A proposal for the Post Office site in the Pearl could include up to 5 million square feet of development
Without waiting for an answer from Amazon, Portland moved forward with a Request for Qualifications aimed at developers interested in the Post Office Site. Shortly afterwards architecture firm William Kaven unveiled designs for two towers of up to 970′ on the Pearl District property, which would rise to a height over twice the 400′ limit recently approved by city council.
The DJC looked at the Albina Vision, a plan for the Rose Quarter which would see it become more than just an entertainment district.*
The Oregonian looked at the OMSI Masterplan, which could be Portland’s next big waterfront development. The paper also revealed that the James Beard Public Market is still looking at the possibility of locating on the site.
Voters approved a $185 million Portland Community College bond, which will be spent on a renovation of its workforce training facility in the Cully and an expansion of the health technology building at its Sylvania campus.
The DJC published construction photos of the Asian Health & Service Center, currently taking shape in Lents.
Central City Concern broke ground on the Blackburn Building, previously known as the Eastside Health Center, at 25 NE 122nd Ave. The building will include housing and medical services, writes the Portland Business Journal.
The Bureau of Development Services is building an $800,000 communications team, reports The Oregonian.
BikePortland reported that Portland Art Museum is getting ready to unveil new plans for the Rothko Pavilion, after facing opposition to an early iteration of the design.
Despite plans for NAYA Generations to provide a place for Native American seniors and foster families to live, the development doesn’t currently house a single foster family, reported the Willamette Week.
The Oregonian reported on the high-end historic buildings that benefit from $8 million a year in tax breaks.
*This article will be unlocked for the rest of this week. After this week it will only be viewable by DJC subscribers.
The DJC article re: Albina Vision is still locked.
A really cool idea, but in Portland? A truly tall, iconic building? It just ain’t gonna happen in our lifetime. By the time the design commission got done neutering the project, it would just be another five story pile of the usual two-by-fours dotting the city.
So true.
The pro-forma required to pay for the costs of the depicted height is essentially not possible in Portland currently or in any near term timeframe regardless of whether one likes it or not. This PR stunt by W Kaven is not helping the perception battle going on in Portland currently with a population that is weary from rapid change with many taking it out on height, density and parking issues. It’s fine to dream big and put out big ideas but a lot of folks are taking this as serious proposal and in some cases thinking it’s supported by the Broadway Corridor planning process which it is not. I wish the actual framework plan put together by serious urban design, market research and real estate firms had received the same splash from media outlets. Prosper Portland is currently searching for a master developer who has shown experience in delivering community benefits (aka affordable housing, serving disenfranchised populations etc.). The Request for Qualification sent out to potential developers is focused much more on who and what goes on in this site than the look or height of a building. Those details will be driven by the program and will come much later down the road.
Yeah, what David said. I think. .