A Note from New RPC President Jose Cienfuegos...
Dear Revitalize Portland Members,
Happy New Year! As we start 2025, Iwant to take a moment to reflect on the significant strides we’ve made together this past year. Your dedication and commitment have been vital in advancing our shared mission to revitalize Portland, and I am grateful for your partnership every step of the way. 2024 was undoubtedly a year of change for our region and the results are a mixed-bag. But when we dig deeper, we start to see the green shoots of progress.
This year, Downtown Portland has seen encouraging signs of recovery. Pedestrian activity increased by 12% compared to 2023, and the reopening of several key businesses has injected new energy into our central city. However, challenges remain—vacancy rates for commercial properties remain stubbornly high, over 25%, hotel room nights have yet to bounce back, and some public spaces still face ongoing safety concerns. These mixed results underscore the importance of our collective efforts to drive revitalization forward. While things are better in some areas… we still have work to do!
Highlights of 2024
Elections, elections, elections. You can’t talk about 2024 without talking about elections. The year began with Multnomah County elections for District Attorney and County Commission seats and it concluded with the first elections under Portland’s new form of government. The Revitalize Portland board made the decision in March to set up a candidate endorsement process for local races. Nathan Vasquez’s Election Victory: It is hard to overstate the importance of the District Attorney in our public safety system. This milestone marks a pivotal moment for our community. Nathan’s vision and leadership will undoubtedly strengthen efforts to create a vibrant and inclusive Portland.
Nathan and I were both hired on at the DA’s office (20 years AGO!) and worked together closely prosecuting crimes and protecting victims. While I went on to other things legally, Nathan remained at the DA’s office and became one of the best prosecutors in Oregon. Since then Nathan and I have remained close friends and I know that we can count on Nathan to do the right thing when it comes to Portland and Multnomah County! Nathan has been a great partner and friend to RPC and I want you all to know that RPC played a pivotal role in supporting the election of Nathan to be our DA! Nathan was just sworn in this last week and his first day was today! Good Luck Nathan!
New Faces (and new system) at City Hall: A new Mayor and 12 council members were elected, through rank-choice voting, in November. RPC weighed in and endorsed candidates in all 4 districts and in the mayor’s race. While not all of our candidates won, we made some strong relationships and educated the field on our CRE issues. And, we have a strong preexisting working relationship with incoming Mayor Keith Wilson. The new governmental system is led by a city administrator and five deputy administrators overseeing bureau groups,
Curbing Addiction & Open Drug-use: To address what the New York Times called “a deluge of overdose deaths and frequent chaos in the streets of Portland”, the Oregon legislature and Governor Tina Kotek rolled back parts of Measure 110, which had decriminalized hard drugs. Our members and organizations loudly and collectively pushed for a better balance of accountability and a more effective framework for addressing substance use disorders. The new measure, HB 4002, will provide stronger pathways to recovery for countless individuals.
Advancing Shelter Solutions in the Homelessness System: Through persistent advocacy, we successfully pushed Multnomah County and the City of Portland to make our homelessness response system more inclusive and to expand shelter options for those living unsheltered. This progress brings us closer to addressing the root causes of homelessness with dignity and equity. Revitalize Portland is a founding member of the new Homelessness Solutions Coalition which represents 17 neighborhood, business and nonprofit organizations in Portland.
Engagement with the Governor’s Central City Task Force: Our involvement ensured that livability issues in downtown Portland were front and center in statewide conversations, reinforcing the importance of a thriving central city to Oregon’s economy.
Promoting Downtown Safety: By educating property owners and managers and advocating for more “eyes on the streets,” we bolstered efforts to create a safer and more welcoming downtown environment. In the next year RPC hopes to grow our membership and offer business owners and operators/managers in the downtown area more tools by which to be successful by making downtown a safe and friendly place to be!
Advancing Regional Economic Growth: We continued to work with partners to push for more economic growth and prosperity in our region by speaking collectively for the commercial and industrial real estate industry on matters such as land availability, infrastructure, and supporting localities in their efforts to build more housing and attract more businesses. A particular highlight was the approval of Sherwood’s expansion plans, a significant win for regional development.
Throughout the year, we’ve steadfastly supported our hard-working partners, such as Helping Hands at Bybee Lakes, City Team, Adopt-One-Block, the Clean Start social enterprise, SOLVE Oregon, and the District 4 Coalition. Their tireless efforts have been indispensable to our collective progress.
We couldn’t do it without you!
To each of you, our members: thank you for your unwavering commitment to revitalizing Portland. Your support, ideas, and collaboration fuel the momentum we’ve built and inspire hope for what lies ahead. As we welcome a new year, we are filled with optimism for 2025 and the opportunities it will bring. We look forward to working with the newly elected Portland City Mayor and City Council, whose leadership will play a critical role in shaping our city’s future.
In 2025, we look forward to continuing our advocacy for economic vitality, safety, and inclusivity in downtown Portland. Key initiatives will include:
Unsheltered Homelessness:
Building on best practices from other cities, we aim to:
Prioritize solutions that deliver immediate, visible improvements downtown.
Support the Mayor’s shelter initiative and efforts to quickly connect people to tailored services.
Advocate for greater accountability and results from public spending of our tax dollars.
Economy & Housing:
Seek local tax reductions to spur growth, including addressing the Preschool for All tax at the County level.
Speed up permitting and reduce red tape.
Target appropriate tax incentives
Public Safety:
Enforce HB4002 and maximize the county’s deflection program.
Work with DA Vasquez to strengthen enforcement and convictions.
Advocate for a sobering center.
Build on Chief Bob Day’s leadership.
Together, we’ll tackle the challenges ahead with the same resolve and optimism that defined 2024. Here’s to another year of progress and partnership.
Join Us in 2025!
In the next year we plan on spending time in Portland and the downtown area with our friends and family. Maybe you can feel it too, things are changing for the better and we can see a bright future for Portland and downtown! We not only invite you to join us in spending time in Portland and downtown areas but we invite you to deepen your involvement with Revitalize Portland. Become a member, renew your commitment, or make a donation to help us achieve our ambitious goals for the coming year. Together, we can create a stronger, safer, and more vibrant Portland.
Wishing you a prosperous New Year,
Jose Cienfuegos
President, Board of Directors
Revitalize Portland
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