The Design Commission has approved a 7 story apartment building at 306 SE 8th Ave. The project by SERA Architects for Specht Development will include 123 residential units, over 8,500 sq ft of retail. 55 below-grade parking stalls and 185 bicycle parking spaces are proposed.

The trapezoidal shaped block is located in the Central Eastside, and is bound by SE Sandy Blvd, Oak St, 8th Ave and Pine St. The proposed building will occupy most of the block, replacing a 1946 warehouse and associated surface parking. A separate 1946 building, most recently used by a restaurant and winery, is not part of the site and will remain.

The building is arranged as an L-shape, with the mass oriented to SE 8th Ave and Pine St. At the acute angle intersection of SE Sandy and Pine the building comes to a “Flatiron” corner. At the interior of the block facing SE Sandy a level 2 roof deck will be located over the retail space below. At the top floor a clubroom and amenity deck is proposed at the building’s southwest corner.

The primary material for the building will be brick masonry, in two colors. Other materials proposed include vinyl windows, aluminum storefronts, steel balconies and metal panel.

306 SE 8th Ave was approved by a unanimous vote of the Design Commission at the project’s first hearing, held on June 15 2017. In the Final Findings and Decision by the Design Commission the project was found to present a “dynamic face to the SE Sandy Blvd”:

The project incorporates a well-detailed brick cladding methodology including running bond on the main body of the building, accented with soldier course storefront headers and rowlock window sills. The facades are well unified with floor-to-ceiling window openings uniformly spaced on all elevations with steel balconies. The building form responds to the gateway location at the corner of SE Sandy Blvd and SE Pine St by presenting a radius flatiron form directly to the acutely angled intersection. This radius flatiron feature is further accentuated by three-panel windows which convey a “prow” like form recognizing the uniqueness of the block geometry.

The project acknowledges the Sandy River Wagon Road and the historical character of the neighborhood by integrating an embossed image depicting the Sandy Wagon Trail interpretation map within the granite sidewalk tiles at the corner entry facing the SE Sandy Blvd and SE Pine St intersection. In so doing, the project introduces an artistic element to the open space linkage that punctuates the length of the bisecting boulevard and references the historical importance of this unique transportation feature.

The proposed footprint of the building will occupy the entire site thereby reinforcing urban enclosure. Configured as a reverse “L” footprint, the building presents a dynamic face to the SE Sandy Blvd frontage featuring the full 7-story mass (well-endowed with balconies) and the single-level volume (with roof-top amenity). Such a configuration results in a site configuration responsive to the street’s diagonal alignment in a creative manner that embellishes the area’s character

Building permits will need to be obtained before construction can begin on site.

Drawings