Multnomah County will soon issue a request for proposals (RFP) from parties interested in partnering in its Walnut Park redevelopment project.

In 2018, the county began evaluating future options for the 74-year-old Walnut Park Complex it owns and operates on 1.7 acres at 5329 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The building houses the Northeast Health Center, a dental clinic, a Meals on Wheels dining center, and the Urban League of Portland‘s Multicultural Senior Center. It is also home to county offices and service centers, including the Department of County Human Services, its Aging, Disability and Veterans Services Division, and a Homeless Services Department shelter, a county press release states.

Four years later, JM Woolley & Associates, Black Investment Consortium for Economic Progress (BICEP), and Cascadia Partners led a redevelopment feasibility study. The conceptual plan included a mix of housing, ground-floor commercial space, office space, community space, and updated and expanded county service space, a Multnomah County staff report states. The intent of the project is to create space to serve the Black community and people of color. The development will be designed and programmed as a community healing and service center, the feasibility report states.

Since the study was completed, the county has explored cost and financing options for the project. A partnership with a developer will help Multnomah County manage the project’s impact on its finances and leverage outside funding.

Multnomah County purchasing manager Brian Smith said staff approached the Board of Commissioners earlier in the development process for approval to look at more options for project delivery and financing.

“I’m very confident that we will be able to – we’re working on the RFP right now – to get a developer on board who will work with us and be able to balance the fiscal responsibility with the equity concerns,” Smith said.

The draft RFP will be released within the next month, and a developer will be selected in the fall.

Starting in October, the chosen development partner will spend the next 12-18 months creating a proposal for redeveloping the Walnut Park Complex. The document will identify the financing plan and incorporate long-term planning and on-site program needs, as well as look at ownership trade-offs or leasing options. The proposal will then be presented to the Board of Commissioners for adoption.

Upon reception of the board’s approval, the project will move into the design phase. The board will receive quarterly written project updates as well as multiple opportunities to weigh in during each phase.

Last week the board unanimously approved an exemption from the design-bid-build delivery method for the project. For this procurement approach, the county will enter a contract with a developer with demonstrated experience in managing complex community-driven projects and an understanding of the historic and current significance of Walnut Park.

A project budget has not been established yet.

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