Portland Infill | Northeast Portland

[Urbanpdx]

A Bridgeport Village on N.E. Broadway?
by Kennedy Smith
01/22/2007

A six-acre site between the Hollywood and Lloyd districts will either become a cornerstone development or just another corner project. But its fate depends on the level of understanding among the city of Portland, Seattle-area architects and developers, and Vancouver-based Albina Fuel Co.

Albina Fuel owns the property at the corner of 33rd Avenue and Broadway, at the entrance of Interstate 84 and across the street from two gas stations.

The site is a dead area – a concrete- and dirt-filled, vacant expanse – between the Hollywood District, currently going through development changes of its own, and a strip of new, Pearl-style restaurants and shops on Broadway.

The project planned for the site would be erected in three phases. The first phase encompasses the block bound by Weidler and Broadway streets and 32nd and 33rd avenues, with 168 units of housing, some live/work units at street level and about 40,000 square feet of commercial space planned plus 90 commercial parking spaces and a 210-stall residential parking garage.

Phase II would see 151 housing units on the block bound by Weidler and Halsey streets and 32nd and 33rd, with live/work units on the ground level and underground residential parking. A third phase has not yet been designed.

But the development – now just a series of renderings – has some Portlanders concerned because it doesn’t necessarily conform to guidelines set by the city.


Central-city zoning doesn’t apply

“Neither the requirements of Title 33 for land divisions nor the Central City Fundamental Design Guidelines apply to this site,” said Joseph Readdy, an architect with the Portland office of Mahlum Architects and a member of the American Institute of Architects Downtown Urban Design Panel.

Title 33 is the city’s zoning code, adopted in 1991. It sets regulations for new developments, zone changes, land-use reviews and other administrative procedures.

“If (Albina site developers) were doing a land division or land-use action, they would be required to meet Title 33 in terms of conductivity, but they’re not concerned about that,” Readdy said. “The standards are explicit, but they don’t have to meet them.”

That’s because the site lies outside the central city, to which Title 33 applies.

Spokane-based SRM Development, site owner Albina Fuel and Seattle-based designer Runberg Architecture Group are performing all the changes that the city and neighborhood associations have requested, Readdy said.

“But they’re not going beyond that.”

The problems that Readdy and others have with the site’s design are threefold: the large-scale block structure doesn’t conform to Portland’s signature small-scale blocks like those found in the central city; the site “diminishes the quality of the public realm,” meaning it wouldn’t fit with its surroundings; and a pedestrian path allows for little directional choices for walkers.

The design panel found this last design element troubling, Readdy said.

“Because of the changes in grade (the site is on a slope leading toward the highway), what they’re doing is creating structured roof terraces over the parking garage and creating pedestrian access over the roof terrace and then going through the parking structure in order to get to the ground level,” he said.

But a representative of site owner KAL LLC, a corporation comprising developers and family members of Albina Fuel owners, said the development group is doing more than enough to answer the concerns of citizens.

Jeff Arntson, operations manager at Albina and a stakeholder with KAL, said he has responded to directions from the Portland Design Commission to consider refinements to the material palette, including using longer-lasting construction materials and replacing Hardie siding (a fiber cement material typically used on single-family homes) with a brick and stucco façade.

Brian Sweeney, an architect with Runberg Architecture Group, said the Albina Fuel site development would be the firm’s first project in Portland. However, Sweeney lives in Portland, and he said he knows enough about the site to be its project manager and designer.

“The design team has pretty good knowledge of Portland because it’s close-by,” he said. “The general environment is similar to Seattle in terms of weather, the ages of people in the towns and the cities’ general architecture.”

He said he and the development team spent more than a year researching the neighborhood before beginning the design process.


Retaliation

by relocation?

Albina Fuel moved from Portland to Vancouver in November 2005 because, Arntson said, “we were trying to get off that property to develop it. Parking trucks there was not the highest and best use of the property, and we had operations in Vancouver since 1968.”

Albina’s new headquarters is now within 12 blocks of one of its major operations.

But since the move, rumors have circulated that Albina’s decision to pack up and move to Washington was driven by more than a desire to increase efficiency; some say Albina grew frustrated with Portland’s regulations for developing the site and retaliated by moving across state lines.

“There are a lot of people who said things to advance their own agendas and, to be quite honest, we didn’t feel we needed to dispel any rumors,” Arntson said. “The word frustration comes into it when working with the city of Portland.”

Harrison Pettit, president and co-chairman of the Sullivan’s Gulch Neighborhood Association, said his group and other surrounding neighborhood associations are “generally supportive” of the development and have made some recommendations to which the developers have responded.

“We view this as a very significant development, as it’s almost a gateway development of the upper Broadway corridor,” he said. “We worked with developers and wanted to be supportive so that it would be developed in the right manner.”

But Readdy said the “gateway project” label is misleading.

“The auto-dominated character effectively places the character of the development into a more suburban model – maybe like Bridgeport (Village) or (The Streets of Tanasbourne),” he said. “The way the site is developed, and the inability of pedestrians to circulate around and through the site, make it much more of an urban cul-de-sac than a crossroads.”

He said a larger question to ask is whether projects like this one deserve a more comprehensive review, and if so, which criteria should apply.

“It’s a necessary (question) as our city reconsiders the boundaries that comprise the central city,” he said. “So, I’m disappointed for what could have been realized on this site with only a slightly different approach that considered a truly urban design solution. It is a shame that design review is not a tool sufficiently robust to effect good urban design.”

The project will be brought before the Design Commission on Feb. 1.

[PDX City-State]

This is very interesting. While I agree that the highest and best use of the property was not its former use, I disagree that a lifestyle center would be it's best future use. Mixed-used pedestrian oriented development in close-in areas is not so much a matter of zoning as it is a matter of taste. People like to live in urban-style developments--and developers that have forsaken this in the past couple of years generally got hit pretty hard in the back pocket. (See Tim Ralston's Riverscape project for an example in how not to develop close-in land; The Rose Garden is another good example of what not to do). Still, the verdict will be out until we see some renderings.

Few inverstors that I know of would use a suburban development as the basis for something far more close-in.

[sirsimon]

Man, have the preliminaries on this project been dragging and dragging....I agree, show us some renderings of your ideas guys.

I have a hard time figuring out how this fairly large development could work at this site. It seems like traffic would have a hard time flowing in/out given the proximity of the (busy) traffic light on Broadway and the freeway onramp on 33rd. As far as the pedestrian stuff, I hope they make a good effort on that front, but let's face it, it's not exactly a pedestrian paradise over there right now.

Time will tell, I suppose, whether this project is viable.

[MarkDaMan]

Design commission approves Albina Fuel project
by Alison Ryan
02/05/2007


The Portland Design Commission on Thursday approved a mixed-use development planned for the former Albina Fuel site in Northeast Portland.

Commissioners unanimously approved the project, saying the development – the first on Northeast Broadway since the Fred Meyer project – could mean more change for the neighborhood.

“I think a lot of people’s antennas are up as to what kind of a benchmark this will set,” new commission chairman Lloyd Lindley said.

The project is proposed to be constructed in two phases. The first would put a mix of commercial space, 168 housing units, parking, and tenant amenity space on the block bounded by Northeast Broadway and Weidler streets and Northeast 33rd and 32nd avenues. The second phase, which would begin construction as the first nears completion, would put 151 housing units, parking, and amenity space on a block bounded by Northeast Weidler and Halsey streets and Northeast 32nd and 33rd avenues.

The appearance Thursday was the design team’s fifth before the commission, architect Brian Sweeney of Runberg Architecture Group said. Commissioners said the final designs responded well to previous interactions.

“You’ve taken our concerns, and the public’s concerns, and put those into your design,” commissioner Paul Schlesinger said.

But a representative from a local neighborhood association said that communication between the development team and the neighbors had been dropped.

“We’ve been seeing a broad brush ... but we had not seen the architectural details,” Lynne Coward of the Sullivan’s Gulch Neighborhood Association said.

That the western façade of phase two, which would Northeast 32nd Avenue, wouldn’t fit in the neighborhood context was a primary concern, Coward said. Commissioners said, however, that they thought the west elevation of phase two was the project’s strongest.

“The neighborhood will likely be surprised at how well that comes out,” commissioner Tim Eddy said.

Commissioner Jeff Stuhr said the project would be a great addition to the neglected Broadway corridor.

