Redefining Development: Anyeley Hallová's Approach to Wealth Creation, Social Equity and Catalytic Projects
Anyeley Hallová in her living room in front of URYIMHERE by Portland-based artist Jeremy Okai Davis. Portrait by PHOTOSBYKIM.COM.
By Patrick Dimond
Anyeley Hallová is an award-winning real estate developer. She is the Founder of Adre, an equity-centered real estate development company that develops mixed-use developments, affordable homes, and facilities for organizations. The company creates social, environmental, and economic benefits for Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities. Through their lived experience, deep connection to community, drive toward excellence, and expertise in building innovation and delivery, Adre is transforming the real estate industry. Recent projects include a youth residential treatment facility for Parrott Creek Child & Family Services and affordable homeownership in the Williams & Russell Project.
Anyeley is an alumna of Cornell University, MIT, and Harvard University and co-taught an options studio at Harvard Graduate School of Design on Trauma-Informed Design. She is a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Scholar and a Tory Burch Foundation Fellow. The Urban Land Institute named her in its“40 under 40” list as one of the best young land-use professionals around the globe, and Grist 50 identified her as an emerging leader in climate, equity, and sustainability. She currently serves as Chair of Oregon’s Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) and Chair of the Board of the US Green Building Council (USGBC). In her conversation with Patrick Dimond, Anyeley talks about how she crafted a career in the built environment and her hopes for catalyzing a more equitable development industry.
PD: Tell me about where you grew up.
AH: I was raised in Deerfield Beach, Florida, and when I was in middle school, my family moved to northern Nigeria for a couple of years for my dad's job. My dad is from Ghana, so I have a lot of family in Ghana and Togo.
This was an eye-opening time for me because the city we lived in was dealing with water shortages, and I was witnessing life-threatening levels of poverty all around me. My mom is an environmentalist, and she talked about water being a limiting factor in the world’s future, which was especially relevant when we came back to South Florida in the late 80’s. Seeing the environment in these extremes on two different continents put a lot of things into perspective for me and ultimately framed my worldview.
Many of my interests and the fields I studied are rooted in childhood trips to Epcot. Our family would go to Disney World often, and I became engrossed in thinking about the landscapes of the future—my favorite ride was called Listen to the Land. The ride has since been renamed to Living with the Land, and it was essentially a boat ride through a hydroponic garden where produce is grown and served at Disney World. It was all about the things I loved - agriculture, aquaculture, and what came to be known as environmental sustainability. It was a dream world for people who were into that. Much to my kids' dismay, I made them go on that ride last year, and they were mystified that a kid could love such a ride. However, to my amusement, my daughter’s favorite ride was Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover. Ha!
You attended both MIT and Harvard for degrees in city planning and landscape architecture. What did that path look like for you?
When I was applying to colleges, I was interested in schools that offered agricultural engineering and architecture. I ended up at Cornell University, where I witnessed my first snowfall [laughs]. I started as an agricultural engineering major, but long story short, I ended up switching to environmental systems technology which was in the same department.
I studied sustainable development in Costa Rica for a semester, and when I returned, everything after that was about me trying to figure out who does sustainable development. Remember that this was when sustainability wasn’t in the American lexicon, and development was more about processes and financing. It was very two-dimensional, so I found city planning to be the closest thing to what I had experienced and loved in Costa Rica, which ultimately brought me to study city planning with a focus on environmental policy at MIT. While there, I shifted my focus to the city design and development specialization and started interacting more with architects.
During one of my studios, I went to China, and I remember being frustrated because I had all these ideas, but the architect held the pen. I wanted to be able to communicate this creative energy, but I didn’t have all the tools. Initially, I wanted to pursue an urban design degree, but I needed a background in design, so my choices were landscape architecture or architecture. I wasn’t interested in designing buildings, so I picked landscape architecture and studied at the GSD. I used that degree to obtain my first job as an urban designer.
USGBC Chair of the Board Anyeley Hallová and President and CEO Peter Templeton presenting at Greenbuild 2023 in Washington, D.C. Photo by HeadshotDC | Moshe Zusman.
Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Oregon’s land use planning program and the signing of Senate Bill 100 into law in 1973. Left to Right: Director Brenda Bateman, Governor Tina Kotek, and LCDC Chair Anyeley Hallová. Photo courtesy of Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD).
When you look back at it, does it feel serendipitous?
It makes for a great story. I was following my passions without thinking about where they were leading. When I look back at my path now, it all makes complete sense. I packaged all the things I needed to be a real estate developer which I would argue is a path with a very narrow outlook. The most successful developers are the ones who understand policy, design, and the realities of the built environment.
What was it like starting Adre?
I was a partner with a company called project^. After the Black Lives Matter movement happened, I was finishing up a project, a headquarters for a foundation called Meyer Memorial Trust. This equity-based foundation allocates resources to racial, social, and economic justice for the people of Oregon. Because of this project, I had the opportunity to be laser-focused on social equity and environmental sustainability. After finishing it, I knew I didn’t want to return to working on regular market-rate projects. I had been pursuing social equity values through volunteer work, and in 2020, I took that idea and combined equity, innovation, and policy-making with my work. Projects for the Black community became my highest priority.
While at project^, I led an affordable housing, retail, and office project called Framework, which was planned to be the first high-rise made out of wood in the United States. It ended up being the first timber high-rise building permitted in the United States and ultimately kick-started the mass timber movement in the US. At the time, I had to imagine that if I were to spend the same time, attention, resources, and skills that I have and direct them toward communities of color, I could see real change. The intent behind Adre is to work on catalytic projects that focus on social equity as the primary driver.
“Ultimately, it’s about creating a system that ensures wealth creation, in all its forms, for people of color and their communities.”
As a real estate developer, how are you able to create equitable opportunities for those who have historically been blocked from homeownership opportunities?
