The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 5 approved a resolution declaring Suite 277 of the Multnomah Building (501 SE Hawthorne Blvd.) surplus and authorizing a lease amendment so Voya can relocate from Suite 109 to Suite 277 while Suite 109 is converted into an all-gender, ADA-accessible single-stall restroom adjacent to the boardroom.

Department of County Assets staff told the board Suite 109 is approximately 108 square feet and is currently used for meetings; Suite 277 is about 197 square feet and is underutilized. Staff said the conversion of Suite 109 was funded in the adopted FY26 budget (one-time offer 78255) and that Suite 277 was not assigned to any county department. Joy Heineke, leasing specialist senior, and John Panninen, facilities planner and space planning analyst, presented the proposal and fielded questions about timing and lease terms.

Under the amendment presented to the board, Voya’s new leased space would commence on or before Jan. 1, 2026. The current lease rate was stated as $39 per square foot ($351 per month under the existing occupancy), and the amended lease reflects a 4% annual escalation to $41 per square foot, yielding $665 per month for the larger Suite 277. The lease would automatically renew for successive five-year terms while the tenant continued to provide services to the county under a separate services agreement. Either party may terminate the lease with 15 days’ written notice, the staff report said.

Board members asked whether the public would retain access and whether the change impeded county operations; no commissioner objected to the conversion and several thanked staff and Commissioner Moyer for advancing the accessibility improvement via the budget amendment. The board took public testimony; concerns raised included who used the second-floor meeting space and suggestions that surplus real estate be sold or placed in a sale-leaseback to raise funds for homelessness services.

The board voted unanimously to approve the resolution.

What’s next: Facilities and Property Management will proceed with declaring Suite 277 surplus and execute the lease amendment with Voya, and construction planning for the single-stall ADA restroom adjacent to the boardroom will proceed under the FY26 budget appropriation for design and construction services.