John F. Carroll

John Carroll has spent more than 30 years implementing creative real estate and urban land development projects.  Throughout the course of his career, John’s commitment and skill have made him able to create catalytic projects that bring together the history, culture, context, and infrastructure of neighborhoods.  He acted on these values when he became the first citizen-chair of Portland’s Streetcar Committee, helping develop the vision that linked multimodal transportation with housing density goals over twenty years ago.  John was instrumental in linking these concepts with the redevelopment potential of Portland’s Pearl District, now widely thought of as a model for a high-density neighborhood done well.  John convinced lenders to participate in the Chown Pella project, one of the first restorations of an historic building to create urban lofts in Portland, and another pioneering project that created  market and lender confidence to support many other innovative downtown projects.

Since developing Chown Pella, John has consistently been a leader in pursuing developments that change troubled neighborhoods.  The Eliot, an 18-story residential condominium on Portland’s streetcar line, is the first LEED ND building in the United States.  It is located on a site that was a hub of drug traffic for years.  Now home to over 500 residents, the Eliot helped to reduce crime and create a safe area.  John made sure the building was supportive of its neighborhood in other aspects as well, including collaborative design and financing for the YWCA plaza and entry next door, and design features complementary to the Portland Art Museum across the street.  The Eliot exceeded public goals for affordable units.

Other projects produced by Carroll Investments reflect this level of commitment to sustainable, safe communities.  John’s leadership has resulted in many of Portland’s iconic buildings, and in public policies that protect homeowners and neighborhoods.  He championed legislation that requires condominiums to have a thorough maintenance and replacement study and adequately funded reserves.  John’s quiet leadership has supported education, services for youth, and many smart-growth policies.

As pioneer of the streetcar and a nationally recognized leader in urban planning, John maintains a personal commitment to creating livable communties that are sustainable and always located on public transportation lines.