community development

Maximizing social and environmental equity and community self-determination.

the health of our environment and communities are naturally interconnected

The health of the environment and the health of people is grounded in how land is developed, owned and managed. Forterra not only conserves natural spaces and working lands, we also invest in places where people live – because just like nature, our health depends on it.
Tukwila Community Center
Hilltop Community Project Forterra
Roslyn Downtown

serving the needs and values of those who live here

Forterra uses its expertise in real estate acquisition, financing, fundraising and entitlement to support local communities in fostering well-being. We work in partnership with communities towards solutions with a shared-understanding of capacity, interests, project goals and challenges. We honor the self-determination of the communities we serve.
Town of Hamilton Sign

hamilton

Working collaboratively with the Town of Hamilton, Forterra has purchased a 48-acre upland parcel for a sustainable, community development that gives residents the choice to move out of the floodplain and enables restoration of the Skagit River – key to threatened Chinook salmon and orca populations. The design concept embodies sustainability and honors the town’s rich history, culture and natural assets. We aim to enable a development that can serve as a model for climate adaptation.

Hillltop Project

hilltop

Invited in by the Hilltop neighborhood of Tacoma, Forterra facilitated the reclamation of an entire city block at 1105 MLK, with Black culture and businesses at the forefront of our efforts. Working with Fab-5, Tacoma Housing Authority, Greater Tacoma Community Foundation and Mithun Architects, Forterra, on behalf of the Strong Communities Funds, spearheaded an extensive community engagement process that has enabled the Funds to identify community priorities and gain input and support for a potential conceptual design of the project. The heart of the project is centered on the needs and aspirations of the Hilltop community. The Funds are working to transition this property to a qualified developer to enable development of affordable and sustainable market-rate housing and local business space.

Roslyn Downtown Forterra

roslyn

The Roslyn Downtown Association reached out to Forterra about an opportunity to purchase the historic #4 Mine site, untouched since the ‘70s, for its potential to support affordable housing, community green space and wetlands restoration. Forterra is working with the community and the Yakama Nation to enable sustainable and affordable housing while also protecting and celebrating the living cultural connections of the town and of the Yakama Nation to this land.

A rendering of what Wadajir could look like, built with Cross Laminated Timber.

wadajir

The Abu Bakr Islamic Center turned to Forterra for help in buying an old motel across from their mosque – seeing the opportunity for an inclusive development in Tukwila. Through its Strong Communities Fund I, Forterra purchased the property and is now exploring with Abu Bakr the best way possible to enable sustainable development of affordable housing and micro-retail space.

Hilltop Community RiteAid

building trust through transparency

The urgency and impact of Forterra’s mission demands that we set audacious goals.

 

Our commitment to the communities we serve demands that we take the humility to acknowledge when we must find practical solutions to move ahead.

 

In striking the balance between audacity and humility, we’ve sometimes made mistakes.

 

Our commitments to mission and to the people we are privileged to work alongside, demand of us the courage to listen to our stakeholders and to seek out community wisdom.

 

Our aspirations to protect land for good challenge us to own our mistakes, seek to make amends, and continue to grow.

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