South Waterfront News

[Delaney]

Some of the workers were protesting this morning. Didn't go up close enough to read their signs. Kind of seems like in this economy they should be happy to have jobs and not be protesting.

Most protests at job sites are union workers that aren't on the job protesting non-union labor. People that win bids to do the work don't usually protest.

[sowat]

the mirabella crane [finally] jacks up to full 400 foot height this coming saturday

still no sign of any orange accent trim. I'm very curious to see how that comes together [& either compliments or clashes with the milky-blue glass]

meanwhile they stuck a white illuminated 'mirabella' sign up for some reason, not sure if that's permanent or just an ad for this coming attraction??

[RoseCtyRoks]

http://www.southportlandna.org/extradosed.jpg

Any recent news on the Gibbs St. bridge? Hopefully it's still slated to have construction starting this Sept.

Like the park, I think it's another element that will enhance SOWA, as well as the neighborhoods to the west....one piece at a time.

[sopdx]

large outdoor spaces??? What am I missing here? They'll have to scale around the corners clutching the side of the building.

[cronked]

I really hope that Mirabella sign is temporary. It looks like a cheap hotel sign. I hope they install a classier sign that is more appropriately placed. Metal letters spelling out Mirabella that is backlit right above the entrance would be better (in my opinion).

[brandonpdx]

If this has skin like the Benson, this thing is going to suck aesthetically.

[Okstate]

How long will the construction of Gibbs St. Bridge take? I'm sure it's on here somewhere but I'm lazy & proud of it.

[RoseCtyRoks]

http://blog.oregonlive.com/environment_impact/2009/03/GibbsSt-Bridge.JPG

:previous: I think we all have some laziness in us once in a while! :haha:

This bridge is planned for an early 2011 completion.....so I'm crossing my fingers as this one's ready to get rollin' (O.K. so I got carried away with the LARGE rendering!!:rolleyes: )

[Okstate]

^ I know, right. I'm stoked about this. Probably as much as a new tower going up, if not more.

[scottyboi]

can't wait...this area needs as many connections as possible to the rest of the city...it still feels very cut off

[2oh1]

I'm excited about this one too! This neighborhood has so much potential, but it feels cut off from the rest of the city, which is odd since it has connections by road, tram and streetcar. The more connections it gets, the better. I really want to see South Waterfront thrive.

[ad hoc]

large outdoor spaces??? What am I missing here? They'll have to scale around the corners clutching the side of the building.

i don't think he was talking about urban rock climbing...
:cool:

[Artist]

Mirabella's website updated August 14. http://www.mirabellaretirement.org/portland/2009/081409.htm

[Artist]

Mirabella's August 14 update refers to the sign. Their scale model in the sales office clearly shows a low monument sign separating the outdoor cafe tables from the public sidewalk. The model does not show a sign on top of the Terrace (the sidecar.) Next time someone is out with their camera please photograph the sign. I think I can see it in Mirabella's pictures, but am not sure. Thanks. An added observation: That blue is nicer on cloudy days!

[cronked]

Here is the 17th floor view of Caruther's Park. It is coming along nicely. I'm seeing significant progress every day now.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2636/3838914300_53a9cc2e88_b.jpg

[dkealoha]

A lot of trees were delivered today and are sitting out there waiting to be planted. You can also see the bocce ball court being outlined (at least I think I remember there being one planned).

[sowat]

the park will be a fantastic addition to sowa, and even better when something gets built on block 44, which will screen the I-5 noise.

some office/commercial space around here would be great, and would add the daytime activity that is needed to support "non-dog spa-type" retail.

Vestas CEO gave an upbeat interview to Bloomberg UK, saying "Wind Project Financing Now 'Easier'"
(windowz media playa or plugin reqd)
http://www.bloomberg.com/avp/avp.htm?N=video&T=Vestas's%20Engel%20Says%20Wind%20Project%20Financing%20Now%20'Easier'%20&clipSRC=mms://media2.bloomberg.com/cache/vO7E6R58heX0.asf

Hopefully Portland will still have a new Vestas HQ sometime soon.
(if some other desperate city doesn't lure them away first with even bigger tax breaks)

btw you can see the back of the Mirabella sign on the sidecar roof in cronked's photo above. Sounds like it's a permanent sign, but perhaps just in a temporary location?

