Vance Property Master Plan

Multnomah County, OR | 2023

The Vance Property is a 90-acre brownfield site owned by Multnomah County in the Rockwood neighborhood of Gresham, Oregon. Multnomah County wanted to understand how to redevelop portions of their property to meet their long term needs while also helping the Rockwood community meet their goals and objectives. A master planning process that involved local residents and community stakeholders was the goal.

Cascadia Partners led a multidisciplinary team to develop a master plan for the site. The plan considered County facility needs as well as potential community-oriented uses, such as a regional park and recreation spaces, affordable housing, community space, and a workforce center. Cascadia Partners created an implementation plan to help the County understand the actions and partnerships that would need to happen to realize this shared vision.

Irene Kim at Cascadia Partners led a unique engagement strategy that centers the voices of the BIPOC community in one of the most vulnerable and ethnically diverse areas in the region. Cascadia Partners teamed with Verde, a local community-based organization, to help implement and advise a transparent and inclusive process.

The team recruited a diverse group of community leaders representing the Rockwood neighborhood, including the African American, African, Latinx, Burmese, Vietnamese, Muslim, Slavic, and immigrant/refugee communities, to provide targeted outreach to the BIPOC community and also inform the conceptual design framework to ensure the community’s feedback will lead to equitable outcomes. Compensation was provided to all community leaders for their work and contribution to the project.