“It’s rather fragmented,” he said, “and can look tattered in many places.”

http://www.djc-or.com/viewStory.cfm?recid=28842&userID=1


also, here is a link to the neighborhood website tracking this development
http://www.sullivansgulch.org/LandUse/Albina.asp

[Eagle rock]

With all this development in inner Southeast/northeast I really think they should add a light rail stop at either 33ed or 28th. I cant understand why this was never done when the built the line originally.

[pdxstreetcar]

I agree, and if so, this could become more of a transit oriented development

[Drmyeyes]

From the Alison Ryan story:

"But a representative from a local neighborhood association said that communication between the development team and the neighbors had been dropped.

“We’ve been seeing a broad brush ... but we had not seen the architectural details,” Lynne Coward of the Sullivan’s Gulch Neighborhood Association said.

That the western façade of phase two, which would Northeast 32nd Avenue, wouldn’t fit in the neighborhood context was a primary concern, Coward said. Commissioners said, however, that they thought the west elevation of phase two was the project’s strongest."

It seems important to know more about the above; if its's true, why it occurred, and because or in spite of it, how the neighborhood feeling about the project stands at this point.

[sirsimon]

So, I wonder if anyone has renderings of the "final" (read: approved) project online?

[MarkDaMan]

Low-rise housing in works for N.E. Broadway
Sullivan's Gulch - The long process for the Albina Fuel site yields a plan for five buildings
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
FRED LEESON
The Oregonian

A vacant five-acre parcel at a major Northeast Portland intersection will become, at long last, the home to 319 housing units and storefront retail space.

After nearly seven years of planning, the Portland Design Commission approved plans last week for a five-building, low-rise development on the old Albina Fuel site, bounded by Northeast Broadway, 33rd Avenue and Interstate 84.

The final plan is a far cry from an earlier proposal that included as many as three towers of eight to 10 stories, which drew heavy opposition from the Sullivan's Gulch Neighborhood Association. The Canada-based tower developer subsequently dropped out.

Lynne Coward, a neighborhood representative, said nearby residents accepted the "broad brush" of the new plan with buildings of three to five stories. But she objected to some design details, such as vinyl windows and the galvanized metal screens for residential decks.

The plan includes 40,000 square feet of retail space, primarily along 600 feet of Northeast Broadway.

"Broadway hasn't seen a significant amount of new development since Fred Meyer went in," said Lloyd Lindley, design commission chairman. "This could set a benchmark for future development there." The triangular site abuts the Hollywood Fred Meyer store, completed in 1989.

"This will be a great addition to the neighborhood," said Jeffrey Stuhr, a design commission member. "It will help repair a much-blighted corner on Broadway."

Family-owned Albina Fuel moved its operations to Clark County several years ago. The Arntson family planned to sell the site to the Canadian developer, but after that plan dissolved, the family created a joint venture with a Spokane developer for the current plan.

Exterior building materials will include brick at the street level, with stucco and lap siding above. A round building at the corner of Broadway and 33rd Avenue will be fitted with aluminum-framed windows.

The developer agreed to upgrade some materials during several meetings with the design commission, but Brian Runberg, a Seattle architect, said the budget couldn't include aluminum windows on all buildings.

The City Council approved a zone change from industrial to residential and commercial but set a limit of 319 housing units in view of neighborhood concerns about traffic and density. Without that limit, city zoning and building rules might have allowed roughly 500 units.

Most of the new residences will be studios or one-bedroom units. Approximately 35 units will have two bedrooms.

Brad Perkins, an Irvington resident, said he wished three-bedroom units could have been included to attract more families, rather than singles and couples. He said families are needed to feed the area's four schools, but many families can't afford house prices in nearby neighborhoods.

Fred Leeson: 503-294-5946; fredleeson@news.oregonian.com
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/portland_news/117072691844220.xml&coll=7

[MarkDaMan]

earlier proposal that included as many as three towers of eight to 10 stories, which drew heavy opposition from the Sullivan's Gulch Neighborhood Association. The Canada-based tower developer subsequently dropped out.

NIMBYISM :koko:

however:

he wished three-bedroom units could have been included to attract more families, rather than singles and couples. He said families are needed to feed the area's four schools, but many families can't afford house prices in nearby neighborhoods.

well maybe he coulda compromised for towers but also got 3 bedroom townhomes included?

[Urbanpdx]

Just because you build 3-bedroom units does not mean that families will buy them. There are numerous examples of projects, even in the burbs, that have included 3-bedroom units but they are just about exclusively bought by singles and couples wanting extra space. Families generally prefer a house with a yard and are willing to go further out to get it. Mark knows first hand about this tradeoff (even without a family) and is considering the burbs for the extra space. Just think if you had a wife and a bunch of crumb crunchers Mark, you would probably be glad to do a little driving to get away from those monsters.

Also, that guy you quoted seems to think that new condos will be a cheaper alternative to houses. This is not usually the case.

[MarkDaMan]

Mark knows first hand about this tradeoff (even without a family) and is considering the burbs for the extra space.

I could live in a closet, space isn't really an issue...however, I'm looking for the strongest market and right now it appears the burbs offer me a better value for my first major investment than I have found in the hot and inflated inner-Portland market. I have no real estate training, don't fully understand the housing market, I'm sure, but do think I will have a better chance retaining and growing value right now in a larger place in the burbs, than an inner closet for the same price. If the inner Portland closet was 25% cheaper, I'd take the closet.

A few blocks from that Albina site in both directions, the neighborhoods are upscale...extremely upscale actually. I could see this area attracting wealthy families in 3-bedroom homes.

[Urbanpdx]

There are 3 bedroom townhomes all over NW, a very upscale neighborhood, and almost none of them have families living in them.

What makes you think a larger place in the burbs will appreciate more or faster? The strongest market right now is North Portland where there is a 2-3 month supply. The strongest appreciation in the last few years has been Milwaukie/Clackamas, N. Portland and Clark County.

[MarkDaMan]

the NW neighborhood has a very different feel than the area of the proposed development on Broadway. The schools and neighborhoods in that part of Portland are established and strong, as well as the community. NW has been a magnet for urban drifters, although I have noticed more and more kids in the Pearl and NW. You can't guarantee that a three bedroom is going to attract a family of four, but you have a better chance of attracting a family with a 3 bedroom than a studio.

I have seriously been considering North. Again, my problem is with the inner-Portland market. It seems risky right now, to me at least.

[Urbanpdx]

There are some larger townhomes in the Hollywood area and I don't know of any with families. I'm sure the developers would sell a family two one-bedrooms that they could combine. The problem is that they could probably buy a house cheaper. Again, the issue is that new condos are not cheaper than houses by and large.

[edgepdx]

I have seriously been considering North. Again, my problem is with the inner-Portland market. It seems risky right now, to me at least.

I would be wary of the burbs too ... A friend of mine was looking at Pearl lofts around '00 but decided to buy a place in the burbs for more sq ft. for the $. Anyway long story short after a few years he got sick of $300/Mo. in gasoline and no nightlife and decided to move into town. He ended up loosing money on the place because they were building identical tracts just down the street as fast as they can. So in many ways the risk your seeing in downtown with overbuilding is just the same out in the burbs. The other thing to think about is, this will be your home not just an investment, even if it looses a bit of value, will you be happy living there, especially if you have to stay awhile because it went down in value?

[MarkDaMan]

:previous: Thanks edge...those are certainly some valid considerations. Finding the right place hasn't turned out to be the quick and easy process it appeared to be on HGTV :) I was also surprised that the pre-loan was actually the easy part...

[Urbanpdx]

A realtor friend of mine used to give this advise to first time buyers:

You should buy something that you can "stand living in" for 3-5 years, not something that you love for the first house. It is a stepping stone. You should love your third place.

[MarkDaMan]

first phase
http://www.sullivansgulch.org/landuse/Images/rotunda.jpg

and this was the concept before the neighborhood association neutered it
http://www.sullivansgulch.org/landuse/Images/albinaConcept1.jpg

[WonderlandPark]

Too bad, what was wrong with the little tower? Not like there is anybody living anywhere near it. What a great place for a bit of density, except for no MAX stop, but Bway has tons of busses. Oh well.