[cronked]

Here is a shot of the trees they brought in today for the park and the backside of the Mirabella sign. It does look like a temporary location for the Mirabella sign.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2475/3840096277_f41780dae3_b.jpg


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2674/3840095681_d38d0f9282_b.jpg

[sowat]

walk around this slightly overcast day

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/9961/mira8211.jpg

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/677/mira8211b.jpg

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/3750/mira8212.jpg

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/3791/mira82117.jpg

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/1724/mira8214.jpg

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/2002/mira8215.jpg

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/9876/mira8215s.jpg

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/4390/mira8216.jpg

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/8544/mira82115.jpg

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/3351/mira82114.jpg

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/9162/mira82113.jpg

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/870/mira82112.jpg

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/5315/mira8217.jpg

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/6515/mira82116.jpg

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/339/mira82111.jpg

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/9492/mira82110.jpg

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/3318/mira8219.jpg

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/9038/mira8218.jpg

[Artist]

Thanks for the photo update, Sowat. The sign bears an uncanny resemblance to the one down by Mirabella's sidewalk cafe in their model. Maybe its current location is temporary. Park looks lovely too, on another thread. Heard about Portland's heat wave--keep cool.

[sowat]

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/7023/matisse8211.jpg

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/8135/matisse8212.jpg

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/3203/matisse8213.jpg

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/7750/matisse8214.jpg

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/945/matisse8215.jpg

[PacificNW]

Nice update! The area is beginning to mature.... Landscaping is filling in nicely.

[sowat]

Portland RiverFest returns to South Waterfront this year on Saturday, August 22. This free, family-friendly festival celebrates life on the river with live music, food and drink, attractions and fun activities. Last year’s RiverFest was a huge success, and this year is shaping up to be even better. Festivities take place throughout the day beginning at 11 a.m. on the expansive South Waterfront greenway. Mayor Sam Adams and other city officials will be present to kick off the celebration. Festival highlights include:

* PDX Jazz at RiverFest Mary Kadderly, Darrell Grant & On TheTerritory, Stephanie Schneiderman, and Tom Grant with Shelly Rudolph
* Food & drink vendors
* Open marketplace with over 50 booths, including Handmade NW
* River education center
* PURE river blessing ceremony
* Urban Willamette photo essay
* Art exhibition by Portland sculptor Mike Suri presented by Heidi McBride Gallery.
* Columbia River InterTribal Fish Commission lodges
* Kid Fun Zone
* Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde big canoes & drummers
* Dog activities, including games & prizes

Join your fellow river lovers in restoring, appreciating, and recreating on the Willamette. The festival at South Waterfront is part of a four-day celebration along the Willamette that runs from Thursday, August 20 through Sunday, August 23. Other RiverFest events include the Freshwater Trust Portland Triathlon, bridge tours, Portland Spirit/KINK Cruise, kayak tours, walking tours, SOLV riverbank cleanups, Portland Audubon events, and more. For a complete four-day schedule of RiverFest activities, visit www.portlandriverfest.org.

Saturday, August 22, 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

10:00am Pampered Pooch Open House with activities, prizes and a raffle: John Ross Plaza
11:00am Festival begins:
Vendor booths open Greenway and SW Pennoyer
Kids Fun Zone opens with bounce house, pony rides and carnival games: Greenway, north end (nominal fees apply)
11:30am The Ardea Presents: Free ice cream, karaoke, vendors, community tours and a weekend stay raffle: Ardea Plaza
11:30am Grand Ronde Honor Song and Invocation: Main Stage
11:45am Opening remarks by Mayor Sam Adams and dignitaries: Main Stage
Noon PDX Jazz: Mary Kadderly: Main Stage
Noon Portland Trail Blazers Basketball Clinic: Atwater Retail Space on SW River Parkway
Noon Heidi McBride Gallery Presents Sculpture Mike Suri: Atwater Retail Space on SW River Parkway
1:00pm River Poem Reading: Main Stage
1:15pm PDX Jazz: Darrel Grant and On The Territory: Main Stage
2:00pm Urban Willamette Photo Essay: John Ross Plaza Studio
2:45pm PDX Jazz: Stephanie Schneiderman: Main Stage
4:00pm Urban Willamette Photo Essay: John Ross Plaza Studio
4:00pm Watch Hoffman Construction "Jump the Giant Crane" at Mirabella: View from the NW corner of Curry and Bond
4:15pm PDX Jazz: Tom Grant with Shelly Rudolph: Main Stage
5:30pm Fireboat display: Greenway

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

http://www.southwaterfront.com/green_living/portland-riverfest-2009/

http://portlandriverfest.org/events.html

[Leo]

This could bring more life to SoWa:

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/08/atwater_place_condos_headed_to.html

Atwater Place condos headed to auction next month
by Richard Read, The Oregonian
Wednesday August 19, 2009, 5:56 PM

The owner of Atwater Place, a troubled South Waterfront condominium tower, will hold an auction -- a technique used nationally for generating buzz -- to sell units.

