Urban League of Portland faces March 1 eviction from Urban Plaza after public tour of building damage

Eviction notice follows public disclosure of building deterioration

The Urban League of Portland says it has been served notice to vacate its long-time headquarters at Urban Plaza, a historic property at North Russell Street and North Williams Avenue. The organization’s leadership and legal counsel say the notice arrived shortly after the Urban League invited news media and public officials into the building to document deteriorating conditions, including water damage and other failures that have limited use of offices and residential units.

The notice terminates a month-to-month tenancy effective March 1, placing immediate pressure on the organization’s operations and on negotiations with the property owner, Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives (PCRI), a nonprofit housing provider.

How a community anchor became a landlord-tenant dispute

Urban Plaza served for decades as a central site for Urban League programming. The building changed hands in 2006 when PCRI purchased it and leased space back to the Urban League, while also taking responsibility for 24 affordable housing units located above the organization’s offices. The Urban League has stated that its lease arrangement later expired in 2023 and that the tenancy continued on a month-to-month basis.

Urban League representatives say conditions worsened over time, citing flooding, pest issues, and mechanical system problems that contributed to staff relocations and reduced in-person services. In recent weeks, the Urban League has described the building as largely unusable for walk-in programming, with services increasingly shifted online or to other locations.

Claims of retaliation, stalled mediation, and competing redevelopment narratives

The Urban League’s counsel, former Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt, has characterized the eviction notice as retaliation linked to the organization’s decision to go public about building conditions. He has also said the Urban League made offers to purchase Urban Plaza and that mediation had been contemplated but did not proceed after PCRI withdrew before talks were set to begin.

PCRI declined to comment on the dispute in detail. Through its attorney, PCRI said it did not want to litigate legal matters in the news media rather than in court, and it has acknowledged publicly that the building is in poor condition and that redevelopment is necessary. PCRI has also stated previously that there is no written agreement requiring transfer of the property back to the Urban League and that it offered to sell the building below market value.

City investment and questions about public leverage

The Urban League has urged city leaders to intervene, citing public investment connected to the property and arguing the building’s condition affects both community services and the availability of affordable housing units. A city statement on the dispute was expected following outreach from reporters.

The conflict is unfolding amid ongoing redevelopment and housing initiatives in the Albina area, where public agencies and nonprofit partners have advanced major affordable housing projects intended to address historic displacement and current housing needs.

• Key date: The Urban League says it must turn over keys by March 1 unless an agreement is reached.

• Core dispute: Responsibility for repairs, building habitability, and the future control of Urban Plaza.

• Immediate impact: Continued limits on walk-in services previously provided from the site.

The next steps may hinge on whether the parties reach a voluntary agreement or proceed into formal eviction litigation, which typically moves quickly and focuses on the right to possession of the property.