[pdxman]

Neighborhood associations :koko:

[robbobpdx]

I would be wary of the burbs too ... A friend of mine was looking at Pearl lofts around '00 but decided to buy a place in the burbs for more sq ft. for the $. Anyway long story short after a few years he got sick of $300/Mo. in gasoline and no nightlife and decided to move into town. He ended up loosing money on the place because they were building identical tracts just down the street as fast as they can. So in many ways the risk your seeing in downtown with overbuilding is just the same out in the burbs. The other thing to think about is, this will be your home not just an investment, even if it looses a bit of value, will you be happy living there, especially if you have to stay awhile because it went down in value?

:previous: Thanks edge...those are certainly some valid considerations. Finding the right place hasn't turned out to be the quick and easy process it appeared to be on HGTV :) I was also surprised that the pre-loan was actually the easy part...

I agree Edgepdx, and Mark . . . excellent points. Of course on HGTV I think (like most TV) it's staged quite a bit. One thing they don't tell you is when they show only three places and then pick from those three, whether they actually looked at 50 places and just showed the TOP three. Who'd sit through a program with a huge number, right? Although, I think it would be more realistic. Well, maybe not 50, but 20 wouldn't be too many. In my experience, anyway.

Edge's point about living where you'd like to live is THE most important thing IMO. Plus, if you like living there chances are others who may buy it in the future will like it too. THAT'S the advice I'd give anyone looking to buy. If there's something about a neighborhood or home you don't like that may be an issue when you go to sell. Of course lots of people have been successful in going into edgy areas (no pun intended Edgepdx), and then have waited for the area to come up. Personally I want to feel comfortable where I am, and feel that will be a selling point later on.

I've lived (mostly rented) in many different parts of Portland. But I've ended up gravitating to where I don't need to commute so much, and where I like being where I am when I'm home. You can get the nice feel in the burbs (nice house, small yard, new construction, etc.) if you don't mind the 40 minute drive each way to work (or a 40 minute MAX ride each way), but in the end you always have that drive/ride. And, just as Edge points out as more and more building goes on it's pretty hard to compete on the resale market with brand new.

Depending on where you're looking, sometimes just going to open houses can take some of the pressure off working with a buyer's agent, who may get impatient after awhile. Plus, it's a great way to scope out things you like or don't like and narrow down a list for working with an agent.

When I found my first place, after much looking, I knew it was the right place -- because of all the looking. It might feel kind of like a part-time job for awhile, though.
:cheers:

[sirsimon]

I just can't figure out what the neighborhood had against the initial proposal. Other than the buildings right on Broadway, everything appeared set back. And the new design is right on Broadway anyway.

The new design looks boring...other than the round tower. Let's hope it turns out better than that monstrosity of a condo building further west on Broadway.

[MarkDaMan]

Thanks robbobpdx...I have a friend at work looking for condos around the same price range as me so we've gone out together on two different Saturdays. Our fear is that we will both fall in love with the same place and start a bidding war between the two of us...ha...no, I have been realizing that just moving for an investment is a poor idea, but I've found some great neighborhoods and actually some great places for about the right place. I might have more info soon...

[MitchE]

I just can't figure out what the neighborhood had against the initial proposal.

The City Council approved a zone change from industrial to residential and commercial but set a limit of 319 housing units in view of neighborhood concerns about traffic and density. Without that limit, city zoning and building rules might have allowed roughly 500 units.
.

[edgepdx]

The City Council approved a zone change from industrial to residential and commercial but set a limit of 319 housing units in view of neighborhood concerns about traffic and density. Without that limit, city zoning and building rules might have allowed roughly 500 units.

This project is sandwiched between I84, NE Broadway and Fred Meyer. So how is the neighborhood involved at all? Are they afraid everyone's going to be driving into the back streets of Grant Park and NE Knott? My guess is everyone will just get on Broadway and the I84 if they need to go somewhere, both of which can handle 500 more residents. NIMBY's strike again.

Oh, and the new design is boooring.

[Snowden352]

:offtopic: (tangentially related)

BUT... I found (along with this other thing) images for a "sullivan's gulch gateway"

Could someone wiser than I fill me in?

Link:
http://www.colabarchitecture.com/urbanSullivansGulchGateway.htm

[sirsimon]

^ Is this something that the PDC is looking into related to the convention center hotel?

[Snowden352]

I have NO idea... I hadn't even heard of this project until stumbling upon it on Colab's website.

[zilfondel]

Hmm, Gateway project... wouldn't that be a part of the Burnside Bridgehead then, since that's where Sullivan's Gulch starts???

[bvpcvm]

look at the street names in the rendering. it straddles mlk and grand directly south of lloyd boulevard. it extends west of mlk about a block. directly north of the freeway and, consequently, the gulch.

[asher519]

There was a nice article about the Hollywood District in last Thursday's Seattle Times:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/outdoors/2003629587_nwwportland221.html

Portland's historic Hollywood District is starring in its own revival

By Tyrone Beason
Seattle Times staff reporter

Back in the 1930s, you could gaze eastward from downtown Portland and spot the huge, flickering sign at the opulent Hollywood Theatre all the way out on Northeast Sandy Boulevard.

Not only did the H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D sign become a flashy beacon on the city's east side, the vaudeville theater and movie house became the namesake of the surrounding district.

The word still conjures images of glitz and glamour, mainly because of its association with that more-famous movie capital of the same name.

But Portland's Hollywood also shares the other Hollywood's familiar story line of prosperity, decline and, now, renewal.

Today, there are plenty of reasons to visit this strip of Northeast Sandy Boulevard, which is to Portland what Highway 99 is to Seattle, a catch-all thoroughfare where mid-century architecture, cheap ethnic restaurants, bright signs and an eclectic residential base make for a head-turning road trip through Americana.

Mixed in with the cool dive bars, inexpensive Chinese and Vietnamese eateries and, bizarrely, a 1960s-era German restaurant/beer hall, there's a cozy new wine lounge, a French bakery, a vintage furniture store and one other sure sign that Hollywood is again a destination spot.

"This neighborhood now has not one but two sushi restaurants," Ellen Bergstone Beer said during a walk through the corridors of the Hollywood Theatre, which she and her husband Richard Beer now run as a nonprofit cinema and haven for the city's filmmaking community.

Next door to the theater at Sandy and 41st Avenue, she adds, a historic brick building is becoming a restaurant and will soon offer a reincarnation of the Yaw's hamburger, the specialty of a defunct drive-in that was constantly packed with Sandy Boulevard cruisers in the 1950s and '60s.

"This is the kind of thing that if you suggested it 10 years ago, people would have said, 'Oh yeah, right,' " Bergstone Beer said. It was around that time, 1997, that the group Film Action Oregon took over the cinema and kick-started the strip's revival.

"Do you want me to tell him about the hookers?" Richard offered jokingly as Ellen talked about all the changes in the neighborhood.

She had already covered that ground. Hollywood, where children's book author Beverly Cleary lived as a kid and later set some of her stories, had fallen on hard times. Even the theater, where Buster Keaton filmed "The General" in 1926, was down and out.

"When we took it over, you could pay a buck fifty for two second-run films," Bergstone Beer said as she strolled through the once stunningly ornamented, now faded cinema. "I mean, that's really bottom of the barrel. It also had a lot of deferred maintenance."

The theater recently received a $30,000 grant from American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation to repair the huge sign out front, which was barely working 10 years ago. Now the chaser lights that wrap around the letters that spell out Hollywood twinkle again.

"It's like the community got a piece of its identity back," Bergstone Beer said.

Mixing old and new

On a wall in the theater's office, a sign reads, "The Hollywood District. We're more than a Max stop!" And while the scruffiness of the old days remains, that sentiment is increasingly true.

"Now we actually have a nightlife that's legal," Richard Beer quipped.

A year and a half ago, Hollywood Wine & Espresso opened across the street from the theater, offering retail wine sales, afternoon tastings and a few tables to enjoy the shop's wide selection. Next door, Shag Midcentury Furniture sells the type of groovy couches, chairs, lamps and tables that were popular when Hollywood was the place to take the family on a weekend drive around town, and when Sandy Boulevard was cruise central.

The meshing of old and new businesses — indeed old and new tastes — is fascinating.

The Rheinlander German Restaurant, a 1960s fantasia of Bavarian kitsch right down to the half-timbered exterior and German-themed wall murals, houses a traditional beer hall where the Warsteiner Dunkel comes dark and smooth and the accordion player comes on the house, and sometimes on the bar.