An auctioneer will put condos under the gavel in Portland Sept. 20 to whip up sales for the 23-story luxury development. The announcement comes after lenders elbowed aside developers of the Atwater and John Ross towers because of slow sales in the sorry housing market.

Accelerated Marketing Partners, based in Danville, Calif. and Boston, has used auctions to sell condos nationwide. Its co-founder, Ken Stevens, describes the Atwater auction as a one-time chance for buyers to "set their own prices" for high-end riverfront homes.

Others in the industry voice skepticism. "They get a frenzy going with an auction," said Marguerite Truttman, a John L. Scott real-estate broker in Gresham. "If you have the stomach to go through the whole process, just be prepared."

The auction is an unexpected outcome for Atwater Place, a gleaming glass tower in an urban-renewal venture backed by $125 million in public-works money. Gerding Edlen Development and Williams & Dame Development launched Portland's South Waterfront project in 2003 as the housing bubble gained steam.

Earlier this month, sales had closed on just 57 of 214 units in Atwater Place. The units were put up for sale in November 2007, just after Portland area housing prices had reached their peak. The structure is owned by Block 34 Investors LLC of California.

At the Sept. 20 auction -- at 7 p.m. in the Marriott Portland Downtown Waterfront Hotel -- one-bedroom units previously priced as high as $379,000 will have minimum prices starting from $169,000, according to Block 34 Investors.

Truttman noted that at some auctions, a person who turned out to be the only bidder at that starting price would not get the property, because sellers only accept higher "reserve" prices. Joyce Malicse, a Nelson & Gilmore account executive publicizing the sale, said at this auction a lone bidder at $169,000 would get the property for that price.

Prospective buyers will have the next 30 days to tour Atwater, she said, where they may pre-qualify for financing programs. More information is available by calling 1-888-818-8186.

"Conventional sales pace has been slow, even for iconic buildings such as Atwater Place," Malicse said. "The auction process provides an accelerated marketing program that generates a high level of sales and closings in a short amount of time."

Real estate auctions caught on earlier this year in Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York, amid the condo glut.

Portland developer Roger Pollock auctioned houses long before that, in December 2007. Pollock, of Buena Vista Custom Homes, sold 141 houses for $65 million in two days at the Oregon Convention Center.

Pollock reasoned he'd rather sell low than continue to pay his construction loans on the properties. About 1,900 people turned out for his auction.

All 20 Seaside condos offered at an April 20 auction organized with help from Accelerated Marketing Partners sold within a half hour. The units, priced from the $200,000s, collectively netted nearly $250,000 more than the listed prices.

Accelerated Marketing has auctioned condos in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Orlando and other cities. Its clients have ranged from Four Seasons Hotels to Lehman Brothers.

At the Atwater Place auction, two-bedroom riverfront residences of up to 2,300 square feet -- previously priced as high as $1.5 million -- will begin at $699,000, according to Block 34.

[sowat]

after all the advance warning the crane didn't rise today. perhaps it was too windy?

update: crane is rising today (sunday) http://98.246.156.74:8080/

[sowat]

detailed auction brochure:

http://www.auctionatwaterplace.com/pdfs/Atwater_Brochure.pdf

HOA fees in the Atwater are fairly expensive, and not mentioned anywhere in the brochure or auction web site. (they just wanna get rid of the damn things) Be sure to ask, & if anyone chooses to pursue these, tread VERY cautiously. If you want outside broker representation, which I would advise, they must accompany you on your initial visit to preview the Atwater Place auction homes, per the auction terms.

[eric cantona]

the new bridge will be a great amenity for the city. does anyone know if they have it in their budget to do something with weed-covered gabion wall at the base of the tram tower? that thing is a big freaking eyesore.

[sowat]

there is some landscaping planned for the east landing, though maybe not as much as you might like?

from: http://www.gibbsbridge.org/ProjectLibrary.aspx

http://www.gibbsbridge.org/img/stairs.jpg

http://www.gibbsbridge.org/img/StreetcarView.jpg

http://www.gibbsbridge.org/img/highwayView.jpg

http://www.gibbsbridge.org/img/nightSim.jpg

http://www.gibbsbridge.org/img/LookEast.jpg

http://www.gibbsbridge.org/img/Gibbs.jpg

[bugsy]

quick question.... whats the next 30 story building coming to south waterfront? or is this building the last one for awhile???

[RoseCtyRoks]

^^^ I think the next possibility for a 30 story building in SOWA would be if Vestas goes ahead with their 600000 sf headquarters, and go with one highrise in that area.

As I recall, the block 27 towers are (fittingly) 27 floors; if those are still in SOWA's future---on the NE end of the area.

