On Nov. 21, Metro Council unanimously voted to award $1.6 million to three transformative projects in the greater Portland region.
Each year, Metro awards up to $4 million in 2040 Planning and Development Grants to local governments, tribes, unincorporated communities and organizations whose projects create new opportunities for housing and commercial development, revitalize town centers and grow employment areas. These grants play an important role in helping implement the 2040 Growth Concept—our region’s vision for the future.
Projects funded in this grant cycle are poised to provide deep, community-based investments in housing and economic development in the region. Projects address housing affordability, a key issue disproportionately affecting marginalized and low-income communities.
This year’s projects include:
- Albina Vision Trust, $750,000: A master plan for the former Portland Public School site. Located in lower Albina, the plan will include 1,000 housing units, community hubs, commercial spaces and parks.
- City of Lake Oswego, $745,000: An updated Foothills District Framework Plan will better address current housing needs. It will likely take 18 to 24 months to complete the plan.
- City of Troutdale, $65,000: A continuation of prior Metro-funded work, this project will complete a zoning code audit and amendments and reduce barriers to housing and economic development along Halsey corridor. The process will likely take one year to complete.
“It is under…the leadership of this council that Albina Vision Trust has grown from a glimmer of hope to now the nation’s largest redevelopment project,” said Winta Yohannes, executive director of the Albina Vision Trust. “As we have leaned into the transformative power of planning and development, it is our Metro regional government that has been by our side, shoulder to shoulder, since day one.”
Over a period of five years, and with the investment of two past 2040 grants from Metro, Albina Vision Trust has added 10.5 acres to their 94-acre project area—land envisioned to provide homes to 3,000 working-class Portlanders.
Albina Vision Trust Board Members
About the 2040 Grant Program
In 1995, thousands of Oregonians came together to help create the 2040 Growth Concept, which addressed how the Portland region would grow over the next 50 years. To help implement the 2040 vision, a grant program was developed to invest in community projects using funding from a construction excise tax that applies to most development across the region.
Over the last 30 years, Metro and its partners have focused growth around town centers and transportation corridors, which protects farms and natural areas and helps develop accessible neighborhoods and livable, equitable communities.
This year, the 2040 grants program has been refined with a focus on effectiveness and implementation, including a more streamlined application process and additional grantee support from Metro staff. Applications are now accepted continuously on a quarterly basis. Applicants who are not successful with their initial application can work with Metro staff to refine their proposal and reapply.
Learn more about the 2040 planning and development grants program