City of Portland Honored for Rosemont Redevelopment

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The City of Portland is one of fourteen communities to receive HUD's Community Development Excellence Award for Rosemont Commons, in the Piedmont neighborhood of north Portland. This award honors outstanding use of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to create better communities and improve the lives of lower income residents. HUD formally presented the awards on Tuesday, September 14, 2004, during a two-day national conference in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the CDBG Program.

Rosemont Commons before

Rosemont is Portland's most ambitious and successful CDBG project to date. It involved the redevelopment of nearly eight acres, preserving the historic Villa St. Rose School and Convent, while creating a range of affordable homeownership and rental housing opportunities, including:

• 100 apartments for the elderly in the renovated 1916 convent, including a new wing for elderly housing.
• 18 town homes for rent to lower-income families.
• 10 Habitat for Humanity/Portland Community Land Trust homes for lower-income buyers.
• 7 HOST (Homeownership One Street at a Time) homes for sale.
• 30 market rate homes for sale.
• a new 11,500 square foot, three story Head Start facility.

Rosemont Commons after

Total project costs for Rosemont were approximately $22 million. Public and quasi-public financing for the project through the Portland Development Commission (PDC), the Office of Transportation, Bureau of Housing and Community Development [BHCD], Oregon Housing and Community Services, and CDBG resources totaled approximately $13 million. Private sector financing for the project totaled approximately $9 million.

Will White, Director, City of Portland Bureau of Housing and Community Development, accepted the award at the Conference.

In selecting these communities, HUD's Office of Community Planning and Development solicited recommendations from the Department's field offices around the country. Each winning nominee represents a CDBG-funded project or initiative that has been completed, has completed a major phase, or has a proven track record of improving communities and benefiting those who live in them, specifically lower income residents.

Listen to an Oregon Public Broadcasting news report on the project and the award.