I'm loving the progress of SOWA....I consider this a success already, in it's early stages.
Wondering if we'll live to see the day when it becomes the vision that developers had in mind back when:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1/run_tonto_run/South_Waterfront_Development.jpg

[Okstate]

I'm definitely moving to Lair Hill before they jack up the prices due to the outstanding streetcar connection.

[edirp]

So, if 57 of Atwater's 214 condos have sold, and 40 are being auctioned off in September, what's the story on the remaining 117 units?

P.S.: The auction units are on floors 1-4, 9, 15, 19 and 22.

[Okstate]

Depends how old you are :)

[PacificNW]

I think by the time this district is completed architectural styles and designs probably will have evolved in a much different look than the current renderings. It would be great to be still around to see much of the future development. I would consider myself a very fortunate man if that were too happen...:cheers:

[MightyAlweg]

So, if 57 of Atwater's 214 condos have sold, and 40 are being auctioned off in September, what's the story on the remaining 117 units?

That's a very typical sales trick, and fairly basic free market economics. They don't release all of the units at once, because prices would crash due to little demand for too much product. They figure they might have 50 or 75 people interested enough to actually pay for one of these highly discounted units, so they release a figure less than 50.

If they were to release all 117 units to a group of 50 or 75 buyers, then prices at this auction would sink even lower than their already discounted prices. Another auction of several dozen units will happen later in 2010, and then a third auction months after that. If the entire development doesn't go back to the bank before that.

As it stands, the developer is just trying to recoup costs and has likely given up on any hope of a profit. But if prices crash even more, than the developer is losing a lot of money.

Face it, the condominium market in Portland is dead for at least a decade.

[redbeard]

Face it, the condominium market in Portland is dead for at least a decade.

Wow really? Can we revisit this in 2018 to see if it's still dead?

[MightyAlweg]

Wow really? Can we revisit this in 2018 to see if it's still dead?

Sure. I'll start the egg timer now. See you in '18!

[dkealoha]

We've got some greenery!

Over the past few days they've planted a lot of trees and it looks like they're getting ready to plant some shrubs. Walkway is almost complete as are the wooden "bridges" on the south side. You can see the outline of the bocce ball court (rectangle on NE corner) and the circular outline of the fountain. Can't wait for this park to be done!

http://i486.photobucket.com/albums/rr227/keal2312/photo-1.jpg

[maccoinnich]

At what time of day did you take that photo? That's a lot of shadow on the park!

[dkealoha]

At what time of day did you take that photo? That's a lot of shadow on the park!

This was about 7:30am this morning so all the sun is blocked by JR, Ardea, and Mirabella. The park will get plenty of sun in the middle of the day, but, it's surrounded by 20 and 30 story buildings and will only be even more so in the future. So, shadows are unavoidable. I'm sure they took that into account when designing it.

[pylon]

dkealoha-

Thanks for the photo. I'm getting itchy feet- can't wait to be able to use that park. Any chance that you could take a photo later today to show how much progress occurred with the sod-laying since this morning, and to show how the the evening/magic hour sunlight plays on the park?

BTW, I was a little let down with the low crowd turnout for the RiverFest on Saturday afternoon. I went there after the soap box derby on Mt. Tabor (which rocked), and it seemed like there were more vendors than attendees.

[dkealoha]

dkealoha-

Thanks for the photo. I'm getting itchy feet- can't wait to be able to use that park. Any chance that you could take a photo later today to show how much progress occurred with the sod-laying since this morning, and to show how the the evening/magic hour sunlight plays on the park?

BTW, I was a little let down with the low crowd turnout for the RiverFest on Saturday afternoon. I went there after the soap box derby on Mt. Tabor (which rocked), and it seemed like there were more vendors than attendees.

I was also surprised at the low turnout for RiverFest. We didn't stay very long because there wasn't much to see besides the jazz music (which was awesome!).

I'll have to wait until this weekend to take more pics but I'll try to take a few at different parts of the day to see how the light changes from building shadows. By then there should be more progress with plants too.

[erinkg]

dkealoha-

Thanks for the photo. I'm getting itchy feet- can't wait to be able to use that park. Any chance that you could take a photo later today to show how much progress occurred with the sod-laying since this morning, and to show how the the evening/magic hour sunlight plays on the park?

BTW, I was a little let down with the low crowd turnout for the RiverFest on Saturday afternoon. I went there after the soap box derby on Mt. Tabor (which rocked), and it seemed like there were more vendors than attendees.

They haven't started laying any sod yet - the green in the pic is a bunch of (currently) potted plants all set out next to each other. I don't think they'll lay any sod until they are done moving the dirt around, which appears to be at least a few more days off.

[sowat]

from South Waterfront E-CURRENT

Join Portland Parks & Recreation and the Portland Development Commission at Umpqua Bank for the latest on our neighborhood park and greenway.

