Find out more about this new apartment building, just a block north of ‘72Foster’, that will also include 22 ‘Permanent Supportive Housing’ units …
Although construction actually began in June, the official groundbreaking ceremony was held in late July for the housing development called 73Foster.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
With the success of their 72Foster project – an “affordable housing” development on SE Foster Road at 72nd Avenue, that opened on April 27, 2019 – REACH Community Development Corporation (REACH CDC) broke ground on yet another new building one block east on July 29th.
>> CLICK HERE to see our article about the grand opening of 72Foster.
With construction actually already underway for the new project, 73Foster, the groundbreaking ceremony was presented not only a bit late, but actually in a different location – in the community room over at 72Foster.
Welcoming everyone to the groundbreaking ceremony for 73Foster – in 72Foster – is Margaret Salazar, CEO, REACH Community Development Corporation.
“We’re thrilled to expand our work here in the Foster-Powell neighborhood and help support east Portland,” greeted REACH CDC CEO Margaret Salazar, as she began the program featuring several speakers.
She told the those gathered that the new $31.2 million project, 73Foster, will provide 64 units of “affordable housing”, including 22 “Permanent Supportive Housing” (PSH) units. The latter combines affordable housing with voluntary and comprehensive support services, to help individuals and families experiencing chronic homelessness to maintain stable housing.
The remaining 42 apartments will be for households earning at or below 60% of the “Area Median Income” (AMI).
U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, M.D. (OR-3) expresses her “deepest gratitude to the community, and for the development team, to make this possible.”
“This is such a proud moment, to show that we are not going to be deterred,” commented Oregon District 3 Democrat U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Dexter. “[And that] we will continue to moving forward, and advocating for what is important, even when it feels really hard.
“These new homes will provide safety, dignity, and stability for the individuals and families who need it most.”
Oregon State Senator State Senator Khahn Pham tells how she had engaged in ‘community organizing’ work in Foster-Powell, in the past.
“As a community organizer, I talked with families who live all along 82nd Avenue and in the Foster-Powell neighborhood, to learn what they need in terms of stable housing – so they wouldn’t have to worry about their kids switching schools,” State Senator Khahn Pham told the group.
“I’m so excited about this development. I would say that ‘affordable housing’ is what keeps our city accessible for a full range of families and individuals, because economic diversity is so important to the health of our community.”
Dele Oyemaja, Community Engagement Manager of Oregon Housing and Community Services lauds REACH CDC for providing 22 units of PSH and related services.
He’s excited about the ‘vision of the project’ says Metro Councilor Duncan Hwang.
“72Foster has [a composition of] 70% of Asian residents,” pointed out Metro District 6 Councilor Duncan Hwang. “The combination of this building, the Mercado next door, and 73Foster is visionary. Just in case you folks don’t know, one of the biggest Chinese churches in the whole region is just down the street.
“That this came together makes for a really exciting vision for this block; I’m so happy that the Reach CDC team got this development ‘across the finish line’ and under construction.”
Extending her congratulations is Portland Housing Bureau Director Helmi A. Hisserich.
“Regulated affordable housing is a critical tool for addressing our region’s homelessness crisis, which disproportionately impacts those living with disabilities,” asserted Portland Housing Bureau Director Helmi A. Hisserich.
“I was thinking about how wonderful it is to have women learning [the skills of building] development, someone like Margaret [Salazar, of REACH CDC],” Hisserich mused aloud.
With that, the participants were invited to stroll along SE Foster Road, along the sidewalk that passes the still-shuttered Portland Mercado, to the lot where foundations were being laid for the new 73Foster building.
Posing for their “official” photographer at the site for the actual groundbreaking are Dele Oyemaja, Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS), Bill Van Vliet, Executive Director, Network for Oregon Affordable Housing, Duncan Hwang (District 6), Councilor, Metro, State Senator Khahn Pham (District 23), U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, M.D. (OR-3), Margaret Salazar, CEO, REACH Community Development, Jennifer Knapp, Executive Director, Community Vision, and, Helmi Hisserich, Director, Portland Housing Bureau.
Officials dug in, turned over s shovel full of dirt, and the ground was declared officially broken for the advancing project a block away.
Here’s a rendering of how the completed 73Foster building will look – provided by REACH CDC.
Project funding sources include Portland Housing Bureau and Metro Bond funds, Oregon Housing and Community Services LIFT and PSH funds, a Metro Transit-Oriented Development Grant, the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund, the Energy Trust of Oregon, and private bank financing from “Network For Oregon Affordable Housing”.
Construction actually began in June, and the first residents are expected to be moving in sometime next year.
© 2025 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
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