Weekly Roundup: Fair Haired Dumbell, AIA Portland Awards, PSU School of Business Administration, and more

Posted on November 21, 2016 by nextportland

The Fair-Haired Dumbell will have a facade painted with a mural by Los Angeles-based artist James Jean

The DJC wrote about the ‘elaborate’ Building Information Modelling (BIM) process* being used to help deliver the PSU School of Business Administration.

The Portland Business Journal reported that the paint scheme has been chosen Fair-Haired Dumbbell building, and “it’s unlike anything else in town“. They also revealed that co-working company TENpod will occupy 8,000 sq ft in the building.

The Oregonian reported that the Sears building in the Lloyd Center has been sold, and the retailer’s presence in the mall “will either shrink significantly or disappear altogether“. On Thursday morning, the ice rink at the center of the mall reopened, after a major renovation.

Eater PDX reported that Tom’s First Avenue Bento will close after nearly 25 years, to make way for the Multnomah County Central Courthouse.

The 12-unit Jarrett Street Condos are receiving very little interest from those eligible to receive the city subsidized down-payment assistance, according to The Oregonian.

Portland Architecture wrote about the winning projects at the AIA Portland Architecture Awards. Buildings honored include Slate, 1638 NW Overton St, Framework (CEID), Albina Yard, Karuna at One North, The Cosmopolitan on the Park and Park Avenue West.

Preservation group Restore Oregon announced their top restoration projects of 2016, including the Pine Street Market and the Society Hotel.

The Portland Business Journal showcased the “stellar views and cool workspaces” at Slate.

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

Weekly Roundup: Overlook Pointe fire, 10th & Yamhill Smart Park, Field Office, and more

Posted on August 22, 2016 by nextportland

Conceptual image of a renovated 10th & Yamhill Smart Park garage (image by FFA Architecture & Interiors)

The Portland Development Commission received three offers for Centennial Mills, according to The Oregonian. All three offers, valued at $1,000, $100,000 and $3.45 million, were rejected. The redevelopment agency will now consider “how/whether to reengage the market”.

The DJC reported that the under construction Overlook Pointe condominium development at 5425 N Minnesota Ave was burned down in a fire* early Wednesday morning.

The PDC voted to sell property at 1053–1201 NW Naito Parkway to The Wolff Company for $9 million. The Oregonian reported that the developer plans to build 340 apartments on the site, 68 of which would be affordable for at least 10 years.

KGW covered the 1,200 apartments coming to the area in and around the Con-way Masterplan area in NW Portland. Construction is underway on Blocks 294E and 295E and the Leland James Building, which are following on from the LL Hawkins and Slabtown Marketplace. Immediately outside of the masterplan area is Q21, which is nearing completion.

The Portland Tribune wrote about the “new mood in Chinatown“, which after decades of divestment might be seeing a change in its fortunes. The Society Hotel opened last year, and will soon be joined by the newly renovated Mason Erhman Building Annex, Overland Warehouse Company Building and Grove Hotel.

The Portland Mercury profiled Swift Real Estate Partners, the San Francisco Investment Firm that is “Snatching Up Old Town Real Estate“. The company’s acquisitions include the New Market Theater, a historic building adjacent to the Skidmore Fountain that could receive a significant addition.

Project^’s Field Office will create a “300,000-square-foot urban campus“, according to the Portland Business Journal. Construction recently started on the Hacker-designed buildings at NW Front and 17th.

More than 1,000 people applied for the 65 housing units available to people displaced from North and Northeast Portland, according to The Oregonian.

The City is planning a $25 million renovation of the 10th & Yamhill Smart Park, according to the Portland Business Journal. The scope of the project will include addressing seismic and ADA deficiencies in the existing structure.

Three new surf shops are set to open in the next year, reports The Oregonian. These include Cosube, which will open in Slate at the Burnside Bridgehead, and Leeward Northwest Surf & Sea, which will open in New New Crusher Court at 2450 NE Sandy Blvd.

According to the Portland Business Journal, furniture retailer Room & Board will open next year in the Pearl District’s newly renovated Fisk Tire Company Building.

The Business Tribune wrote about a day in the life of the team at OHSU working on the Knight Cancer Research Building.

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

Weekly Roundup: changes at Yard, 2035 Comprehensive Plan, 1208 SE Ankeny and more

Posted on January 10, 2016 by nextportland

Yard, as approved by the Design Commission

The Willamette Week reported that burger restaurant Tilt will move into Burnside Bridgehead tower Yard. Meanwhile the Oregonian reported that the City had missed an “unfortunate” change to the design of the under construction building which “should have triggered either revisions to the design or a reset of the land-use review process.”

