Overview
Mercy Corps’s first Community Investment Trust is the East Portland CIT, located at Plaza 122, a 29,000-square-foot mid-century commercial retail mall in outer Southeast Portland with approximately 26 to 30 businesses and nonprofit tenants. Three hundred to 500 Portland and Gresham residents within four zip codes (97216, 97233, 97230, 97236) can follow a long-term path to collective ownership of this building in their neighborhood for as little as $10 and up to $100 per month.
To be eligible for the Plaza 122 CIT, you must:
- Live in zip code 97216, 97230 ,97233, or 97236
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have a tax ID number (TIN)
- Take the CIT “Moving from Owing to Owning” class
Learn, Invest, Profit
- You will the LEARN principles of personal finance in our interactive “Moving from Owing to Owning” class that covers budgeting, financial goal setting, the importance of good credit, and the risk & rewards of investing.
- After taking the class, you can sign up through our online investment portal to INVEST $10, $25, $50 or $100 per month. Each month, this amount will be automatically withdrawn from your bank account to purchase shares in the CIT.
- Investors will PROFIT through
- Dividends: Plaza 122 is strip mall with approximately 26 tenants. Tenants pay their rent; the CIT pays expenses for the property. The dividend per share will be calculated based on the CIT’s taxable income and cash flow. The CIT Board is required to declare a minimum annual dividend of no less that 2% of the share price.
- Share Price appreciation: The share price of the East Portland CIT will be set each year based on the equity of Plaza 122. Each year, the Board will set the new share price based on a formula that is a function of the change in appraised value, reduction in indebtedness and number of authorized share. The CIT Board may also apply a discount rate to the change in appraised value to ease dramatic share price changes from year to year.
- Letter of Credit backing: The CIT shares represent a unique real estate investment for neighborhood investors as they are fully liquid through a letter of credit issued by a local community bank. As a result, while investors are incentivized to invest over the long-term, they also have the ability to access their investment in the event of a financial crisis.
-
29000
Square feet -
1962
Built in -
Commercial Property
-
26
Current tenants -
>90%
Occupancy -
Portland, Oregon
The community that Plaza 122 interacts with encompasses the Mill Park and Hazelwood areas located in East Portland. These neighborhoods are known for their family friendly atmosphere with nice residential areas, public parks, and quick access to downtown Portland. Folks in this area have the pleasure of using the East Portland Community Center (EPCC), as well as the Midland Library. In addition, the Mall 205 shopping center allows access to an array of shops and stores. These neighborhoods are also home to the David Douglas School District, an independent and thriving public school system outside of Portland Public Schools.
A peek inside
The East Portland Community Investment Trust Owns Plaza 122 which is:
- An approximately 29,000 square-foot commercial real estate building, of which 26,175 square feet are rentable
- built in 1962
- located at 1427-1515 SE 122nd Avenue in Portland, OR
- located on a 1.43 acre lot along a major
- commercial thoroughfare in east Portland
- serving a variety of tenants, including both commercial and non-profit entities such as hair salon, tax preparers in multiple languages, taxi cab company, a food cart, affordable number of nonprofits, food cart as well as a food cart operating in
- managed by the property management firm Norris & Stevens
The East Portland CIT’s only
source of revenue is amount distributed by
the Property Owner to the Corporation from
rental income from the Property.
Featured Tenants
PDX Yellow Cab
PDX Yellow Cab is a company straight out of the handbook of the American Dream. Dawood Ghedi, the taxi company’s manager, explained that restrictive permit policies used to keep him and his fellow drivers locked into long hours, high fees, and vacationless time while working for another company, always afraid of additional charges or losing their ‘spot’ for the right to work.
Faby’s Hair Studio
Faby’s Hair Salon occupies a brightly lit corner spot at Plaza 122. Faby Nunez and her team of six employees have been in this location for four years, and have utilized its street visibility and positive energy to expand the business and offer excellent haircuts and nail services to many loyal clients.
African Family Holistic Health Organization
AFHHO is a dynamic organization that is committed to meeting the needs of Portland’s African Immigrant Community. Founded in 2014 by Congolese immigrants, AFHHO has been able to touch more than 500 African families through projects like community workshops, healthcare navigation, resource connections, and a community garden. As AFHHO expanded, they chose to headquarter at Plaza 122 due to the proximity to Portland’s African immigrant community.