South Waterfront Park and Greenway Update
Wednesday, September 2, 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Umpqua Bank
3606 SW Bond Ave., Portland, OR 97239
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

For more information about the Greenway:
http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?c=45643

[Artist]

We enjoyed the web cam views and appreciated the real time action of the workers, and watching the jumping of the crane. While upward progress is now out of view of the cam, other progress can be seen, such as the green roof and the park, and installing windows and curtain walls. For a while longer, at least, those things are interesting. So if the cam isn't too tired, we'd love it back. Thanks.

[pylon]

Quick note-
A "healthy place to view the tram" is on a Lifecycle at the March Wellness center. They are offerring a no-initiation fee membership special that ends tomorrow (8/31).

[RoseCtyRoks]

^^^ Yeah, I agree......our thanks to Cronked for having a great cam to view at anytime and check the progress of this tower. Great job. Keep it up!

The Mirabella is catching up to the height of the Riva (22 floors), so it must be at the 20-story level by now?? Also, it looks like close to 10 floors of windows completed, so this project is definitely rolling right along.

[JordanL]

I cannot wait until they get rid of that shipping center near the Ross Island Bridge and put in the waterfront park there. Until they do, nothing about SoWa will seem organic or complete to me...

[cronked]

The cam is back at its usual address of http://98.246.156.74:8080/.

I actually didn't know it was down so I appreciate the postings here that alerted me. I had some wifi issues over the weekend which caused me to reboot everything which gave my computer a new internal IP address which disconnected the cam from the rest of the world! I'm glad it is getting used. Enjoy.

[Artist]

My husband was connected to the cam earlier this morning, but neither of us can get it now. Wildfires may be the issue--or not.

Sidebar: As a former library district administrative trustee I am very defensive about hidden cameras and confidentiality issues, however, somebody's home security camera captured yesterday's fire being set, giving investigators a great lead on the vehicle and 4 arsonists. So this week I support hidden cameras! Thanks for the cam, Cronked.

[cronked]

You're welcome! Yes, something is wrong with it. I can't access it either. I'll check it out when I get home from work.

[cronked]

Okay, it is back up again. I reboot the computer and that took care of it. Hopefully it stays up this time.

http://98.246.156.74:8080/

[Artist]

Thanks!

[sowat]

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

I started off taking a photo of the ENORMOUS "rent me, PLEASE" sign atop the Ardea [gawd], and decided to shoot a handful of the other desperate signs littering sowa right now.

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/2771/sign2bh.jpg

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/7887/sign1r.jpg

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/6519/sign3.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/9637/sign4zqn.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/6232/sign5q.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/7611/sign6k.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/5863/sign7k.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/5406/sign8.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/4686/sign9.jpg

[dkealoha]

You forgot the giant red signs hanging from the John Ross :-)

[sowat]

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/9307/sowam1.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/4193/sowam2.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/894/sowam3.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/3313/sowam4.jpg

[PacificNW]

Great shots! Thanks!

[vjoe]

the 50% off at Le Hana is quite a yummy deal.:tup:

[pylon]

Le Hana also has a happy hour M-F 4:30 - 6:00, and every night 8:30 - close.

Bambuza has a happy M-S 3 - 6.

Let's give these locals places some business, and watch the last phases of the park come to completion.

[sowat]

City affordable housing plan delayed
by Ryan Frank, The Oregonian
Wednesday September 02, 2009
http://blog.oregonlive.com/frontporch/2009/09/top_5_south_waterfront_afforda.html

The City of Portland's six-year promise to add affordable housing in the otherwise pricey South Waterfront district has been pushed back again.

The Portland Development Commission, the city's urban renewal agency, originally pledged to start construction on the first affordable apartments in 2005. That date was pushed back as the agency wrestled with rising costs elsewhere and the pool of potential investors dried up in the credit crisis.
In early August, the commission thought they'd figured out a solution.

But Margaret Van Vliet, the city's housing director, said in an Aug. 27 memo to city Commissioner Nick Fish that the project was too risky to move forward.

Van Vliet's memo: http://blog.oregonlive.com/frontporch/2009/09/Blk%2049%20Memo%20Final%208-27-09.pdf

[sowat]

I thought it might be good to section off the north district development.

Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Line bridge and maybe even Gibbs St pedestrian bridge updates can go here. Essentially anything north of the OHSU Center for Wellness campus.

