Standing before the newly completed Albina One housing development, elected leaders marked the grand opening of 94 new affordable units by declaring a new era in restorative redevelopment.
“Albina One is a living testament to the power of community taking action, for digging in and holding hands and refusing to take no for an answer, and building forward towards a more resilient future for us all,” U.S. State Rep. Maxine Dexter said.
“This is a homecoming for me,” Mayor Keith Wilson said. “My family grew up in Portland. They grew up in Albina. My mother went to Boise Elementary, I was born at Emanuel. This once was the most vibrant community in Portland. Unfortunately decades of so-called urban renewal, including the construction of the I-5 in the Rose Quarter, left lasting scars in the neighborhood…My job today is to flip that script.”
Alongside effusive praise from elected officials, members of the project team offered their technical and personal observations to drive home what a remarkable and precedent-setting achievement the project is…