Pal's Shanty, a tavern that opened in 1937 at Sandy and Northeast 47th Avenue in the district's initial heyday, is still going strong, its orange-neon sign casting a glow on passers-by. Ditto for Sam's Billiards, with its rows of pool tables, dark ambiance and great diner food.

One of the wackiest signs in a neighborhood defined by them is the one just inside the entrance to Blackwell's Grub Steak Grill. It depicts a waitress winking insouciantly as she balances a drink tray on one hand. The text bubble reads: "OK TOOTS, What'll it be?"

Up Sandy along Portland's "Pho Restaurant Row," Thien Hong restaurant serves a steady stream of regulars craving excellent Vietnamese and Chinese food in an unpretentious setting. Some of the newer spots trade in a swankier kind of cool. Take the just-opened Tony Starlight's Supper Club-Lounge, located in a triangular building near 37th and Sandy, where live jazz and a Saturday night "Vegas-style" show by Tony Starlight himself are the main draws. On the lounge's Web site, patrons are cheekily urged to dress to impress: "Don't embarrass yourself. It should be noted there will be a $3 surcharge for men in open-toed shoes and a $1 fee for each item of Patagonia on your person."

Hollywood ending

Breathing new life into a former library branch off the main drag is Fleur de Lis Bakery and Café, owned by baker extraordinaire Greg Mistell, who founded Pearl Bakery in the downtown district of the same name that is years into its own boom.

Mistell and his heavenly pastries — including buttery, fruit-filled specialties from Eastern Europe — have turned the café into a hub of daytime activity where customers can sit at long tables, a set of couches or on a large patio in nice weather.

Like the resurgent neighborhood itself, Mistell said this latest venture is his way of starting over after a nasty divorce in which he lost his more well-known downtown business several years ago.

But Hollywood is also the neighborhood Mistell and his current wife, Lisa O'Leary-Mistell, call home, which is the case with many of the area's small-business people.

"The Hollywood district I've always been excited about because it's at the center of so many different neighborhoods," said Mistell, who also serves on the board of the district's farmers market. "I figure we know 75 percent of the people who come in. See that guy in the corner? He got his learner's permit today."

Two other high-school students walk in, and Mistell says one is a chess champion.

"That guy that just walked in," he continues, looking toward the door, "that's Dr. Bob. He's learning Spanish."

Clearly humbled by the past few years, Mistell nevertheless seems at peace in the new digs and pleased about the area's revival.

"This is such a mom-and-pop kind of place," he says about the homey atmosphere at Fleur de Lis. "I think places like this are becoming more obsolete."

Maybe. Fortunately for both Mistell and Hollywood, though, comebacks are still possible.

Tyrone Beason: 206-464-2251 or tbeason@seattletimes.com

If you go

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2007/03/19/2003626089.gif

the district

Hollywood lies on either side of Northeast Sandy Boulevard, roughly between Northeast 37th Avenue and Northeast 60th Avenue. The side streets to the north of Sandy, around 41st, are dotted with shops, bars and eateries, and one- or two-hour street parking is available. From downtown Portland, cross the Willamette River on the Burnside Bridge and head east. At 12th Avenue, merge left onto Sandy Boulevard and drive about 2 miles to reach Hollywood.

Restaurants

• Fleur de Lis Bakery and Café, 3930 N.E. Hancock St., 503-459-4887, open Tuesday-Friday 7 a.m. -6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

• J Spot Café, 4502 N.E. Sandy Blvd., 503-860-5775, breakfast and lunch.

• Hollywood Wine & Espresso, 4075 N.E. Sandy Blvd., 503-459-4081, small plates served at lunch and dinner.

• Sam's Billiards, 1845 N.E. 41st Ave., 503-282-8266, pool, food and drinks.

• Rheinlander German Restaurant and Gustav's Bier Stube, 5035 N.E. Sandy Blvd., 503-288-5503, dining rooms on one side, pub on the other.

• Chameleon Restaurant & Bar, fine dining, 2000 N.E. 40th Ave., 503-460-2682, www.chameleonpdx .com.

• Hama Sushi, 4232 N.E. Sandy Blvd., 503-249-1021.

• Pal's Shanty, 4630 N.E. Sandy Blvd., 503-288-9732, historic tavern.

• Tony Starlight's Supperclub-Lounge, 3728 N.E. Sandy Blvd., 503-517-8584, www.tonystar light.com.

• Thien Hong, 6749 N.E. Sandy Blvd., Vietnamese and Chinese food just up from Hollywood along "Pho Restaurant Row."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2007/03/19/2003625921.jpg
Reece Marshburn, the house pianist at Tony Starlight's Supperclub-Lounge, plays some Scott Joplin.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2007/03/19/2003625928.jpg
A sculpture of a pair of glasses adds humor outside a vision business.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2007/03/19/2003625945.jpg
Is it day or night? One can't always tell at Sam's Billiards.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2007/03/19/2003625924.jpg http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2007/03/19/2003625859.jpg
As Portland's Hollywood District is revitalized, Adam Vando works on the sidewalk across from the historic Hollywood Theatre. Above: A plaque explains the history of the theater, the district's most famous landmark.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2007/03/19/2003625918.jpg
Gustav's represents the German side of a diverse restaurant selection.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2007/03/19/2003625914.jpg
Bob and Marie Behnke have a little wine with their lunch while surrounded by a lot of wine at Hollywood Wine & Espresso.

Photo credits: Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times

Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company

[360Rich]

Thanks for posting this asher.

It's my old stomping ground, and still one of my favorite neighborhoods in Portland!

I agree this area is so ripe for redevelopment, I just hope it doesn't lose its feel in the process.

[MarkDaMan]

I'm suprised this wasn't in a local paper. I've learned more about the Hollywood (though I had lived there about a year) from this article than anything I've seen recently in local print.

The population base is there, the infrastructure is there, this area is going to Hawthorne on us soon, and I think the layout allows for a larger and more interesting town center than that of Hawhtorne.

[mcbaby]

it didn't mention the Ambassador Lounge 4744 NE Sandy Blvd for kareoke and chinese, the Wet Spot 4310 NE Hancock St - Portland's largest freshwater aquarium shop and the Eileen Hagan Accordion Center 4331 NE Tillamook St.

[asher519]

I'm suprised this wasn't in a local paper. I've learned more about the Hollywood (though I had lived there about a year) from this article than anything I've seen recently in local print.

I'm not too surprised. I think Hollywood is off a lot of people's radars; that whole missing what's in your own backyard thing. It's such a great neighborhood--and everyone agrees when you remind them of it--but when it comes to going out, shopping, or finding a place to live, a lot of people just don't think of it right away.

Fortunately, that's starting to change.

[Inkdaub]

My comic shop is in Hollywood and I used to live on 43rd and Knott.

[sirsimon]

I love Hollywood (and am perhaps a bit biased as it is where I live)!

As far as places they missed: I am also surprised that they didn't mention the Laurelwood Pub.

Regarding the Wet Spot: What an awesome place! After living in Hollywood for 4 years or so, we finally went in there the other day for the first time. You could easily spend an hour there and not see everything. :)

[edgepdx]

Hollywood is great and it's great to see it's coming along. I used to live up the hill in Wilshire and would often go to the Moon and Six Pence. Scotch Eggs are delicious until you get one lodged in your aorta.

Hopefully something nice will be built on that lot next to the Hollywood Theater. The buildings there burned many years ago and it's just been sitting. Also, they really need to fix the interchange of Broadway and Sandy. There's no reason to route you around like that.

[PacificNW]

http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/04/artists_colony_being_built_in.html

Posted by Ed Hershey April 25, 2007 12:40PM
Categories: Breaking News, Portland
An artists' colony is taking shape at a former assisted-living complex in Northeast Portland's Montavilla neighborhood.

Construction is under way at the old Baptist Manor at 81st Avenue and Oregon Street. The 1915 buildings and a 1959 addition are expected to yield 54 condominiums, priced at $95,000 and up, plus as many as 85 rental units.

Some of the rentals will share baths and kitchens, and rents will be as low as $250. Completion is scheduled for the end of 2008.

The idea is to create a live/work space for artists while avoiding the typical pattern of artists transforming a run-down area only to be forced out by the resulting gentrification and skyrocketing rents.