Light Rail project: http://trimet.org/pm/

Gibbs St bridge: http://gibbsbridge.org/

A few "before" shots for the archive, taken from the 16th floor of OHSU building:

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/6391/southwaterfrontnorth4.jpg

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/5937/southwaterfrontnorth.jpg

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/5634/southwaterfrontnorth2.jpg

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/4857/tramvlo.jpg

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/3792/tramvl.jpg

[sowat]

park updates, taken yesterday

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/8356/park1a.jpg

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/7228/park1b.jpg

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/1235/park1.jpg

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/6855/park2.jpg

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/4230/park3.jpg

[urbanlife]

great before shots, the North District really needs to happen to make the South Waterfront feel more connected to the city...right now the North District feels like a really weird gap.

[cronked]

Thanks for the great shots Sowat! It looks like you were IN the park! I love the sign montage! Although I can't wait for those signs to be gone! :)

[pdxtraveler]

Just saw this. Sad but not surprising. Things are turning though, I feel it!!

http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/08/31/daily25.html?surround=lfn

$1.9 million later, city shelves housing projectPortland Business Journal - by Andy Giegerich Staff Writer
Print Email Reprints RSS Feeds Add to Del.icio.us Digg This Comments (4)
Portland’s housing bureau is recommending that the city shelve an affordable housing project into which it’s already poured nearly $2 million.

The $50 million South Waterfront project, on Block 49 at the southern edge of the district, would include 209 affordable housing units, including as many as 60 for veterans. Many veterans who are candidates for such housing receive care from the nearby Veterans Administration hospital.

Margaret Van Vliet, the city’s housing director, told City Commissioner Nick Fish last week that the project “as currently structured should not move forward.”

Fish oversees the city’s housing bureau.

“I have to be able to present a responsible financing plan to my colleagues, and she’s advised me that the current proposal doesn’t fly,” Fish said. “Long term, we’re going to have housing for homeless veterans. But her point of view is, there’s too much risk.”

Fish said the project’s problems relate to both its location — development on the tough-to-reach South Waterfront block has been regularly delayed since work began on it two years ago — and the economy.

“If (downtown developer) Tom Moyer can’t get financing to build a tower in downtown Portland, it tells you that the state of market is bad,” he said. “But this project has always been a heavy lift.”

The project is the only active affordable housing development in the South Waterfront area. It would have had a limited amount of retail space and various community space for veteran's activities.

"It's a big disappointment if we don't get this," Van Vliet said.

The 209-unit project was supposed to have been completed this summer. But Van Vliet and others within the city’s housing bureau told Fish that the City Lights bonding program, which would have provided $26 million of the project’s cost, would place too much risk with the city. Plus by using City Lights bonds, Portland would have essentially owned the project, assuming a greater risk than if the city had provided public financing to an independent developer and owner.

Portland officials had studied whether to issue City Lights bonds after other affordable housing financing mechanisms “were deemed insufficient in the current economic environment.”

Most of the rest of the funding would have come from tax-increment funds collected through the South Waterfront urban renewal district.

The city has spent between $1.7 million and $1.9 million on design and other pre-construction work for the project. Van Vliet said her department hopes to determine options for the site by the end of September.

The options include convincing a private company to continue building the project. If the city succeeds, the private company could use the city-devised designs. Original plans for the project called for a mixed-use retail project.

Walsh Construction and Williams and Dame Development, both of Portland, had begun working on the project along with the Portland Development Commission.

Representatives from the companies could not immediately be reached.

Van Vliet's concerns:

• The housing bureau lacks the in-house capacity to effectively provide asset management, ownership and general project oversight.

• There's too much uncertainty in the housing market.

• It’s difficult to manage a “somewhat untested mix of populations” in an emerging residential market.

“It’s not pencilling out,” Van Vliet said. “Commissioner Fish was willing to say, if the economics of the deal don’t feel really solid and the market is shifting, let’s not go (straight) into financing and issue city-backed bonds and spend money if there’s a sense of risk about it.”



agiegerich@bizjournals.com

[Sioux612]

http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/about/services/cpdre/planning/images/Schnitzer-Final-Rendering-smaller.jpg

[Okstate]

Is the barge building thingy (directly north of the tram) set to remain?

[Okstate]

So yet another project (drastically) underway is stopping?

[dkealoha]

So yet another project (drastically) underway is stopping?

I think it's the block south of the Mattisse that is not going to start. Right now it is the parking lot just south of the building pictured above.