Green Zebra announced that they will move into a new building planned at 4926 SE Division St in late 2017. The grocery had originally planned to occupy an existing building at the site, which will now be developed with a 126-unit mixed-use project.

A story in the Southeast Examiner covers a group of Sunnyside residents who are concerned about the loss of sunlight at residential properties adjacent to new commercial developed. The group argues that the City should adopt “light equity” provisions into its codes.

Public hearings are continuing on Portland’s 2035 Comprehensive Plan, as noted by the Portland Business Journal. An interactive map shows land use, transportation and citywide systems changes proposed. Written and oral testimony will be taken until a final hearing scheduled for Wednesday January 13th. Following that members of the City Council will propose amendments to the plan based on testimony received.

BikePortland wrote that “after years of building, Seattle gets a new year’s gift: falling rents“.

Portland Architecture discussed the 10 projects that defined 2015. Included on the list were Hassalo on Eighth, the Hotel Eastlund, Framework, the Society Hotel and One North.

The Portland Chronicle reported that a 1906 duplex at 1208 SE Ankeny St has been demolished. A building permit is currently under review for a 4 story with basement, 27 unit apartment on the site.

Urban Asset Advisors have secured $41.6 million in construction financing for Couch9, according a story in the Portland Business Journal.

Focus: Our 25 Most Popular Posts of the Year

Posted on December 17, 2015 by nextportland

LOCA @ The Goat Blocks, the subject of our second most viewed post of 2015

2015 is the first full calendar year Next Portland has been in operation, and it’s been a year of huge growth for the site. As the year draws to a close it seemed like a good time to look at what the most popular posts of the year were. If there’s an overall trend evident it’s that posts about tall or large buildings do well. The single most popular post was the round up of the 25 tallest buildings planned or under construction. Posts about high rise buildings under construction—including Block 136, The Cosmopolitan, The NV (formerly The Overton), and Yard (formerly Block 67)—feature prominently in the list. The giant development at Oregon Square makes the list three times, and the redevelopment of the USPS site in the Pearl is included three times. The most popular post about a single project covered LOCA @ The Goat Blocks, a superblock development currently under construction in inner Buckman.

Other posts to make the top 25 were more surprising. The list includes the Worldmark by Wyndham and The Society Hotel, both relatively small hotel projects in Old Town. The initial post about 3rd & Taylor likely performed so well not because of the scale of the project, but because Next Portland was the first place to write about the potential demolition of the Hotel Albion. At only 8 stories Carbon12 wouldn’t come close to making the list of the tallest buildings planned for Portland, but is notable for the fact that the high rise structure will be built out of wood.

Were there any posts you particularly enjoyed reading this year? Let us know in the comments. Here is the full list of our most popular posts of 2015:

1 – Focus: 25 Tallest Buildings Planned or Under Construction

2 – LOCA @ The Goat Blocks

3 – Burnside Bridgehead, Pt II: Block 67

4 – Focus: 20 New Hotels Proposed For Portland

5 – Worldmark by Wyndham set to receive Design Advice

6 – Carbon12, an 8 story wood building, proposed for N Williams

7 – Concepts released for redevelopment of USPS site

8 – Pre-Application Conference scheduled for SW 3rd & Taylor

9 – Under Construction in Old Town: The Society Hotel

10 – Cook Street Apartments

11 – Lloyd Cinemas redevelopment returns in front of Design Commission (images)

12 – The Fair Haired Dumbbell

13 – Burnside Bridgehead, pt I: Block 75

14 – PDC identifies preferred concept for Post Office site

15 – Block 136 heading to Design Review

16 – Under Construction in South Waterfront: Block 37

17 – North Pearl High-Rises, Part II: The Overton

18 – Design Commission approves Oregon Square

19 –Design Commission reviews Oregon Square

20 – Oregon Square update

21 – North Pearl High-Rises, Part I: The Cosmopolitan on the Park

22 – Design Commission approves The Porter hotel

23 – 4th & Harrison returning for Design Advice

24 – Grand Belmont returns before Historic Landmarks Commission

25 – Hyatt Regency at the Oregon Convention Center

Weekly Roundup: Holladay Park Plaza, One North, Convention Center Hotel and more

Posted on November 15, 2015 by nextportland

The Holladay Park Plaza East Building

In ‘Respecting History‘ Places over Time looked at Historic Landmarks Commission, which “will far more influence on Portland’s built fabric than previous commissions due to both the sheer number of new projects being built at this time and the fact that this commission is rewriting the guidelines for most of the city’s historic districts.”

