Rockwood

Get involved, Make a difference When: Tue, Nov 19, 2019 4PM-6PM Where: Gresham City Hall Council Chambers 1331 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

The Gresham Redevelopment Commission (GRDC) meets as needed on the third Tuesday of the month immediately following adjournment of the 3:00 pm Gresham City Council meeting.

Meeting start time varies.

GRDC meetings allow necessary Rockwood-West Gresham Urban Renewal business to be dealt with, such as approval of projects, budget adoption, committee appointments, public hearings, resolutions, etc.

For more information, please contact Cecille Turley, Urban Renewal Program Technician, at 503-618-2545 or Cecille.Turley@GreshamOregon.gov.

2019 Fall Newsletter "Diversity, Harmony, Community - Together 'WE' can make a difference!”

Read it now!

Fall 2019 Newsletter Inside This Issue: Albertina Kerr Workforce Housing WENA Board Elections Nov 11th Extreme Weather In Our Region Nadaka Happenings & Changes Update: A Playground For Kirk Park

Download your copy here. (includes active web links)

Newsletters are a regular publication of the Wilkes East Neighborhood Association. They are hand-delivered to over 1,500 residences and businesses in our area 3 times per year, timed to correspond with our regular meetings.

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Rockwood RIsing! When: Thu, Sep 12, 2019 6PM-8PM Where: Sunrise Center 18901 E. Burnside St. Get Map!

The Downtown Rockwood Market Hall is a new international grocery market and food hub in development in the heart of the Rockwood neighborhood.

Got a small business or an idea for a small business? We are looking for businesses to fill the grocery store and micro restaurant spaces.

Join us to learn about:

• Downtown Rockwood timeline
• How to get started
• Permitting help
• Lending, coaching and more

Translation services available. Contact us by Sept. 10 if you speak another language and need assistance at Elizabeth.Coffey@GreshamOregon.gov or 503-618-2247.

Free snacks.

Event flyer

For more information or to RSVP, visit downtownrockwood.com email Leasing@DowntownRockwood.com or call 503-690-2800.

2019 Summer Newsletter "Diversity, Harmony, Community - Together 'WE' can make a difference!”

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Summer 2019 Newsletter Inside This Issue: Columbia View Park improvements National Night Out, Tuesday Aug 6th Back to School, Movies in the Park Nadaka Happenings & Changes WENA Meeting Mon, Aug 12, 6:30PM

Download your copy here. (includes active web links)

Newsletters are a regular publication of the Wilkes East Neighborhood Association. They are hand-delivered to over 1,500 residences and businesses in our area 3 times per year, timed to correspond with our regular meetings.

View archive   |   Policy & Ad Rates

Public Meeting, Join Us! When: Mon, Jun 17, 2019 7PM-9PM Where: Human Solutions/Rockwood Bldg. 124 NE 181st Ave. Get Map!

For more information about the Rockwood Neighborhood Association, contact Catherine Nicewood, Rockwood President, at 503-285-6587 or rockwoodpresident@gmail.com.

Get involved, Make a difference When: Tue, May 07, 2019 6:30PM-7PM Where: Gresham City Hall Conference Center 1333 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

The Gresham Redevelopment Commission Budget Committee is responsible for recommending a budget to the Gresham Redevelopment Commission for the upcoming fiscal year 2019/20. Public participation is encouraged.

For more information, contact Sharron Monohon, Budget and Financial Planning Director, at Sharron.Monohon@GreshamOregon.gov or 503-618-2890.

Get involved, Make a difference When: Mon, Mar 25, 2019 6:30PM- Where: Gresham City Hall Council Chambers 1333 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

The Planning Commission advises City Council on long-range, comprehensive planning and land use issues within the city.

For more information about this event contact Tammy Richardson, Planning Technician at 503-618-2401 or Tammy.Richardson@GreshamOregon.gov.

On the Agenda: Approval of the Rockwood 10 Project

Click to enlarge

Rockwood 10 is a proposed 5 building workforce housing project located in the heart of the Rockwood neighborhood at SE 184th & SE Yamhill, in Gresham, Oregon.

"As the diverse Rockwood population continues to increase, the supply of high quality and attainable housing becomes even more scarce. While Rockwood 10 will be the largest new housing community in the Rockwood neighborhood of Gresham with its 224 units, Rockwood 10 is still just a small reprieve to this housing crisis. This project is designed to not only meet the needs of the general workforce community, but also of the population demographic that tends to be larger families. This site includes five, 4-story buildings, plus a stand-alone community building. All units are a mix of 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4- bedrooms." according to the info here www.communitydevpartners.com/rockwood10

The Wilkes East Neighborhood Association supports the Rockwood Neighborhood Association in their objection to the approval of this 7.4 acre 224 unit workforce housing project due to the overwhelming number of affordable housing units already located in Rockwood, lack of parking, and land-locked infill design. The proposed site is located approximately SE 184th & SE Yamhill, in the undeveloped area between SE Yamhill St and the East County Courthouse on SE Stark St. Please attend this meeting and show your support for not approving this project.

2019 Spring Newsletter "Diversity, Harmony, Community - Together 'WE' can make a difference!”

Read it now!

Inside This Issue:   Rockwood Rising, A New Urban Hub Migration Brewing Opens New Pub Earth Day Recycling Event, April 20 Nadaka Happenings & Changes WENA Spring Meeting March 11, 7PM

Download your copy here. (includes active web links)

Newsletters are a regular publication of the Wilkes East Neighborhood Association. They are hand-delivered to over 1,500 residences and businesses in our area 3 times per year, timed to correspond with our regular meetings.

