The Williams & Russell Project is a first-of-its-kind reparative development initiative reclaiming land once taken from North Portland’s community through urban renewal. In the 1970s, 171 families—74% of them Black—were displaced from the Williams & Russell block for a hospital expansion that never happened. The lot sat vacant for more than 50 years.
Williams & Russell CDC (W&R CDC), a community-led nonprofit, now stewards the return of this land to descendants of displaced North Portlanders. Our goals are bold:
Build 20 affordable townhomes and 85 affordable apartments.
Create a Business & Community Hub.
Establish a cultural plaza to honor art, history, and resilience.
Model “reparative development” as a blueprint for communities nationwide.
This work integrates multiple causes — racial justice, housing equity, business growth, cultural preservation, and community healing. By centering descendants of displaced families in governance and decision-making, the project demonstrates how development can move beyond profit to deliver justice, dignity, and opportunity.
The project came to life through a combination of relentless advocacy, strategic partnerships, and unwavering community leadership.
Plan of Action: For over a decade, community members organized to reclaim the lot. By 2023, they formed W&R CDC to steward its redevelopment and hired its first executive director in March 2024. With operational funding support from the 1803 Fund, W&R CDC built out its executive team, governance systems, and strategic plan. This positioned the organization to secure two parcels of land and launch development.
Execution & Key Features:
Land Return: After years of negotiation, Legacy Health transferred 1.7 acres plus an additional 1.04-acre parcel to W&R CDC in February 2025.
Housing & Homeownership: 20 townhomes will break ground for construction in late 2025, creating a pathway to homeownership for families displaced from urban renewal practices and qualified on Portland’s N/NE Preference Policy list. Affordable apartments will follow.
Business & Community Hub: Designed with input from 23 Black-led organizations, the hub will house nonprofits, entrepreneurs, and cultural programs.
Cultural Plaza: A gathering place for markets, festivals, and public art, celebrating joy and resilience.
Community Voice: Over 300 Black community members engaged through surveys, homebuyer workshops, tenant meetings, and design labs.
Challenges: The biggest challenge was securing land transfer amidst Legacy Health’s proposed merger with OHSU. Initially unwilling to fund remediation and stalling progress. Through persistent legal, political, and community pressure, W&R CDC secured the land, funding, and an additional parcel — doubling the scope of reparative return.
What Makes It Unique: The Williams & Russell Project is not just a development — it’s reparative justice in action. It unites housing, economic development, cultural storytelling, and policy change into one multi-cause model for repairing historic harms.
The Williams & Russell Project achieved historic wins in its first year as an operational organization:
Land Returned: 2.74 acres transferred back to community stewardship, including remediation funding.
Groundbreaking Event: On February 28, 2025, 150+ community members, leaders, and descendants of displaced Portlanders gathered for a historic ceremony, generating 10 feature stories and over 236 national newswire pickups.
Housing Progress: Construction of 20 affordable townhomes begins September 2025; 55 prospective buyers engaged through design surveys and 52 through informational sessions.
Community Engagement: 300+ descendants of displaced North Portlanders engaged through workshops, surveys, events, and legislative advocacy.
Policy Influence: W&R CDC testified before the Oregon Legislature and met with 11 elected officials, positioning reparative development on the policy agenda.
Visibility & Recognition: Earned international recognition, including CTBUH’s 2024 Award of Excellence for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, and invitations to present at the CTBUH 2025 International Conference in Toronto.
We measure success not just in funding or land, but in dignity restored. For families whose parents and grandparents were displaced, the project represents repair, return, and renewal. It demonstrates how community power, persistence, and partnerships can rewrite history.