"Our goal is to attract and serve a new creative class by building in living space and having space that is not immediately priced out of the market," says Bill Neburka of Works Partnership Architecture, who is collaborating with Brad Malsin of Beam Development on the project conceived by City Commissioner Sam Adams. "Affordability is a big consideration. We want to serve everybody's need, not make a lot of money."

Communal resources under consideration include kilns for potters and glass makers, wood and metal shops, an exhibition gallery, a performance and meeting center, a restaurant and a business center.

The complex doesn't have a name yet, and organizers are still working on how to define who qualifies as an artist. Interested artists can call Deborah Johnson, 503-331-1752, ext. 100, at HOST Development, one of the nonprofit housing agencies involved.

[MarkDaMan]

Construction is under way at the old Baptist Manor at 81st Avenue and Oregon Street....avoiding the typical pattern of artists transforming a run-down area only to be forced out by the resulting gentrification and skyrocketing rents.

they sure as hell picked the right place to make sure gentrification wouldn't take hold. If there is one black hole in Portland, it's everything within five blocks of 82nd Ave. No worries with that location that a major transformation is forthcoming.

[65MAX]

^^ Oh, I don't know about that, MDM. Once ClackaMAX is running and densification starts, it could become quite the trendy new hotspot.... after everything closer in has been gentrified, that is. Who would have thought 20 years ago that Alberta, Mississippi and Williams/Vancouver would become trendy?

[MarkDaMan]

^I guess we will see in 20 years...but it is starting off with TWO WalMarts and about a half dozen large strip malls...not an easy thing to fix.

[PDX City-State]

There are a couple of cool pockets just off 82nd--like Stark and Washington--but I agree with Mark. I wouldn't expect 82nd to ever be really cool.

[KCS]

The DJC had this back in March:

Former retirement community to become artist work/live space
by Kennedy Smith
03/07/2007


A former retirement community in Northeast Portland will soon be home to work/live spaces for artists now that Beam Development has purchased Baptist Manor for $2.2 million.

“We’re converting it into an art incubator community,” said Brad Malsin, CEO of Beam Development. “Artists can live and work in the small but functional spaces.”

Rental rates for the 250- to 300-square-foot apartments, Malsin said, would start at $200 to $300 per month. About 50 of the projected 160 units, he said, would be for sale starting around $95,000. Larger, for-lease units would be around 400 square feet, he said.

Malsin is working with the office of Portland Commissioner Sam Adams, who announced a desire to turn the property into artist space in January. Other stakeholders include Portland Affordable Housing Preservation Trust, the Regional Arts and Culture Council, and Works Partnership Architecture.

Adams has been “championing the idea for finding space for artists since he was first elected,” said Jesse Beason, a senior policy director in the commissioner’s office. “When we discovered that this was a possibility, Sam agreed to help facilitate for the developers the need for this kind of housing.”

Adams’ office last year conducted a survey among artists and discovered “there was huge demand,” Beason said. “Folks were interested in being among other artists, co-locating, and living in raw spaces.” The survey, Beason said, also showed artists preferred rehabilitated buildings over newly constructed spaces.

“Obviously, not all types of artists will fit into the units,” Malsin said. “Some units will be appropriate for industrial-type endeavors, but mostly the goal is to have nontoxic, nonintrusive kinds of artists.”

The community, Malsin said, would also provide business counseling for residents.

“There are plenty of great artists, but they can’t always translate that into supporting themselves in a sustainable manner,” he said. “This would allow the physical presence of business training to learn how to be independent business people.”

Located at 900 N.E. 81st Ave., the 150-unit retirement home was built in 1931.

[sirsimon]

Very cool! :)

[PDX City-State]

Funny that Malsin does what the PDC wants to do--without the PDC.

[MarkDaMan]

Old Baptist Manor may soon house artists
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Ed Hershey
The Oregonian

A real estate broker, an architect, a builder, an arts administrator and a city commissioner -- it's a group you might expect to find at a gallery in the Pearl District, not a defunct assisted-living complex off Northeast 82nd Avenue.

And that, the group says, is precisely the point.

The people behind a novel live/work artists colony under construction at the old Baptist Manor in the Montavilla neighborhood hope to change the typical pattern of artists transforming a run-down area only to be forced out by the resulting gentrification and skyrocketing rents.

"What we're after is sustainable artist work space," says Bill Neburka of Works Partnership Architecture, who is collaborating with Brad Malsin of Beam Development on the project conceived by City Commissioner Sam Adams.

"Every great city is also a really good locale for arts and culture and innovation," Adams says, "and as we move more and more jobs overseas, it becomes a basis for economic progress as well."

The 1915 buildings and a 1959 addition at Northeast 81st Avenue and Oregon Street are expected to yield 54 condominiums, priced at $95,000 and up, plus as many as 85 rental units. Some of the rentals will share baths and kitchens, and rents will be as low as $250. Completion is scheduled for the end of 2008.

"Our goal is to attract and serve a new creative class by building in living space and having space that is not immediately priced out of the market," Neburka says. "Affordability is a big consideration. We want to serve everybody's need, not make a lot of money."

Communal resources under consideration include kilns for potters and glassmakers, wood and metal shops, an exhibition gallery, a performance and meeting center (in the old chapel), a restaurant (possibly run with a cooking school) and a computer-equipped business center.

The project landed at Baptist Manor after Ted Gilbert, a commercial real estate broker and chairman of two nonprofit housing agencies, met with Adams about development in Lents. As he was leaving, Gilbert says, Adams asked him to be on the lookout for a locale for an artists community.

"I said, 'Sam, I know just the place!' " Gilbert says. "I mentor a young man out in Southeast, meet him for breakfast every Saturday, and we walked past Baptist Manor every week. One day there was a 'for sale' sign."

That week, Gilbert says, a tentative buyer withdrew, opening the door for him to put a deal together with the two housing agencies. Portland Affordable Housing Preservation Trust advanced $2 million, which Gilbert leveraged into a $15 million line of credit. HOST (Home Ownership a Street at a Time) Development is the marketing/sales/rental agent.

Adams recruited Neburka and Malsin as well as Eloise Damrosch, executive director of the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

"There are models for this idea elsewhere, but I don't think anybody has ever done anything of this scope," Gilbert says. "We envision providing artists with more than just living and working space. We want to help them build their careers -- promote them, work with them to get funding and show their work."

The complex doesn't have a name yet, and organizers are still working on how to define who qualifies as an artist. It also requires a zoning change, but Adams staffer Jesse Beason doesn't expect a problem, saying every community organization in the area has expressed support for a project expected to add to Montavilla's cachet.

"Montavilla," Adams says, "is a great undiscovered neighborhood."

Portland News: 503-221-8199; portland@news.oregonian.com
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/portland_news/1177196106155680.xml&coll=7

[MarkDaMan]

Mixed-used project planned in Hollywood District
Portland Business Journal - 2:55 PM PDT Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Gerding Edlen Development Co. LLC is building a mixed-use project in the Hollywood District.

The five-story building at Northeast 44th Avenue and Sandy Boulevard will have ground-floor retail including Whole Foods Market, a Washington Mutual Bank branch and a third -- currently unleased -- space; two floors of parking atop the retail level; and 53 residential condominiums on the upper two floors that provide views of the downtown skyline and surrounding hills.
Click here to find out more!

R&H Construction will begin site demolition in mid-July and construction Aug. 1, with the project slated for completion in summer 2009.

The low-rise $32 million, 188,000-square-foot project will include 53 condos ranging in size from 700 square feet to 1,200 square feet. Each home will have a separate entrance off an enclosed courtyard on the fourth floor.

With an emphasis on sustainable building, the project is anticipated to achieve LEED's silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The project is designed by GBD Architects.

The homes are being marketed by Realty Trust.
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2007/07/16/daily19.html?f=et75&ana=e_du

[designpdx]

http://www.gerdingedlen.com/project.php?id=70


THE ROSEMERE

Live + Work + Play in the Hollywood District

A truly mixed-use project, the Rosemere incorporates significant neighborhood retail and new, multi-family residential units in an identified town center of Portland. The Hollywood district has a rich history as a commercial hub, making the surrounding neighborhood very popular. It is well served by mass transit, including light rail and bus lines. The demographics of the surrounding residential neighborhoods, as well as its visibility and ease of access, contributed to Whole Foods Market’s decision to make their eastside market debut here. Whole Foods Market targets cities populated by young, educated shoppers with a secondary goal to have neighboring stores that are symbiotic.