[sowat]

^ I believe everything is going :tup: (at some point)

Here's the proposed street map, and see this previous district update posting:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=4335816&postcount=825

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/500/sowa09.jpg

[sowat]

Yes, the delayed affordable housing project called The Tamarack:
http://www.amaa.com/portfolio/project/?category=housing&project=141&redir=L3BvcnRmb2xpby8/Y2F0ZWdvcnk9aG91c2luZyZQSFBTRVNTSUQ9YjFlOTAwOTMxYmQ1NjU5ZjA0MzBkNGQyZTA4NTVkYjAmUEhQU0VTU0lEPWIxZTkwMDkzMWJkNTY1OWYwNDMwZDRkMmUwODU1ZGIwJlBIUFNFU1NJRD1iMWU5MDA5MzFiZDU2NTlmMDQzMGQ0ZDJlMDg1NWRiMCZQSFBTRVNTSUQ9YjFlOTAwOTMxYmQ1NjU5ZjA0MzBkNGQyZTA4NTVkYjAjNzI=&PHPSESSID=b1e900931bd5659f0430d4d2e0855db0
was to be on block 49, one block south of The Matisse (on block 46), which is the market rate rental project already under construction and scheduled for Spring 2010 completion.

[JordanL]

I cannot wait until that huge open space is gone. Nothing feels organic about the project right now.

[dkealoha]

Is the barge building thingy (directly north of the tram) set to remain?

I saw a rendering during RiverFest showing what they would turn the barge area into. It looked like some sort of amphitheater sort of thing and they left one of the big cranes they use for barges kind of like some sculpture. Might just be a "vision" of what it could be, but it was pretty cool! There was access to the river there too.

[Artist]

http://www.mirabellaretirement.org/portland/2009/082709.htm
August 27 update on Mirabella's site. Notice discussion about sign on last entry.

[sowat]

^ wow, the colors in their photos are really off, way over-saturated. Thankfully that glass is not THAT blue! The illuminated sign has actually been turned off lately, either someone yanked the plug, or I wonder if they responded to comments posted here?

9th floor glass walls, windows and doors being installed today:

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/6942/m9409a.jpg

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/5478/m9409b.jpg

[Okstate]

Matisse is market rate...gotcha.

[Artist]

You made my day! I'm glad the blue is not as intense as in Mirabella's website photos. And I can just see posies on that xth floor balcony.

[Sioux612]

This is an interesting view (flickr: Brian A. Ridder)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3497/3891573349_4650590065_b.jpg

[RoseCtyRoks]

Nice!!:previous: SOWA's really got a great presence from the west......or from any direction, for that matter.

I like how the buildings are in black and white, and the foreground is in color. Good find!

[smendesPDX]

wow, that is beautiful!!

[Sioux612]

[Flickr: oropeza]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2605/3904546545_e9430006ca_b.jpg

[dkealoha]

^ WOW! What an amazing picture!

FYI - plants are going in the ground as we speak and the "hill" is getting smoothed out. The park is coming along!

[Sioux612]

If/when Vistas build their HQ in SoWa, where exactly would it go?

[brandonpdx]

^Vestas is not going to be building a tower in SOWA. The Oregonian had a story yesterday that said they will use existing office space in Portland and pointed out 3 buildings:
One Main Place, PAW and the one by the train station.

[sowat]

^ article:

Vestas looking at existing buildings for headquarters
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/09/vestas_looking_at_existing_bui.html

[PacificNW]

I suggested PAW a while back for their headquarters when PAW construction was halted.....hoping that if they did so, PAW could be built to its original specs. .

[pylon]

One Waterfront Place was mentioned in the article. A sleek beauty...

http://www.onewaterfrontplace.com/

...with a ped bridge over the train tracks that would end up by the new Ziba building, adding an extra dynamic element to the area.

[rmsMoi]

:tup: Wow--3 hopeful Mirabella residents, currently in CA, are delighted to have discovered this forum & thread! "Isolated" as we are down here, and excellent regular communications fm PRS notwithstanding, we're always hungry for more construction photos and updates. Thanks for the webcam, Cronked, and for the photos, Sowat (good color info, too) et al.

[Artist]

:tup: Wow--3 hopeful Mirabella residents, currently in CA, are delighted to have discovered this forum & thread! "Isolated" as we are down here, and excellent regular communications fm PRS notwithstanding, we're always hungry for more construction photos and updates. Thanks for the webcam, Cronked, and for the photos, Sowat (good color info, too) et al.

Hi rmsMoi,
We are also Californian's looking forward to life in Mirabella and Portland. If you haven't found them already, there are more threads about South Waterfront on the SkyscraperPage forum--click on "downtown and city of Portland" in the blue box near the top and bottom of your screen.

[crow]

http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz60/crow68/Picture032.jpg

http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz60/crow68/Picture034.jpg

cool reflection
http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz60/crow68/Picture039.jpg

http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz60/crow68/Picture043.jpg

http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz60/crow68/Picture044.jpg

[pylon]

Pubic art installation (spinning wheels) was being installed at the southern end of the park yesterday.

Any bets on how much more time it will take until completion? I'd say about 4 weeks.

