County approves alternative procurement to advance Walnut Park redevelopment with community partnership focus

The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution authorizing an exemption from the traditional design‑bid‑build procurement method and approving an alternative contracting approach for the Walnut Park redevelopment project.

Commissioners framed the action as an early authorizing step to allow county staff to issue a multistage request for proposals (RFP) that will seek a development partner able to center community priorities, advance wealth‑building for Black and BIPOC residents, and pursue culturally responsive services in the North and Northeast Portland neighborhood historically known as Albina.

County strategic initiatives manager Hayden Miller, senior policy advisor Garrett Prior and purchasing manager Brian Smith described the project site as roughly two acres at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Killingsworth, with a 1951 building that county facility assessments estimate would require about $5.2 million in repairs in the next five years. Staff said earlier studies (including a 2022 report) and community engagement had identified goals such as affordable housing, small business ownership opportunities, flexible community spaces, and culturally centered health and service uses.

Under the approved approach, staff will draft and release an RFP this summer or early fall and select a development partner in the fall. Staff described the procurement as multistage: the county will authorize a phase 0 or "proposal development" stage (12–18 months) to define funding, ownership, management and design options and to center community and advisory board input. The board previously appropriated $150,000 to fund the initial stage; staff said any major actions, land transfers, or capital investments would require separate board approvals.

Speakers during public testimony and at the dais emphasized community leadership and ownership. Jesse Beeson, a community advocate, urged the county to "center love and make magic" by partnering with local organizations. Aniele Halova, founder and CEO of ADRE, said city projects such as Williams and Russell demonstrate the potential of equity‑focused public‑private partnerships. Community speakers also urged that affordable units include paths to ownership rather than only rental models.

Commissioners pressed staff on specific fiscal mechanics — including the difference between leasing and owning county space, bonding eligibility for owned versus leased facilities, and whether the county might condo‑style preserve a county portion for bond financing while enabling private or community development on other parcels. Purchasing manager Smith and county finance staff said several delivery and financing options will be analyzed during the proposal development stage and that board checkpoints and off‑ramps will be built into the multistage process. The board voted unanimously to adopt the resolution.