The ground level includes Whole Foods Market, the new bank branch and a third retail tenant, as well as the bank drive-through. Parking will be provided off-street, above the retail level. The fourth and fifth floors include 53 urban homes arranged around a large rooftop plaza. The project’s overall redevelopment goal is to provide 20-minute living in Hollywood.

[James Bond Agent 007]

Hooray for Hollywood!

[PacificNW]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/PacificNW/Portland3/Picture4.png

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/PacificNW/Portland3/Picture5.png

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/PacificNW/Portland3/Picture6.png

[urbanlife]

neat little project. Should be good for that neighborhood.

[WonderlandPark]

Helluva lot better than a bank building surrounded by parking lots.

[sopdx]

Actually that bank building is a SOM design and I think is quite lovely. There was alot of talk about preserving it and incorporating it somehow into the project. I'm really sorry they're not doing it.

[westsider]

I'm going to miss the existing WaMu branch on the site, there are not too many of the old, spacious, extravagent bank buildings like that left, though if I'm going to lose my big bank this is a pretty good way to do it. Maybe its just me but does it not seem like two years is a long timeline for a five story project?

[MarkDaMan]

according to the renderings, this is a full block project. But WaMu has signs up saying 'open during construction' and 'pardon our dust while we renovate' anyone know the deal?

[awg]

according to the renderings, this is a full block project. But WaMu has signs up saying 'open during construction' and 'pardon our dust while we renovate' anyone know the deal?

It is both. The new WAMU bank will be a smaller branch bank built on one of the corners. Once open, the old bank will come down and the underground parking will be excavated. The whole foods and residential above will be built around the new branch bank. It is a complicated construction effort and one of the major roadblocks to getting this project moving.

[MarkDaMan]

^thanks for the info...

[awg]

whoops... I meant above ground parking; I don't think there is any underground parking.

[zilfondel]

The low-rise $32 million, 188,000-square-foot project will include 53 condos ranging in size from 700 square feet to 1,200 square feet. Each home will have a separate entrance off an enclosed courtyard on the fourth floor.

Oi!

average unit will be $600k+ then! :sly:

[awg]

average unit will be $600k+ then!

That would mean Washington Mutual, Whole Foods, and all their required parking would be into the deal for absolutely nothing... I'm not buying that. I bet the average sq ft price to buy is around $400. That would put that 700 sq ft unit at just under $300k. Might be a little more, but I'd bet my underpants that the average unit is no where around $600k. And my undershirt too.

[PDX City-State]

The total construction costs include the commercial component, which will take a big chunk of that 32 million.

[zilfondel]

lol, I forgot it was a mixed use building. My bad... XP

[Pavlov's Dog]

whoops... I meant above ground parking; I don't think there is any underground parking.That's the only thing I don't like about this project. I guess the land values in Portland aren't high enough yet to justify the added expense of underground parking.

Great project for Hollywood. The neighborhood has so much untapped potential. Outstanding location. I wonder if some day the Banfield may have a lid put over it. through the district.

[MarkDaMan]

Flames devour former Albina Fuel building during rush hour
06:48 PM PDT on Tuesday, May 6, 2008
By DAVID KROUGH kgw.com Staff

PORTLAND -- A fire erupted at the vacant Albina Fuel building on NE Broadway and NE 32nd Tuesday afternoon.

Plumes of gray and black smoke could be seen pouring from all sides. Bursts of flames shot through windows and the roof, which later collapsed as crews poured water on to the structure.

Crews called a second alarm around 4:30 p.m. and blocked traffic in the area of NE 33rd and I-84.

The business location has been closed for about three years.

Albina Fuel Owner Neal Arntson said police were quite familiar with the building since transients have set several fires there in the past. Police were called in to investigate.

Arntson said he no longer had anything to do with the property.

The 1925 building was chained and fenced. Developers planned a mixed-use project for the site and were in the process for permits to start next year.

No injuries were reported.
http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_050608_news_albina_fire.d5a5d216.html#

[Pavlov's Dog]

One thing I'd like to see in conjunction with this project is a simple 2 lane tunnel for through traffic on Broadway under 33rd. The intersection is bursting at the seems and a through tunnel would allow for better walkability which would be vital if theres are MAX stop at 33rd.

[RED_PDXer]

One thing I'd like to see in conjunction with this project is a simple 2 lane tunnel for through traffic on Broadway under 33rd. The intersection is bursting at the seems and a through tunnel would allow for better walkability which would be vital if theres are MAX stop at 33rd.

There's no MAX stop proposed for 33rd, is there? Why would we make the MAX even slower than it is now by stopping once more before crawling downtown. Talk about tragedy of the commons.. every neighborhood wants a MAX stop and then MAX is too slow to attract any ridership. We need to remove MAX stations, not add them.

Grade separating traffic never improves the pedestrian environment. Providing better alternatives to automobiles does help however. That intersection is in inner NE Portland where there are good bones for a non-auto centric environment. Spending millions on grade-separating that intersection could be better spent on less capital-intensive bike and ped facilities.

[pdxman]

We need to remove MAX stations, not add them.

:previous: 100% agree. If only trimet thought the same way.

[bvpcvm]

there are no concrete plans for a max stop at 33rd. one at 28th has been discussed in the past, but not very seriously. iirc (don't remember where i read this) trimet opposed another station on that line because it would add to travel times. so they actually are at least somewhat on board about not adding stations willy-nilly.

[Eagle rock]

I think there really needs to be a station at 28th street to serve the inner east side and the growing business district in that area. Its kind of ridiculous that there is no MAX station between Holladay Park and Hollywood yet there are two stations to serve Civic Stadium. I definitely agree that they need to close some of the stations downtown but I think 28th or 33ed could use a station.

[Pavlov's Dog]

There's no MAX stop proposed for 33rd, is there? Why would we make the MAX even slower than it is now by stopping once more before crawling downtown. Talk about tragedy of the commons.. every neighborhood wants a MAX stop and then MAX is too slow to attract any ridership. We need to remove MAX stations, not add them.

I'd like to see MAX express lines by-passing the stations between Gateway and the Lloyd Center. There could be a local service between Gateway and PSU that stops at those stations(and 33rd preferably) which leaves Gateway or Lloyd Center right after the expresses to provide easy connections. Cutting 3-4 minutes could attract a bit more ridership and adding another station in a neighborhood primed for transit-oriented infill could solve both problems.

Grade separating traffic never improves the pedestrian environment. Providing better alternatives to automobiles does help however. That intersection is in inner NE Portland where there are good bones for a non-auto centric environment. Spending millions on grade-separating that intersection could be better spent on less capital-intensive bike and ped facilities.

I'll have to disagree with you there. I've seen numerous examples in Europe of grade-separating (often for long stretches in Paris and Madrid) allowing for removal of lanes of traffic and creating a better pedestrian environment. You also get less stressful street environment at the intersection allowing sidewalk cafes and other pedestrian oriented activities. The traffic at the intersection of Broadway and 33rd has gotten a lot worse the past 15 years. Taking through traffic out of the intersection would unjam a lot of things and even make a Broadway streetcar more feasible.

[alexjon]

I think Broadway should be made a full boulevard-- lower the speed limit, increase green light holding everywhere but at **MAJOR** intersections (emphasis necessary, transpo planners are teh dums sometimes), normalize the sidewalks even if width varies, add iconic concrete posts for ped protection, and enhance off-boulevard parking to prevent unneeded delays. Oh, and pull-ins in non-specific locations (i.e., no preferential treatment for certain businesses).

[zilfondel]

I think there really needs to be a station at 28th street to serve the inner east side and the growing business district in that area. Its kind of ridiculous that there is no MAX station between Holladay Park and Hollywood yet there are two stations to serve Civic Stadium. I definitely agree that they need to close some of the stations downtown but I think 28th or 33ed could use a station.

I completely agree. I live on 28th, and this is such a major street, particularly for pedestrians and bicyclists (due to the Freddie's on Broadway), as well as acting as a connection between NE/SE Portland, that it would be HUGE as far as offering mobility for close-in Portland.

The MAX system completely neglects the close-in existing neighborhoods to downtown. Interestingly, the MAX was modeled after the S-Bahns in Germany (suburban commuter railroads), but we're missing the U-Bahn (underground metro) that offers mobility within the central city. The streetcars could help to fill the gap, but at some point... 50 years from now? We're going to want to step it up a notch.