View archive   |   Policy & Ad Rates

Rockwood Rising, Gresham. Click to enlarge

A New Urban Hub By Robyn Stower Sr. Urban Renewal Project Coordinator, City of Gresham

Rockwood Rising is a Gresham urban renewal project that will transform a 5.8 acre dilapidated lot into a thriving community hub. The development will include four buildings surrounding a public plaza that will focus on workforce development, job training, healthcare, education, food accessibility, small business development, and housing.

Rockwood Rising is located at 18535 SE Stark Street, in the heart of the Rockwood neighborhood. Rockwood has the youngest median age, greatest diversity, and highest concentration of poverty of any town center in the Portland metropolitan region. For decades the community struggled with disinvestment, lack of public infrastructure and limited access of community services.

In 2003, a citywide vote established the Rockwood-West Gresham Urban Renewal Area, which is governed by the Gresham Redevelopment Commission (GRDC), to empower the disadvantaged community. Urban renewal plan goals emphasized community engagement, the creation of a town center to provide a mix of high-quality housing, jobs, shopping and community services, the development of parks, and the creation and retention of family-wage jobs.

Beginning in 2013, the GRDC in partnerships with community-based organizations performed extensive outreach to develop Rockwood Rising. The development site, which was previously home to a Fred Meyer grocery store, had been vacant for almost ten years and despite neighborhood mural and park initiatives was slowly becoming an attractive nuisance where families did not feel safe to bring their children.
 Thousands of local stakeholders participated in the visioning for Rockwood Rising which identified access to healthy, affordable food and economic opportunities as the highest priorities.

The community also participated in the design of Rockwood Rising which consists of four buildings (Building A, B, C, and D) surrounding a public plaza. Building A is a newly constructed four-story structure containing approximately 52,824 square feet of commercial space.

Rockwood Rising. Click to enlarge

It will house education, workforce and business development services such as WorkSource Oregon, Mt Hood Community College Small Business Development Center and MetroEast Community Media. Building B is a newly constructed mixed-use structure that will provide approximately 27, 913 square feet of commercial space and 104 workforce housing units, twenty percent of which will be income restricted. Building C is the newly constructed Market Hall which will include two commercial kitchens, eight small restaurants, office space and up to twenty-four vendor booths. Building D is a significant renovation of an existing 7,000 square feet facility which will house a community maker space and construction and manufacturing apprentice program operated by Oregon Tradeswomen and Portland Opportunities and Industrial Center. The public plaza is a place the whole community can come and enjoy. The plaza will feature three age-specific playgrounds, interactive water feature, public art, including the recreation of the iconic Plaza del Sol mural, and will incorporate free Wi-Fi and amenities to support festivals and farmers markets. All these services promote Rockwood Rising’s mission to create an economic engine that will break the generational cycle of poverty and build family and community prosperity.

The GRDC recruited and selected, RKm Development, Inc. (RKm) through a transparent Request for Proposal developer search. RKm’s commitment to community and exceptional track record of equitable and quality management and development, such as Bethany Village, made them the ideal candidate to manage the project. As developer RKm will own and manage all the buildings on the property while the GRDC will own the property. This arrangement gives the GRDC the ability to repossess the property if the development agreements are not met.

Groundbreaking for Rockwood Rising is TBD 2019

UPDATE: Rockwood Rising timeline updated again; groundbreaking could happen in April
The Gresham Outlook, March 26, 2019 (Read more)
The timeline for the Rockwood Rising project has been updated after a Gresham Redevelopment Commission meeting Tuesday afternoon, March 19, meaning the project could break ground in the next month. The project groundbreaking has been delayed several times, at one point being planned in the spring of 2018. Now it is supposed to happen in April, with construction being completed in early 2021.

Public Meeting, Join Us! When: Mon, Nov 19, 2018 7PM-9PM Where: Human Solutions Rockwood Building 124 NE 181st Ave. Get Map!

Agenda

• 7:00 p.m. Call to Order
• 7:05 p.m. Approve minutes of June 18, 2018
• 7:10 p.m. Update on Rockwood Rising
  Josh Fuhrer, Gresham Redevelopment Commission Executive Director (Where the old Rockwood Fred Meyer was or where Burnside and Stark Cross on Stark Street)
• 7:40 p.m. Discussion on Vance Park Master Plan and Animal Shelter
  Rebecca Stavenjord, Chief of Staff to Commissioner Lori Stegmann, District 4
  Jamie Waltz, Deputy Director, Multnomah County
  (The board sent a letter to the Multnomah County Commissioners and asked them to think about moving the animal shelter to Rockwood and maybe partnering with OSU and offer classes for Veterinarian Techs.)
• 8:10 p.m. Discussion on more East County Involvement
  Eddy Morales, East County Rising
• 8:25 p.m. Election of Officers
  Catherine Nicewood – President, Donna Dionne – Secretary/Treasurer
• 8:40 p.m. Citizen Comment
• 8:50 p.m. Discussion on translation of meeting minutes and signs in Spanish
• 8:55 p.m. Update on 740 SE 182nd development (Yamhill Street 224 apartments)
• 9:00 p.m. Adjourn

For more information about the Rockwood Neighborhood Association, contact Catherine Nicewood, Rockwood President, at 503-285-6587 or rockwoodpresident@gmail.com.