Early on, I was interested in establishing and communicating my values. If that resonated with people, then I knew I could attract partners and funders. Adre's success began with winning PitchBlack in 2022, a platform for Black entrepreneurs to showcase their business ideas. I crafted a compelling five-minute pitch outlining how Adre could pave the way for wealth and financial stability for BIPOC communities and organizations through real estate. This resonated with the audience, leading to a $50,000 victory in the contest. This win was a testament to Adre's potential and the need to communicate how social equity fits into development. To do this, I created a diagram illustrating the lifecycle of a project.
Projects always begin with someone owning the land. They then proceed to someone developing it, a professional designing the structure that sits on it, a contractor who builds the structure, and finally, someone who purchases and uses that structure for their own purposes. With each of these phases, there is a parallel racist legacy in the US. Who is the developer? If you can't own land, you probably can't be a developer, right? Who designs the building? If you don't see people who look like you in those positions, it becomes challenging to be in those spaces.
There's a potential solution at each of these phases. At Adre, we have a company goal: at least 30% of construction dollars go to BIPOC and women-owned businesses. We measure every single dollar that comes into the project with the idea that at the end of it, we can understand the total and determine goals that increase ownership and shared economic development objectives while building with technologies with lower carbon emissions. Ultimately, it's about creating a system that ensures wealth creation, in all its forms, for people of color and their communities.
Conceptual Rendering of the Williams & Russell Project. Courtesy of Williams & Russell CDC / LEVER Architecture.
The Founder of PitchBlack Stephen Green and MC Entrepreneur Ciara Pressler celebrate with winners of PitchBlack 2022. Photo by Dustin and Marley Tolman.
What's on your mind most at the moment?
The Williams & Russell Project is a project I have been involved with for the past two years. Legacy Health has a hospital that, in the seventies, took a 1.7-acre vacant block at North Russell Street and North Williams Avenue by eminent domain, which is the practice of the government taking private property and converting it to public use.
The site was once part of a thriving community that housed the majority of African Americans in Portland. In 2017, due to community pressure, the hospital agreed to return that land to the Black community. We are working on raising funds to build two of the projects.
A significant amount of land was taken by public entities, a stark reminder of the injustices that persist. We must bring this issue to light because nothing has ever been built on that land. Just imagine land being seized, existing buildings torn down, promises of new buildings, and then, nothing. This is a systemic issue in Portland and across the country, and it’s time we restore those properties to the communities it was taken from.
Philip Kafka is a Detroit based developer who has developed artist housing via Quonset huts. It's an original concept and the result is a vibrant neighborhood. I’m drawn to your work because, like Philip, you use good architects who are conscious of the existing environment.
I found myself in development because of my environmental concerns. I never sought out development, but I became increasingly curious about who controlled the built environment.
While studying sustainable development in Costa Rica, I learned about the triple bottom line. It wasn't all environmental; you must be conscious of the social, ecological, and economic pieces to make it work. While I was working as an urban designer, I had clients who were developers, and they would frequently disregard sustainability. If I were steering the project, then I could control the project's goals. I also knew that if I were in that seat, I would at least know why something in the project would get cut versus being on the design side where I was at the client's whim.
I used to be bored by the idea of policy because I had nothing tangible to link it to. Then, I pursued the career that I'm in, and I'm now equipped to put policy into practice. I'm interested in it because I know what needs to change and how to make change. I come from a design background, so design excellence is at the core of what I do—it's a given. It's not a question.
“I want to create a movement toward social equity in real estate development. Adre’s mission is to develop catalytic projects that benefit disenfranchised communities and for others to see that they can do the same work.”
Who are you admiring right now and why?
I'm admiring the Albina Vision Trust team in Portland, Oregon. Their team is working on acquiring back the Albina neighborhood, which is a neighborhood that has been consumed by the highway, Moda Center, Memorial Coliseum, and other structures, and restoring it.
They are working to reclaim that land, considering governing and acquisition structures, and allowing the benefits of market rate, an affordable workforce, and housing to come back to the Black community. Some 60 years ago, $1Billion worth of wealth was taken from Black homeowners in the original community, not including wealth lost by business owners. The work to recreate Albina's original vibrant community is critical and needed.
What is the impact you would like to have on the world?
I want to create a movement toward social equity in real estate development. Adre's mission is to develop catalytic projects that benefit disenfranchised communities and for others to see that they can do the same work. Even if you're a developer who primarily works in market-rate development, you can have a significant impact in how you approach your projects and in partnering with diverse businesses in their creation. I am interested in making an impact around social equity in real estate – really, the built environment. It's not just about real estate; it's also in our architecture and policy. In remedying historical wrongs, I can’t only influence those things as a real estate developer but also shape land use and green building policy in my role on boards and commissions. Additionally, I want to demystify development and encourage youth from all walks of life to consider it as a potential career through my recently published book A Kids Book About Real Estate Development. Buy my book! It’s the first kids book about the profession.
A Kids Book About Real Estate Development. Photo courtesy of A Kids Co.
Campus Plan for the Residential Treatment Facility at Parrott Creek (currently under construction). Courtesy of Parrott Creek Child & Family Services / El Dorado.
What advice do you have for those starting their career? And would your advice be any different for women?
Before you consider one path, or even if you're on a path, always stretch your imagination. Keep growing and being interested in educating yourself. This is especially important for people of color who are likely not exposed to all the potential career opportunities. If I limited my imagination to all the career possibilities out there, I would never know about development because of the systems that have been structured for me not to know about development.
For women, I suggest not limiting themselves. Do not cap your success based on other people's perception of your value. If I allowed other people's perceptions of me to influence me, I would not be where I am today. It is about constantly educating yourself and telling yourself to resist the limitations others put on you.