[dkealoha]

There hasn't been any wind at all lately so it'll be interesting to see what those wheels are like when they're spinning. Kind of look like giant bike wheels with cups attached to them. Are they supposed to make some kind of sound too or is it just going to spin?

This morning it also looked like they were putting down hay or something over the area where the grass is going. Last night the dirt had a slight blue-ish color to it which I assume is some kind of fertilizer. Still, it looks like they have quite a bit of work to do on the north end of the park.

[pylon]

From the Gibbs Street Pedestrian Bridge homepage...

The plans and specifications are finished and the construction process will be starting this summer. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will advertise for contractor bids in late August. Then the bid opening will take place on September 24. This is the time when ODOT will select a contractor to build the bridge. Construction is expected to start in October or November, with completion early in 2011.

http://www.gibbsbridge.org/home.aspx

[cronked]

The Mirabella Cam is back up. I had some more technical issues.

http://98.246.156.74:8080/

[dkealoha]

Seems like every day I come home the building gets taller and taller. It's making quite an impact on the feel of the neighborhood! If only something would go up on the blocks west of the park, it's going to make that a nice little enclosed pocket of green.

[cronked]

Link: http://djcoregon.com/news/2009/09/16/south-waterfront-could-become-popular-home/



South Waterfront could become popular home
POSTED: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at 04:32 PM PT
BY: Justin Carinci

Metro, the Portland-area regional government, released recommendations Tuesday on how the region can handle the growth expected over the next 20 years and beyond. Significantly, Metro advises keeping intact the urban growth boundaries that govern where development can take place. In addition, Metro recommends maintaining existing roads bridges and sewers before building new ones.


After public hearings, the Metro Council will vote on the recommendations starting in December. Its decisions could be far-reaching, affecting everything from where people live to where they work, how they get around and where they go for recreation.


Today, the Daily Journal of Commerce looks at four areas that could be affected. We look at farmers’ thoughts about keeping the urban growth boundary intact. We examine how increasing density could spur development in Portland’s South Waterfront District. We focus on North Plains in a look at small-city expansion. And finally, we see if the business of road building could be disrupted by the recommendations.


The full list of recommendations and schedule of public hearings is at oregonmetro.gov. Search for “recommendations.”

Metro has predicted that the Portland area will add a million people over the next 20 years. And, with Tuesday’s report concluding that the metro area can accommodate all of them without expanding the urban growth boundary to allow new development, there’s an obvious question.

As the report put it, “Where will they go?”

Where they should go, according to Metro recommendations, are areas designed to house them, places that cities and counties have targeted for growth. The most prominent of these is the South Waterfront District.

The skyscraper district south of downtown got a quick start before slowing in the face of decreasing demand for high-end condominiums. But Metro has looked farther ahead, said Ethan Seltzer, director of Portland State University’s School of Urban Studies and Planning, beyond the current recession.

“This is not about the market next week,” Seltzer said. “I think we tend to see things not going so well right now and think they never will be.

“But (Metro is) looking at a 50-year time frame, not a two- to three-year time frame.”

By committing to areas already identified for development instead of spreading cities onto undeveloped land, Metro has given a vote of confidence to the South Waterfront, Seltzer said. But that doesn’t mean the area alone can, or should, accommodate all the expected growth, Seltzer said.

“The Metro development report is not an assumption that everybody’s going to live in a tower in the South Waterfront,” he said. “There’s going to be a range of housing choices in the area.”

That means more infill, perhaps apartments or studios added to existing houses, “things that don’t change the nature of the neighborhood,” Seltzer said.

Metro’s recommendations are still just recommendations. They’ll go through a series of public hearings over the next month, starting Monday in Hillsboro.

Nevertheless, Seltzer said, Tuesday’s report takes a needed first step. “It’s a watershed moment for the region to really say, when you get right down to it, we need to be more strategic about what we have and how we use it.”

[dkealoha]

Park update. You can see one of the spinning "sculptures" in the bottom corner. There are a few (maybe 5 or 6?) scattered through that south side of the park.

http://i486.photobucket.com/albums/rr227/keal2312/photo-1-1.jpg

[MR. Cosmopolitan]

Thanks for the picture DKEALOHA.

The Park is starting to look realy nice and makes the other Park look like a II World war bunker, is that park permanent?

[crow]

Thanks for the picture DKEALOHA.

The Park is starting to look realy nice and makes the other Park look like a II World war bunker, is that park permanent?

no it is not permanent - it is a bunker. the parking for OHSU is beneath it, and it is structured for a building in the future.

[sowat]

22nd floor form work underway

link to large original photo file (2.2 MB): http://yfrog.com/4yimg3083oj
(click on photo in new browser window to zoom in)

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/8831/mirab9.jpg