We in Humboldt neighborhood are coming together to advocate for the health of our community and its residents.

At the intersection of Mississippi Ave. & Killingsworth Ct. exists a thriving green space. This natural environment is zoned as urban infill. In practice, it is anything but. 

The land at 5422 N. Mississippi Ave. is home to a blanket of green grass in an otherwise fully-developed neighborhood. It is where Ruth Jefferson, a beloved Black elder and longtime resident, planted rose bushes in honor of her 70th wedding anniversary. It is a place where those in our community gather to tend to the flowerbeds, water the vegetable gardens, and connect with one another. 

In August 2023, the lot was purchased by Seneca Development Company. In May 2024, Seneca posted a development plan for the current space. 

The plan includes:

• 68 luxury housing units with only 10 on-site parking spaces - and no plan to mitigate the effects this will have on residents & local businesses who rely on street parking, nor the increased accessibility challenges this creates for our disabled neighbors.
• Destroying >14,000 sq. ft. of existing green space and gardens.
• Cutting down 5 large trees; including an old growth Cedar tree that is >70’ tall, a rare Sweet Chestnut-bearing tree, and a large fruit-bearing Fig tree.
• Destroying the natural ecosystem for dozens of animals, including black-crowned night-herons, scrub jays, hummingbirds, and a healthy population of bumblebees and other vital pollinators.
• Building a structure 5 stories high, towering over a neighborhood where nearly all residential properties do not exceed 3 stories.

...all of this to provide 68 luxury housing units at a price point inaccessible to most residents of our neighborhood, where 47% of renters cited rent burdens as a primary concern.

We demand land use plans and housing units that meet the real needs of our residents and which respect the rich cultural and historical fabric of the Albina District's Humboldt neighborhood. As it stands, Seneca’s current proposal only serves to harm our residents and our environment.

Join us in objecting to a luxury housing development which will bulldoze one of the last community green spaces in Humboldt Neighborhood only to price out our long-standing residents.