[MarkDaMan]

Put in a 28th Ave stop. Get rid of The 7th Ave Lloyd Center stop and move the OCC stop up one block to where the convention center hotel will be.

That would pretty much account for the time added for a new stop, and increase ridership.

[bvpcvm]

The MAX system completely neglects the close-in existing neighborhoods to downtown. Interestingly, the MAX was modeled after the S-Bahns in Germany (suburban commuter railroads), but we're missing the U-Bahn (underground metro) that offers mobility within the central city. The streetcars could help to fill the gap, but at some point... 50 years from now? We're going to want to step it up a notch.

i think you might be confusing S-Bahn with Strassenbahn (LRT). S-Bahn is very much heavy rail.

[zilfondel]

^ Oh? I thought thats what I read before. I thought it was in relation to the type of service offered (suburb to core) instead of the equipment it was running. You're probably right tho.

[natepdx]

I think there really needs to be a station at 28th street to serve the inner east side and the growing business district in that area. Its kind of ridiculous that there is no MAX station between Holladay Park and Hollywood yet there are two stations to serve Civic Stadium. I definitely agree that they need to close some of the stations downtown but I think 28th or 33ed could use a station.

A-Bloody-MEN!!!

[RED_PDXer]

Taking through traffic out of the intersection would unjam a lot of things and even make a Broadway streetcar more feasible.

First of all, this will never happen because the costs would far exceed the benefits. Secondly, the benefits are way overstated. Removing intersection controls here would result in much faster traffic flows as cars approach the intersection since there would be no expectation to stop. The faster vehicle speeds would result in more diversion of auto traffic to these streets than currently exists. How does faster traffic and more cars make for more pedestrian friendliness?

[RED_PDXer]

Put in a 28th Ave stop. Get rid of The 7th Ave Lloyd Center stop and move the OCC stop up one block to where the convention center hotel will be.

That would pretty much account for the time added for a new stop, and increase ridership.

The Lloyd district can do with just two stops. NE 7th (which provides access to the main entrance to the Lloyd Center Mall and is in the center of the office area) and Rose Quarter (to provide transfers to other transit and provide access to the Rose Garden/Convention Center. Removing the Lloyd Center/NE 11th stop would alleviate the demand for street parking that currently exists in Sullivan's Gulch neighborhood as well reduce the loitering and illicit activity that occurs at the park there). The convention center stop is (and always has been) useless.

[dkealoha]

Not sure of the streets... but in NE by The Overlook restaurant, there is an entire block of houses boarded up near the max stop on interstate. This is near the Archiform office and that buffalo wing bbq place. Looked like all of those houses were about to be torn down.

Anyone know what's going on there?

Also, a small crane and some large concrete sections up on NE MLK. Again, not sure of the exact cross street but it has to be the only crane and concrete going up directly on MLK.

[bvpcvm]

the djc reports on a newly proposed 5-story mixed-use project at 2625 E Burnside. portlandonline.com doesn't have a pre-app conference notice available yet, though djc says there is one.

here's a link to the property's permit list on portlandmaps.com (http://www.portlandmaps.com/detail.cfm?action=Permits&folder=2789502&propertyid=R158638&state_id=1N1E36CB%20%205000&address_id=629167&intersection_id=&dynamic_point=0&x=7653982.107&y=684112.103&place=2625%20E%20BURNSIDE%20ST&city=PORTLAND&neighborhood=KERNS&seg_id=114387).

here's a link to the story in the djc (http://www.djcoregon.com/articleDetail.htm/2008/09/10/Fivestory-mixeduse-building-planned-for-Kerns).

Five-story, mixed-use building planned for Kerns

POSTED: 04:00 AM PDT Wednesday, September 10, 2008
BY DJC STAFF

SERA Architects has applied for a pre-application conference for a proposed five-story, mixed-use building in the Kerns neighborhood.
The project, to be located at 2625 E. Burnside St., is being developed by Opus Northwest and would include 124 housing units, ground-floor retail and an at-grade parking structure with 70 parking spaces. Twenty-five dwelling units on the second floor would surround a landscaped courtyard with a spa, and the top three floors would include 33 units.
The conference will be held at the Bureau of Development Services, 1900 S.W. Fourth Ave., Fourth Floor, Room 4a, on Oct. 1 at 3 p.m.

More info from Neighborhoodnotes.com (http://www.neighborhoodnotes.com/se/kerns/news/2008/09/five_story_mixeduse_building_proposed_in_kerns/):

Five Story Mixed-Use Building Proposed in Kerns

Opus Northwest (http://www.opuscorp.com/pages/Northwest.aspx?RegDetail=Northwest) is proposing the demolition of the former Wells Fargo building at 2625 E. Burnside and intends to replace the surface lot and one-story structure with a five-story, mixed-use building containing 124 dwelling units and ground floor retail. An at-grade parking structure will accommodate 70 vehicles. Sera Architects (http://www.serapdx.com/) is the applicant for the pre-application conference.

The residential units will likely be market-rate apartments.
(http://www.portlandonline.com/index.cfm?c=47126&a=210284)
Download the Notice (http://www.portlandonline.com/index.cfm?c=47126&a=210284) of Pre-Application Conference for 2625 E. Burnside.

[RED_PDXer]

Glad to see the project on Burnside.. especially with the low parking ratio.. hopefully they'll charge for parking separately from the unit so owners/renters don't need to subsidize someone else's driving addiction.

[sowat]

Z-haus is completed and on the market

http://www.z-haus.net/

it's an interesting project, pretty well-executed

unfortunately a bit overpriced, especially for the Section 8 housing block across the street. They're huge, 2800 sf, 4 bedrooms each. Very unusual layouts with half stairs and staggered rooms.

I wish they had have broken up the front facade, even set one of the duplexes back from the other or something.

[zilfondel]

Z-haus is completed and on the market

http://www.z-haus.net/

it's an interesting project, pretty well-executed

unfortunately a bit overpriced, especially for the Section 8 housing block across the street. They're huge, 2800 sf, 4 bedrooms each. Very unusual layouts with half stairs and staggered rooms.

I wish they had have broken up the front facade, even set one of the duplexes back from the other or something.

Actually they are 3,300 sq ft because they have a 500 sq ft garage underneath.

Thats really massive!

[Okstate]

The new Providence campus is a huge construction zone

Is that the big construction going on by the 24 hr. fitness?

[tworivers]

This is a small infill project that hasn't gotten much, if any, notice, but is a cool example of preserving the shell of an old building while building higher (what folks were suggesting for the Rosefriend/Ladd, only on a smaller scale obviously). Who knows what the finished product will look like materials-wise, probably crappy, but you never know. I see some corrugated steel siding in there... It's at NE MLK and Morgan.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3123/3214249838_c4c87da43e_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3268/3214247974_2892671c3c_b.jpg

[zilfondel]

This is a small infill project that hasn't gotten much, if any, notice, but is a cool example of preserving the shell of an old building while building higher (what folks were suggesting for the Rosefriend/Ladd, only on a smaller scale obviously). Who knows what the finished product will look like materials-wise, probably crappy, but you never know. I see some corrugated steel siding in there... It's at NE MLK and Morgan.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3123/3214249838_c4c87da43e_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3268/3214247974_2892671c3c_b.jpg

This does it. I am totally, 100% convinced that architects should build UP at the main commercial side's street edge, just go vertical. Why the hell do they have a setback there? Instead, there is a huge vertical wall next to the shorter houses.

Scale?!? Hello?!?! Hasn't anyone ever heard of a streetwall? Someone needs to go on a trip to Europe. Even the Congress for the New Urbanism (not really my biggest cup of tea, but) has design guidelines that talk about how to create outdoor rooms and edges for wide street corridors. Hint: the trick is to reinforce, not try to dissolve, the edges.

Like.. Paris! We really need some good courtyard buildings. These 3+1s/4+1s/5+1s are going to have horrible "views" just like in Seattle in a few years: maybe 5 feet till the next building.


As an aside - I should post pictures of the house I live in sometime - we have windows that face the house nextdoor maybe 8 feet away. No light gets in!

