Following decades of planning, community conversations and early predevelopment work, Multnomah County has partnered with the New Walnut Park LLC development team to advance a public-private partnership to explore the redevelopment of a historic site in Portland’s Albina neighborhood.
For generations, Walnut Park has served as an economic engine for post-Vanport Black Portlanders who relocated to Albina. Located along Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and North Killingsworth Street, it was a retail hub for powerhouse national brands such as JCPenney and Montgomery Ward. The area around Walnut Park was also once home to four of every five Black families in Portland, and it became a vibrant center of small business, healthcare, education and community life.
Multnomah County has been part of efforts to plan for the area’s future for decades, including a 2022 redevelopment feasibility study that explored new housing, commercial and community space alongside expanded county services. In 2025, the Board of County Commissioners unanimously recognized Walnut Park’s historic significance and supported developing a proposal for its redevelopment in line with County priorities and community needs.
“This is a rare opportunity to invest in a place that has served our community for generations,” said Commissioner Shannon Singleton, whose district includes Walnut Park. “Walnut Park has been a priority for me because of what this site has meant to Albina and the families who have relied on it for decades. The County has studied opportunities to reinvest in this site for years, and I believe we have an obligation to move from planning to action. I am proud to see this work moving forward.”
A potential redevelopment could create an approximately 177,000-square-foot campus that brings together county health and human services with housing, childcare and other neighborhood-serving uses. Potential county uses include primary care, dental and pharmacy services, maternal and family health programs, WIC, Nurse Family Partnership, Meals on Wheels, senior aging and disability services, and other community programs.
“Walnut Park has been at the center of Albina’s economic and community life for more than 60 years, and there have been decades of planning and community conversations about its future,” said Ellis Ray Leary, president of E3 Development and part of the New Walnut Park Development team. “This is an important opportunity to build on that work and determine what is possible for the site. We are proud to partner with the county to help move this long-standing vision into its next phase. We are ready to stop studying and start doing.”
“Walnut Park has been a historic pillar of the Albina neighborhood, and this partnership seeks to sustain and grow the benefits to this community for generations to come,” said Chair Jessica Vega Pederson. “As we look at the potential of this site, we need to understand both what our community needs and what is required to deliver that vision. We are now moving this work forward intentionally, centering the local voices who are key to a future revitalization project.”
The New Walnut Park Development team is composed of Anyeley Hallová of Adre, Jeana Woolley of JM Woolley Development LLC and Ellis Ray Leary of E3 Development. 1803 Fund, led by Rukaiyah Adams, is supporting the first phase of work for the New Walnut Park Development.
No final decision has been made regarding a future development concept or property transaction. Phase 1 is anticipated to continue through 2027, with the findings informing future decisions about the site’s development and ownership to be presented in 2027.
FACT SHEET
NEW WALNUT PARK DEVELOPMENT
PROJECT ADDRESS
5329 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
Portland, Oregon 97211
FAST FACTS
Project Type: New Construction
Site Area: 78,880 sf (1.8 acres)
Building Area: 177,000 gross sf (approximately) Parking: 90 - 200 spaces (TBD)
Total Development Cost: (TBD)
County Uses:
Primary Care Clinic, Dental, and Pharmacy
Healthy Birth Initiative, REACH, Health Families + Maternal Health Support, and Women, Infants & Children (WIC)
Nurse Family Partnership
Meals on Wheels
Urban League Senior Center
Department of County Human Services & Aging - Disability & Veterans Services Division
Meetings and Conference Center
Neighborhood Supportive Uses:
Housing
Child Care Center
Neighborhood Retail
TIMELINE
Phase 1, Feasibility Study & Agreements: 2026 – 2027
Phase 2, Pre-Development & Construction: 2028 – 2030
Phase 3, Completion & Operations: 2030
SUSTAINABILITY AND SOCIAL EQUITY GOALS
Pursuing LEED Gold v5 certification
Path to Net Zero” with Energy Trust of Oregon
Solar to offset building’s power consumption
Total Development Equity Participation: 30 percent*
*Participation is measured by the percentage of the project budget performed by Oregon certified Minority, Women and Emerging Small Businesses (MWESB), Women-owned, and BIPOC-owned businesses.
TEAM
Developer: New Walnut Park, LLC (Adre, JM Woolley Development LLC, and E3 Development)
Investment Partner: 1803 Fund
Architect: LEVER Architecture
Consulting Architect: chromatográfica
General Contractor: Colas Construction
Structural Engineer: Holmes
Civil Engineer: Vega Civil Engineering
Traffic Engineer: Kittleson & Associates
Landscape Architect: Ground Workshop