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A strip club torn down to make way for community housing. A landfill that became a park. And a nonprofit that shows what can happen when neighbors take charge of their own destiny.
Living Cully was founded by four social justice nonprofits in 2010 to spur economic development in Northeast Portland’s Cully neighborhood, the largest and most racially diverse in the city.
The nonprofit—founded by the Portland branch of Habitat for Humanity, Hacienda Community Development Corporation, Native American Youth and Family Center, and Verde—has made major transformations to Cully over the past decade. It purchased the vacant Sugar Shack strip club block and last year opened in its place a 142-unit affordable apartment complex, outfitted with a community kitchen and classroom. It turned a former landfill into 25-acre Cully Park, partnering with the city of Portland and private foundations to raise $18 million for the project. The park opened in 2023.
“Cully Park is not just a recreational area,” says Living Cully manager Luis Velasco. “It symbolizes hope, resilience and community.”
Most recently, Living Cully undertook a mammoth project to reimagine what hyperlocal economic development could look like. Living Cully put a new twist on the city’s traditional approach to redevelopment, which often displaced communities of color. Instead, Living Cully created a plan for a community-led district. Investment decisions will be made by a committee of Cully residents. The nonprofit hopes the district will generate millions of dollars that can be used to improve the neighborhood.
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