[RED_PDXer]

I'm not exactly sure what the rationale was for that project to not simply build up, though I suspect it's structural. I don't think you can have 3 floors of exterior materials sitting on a layer of bricks barely able to support itself. The other factor, of course, is money. Perhaps you can do a steel skeleton inside the brick wall to support the upper stories, but for a 3-4 story building, especially in this neck of our woods, that type of construction isn't supported by the market. At least the roof above the first floor of commercial can become an awesome deck for the lowest floor of residential..

[Leo]

This does it. I am totally, 100% convinced that architects should build UP at the main commercial side's street edge, just go vertical. Why the hell do they have a setback there? Instead, there is a huge vertical wall next to the shorter houses.

...

These 3+1s/4+1s/5+1s are going to have horrible "views" just like in Seattle in a few years: maybe 5 feet till the next building.

I'm struggling to understand the geometry of what you're talking about here... Are you saying that you would prefer it if the walls of the upper floors were extended all the way out to where the walls of the ground floor are? How does that improve the views and light into the neighboring shorter buildings?

Personally, I have always liked buildings that look like someone built a new structure on the rooftop of an older building. That setback could make space for some really nice 2nd-floor terraces...

[zilfondel]

You know, I may have spoken too soon. I think I need to see this one in person, but it reminds me of the building near Division and 45th. Abuts residential too harshly.

What I meant, tho, was to do the setbacks between residential units so you don't create dark alleys between the buildings. I'm not sure how much the above building steps back from MLK, but I wish they wouldn't - zero setbacks from major streets build streetwalls.

here's what I mean by setbacks:

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii11/zilfondel/mlk1.jpg

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii11/zilfondel/mlk2.jpg

[Leo]

Oh, I see ... You would rather have the setback on the sides that adjoin shorter houses, instead of having the setback on the side that faces the street. Now it makes more sense to me.

The "staircase" in your sketch would make for some killer terraces - though I suspect that developers would rather make straight walls all the way up because they can build more units. Now that the boom is fading, maybe we'll see more appealing designs instead of simply maximizing $/sq ft designs...

I suspect that Red_PDXer is right about why they built it this way (with the setback facing the street). The new part of the building is probably entirely freestanding, and the old part is probably just a braced-up wall. If they wanted to build a zero-setback streetfront, they probably would have needed to demolish the old building entirely...

[zilfondel]

^ very true. There are other projects that have taken on a similar massing, while not being constricted by building on an older building. I should take some pictures of them...

Architecturally and visually, strong wall-to-wall buildings along a major street that establish a streetwall does a lot towards giving it that urban feeling, and can be accomplished easily with midrise buildings. I'm hoping...

The stair-stepping would help keep the pressure off of developers by appeasing owners of houses, and allow those sites to be easily redeveloped, too.

[sowat]

Not exactly architecture-related, but a nice review of NE Alberta Street district in the NYT Travel section

excerpt:
Much of the district’s commercial awakening can be traced to Roslyn Hill, a civic-minded landlord who began snapping up the street’s hodgepodge of cement-block and wood buildings in the early 1990s and renting them to gallery operators and designers. Ms. Hill laid down new rules: no metal bars on windows and no locked doors during business hours.

“I told my renters, ‘You have to interact with the community,’ ” she said. The formula seems to have worked. By 1997, galleries began sponsoring monthly art walks — now organized by the nonprofit Art on Alberta (www.artonalberta.org) — and the momentum hasn’t stopped.

full article:
http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/travel/01surfacing.html?8dpc

[Snowden352]

A new six-story office building in Hollywood district is under construction. Here's a link to the permits page.

http://www.portlandmaps.com/detail.cfm?action=Permits&folder=2741296&propertyid=R203137&state_id=1N2E31BB%20%203400&address_id=140958&intersection_id=&dynamic_point=0&x=7659385.452&y=687566.61&place=4320%20NE%20HALSEY%20ST&city=PORTLAND&neighborhood=HOLLYWOOD&seg_id=160005

[Pavlov's Dog]

A new six-story office building in Hollywood district is under construction. Here's a link to the permits page.

http://www.portlandmaps.com/detail.cfm?action=Permits&folder=2741296&propertyid=R203137&state_id=1N2E31BB%20%203400&address_id=140958&intersection_id=&dynamic_point=0&x=7659385.452&y=687566.61&place=4320%20NE%20HALSEY%20ST&city=PORTLAND&neighborhood=HOLLYWOOD&seg_id=160005

coño. 809 parking spots! Maybe they shoud move MAX stop closer to Providence instead and have a 2nd Hollywood stop closer to 33 rd, maybe with a lid over the Banfield between 28th and 39th.

[Okstate]

^ has the site been demoed already. There is/was some warehouse type building on that site.

[360Rich]

^ Looks like this was going to be a Home Depot, but will now be a medical office.

http://www.portlandmaps.com/detail.cfm?action=Assessor&propertyid=R203137&state_id=1N2E31BB%20%203400&address_id=140958&intersection_id=&dynamic_point=0&x=7659385.452&y=687566.61&place=4320%20NE%20HALSEY%20ST&city=PORTLAND&neighborhood=HOLLYWOOD&seg_id=160005

[bvpcvm]

^ Looks like this was going to be a Home Depot, but will now be a medical office.

http://www.portlandmaps.com/detail.cfm?action=Assessor&propertyid=R203137&state_id=1N2E31BB%20%203400&address_id=140958&intersection_id=&dynamic_point=0&x=7659385.452&y=687566.61&place=4320%20NE%20HALSEY%20ST&city=PORTLAND&neighborhood=HOLLYWOOD&seg_id=160005

it was indeed planned to be a home despot, several years back. the plan was actually pretty good - underground parking, home depot, and then 5 floors of housing above. however, the neighborhood went nuts. honestly, i'd rather go to hollywood for spackle at 8:30pm than drive to mall 205. anyway, the neighborhood argued that the increase in traffic would be unbearable, and home depot backed down.

so instead we get another providence medical office and a second parking garage.

[MarkDaMan]

Has this project been seen before, and does anyone have information on it?

From Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects
http://www.amaa.com/portfolio/project/?category=otb&project=191&redir=L3BvcnRmb2xpby8/Y2F0ZWdvcnk9b3RiIzE1

King-Parks – Portland , Oregon

Services Employed: Architectural Design, Graphic Design, Interior Design

CLIENT: Tom Walsh & Company

CLIENT GOAL: Design a mixed-use housing project that will attract young creative services workers and serve as a community gateway and catalyst for positive change in a gritty urban neighborhood.

DESIGN RESPONSE: The site plan includes two mixed-use buildings with ground floor retail and market rate loft housing above; a stand alone retail pavilion, a public plaza and sixteen affordable row houses. The retail faces Martin Luther King Boulevard, the neighborhood’s main street, creating an active pedestrian edge. The two mixed-use buildings anchor the corners of the project along the north and south ends of the site. The loft units are designed to provide access to natural light from two sides, one public and the other facing a private outdoor space. The lofts range from 700 to 1200 square, making them affordable for young buyers, but they feel larger due to an open plan, interesting, sculptural spaces, high ceilings and floor to ceiling windows that provide abundant natural light. The middle retail/restaurant building is set up as a gathering place in the center of the development, with a plaza that allows outdoor seating and a playful adjacent green space for visitors, residents and families to gather.

The affordable row houses are oriented along the north, west and south edges of the site. Each unit is provided with a front entry stoop along with a more private outdoor deck space. All row-house units are linked together in groups of four and have access to a commons area. Unit plans were designed to be flexible and accommodate singles, roommates or families. Options for bunk beds and shared bathrooms are provided to respond to ever changing households and even larger families if needed.

Simple materials were used in the mixed-use and retail buildings, with sealed concrete block along the main street providing privacy and sound attenuation, balanced by large expanses of glass capturing north and south light and heavy timber structural elements. Affordable housing units are wood frame with wood siding.

Sustainable design strategies that are being explored include stormwater collection, permeable pavers, operable windows, shading devices on glazing and recycled wood timbers.

http://www.amaa.com/_uploads/photo/project/191_lg1_Piedmont_01.jpg

http://www.amaa.com/_uploads/photo/project/191_lg2_Piedmont_02.jpg

http://www.amaa.com/_uploads/photo/project/191_lg3_Piedmont_03.jpg

http://www.amaa.com/_uploads/photo/project/191_lg4_Piedmont_04.jpg

http://www.amaa.com/_uploads/photo/project/191_lg5_Piedmont_05.jpg