Focus: Our 25 Most Popular Posts of the Year

The Goat Blocks

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

 

Fair-Haired Dumbbell gains final approval (images)

The Fair-Haired Dumbbell has gained final approval from the Design Commission, after four Design Review hearings. The project by FFA Architecture and Interiors for Guerrilla Development will include 64,700 sq ft office and retail space. The Burnside Bridgehead building will be entirely covered in a hand painted mural, the design of which has not yet been chosen.

The Dumbbell

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The Fair-Haired Dumbbell returns in front of the Design Commission (images)

The Fair-Haired Dumbbell has returned in front of the Design Commission, with a revised strategy for its exterior skin. The 64,700 sq ft office and retail building by FFA Architecture and Interiors for Guerrilla Development was originally intended to be covered in a two different florentine wrapping paper designs. The project is now seeking approval as a blank white canvas to be covered with a hand painted mural, the design of which has not yet been chosen. A condition of approval for the building will require that the mural be approved by the Regional Arts & Culture Council through their public art murals process.

The Dumbbell

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The Fair Haired Dumbbell (images)

An initial Design Review hearing is approaching for the Fair Haired Dumbbell, the latest addition to the Burnside Bridgehead. The building takes its name from its arrangement in plan: two boxes linked by skybridges. Between the two boxes there will be 64,700 sq ft of space, made up primarily of retail and the ground floor and office space in the five floors above. The design of the project is by FFA Architecture and Interiors for Guerrilla Development.

The Fair Haired Dumbbell

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Metro Reports: Central Eastside offices, Pearl District hotel and more

Couch9

Vallaster Corl’s Couch9, as presented at Design Advice

Every week, the Bureau of Development services publishes a list of early assistance applications, land use reviews and building permits. We publish the highlights.

Carleton Hart Architecture have requested Early Assistance for a project at 110 SW Arthur, planned by Central City Concern:

EA to discuss proposed 39-unit multi-dwelling project with potential height Adjustment

Early assistance was requested for a project at 2601 SW Water Ave. The owner is Kevin Cavenaugh, of Guerrilla Development.

Multi-family building.

Vallaster Corl have applied for a Type III Design Review for their Couch9 project at 115 NW 9TH Ave:

11 Story building

FFA Architecture & Interiors have applied for a Type III Design Review for the Fair Haired Dumbbell, also by Guerrilla Development:

New mixed-use office building with retail use at the ground floor. Six stories with basement parking. Project will include full row street improvements. Stormwater plan will meet BES standards.

The NW Everett Hotel in the Pearl is also in for a Type III Design Review:

Design review for 232-unit, 8-story, mixed use hotel project with 114 parking spaces, with modifications to ground floor window standards and loading space standards.

di loreto Architecture have applied for a Type III Historic Resource Review for an addition to St Michael the Archangel at 424 SW Mill St:

Historic Landmark review of ADA and seismic upgrades, addition and site improvements.

Mackenzie have applied for a building permit for an office at 240 SE Clay. The site is owned by Killian Pacific, the developer behind the Goat Blocks project. A project valuation of $12,935,996 was listed.

New industrial office building with structured parking at lower level and the below grade parking area will also utilize the existing retaining wall, adjacent surface parking lot will utilize the exterior wall of the existing building at the perimeter

 

Weekly roundup: 419 E Burnside, Block 8L and more

December 2, 2014 LU 14-169513 DZM AD - 419 E Burnside - Drawing Set - view 02

419 E Burnside. The ghosted outlines behind the building represent Block 67 and Block 75.

  • The City Council heard evidence on the rezoning for the Multnomah Athletic Club Block 7 apartments. No vote was taken, and the hearing will be continued on January 8th.
  • The Historic Landmarks Commission approved the design for Block 8L, a new mixed use building in Old Town.
  • The Design Commission discussed the Tess O’Brien Apartments, 419 E Burnside, the Hilton Curio Hotel and the Whidden & Lewis building renovations.
  • A Pre-Application Conference was requested for the Grove Hotel, and the first images were released.
  • The Portland Chronicle posted construction photos of Vallaster Corl’s Lower Burnside Lofts.
  • BikePortland wrote about the upcoming open house and forum for the James Beard Public Market, and how the market could be and opportunity to “improve Portland’s newest and arguably most awkward downtown bridge landing.”
  • The development boom at the Burnside Bridgehead was the subject of another post at BikePortland, which included coverage of Skylab’s Block 67, Works Partnership’s Block 75, Myhre Group’s 419 E Burnside, and Guerrilla Development’s Fair Haired Dumbbell.
  • The Daily Journal of Commerce published photos of GBD Architect’s Block A Apartments under construction in the Lloyd District.
  • The Portland Business Journal wrote that the “Portland Development Commission has issued a call for qualified developers who could pull off a transformative, big-picture project at the corner of Northeast Halsey Street and Northeast 106th Avenue.”
  • Tom Moyer, the developer behind Park Avenue West, was remembered in an editorial in the Oregonian. His legacy is as of “one of the people who helped define Portland’s city center.”