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It’s not often that a community has so many hopes wrapped up in a single project. But in the impoverished community of Rockwood, in east Multnomah County, ground is poised to be broken soon on a mixed-use development known as to reinvigorate an area known more for poverty and crime than for its diverse population and culture.

鈥淩ockwood Rising is a project we’ve been working on for almost nine years,鈥� Gresham Redevelopment Commission Executive Director Josh Fuhrer said. 鈥淚t’s intended to create an economic engine in the heart of the neighborhood of Rockwood, and it’s really a project that came about because of the deep community engagement we did trying to understand what the challenges were on a daily basis, what their aspirations were for themselves and their families.鈥�

As envisioned, the project will consist of three new multiuse buildings on a parcel of property bordered on the north by Burnside Street and on the south by Stark Street. The parcel reaches from Southeast 188th Avenue on the east to 185th on the west, forming a rough trapezoid.

Plans call for inclusion of an urgent and primary health care clinic in an existing building that formerly held a Gresham police station. A new public plaza between the four buildings will tie the development together. There will be space for job training and apprenticeship programs, as well as public media space.

Finally, there will be 108 new housing units 鈥� either studios, or one- or two-bedroom apartments. At least 20 percent of those units will be affordable and be made available to families making no more than 80 percent of the state’s median household income.

鈥淚 wouldn’t say we’re breaking any construction boundaries with this,鈥� said Matt Brown, a principal with YBA Architects, the firm responsible for design. 鈥淏ut in fact the game has been: How do we build this as economically as possible but still create remarkable buildings that will still be groundbreaking in the feeling of care in the design and sensitivity toward people while working within considerable economic constraints and trying to build things very efficiently?鈥�

The project has an overall price tag of approximately $70 million, and has at times raised eyebrows among some citizens worried about the ongoing displacement of lower-income residents throughout the Portland-metro area.

The city of Gresham will provide some $9.5 million in urban renewal tax increment financing funding, along with $2 million in state grant funding. The project also is benefiting from $8 million in New Markets tax credit equity.

The balance, close to $50 million, will come from debt and equity financing via RKM Development, the private developer in charge of construction through its subsidiary Central Bethany Development.

RKM Development previously worked on on the western outskirts of Portland in the 1990s. Now the company is taking that expertise and applying it to an underserved community on the other side of the metro area.

鈥淭he owner of our development company (Roy Kim) has an interest in doing projects in depressed areas, so that’s kind of what interested him,鈥� said Jeff Oberst, a Central Bethany Development construction manager working on Rockwood Rising. 鈥淲e haven’t done any new development out there, but we own some property out there for future development.鈥�

The three new buildings will consist of a larger mixed-use structure with a retail component, a four-story office building and a food-oriented structure, Oberst said.

鈥淲e’re calling it the market hall,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here will be an open-air market with micro restaurants, some small ethnic grocers, maybe a meat market. This area is considered a food desert, and there’s not a lot of places for people to shop out there.鈥�

The public plaza will essentially link the three new buildings together.

鈥淚t’s kind of a gathering area for the community for events,鈥� Oberst said. 鈥淚t’s a public space that will be utilized daily.鈥�

From the outset, Brown said, Kim challenged architects to design each building in a distinct fashion.

鈥淗e wanted all the buildings to look (like) they were each designed by different architects,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淭hat was a really interesting and cool challenge, and our result was to develop clear concepts for each building and then hold onto that concept all the way through.鈥�

That wasn’t enough, however. Kim also wanted the project to feel unique to the entire metro area.

鈥淭here was often a refrain that they don’t want this to be cool in the way the Pearl District is cool,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淲e want it to be cool for Rockwood, which was awesome for us. I think the output will be unique, and hopefully it will inspire people and be well received.鈥�

The current iteration of Rockwood Rising is a far cry from its original form.

The city of Gresham purchased the property with $8.1 million in urban renewal funding in 2006 following the closure a year earlier of a Fred Meyer store. A year later the city contracted with Williams & Dame Development, but after 15 months all that resulted was a proposal to put a YMCA on the property. In 2009 the city ended that relationship.

Now, 12 years since the city purchased the land, little has transpired. In the meantime, grocery stores have closed. Health care also is not easily accessible; the nearest hospital, the Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center, is nearly four miles east of the Rockwood Rising site.

鈥淚t’s not just Fred Meyer,鈥� Fuhrer said. 鈥淲e’ve had six of the seven major chain grocery stores in and around Rockwood close in the last 20 years at a time when the population is increasing 鈥� So, we’ve really tried to create a place in the heart of Rockwood town center where people can come and do their weekly grocery shopping and they can come get grocery staples, paper towels, dish soap and that kind of stuff.鈥�

The entire project, Fuhrer added, is about creating opportunities 鈥� housing, employment and health care, in particular 鈥� and making them available to Rockwood residents.

鈥淲e’re going to create a cluster of uses in this project that is going to be unique to the Portland-metro area,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur whole project is about creating opportunities for people to start businesses, providing the wraparound services to give entrepreneurs the resources they need to be successful to start a new business.

鈥淲e’ve really tried to be mindful around a strategy that doesn’t displace people, but still allows them to experience the revitalization that the area so desperately needs.鈥�

Rockwood Rising time line:

2005 鈥� Rockwood Fred Meyer closes its doors

2006 鈥� Ex-Fred Meyer property purchased by the city of Gresham for $8.1 million

2007 鈥� City contracts with Williams & Dame Development to create a plan for the property

2009 鈥� City ends relationship with Williams & Dame Development

2014 鈥� Gresham Redevelopment Commission begins public outreach on development ideas

2015 鈥� Community outreach continues with Rock the Block and other events and meetings

2015 鈥� City selects RKM Development to oversee Rockwood Rising development

2016 鈥� Public outreach efforts continue as the plan takes shape

2017 鈥� Ground-breaking event delayed because of financial issues related to tax credits

2018 鈥� Ground expected to be broken in spring or summer