March 6, 2024
Page 5
The Williams & Russell Restorative Project!
Continued from Front
communities can come together to right
past wrongs.”, said Bryson E. Davis, Board
Chair, Williams & Russell CDC.
Since 2021, the W&R CDC has been
working with real estate development part-
ners to advance key aspects of the project
including campus planning, fundraising,
and the land transfer process. Funded by
Prosper Portland, the campus planning ini-
tiative, which began in 2021, is being led
by commercial development partner Adre
and includes due diligence, environmental
site assessment, right-of-way design, pub-
lic works, building placement, and land
division, all of which is required for the
eventual property transfer by Legacy.
Detailed design and community out-
reach for the three building projects be-
gan in January 2024 led by developers
Adre and Portland Community Reinvest-
ment Initiatives Inc (PCRI) and includes
the core team of Housing Development
Center (HDC), LEVER Architecture,
Hood Design Studio, and Colas Construc-
tion. There will be 85 affordable one- to
three-bedroom units at the 30%-60%
Area Median Income (AMI) affordable
level. The project will include a commu-
nity room, outdoor space, on-site park-
ing, resident services, and a cultural-spe-
cific daycare. Twenty of the homes will
be two- to three-bedrooms, five of which
will include an Accessory Dwelling Unit
(ADU) and another five which will be
Left-Right/Top-Bottom: Steven Holt, Try Excellence LLC, W&R Project Working
Group, Facilitator; Kimberly Branham, Executive Director of Prosper Portland; Mayor
Ted Wheeler; Shannon Callahan, Former Director of the Portland Housing Bureau;
Kathryn Correia, CEO Legacy Health Systems; Charles Wilhoite, Legacy Health
Board Chair; Lakeitha Elliott, Former Co-Chair of the W&R Project Working Group;
Bryson Davis, Board Chair of the Williams & Russell CDC photo credit Lisa Norwood,
Prosper Portland
fully ADA accessible. This “missing
middle housing” will offer homeowner-
ship to low- and moderate-income fam-
ilies and individuals at the 60%-120%
AMI affordable level. The black busi-
ness hub will be a landmark center for
the creation and support of local Black
businesses. The 30,000 SF, Cross Lam-
inated Timber (CLT) development will
offer affordable office and retail space for
Black-owned businesses and community
partner organizations.
The projects have collectively secured
$10.3M in pre-development funding.
“This initiative shows what happens when
the community leads and the government
is a supportive partner. We are committed
to meaningful change through our ongoing
collaboration with the Williams & Russell
Project team — their diligence and deter-
mination to increase housing opportunities
and economic opportunity for the Black
community is clearly evident,” said Car-
men Rubio, Portland City Commissioner.
The project is keenly focused on creat-
ing equitable economic opportunities and
is targeting over 30% of the project bud-
get towards women-and/or BIPOC-owned
businesses. The campus planning phase
also involved 50% participation from
Minority, Women and Emerging Small
Businesses (MWESB) certified firms. In
addition, a plaza and central garden to be
designed by MacArthur Genius Fellow and
landscape architect, Walter J. Hood, will
incorporate environmental graphics and
public art encapsulating the story and spirit
of the Black community.
Underlining the core sustainability and
energy efficiency goals of the project, each
building is pursuing Path to Net Zero,
LEED or Earth Advantage certification,
and solar energy generation. Adre was
awarded a grant for the Williams & Russell
Project from Energy Trust of Oregon, as
part of the organization’s Net Zero Fellow-
ship, to explore the feasibility of creating a
district-scale micro-district across the three
development projects.
To promote educational advancement,
the Williams & Russell Project served as
the site for the annual Barbara G. Laurie
Student Design Competition, hosted by
the National Organization of Minority Ar-
chitects (NOMA). In all, 38 student teams
from around the U.S. submitted proposals
for the project including designs for a mix
of community uses.
The Williams & Russell Project is on
track to break ground on the first phase of
construction in May 2025 and the entire
project is expected to be complete in 2027.