correct the hous-
ing issues caused by income disparities in
the city of Portland and State of Oregon.
Beyond the brick and mortar develop-
ment, this project, implemented through
the Pathway 1000 strategy, also addresses
unemployment, under employment, wage
disparities and the inequitable treatment
C ontinueD on p age 4