A $177 million loan will help finance the $50 million Lloyd Center Remodel, according to the Portland Business Journal.

The proposed office building at Station Place Lot 5 is gearing up for its first Design Review hearing, according to a story in the Portland Business Journal.

BikePortland revealed that the City may require developers to offer residents, employees $600 for biking or transit.

The Oregonian published photos of the completed One North office development on N Williams, which is set to open this week.

Salt & Straw is the latest business to announce a presence in the Pine Street Market.

The Portland Tribune reported that one of sites being looked at for the proposed USPS relocation is in Troutdale. The move will be required for the Post Office Redevelopment.

The Daily Journal of Commerce published photos of the recently completed Society Hotel.

The fight over the Convention Center Hotel will go to the state Supreme Court, according to The Oregonian.

A Portland renter has been offered her home for free, if she can relocate it to a new site. The house will otherwise be demolished to make way for a 10 unit expansion of Holladay Park Plaza.

The Portland Chronicle reported that a single-family home at 7420 SE Milwaukie Blvd has been demolished to make way for a 76 unit apartment project.

Weekly Roundup: United Workmen Temple Building, Post Office Redevelopment, Porter Hotel and more

Posted on November 8, 2015 by nextportland

The mixed use development at 930 SW 3rd Ave, which originally proposed to incorporate the Ancient Order of United Workmen Temple

Restore Oregon noted that two downtown buildings have been removed from the City’s Historic Resources Inventory. The buildings are on the site of a proposed mixed use development at 930 SW 3rd Ave, which will include a 20-story hotel and 10-story office building. As part of the development the Hotel Albion (which includes the Lotus Café and Cardroom) will be demolished. The Ancient Order of United Workmen Temple Building will ~~be incorporated into the development~~ will also be demolished.

In a 5-0 vote, the Portland City Council adopted the Broadway Corridor Framework Plan, which will form the vision for how the 14 acre Post Office site in the Pearl will be developed. The acquisition of the site, worth between $135 and $177 million according to developer Mark Edlen, will cost the City up to $80 million.

Construction will begin by the end of the year on the 299 room Porter Hotel at SW 2nd and Jefferson. The 16 story building will be included in Hilton’s “Curio” collection of hotels.

The Society Hotel opened this week in Old Town / Chinatown. The Portland Mercury published photos of the low cost hotel meets hostel, and described the “gorgeous rooftop deck” as the project’s “crowning jewel”.

Shortly after acquiring trucking company Conway, XPO Logisitics laid off 101 Portland based workers. Though headquartered in Ann Arbor until its acquisition, Conway was a large landowner in Northwest Portland. What effect, if any, the acquisition will have on the redevelopment of the Conway Masterplan area is currently unclear.

Kaiser is planning a 700 space parking garage at 500 NE Multnomah in the Lloyd District. According to BikePortland the structure “aims in part to free up space on Kaiser’s other parking lots, which could then be developed or sold in order to continue the surge of big developments [in] the Lloyd District”.

The Portland Chapter of the AIA held its annual design awards last weekend. Portland Architecture wrote about the winning projects, which included Lever Architecture’s Treehouse and Allied Works’ PNCA 511 Building.

In a post titled ‘The City of Fabric Buildings‘ Places over Time noted how curious it is that “Portland has developed such an international reputation as a city without the assistance of any real place-specific visual aides”.

Design work is about to start on the Multnomah County Health Dept HQ, which will be located on a site near Union Station. The new building will be “nine stories and run between $85 million to $95 million” according to a report in The Oregonian.

Portland Monthly reported that health food “haven” Prasad opened a second location at the Portland Rock Gym, which recently completed a major expansion.

NOTE: This post has been revised to reflect that the Temple building will be demolished, as shown on drawings published on the City Auditor’s website Monday.

Weekly Roundup: Water Avenue Yards, Pearl affordable housing, protest on Hawthorne and more

Posted on October 18, 2015 by nextportland

Concept for the Water Avenue Yards by Boora

Boora Architects have developed a speculative concept for the ODOT Blocks, which they have dubbed the Water Avenue Yards. Their vision would see the currently vacant site redeveloped with flexible spaces that could be used various kinds of production.

Demolition began on a fourplex house at 3423 SE Hawthorne Blvd, which will be replaced by a five story 30 unit apartment building. As a squatter tied himself to the roof to protest the demolition, a crowd of fifty people and one goat gathered to watch.

Pretentious PDX interviewed Jonathan Cohen and Matt Seigel of the Society Hotel, the Old Town hotel which is getting ready to open on November 5th.

