Weekly Roundup: Meyer Memorial Trust HQ, Adidas Campus Expansion, Old Town heights, and more

Posted on March 27, 2018 by nextportland

An earlier scheme for the redevelopment of Old Town Chinatown Block 33 was presented to the Landmarks Commission in January 2017. The same architecture and development team are now working on a revised proposal that would orient the mass on the western half of the block, where they are seeking an increase in allowable height.

The Oregonian reported that the Adidas Campus Expansion will more than double the size of the company’s North American headquarters.

The Daily Journal of Commerce wrote about the public forum where the three developers* who are vying for the Broadway Corridor Development Opportunity introduced themselves. The Related Companies, Continuum Partners and McWhinney are competing to be chosen as the master developer for the 32-acre site.

Portland City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly reversed her vote on height increases at the waterfront. The change will allow the Riverplace Redevelopment to move forward.

The Oregonian wrote about the debate at City Council over whether heights should be increased on Old Town Chinatown Block 33.

City Observatory published an open letter on housing affordability to Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish, written by Portland State University Emeritus Professor Ethan Seltzer. An editorial in the Oregonian argued that the Portland City Council needs to reset its compass.

The Oregonian reported on high-rise apartment units rented as hotel rooms, including at The NV, Block 17 and Park Avenue West.

Portland Architecture interviewed GBD Architects’ Kyle Andersen & Phil Beyl about the firm’s 50 LEED projects (and counting).

A guest editorial in the Oregonian, written by Mark Edlen and Denis Hayes, argued that wood skyscrapers are coming and should be built with Forest Stewardship Council certified wood.

The Skanner News broke the news that the Meyer Memorial Trust, the state’s second largest foundation, plans to build a new headquarters at N Vancouver and Tillamook.

The Portland City Council voted to approve a tax break for the developments that voluntarily choose to include affordable housing, writes the Oregonian.

*This article will be unlocked for the rest of this week. After this week it will only be viewable by DJC subscribers.

Weekly Roundup: Oregonian Publishing Buildings, Asian Health and Services Center, and more

Posted on March 13, 2016 by nextportland

Site plan by GBD Architects for the proposed redevelopment of the Oregonian Publishing Buildings in Goose Hollow

Seattle-based developer Urban Renaissance Group is interested in purchasing in the Oregonian Publishing Buildings at 817 SW 17th Ave, according to a story in The Oregonian. Working with GBD Architects, the developer is looking at a two block project that “would range from 86 feet to 160 feet in height”.

The Willamette Week reported that “Portland’s scorching-hot apartment rental market may finally be cooling down—at least at its upper reaches.” The recently completed Block 17 apartments are currently offering six weeks of free rent, in order to help fill the 166 vacant units in the 281 unit building.

The Oregonian wrote about how “big out-of-town money” is buying up Portland rentals.

The Planning and Sustainability Commission declined to recommend a proposal to add parking minimums for new development in the Northwest Plan District, reported Portland Shoupistas.

FamilyCare Health will contribute $2 million to the Asian Health and Services Center in Lents Town Center, according to a story in the Portland Business Journal.

An article in the Portland Tribune questioned whether the planned capacity of the PSU Viking Pavilion will be enough. Original plans for the project in 2012 were for a 5,000 seat facility. As now envisioned the arena will seat between 3,000 and 3,100.

The Hollywood Star News wrote about the City Council’s unanimous approval of the N/NE Neighborhood Housing Plan, a “five-year plan for investing an additional $20 million in tax increment financing funds from the Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area”.

Going tall: new projects complete the north Pearl District

Posted on October 12, 2015 by nextportland

July 11, 2013 LU 13-139762 DZM AD - Applicant Presentation - 05

There are few neighborhoods in Portland that have seen more changes in recent decades than the Pearl District.

Today the Pearl has evolved from what The Oregonian described in 1994 as “a decaying portion of Northwest Portland once devoted to industry and transportation” into a mixed-use neighborhood with thousands of residents, large offices and numerous shops and restaurants. Despite the huge changes, architects and developers working in the early phases of large development in the neighborhood were often responding to the historic context of one of Portland’s older neighborhoods: Couch’s Addition was platted in 1842; the North Park Blocks were acquired by the City in 1869; and many of the warehouses in the NW 13th Ave Historic District date back to the early 20th Century. Developments such as the Brewery Blocks or the Ecotrust incorporated historic buildings, while new condominiums mimicked their aesthetic. While little of the industry that once defined the area is left today, one of the charms of the neighborhood is the juxtaposition of high rises such as the Casey and historic low rises such as the Bullseye Glass Building.

Further north in the Pearl there was less context to respond to. Much of the developable land was former railway yards, and the warehouses along NW 13th Avenue were more often single-story concrete structures rather than charming brick buildings. As development started to cross Lovejoy—once an elevated ramp leading to the Broadway Bridge—planners and neighborhood activists started to wonder if the North Pearl might develop in a different way. Instead of the bulky full block developments that had been built on some blocks south of Lovejoy, it was proposed that the developers might be allowed to build taller, but narrower.

In 2008 the Zoning Code was amended to incorporate a provision that exists nowhere else in the City: in the North Pearl Height Opportunity Area there are no maximum building heights for buildings with narrow floor plates.

…continue reading our guest post at Portland Architecture.

Focus: 25 Tallest Buildings Planned or Under Construction

Posted on May 15, 2015 by nextportland

It’s now almost 6 months since the first post on Next Portland. Since then we’ve published over 180 posts and added over 350 projects to our map, which is a testament to the staggering scale of development happening right now in Portland. Much of this development is 4-6 story buildings along the corridors such as N Williams and SE Division, but there is also a large number of tall buildings going up in the Central City, which why we decided to list the 25 tallest buildings planned or under construction.

While the boom of the 2000s was defined by the activity in South Waterfront, today that district has no apartments or condos planned over 6 stories tall. By contrast the Pearl, the Lloyd District and the Central Eastside are all seeing their skylines altered. Activity in Downtown has quieter, but it also has the tallest building in our list, which is now the 4th tallest building in the city.

Where possible, the heights given are the building height as defined in the Portland Zoning Code and published in the Design Commission’s Final Findings. Where indicated the heights have been estimated.

1 – Park Avenue West

Height: 460′
Architect: TVA Architects
Status: Under Construction

November 21, 2013 LU 13-214772 DZ - Drawings - 03

North Pearl High Rises, Part III: Block 17 (images)

Posted on January 13, 2015 by nextportland

This post is the third in a series on the high-rises currently under construction in the North Pearl. See also Part I about the Cosmopolitan on the Park and Part II about The Overton.

At 178′ tall, Block 17 would dominate almost any other neighborhood in Portland, and yet it is the shortest of the three high rises currently under construction in the North Pearl. The building at NW 12th & Overton is composed of two distinct forms, divided by a semi-public courtyard: a five story low rise building on the eastern half of the block; and a 16 story tower on the western half. Between them, they will create 281 rental apartment units. 210 vehicular parking spaces will be located in a below grade garage. 422 bicycle parking spaces will be provided, with one space in each unit, and the rest in a secure storage room. The building’s design is by Boora Architects for Hoyt Street Properties in partnership with Atlanta-based Wood Partners.

Block 17 Apartments Pearl
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