RiverPlace Redevelopment - Central City Master Plan | Proposed

[maccoinnich]

Testimony from GBD on the Central City 2035 plan, regarding redevelopment of Riverplace.

(I'll leave this here now, but if anything comes of it I'll put it in its own thread.)

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Testimony from GBD on the Central City 2035 plan, regarding redevelopment of Riverplace.

(I'll leave this here now, but if anything comes of it I'll put it in its own thread.)

I seriously would poop my pants if this happened, just the fact that they are seeking height increases is just amazing for Riverplace. Its current design makes it feel almost suburban by design and feels like it is what is creating a disconnect from downtown to the South Waterfront.

[downtownpdx]

Oh pleeeease let this happen Portland.

[eric cantona]

Please, please can we NOT have people pooping their pants in this forum? It's shitty enough as it is.

(ba dump, dump)

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by eric cantona

Please, please can we NOT have people pooping their pants in this forum? It's shitty enough as it is.

(ba dump, dump)

This seems appropriate.

• Video Link

[subterranean]

^ whoa.

[cailes]

Not bad.

Laughing at the renderings though that have a bunch of grey tall buildings thrown in there at places that cannot conceivably exist.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by cailes

Not bad.

Laughing at the renderings though that have a bunch of grey tall buildings thrown in there at places that cannot conceivably exist.

I noticed that too, did they do what was zoned for those sites or did they just do a copy and paste with a generic grey building?

[maccoinnich]

Might as well make this its own thread, now that the WW has picked it up. The illustration doesn't really bear any relationship to the proposal, but the reporting is good.

A Developer Dangles the Possibility of 500 Affordable Apartments—in Exchange for the Right to Build Downtown Skyscrapers

It’s by far the largest proposal floated under the city’s new inclusionary housing policy. And it threatens to agitate an already heated debate over how high Portland’s skyline can go.



Few civic changes anger Portlanders like the threat of tall buildings blocking familiar views.

Now a Portland-based real estate investment and development company has arrived at City Hall with a proposal to crowd the skyline with skyscrapers as tall as 40 stories on the downtown waterfront.

In exchange, it's offering to build up to 500 affordable apartments with no public cash. All it wants is the rights to the sky.

It's by far the largest proposal floated under the city's new inclusionary housing policy, which requires developers to set aside affordable units in projects of 20 apartments or more.

And it threatens to agitate an already heated debate over how high Portland's skyline can go.

...continues at the Willamette Week.

[geohiker]

innovativethinking should be pretty happy to hear about this.

[QAtheSky]

This is a good write-up, but that article graphic is seriously inflammatory for people who don't know its not illustrative of actual heights. At least the comments address it, but then who reads the comments?

I think this height change would be great, so long as it still steps down to the river these developments are not out of context at all based on the other high rises nearby.

[subterranean]

Proposals like this make me think we're headed for another recession.

[QAtheSky]

Originally Posted by subterranean

Proposals like this make me think we're headed for another recession.

The pitch is obviously for the whole project, but I would imagine these would go up in the same incremental fashion that the Oregon Square project is coming in: Phased and built with demand.

But you have to negotiate for the best case scenario to lock in heights and zoning. I wouldn't neccesarily call this project a canary for a recession, but there are probably broader indicators at indicate as much for the US as a whole.

The top of the rental market is definitely softening in Portland right now and that data is readily available. Tons of unfilled demand at mid and low market prices, though.

[Leo]

Originally Posted by QAtheSky

The pitch is obviously for the whole project, but I would imagine these would go up in the same incremental fashion that the Oregon Square project is coming in: Phased and built with demand.

But you have to negotiate for the best case scenario to lock in heights and zoning. I wouldn't neccesarily call this project a canary for a recession, but there are probably broader indicators at indicate as much for the US as a whole.

The top of the rental market is definitely softening in Portland right now and that data is readily available. Tons of unfilled demand at mid and low market prices, though.

Rental prices adjust to market much more efficiently than purchase prices. If the top end starts slashing prices, they will look attractive to renters on the next rung down the pricing ladder, and the price reductions will cascade down. Given the amount of high-end rental units, it could be a significant effect.

The big variable I really see here is Slabtown. It's essentially goint to be another Pearl District of all rentals, supply-wise, all mid-to-high end. That's a *lot* of rentals!

[maccoinnich]

World-Renowned Japanese Architect Helping Design the Tall Apartment Towers Proposed for Portland Waterfront
Here's what the apartment towers could look like if City Council lets Kengo Kuma go tall.



If a proposal to bring tall apartment towers to the waterfront comes to fruition, an internationally renowned architect might have a hand in shaping Portland's new skyline.

Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, who designed the Portland Japanese Garden's new buildings and Tokyo's 2020 Olympic Games stadium, is working on the designs to build skyscrapers at RiverPlace.

WW first reported this morning that the project's developer is offering to build as many as 500 affordable apartments, in exchange for the city allowing the buildings to rise as high as 400 feet tall. The new neighborhood would step down from Portland State University to the Riverplace Marina and Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

Kuma's firm is the second architect listed on project documents. The other is locally based GBD Architects.

...continues at the Willamette Week.

[DMH]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

...continues at the Willamette Week.

Yes, this could be an exciting proposal. But it gets down to the details of how the towers fit in the neighborhood. Do they comply with the central city plan for buildings to step down to the river? Will they cast shadows on any public spaces that have zoning restrictions protecting solar access? Furthermore it is well-established that affordable apartments in tall buildings are actually not affordable. Older apartment buildings are more likely to be affordable. Did anyone else attend the talk by Ed McMahon of the Urban Land Institute on Tueday evening at the White Stag UofO building? This point was emphasized throughout his presentation.

[urbanlife]

That might be one of the best renderings I have seen in a while, its as if those are real buildings in the skyline.

I really hope the city sides with Riverplace with this because it would be such a great change for that area. The current Riverplace would be better as a downtown Lake Oswego rather than a prime spot in downtown Portland. Currently that area is still very under utilized and a change like this would help tie downtown to SoWa better.


"Would my walks become more perilous through Pearl District-like traffic, sunless wind tunnels and cold concrete and glass storefronts?"

Talk about a BS quote right there, "sunless wind tunnels?" Its as if the person who said that has never been to Chicago or New York or any other skyscraper big city. The Pearl is far from being a sunless wind tunnel district. As for concrete and glass, that is just common building materials. Might as well have just said they only like things built out of wood and brick.

[geohiker]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

Talk about a BS quote right there, "sunless wind tunnels?" Its as if the person who said that has never been to Chicago or New York or any other skyscraper big city. The Pearl is far from being a sunless wind tunnel district. As for concrete and glass, that is just common building materials. Might as well have just said they only like things built out of wood and brick.

I think it's rather telling that the quote was from a "West End resident". His real concern is likely about views of Mt. Hood being obstructed.

[hat]

What properties near the Riverplace are they talking about exactly?

[geohiker]

Originally Posted by hat

What properties near the Riverplace are they talking about exactly?

2025 SW River Drive and 0308-0320 SW Montgomery Street, which are owned by NBP River Drive Investments LLC, are the properties in question.