SALEM, Ore. — On Wednesday, Oregon lawmakers announced their intent to approve $25 milllion for revitalizing Portland's historically Black Albina neighborhood, according to a press release from the office of Democratic Sen. Kayse Jama, who represents areas around East Portland.
If approved, the funding would be allocated to the Albina Vision Trust (AVT), a nonprofit that advocates for large-scale restorative development in the area, aiming to revitalize and reconnect the historically Black Albina community. They'd use it to purchase and restore the old Portland Public Schools headquarters building.
The funding would be part of the $376 million Emergency Housing Stabilization and Production Package, which consists of three bills: Senate Bill 1537, Senate Bill 1530 and House Bill 4134.
RELATED: Albina Vision Trust leaders outline what a restored Lower Albina in Portland would look like
Portland's Albina community was once a flourishing space that a majority of Black Portlanders thrived in. The neighborhood has been historically marginalized and overlooked, and for years there have been efforts to bring the community back to what it once was.
The Albina neighborhood is located in a portion of inner Northeast Portland that now includes the Elliot, Boise, King, Humboldt, Overlook, Irvington and Piedmont neighborhoods. Urban renewal and the use of eminent domain drove many Black families out of Portland's inner Northeast over the last century, but there are some signs of recovery — efforts to both get justice for the past and to build community where it was lost.
In the press release, Portland-area lawmakers expressed excitement for the potential funding, saying they believe that this will "heal the harms of historically racist land-use decisions."
"There is a lot I'm proud of in the Emergency Housing Stabilization and Production Package, but I’m particularly excited that we will be sending $25 million to the Albina Vision Trust to redevelop the former Portland Public Schools Headquarters," said Sen. Jama who chairs the Senate Housing and Development Committee. "This critical funding will give the state the opportunity to heal the harms of historically racist land-use decisions by investing in the historically Black Albina neighborhood, which has been fractured by redlining and the construction of Interstate 5.”
The funding would help support AVT in purchasing the Portland Public Schools administrative headquarters, according to Jama's office. The group plans to convert the aging building into 1,000 affordable housing units, an education hub, communal green spaces and mixed-use commercial opportunities, with the goal that the Albina neighborhood would be a riverfront destination for Oregonians to live, work and play.
This comes after the group recently gained approval from the Portland Public Schools board to purchase the district's administrative headquarters. The Matthew Prophet Education Center is 360,000 square feet of office, maintenance and warehouse space over looking the Willamette River. This is one of various construction project that displaced hundreds of Black families in lower Albina.
In a statement to KGW, AVT Executive Director Winta Yohannes said she believes the passage of Senate Bill 1530 represents "an urgent and transformational investment in the multi-generational effort to rebuild Albina."
"The passage of SB 1530 represents an urgent and transformational investment in the multi-generational effort to rebuild Albina. We asked our state leaders to meet the moment and they delivered with decisive action that will build the Oregon of tomorrow," said Yohannes. "Together, we will catalyze the development of over 1,000 units of housing built along the banks of the Willamette River and intentionally designed to generate prosperity, joy and belonging.”
Senate Bill 1530 would provide funding to the Housing and Community Services Department, the Oregon Health Authority, Department of Human Services, State Department of Energy and Oregon Department of Administrative Services for many programs. If it passes, it would be effective immediately upon Governor Tina Kotek's signature.
Senate President Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego) stated that the investment will have an "extraordinary community impact."
"As a Legislature, we spend taxpayer dollars on projects that we believe will have extraordinary community impact," Wagner said. "Albina Vision Trust's plan to revitalize this historic neighborhood will move us toward a more vibrant, just, and equitable Portland for all who live there."
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