Quote:
Originally Posted by 2oh1
I'm not a subscriber, so the rest of the article is locked... but O'Bryant Square was closed 'indefinitely' for safety concerns (scroll up the page here for more info on that). O'Bryant Square would definitely be better off as a food cart block, though due to the current design of the park there, I'm not sure how many carts it could fit.
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Andy Giegerich – Digital Managing Editor, Portland Business Journal a day ago
Should
a new 33-story office tower take the place of the 10th and Alder food cart pod, a new option for what's a legitimate Portland tourist attraction could sit just 50 feet away.
A source said
Greg Goodman, of the Downtown Development Group, is floating the idea of establishing a pod at the embattled O'Bryant Square, which sits kitty-corner from the 60-cart offering that attracts thousands of tourists and downtown workers each day.
O'Bryant Square consists of a park and a Smart Park city garage underneath. However, both the park, on the block between Southwest Washington and Stark streets and Ninth and Park avenues, and the garage are closed. The park closed in early March because of the structural issues affecting the garage, which has been closed since September.
Goodman, citing a confidentiality agreement, couldn't discuss any specifics of either the tower or the possibility of relocating downtown's largest pod. Last Thursday, the company,
which is looking to develop 11 properties it owns in downtown Portland, presented preliminary plans for a mixed-use structure on the block surrounding by Southwest Alder and Washington streets and Ninth and 10th avenues.
At O'Bryant Square, engineers discovered cracks and leaks, along with concrete damage, from the park above the O'Bryant Square Smart Park during a scheduled repair project. A subsequent examination "found deficiencies in joists, walls, columns and footings that lead officials to believe it would not be safe to allow crowds of people to use the park," the city said in March.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation is handling the repairs.
Mark Ross, communications officer for Portland Parks & Recreation, said any speculation about future uses for rhe site would need to wait until the extent of the structural issues is determined.
"I know people enjoy that space for lunch and other things, but the first thing that has to happen is that PBOT has to fix the underground garage, which is unsafe," Ross said.
The O'Bryant Square block is roughly half the size of the 10th and Alder pod block.Downtown Development Group filed an "early assistance application" for the site at 900 S.W. Washington Street. The permit suggests that the project could one day accommodate offices, residential units and a hotel.
The Goodmans' current application requires the developer and the city to meet ahead of time to discuss land use, transportation issues and other development services needs. The Goodmans have also applied for a consultation with Portland's Design Commission.
The family has said that any development of its empty lots that host food cart pods, popular with foodies visiting Portland, would likely mean pods could be reestablished on other Goodman properties.