Eater PDX covered the possible closure of the Lotus Cardroom, which would be replaced by a new hotel and office building at 930 SW 3rd Ave.

Innovative Housing has been chosen as the developer for an affordable housing project on Pearl Block 26, according to The Oregonian. The quarter block building will include at least 40 units, and could include as many as 64.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the PSU School of Business Administration by Behnisch Architekten and SRG Partnership. The 143,000 sq ft facility is expected to open in 2017.

Amid an apartment building boom, The Oregonian reported that the City’s property tax exemption program for affordable housing had done zero deals in 2015.

Focus: 20 new hotels proposed for Portland

Posted on September 23, 2015 by nextportland

When construction activity first started to return to Portland around 2012 it seemed like all that was being built was apartments. While residential still dominates the construction industry, other sectors of the market have started to return. In the last year there has been been a noticeable increase in the number of hotels proposed in Portland. Next Portland counts at least 20 hotels either proposed, going through Design Advice / Design Review, being reviewed for building permits or under construction. Together these represent over 3000 new rooms, a substantial number for a city that had 25,924 rooms in its metro area as of 2014.

It is unlikely that every single hotel on this list will be built; some of the Early Assistance application may represent property owners performing a feasibility study, and there is always the possibility of a downturn in the economy. Even still, it’s clear that Portland is going to have a substantially larger number of hotels in just a couple years. Click through to see the full list, arranged by number of rooms.

1 – Hyatt Regency at the Convention Center

Number of rooms: 600+
Architect: Ankrom Moisan Architects, ESG Architects
Status: Design Advice

Hyatt Hotel at the Oregon Convention Center

Weekly Roundup: Post Office Redevelopment, Portland Rock Gym, Block 26 affordable housing and more

Posted on April 5, 2015 by nextportland

Modera Pearl apartments

The Oregonian reported that the Portland Development Commission is close to striking a deal with ZRZ Realty for redevelopment of the Zidell Yards in South Waterfront.

According to the Mid-County Memo, the first tenants will move into Glisan Commons Phase II on April 15th. The building will be known as Gilman Court.

An expansion of the Portland Rock Gym will add 10,000 sq ft of new climbing terrain. The Portland Business Journal published images of what the finished project will look like.

Talks between the Portland Development Commission and USPS have resumed for the Post Office Redevelopment, which would free 14 acres of land in the Pearl District.

The planned Multnomah County Health Department Headquarters in Old Town will require a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to increase the maximum heights from 75′ to 150′. As reported on page 10 of the Northwest Examiner [PDF] the changes are being opposed by the Pearl District Neighborhood Association.

The Portland Housing Bureau is close to striking a deal to purchase Block 26 from Hoyt Street Properties. This will enable to Bureau to develop another affordable housing project in the Pearl District.

The Portland Mercado opened this week. An article in The Oregonian looked at how the project will provide space and support for Latino business owners.

The Cash & Carry in the Pearl is moving to allow the construction of the Modera Pearl apartments. Work is expected to begin on the new building later this spring or early this summer.

Plaza del Toro, John Gorham’s new test kitchen and private event space in the Plow Works Building, will have a launch party on April 17th.

The Portland Mercury had a look inside the under construction Society Hotel. The new hotel in Old Town will have bunk beds starting at $35-40 a night.

Weekly Roundup: the Society Hotel, the Loyal Legion and more

Posted on January 11, 2015 by nextportland

The Society Hotel will open this summer

The Portland Business Journal reported that Jama Software, the anchor tenant for Melvin Mark’s 2&Taylor building, is ready to move in. The project is a redevelopment of the former Yamhill Marketplace.
The demolition of the former University Station post office began. The site is owned by St Mary’s Academy, who plan on expanding their campus. Although still in the early stages of planning, the Oregonian reported on what might be housed in the expansion.
The Society Hotel, a redevelopment of a long vacant building in Old Town, is set to open this summer. The Portland Business Journal had a look at the construction progress.
The City Council was scheduled to vote on the rezoning for the MAC Block 7 apartments. The applicants have now decided to complete a City Center Parking Review before the City Council makes its final decision.
The Waterline Apartments on NW Front Ave have begun pre-leasing.
At Portland Architecture, Brian Libby expanded on his CityLab article about Centennial Mills, with more extracts from his conversation with Jordan Schnitzer. Meanwhile, the RFP process for selective demolition of the buildings in worst condition is ongoing.
Chefstable plans to open The Loyal Legion, a beer hall with 99 Oregon beers on tap, in the former Portland Police Athletic Association building.