Portland City Council has approved the 13 members of the inaugural Cully Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District Community Leadership Committee, a body supported by Prosper Portland, Portland Housing Bureau, and community partners at Living Cully.  The group will advise the city, including both Prosper Portland and the Portland Housing Bureau, on the ongoing development of the Cully TIF District. The implementation-focused Committee builds on the partnership established between the community and city through a multi-year planning process.

The Cully TIF District Plan and Community Governance Charter, adopted by Council in November 2022, called for the creation of the Community Leadership Committee, which will now provide guidance, recommendations, and oversight as the city of Portland and Prosper Portland implement the TIF District Plan.

Commissioner Carmen Rubio said, “The Cully TIF District represents the next evolution of TIF – one where we co-create with community and are responsive to those who have lived and continue to live at the margins.  The individuals appointed to the Committee hold a wide variety of knowledge and expertise, including experience in affordable housing, economic development, real estate development, financial analysis, community organizing, social work and small business ownership.”

“We’re excited to have this young, diverse, and multilingual group on board to represent the most vulnerable populations in the Cully community,” said Prosper Portland executive director Kimberly Branam. “TIF remains a key resource for the city, and we look forward to working with the Committee as together, we  develop the District’s first five-year Action Plan to shape Cully’s future.”

Committee member Elizabeth De Jesus Lopez said, “I am excited to represent my Latino community and people of color, and to help all community members be informed about what is going on.  I have been working on the TIF project from the beginning and would like to see where it goes. “

The appointment of committee members marks an important next step for continuing the public-private Cully partnerships and demonstrating the shared commitment to the model of co-creation in both TIF planning and implementation.

The appointed committee members are:

Jorge Lanri Sanchez Bautista
Andre Broadous
Elizabeth De Jesus Lopez
Gary Hollands
Cecelia Lente
Bella Mata
Sharon Maxwell
Towanda Perry
Ginger Rogers
Julie Tienson
Karen Torres-Olguin
Nico Vergara
Sky Waters