Public-Private Partnerships

ECONorthwest helps cities, developers, and institutions to build partnerships that leverage common interests in development.

Public-private partnerships for development in the United States dates back to the colonial times when private investment entities were granted land rights by public entities to develop that land using both pubic and private resources. Public, private, and nonprofit entities today are frequently unable to realize their visions and plans through traditional financial approaches. As part of ECONorthwest’s portfolio of services, we provide experience in successfully structuring partnerhips among these entities to help them achieve their development goals.

ECONorthwest has assisted cities, private developers, educational institutions, and others in crafting partnerships that have led to successful transit-oriented, sustainable, mixed-use, and other types of redevelopment projects. By being able to identify common interests among potential partners, and having considerable experience with a range of redevelopment tools, ECONorthwest has been able to help structure partnerships that have improved neighborhoods, downtowns, educational institutions, and business districts.

Projects ECONorthwest staff have worked on include:

• South Waterfront Redevelopment: The largest economic development in Portland to date.
• Riverplace Brownfield Redevelopment: This work, and the adjacent South Waterfront Park helped earn Portland a national "Phoenix Award" for brownfield reclamation and redevelopment.
• Pearl District Redevelopment: ECONorthwest staff assisted in securing partnerships that enabled the completion of the five-acre mixed-use Brewery Blocks development; and two signature parks.
• The Smith’s Block: ECONorthwest staff assisted a private Portland business in assembling a complex public-private financing package that led to the adaptive reuse of the nearly vacant, historic Smith’s Block on Naito Parkway.

Interested in learning more about how ECONorthwest can help you with your next project? Our toolbox is full and our staff enjoy meeting new challenges.