Albina Vision / Rose Quarter Redevelopment

[lemon]

Originally Posted by AdamUrbanist

There are some very cool repurposed silo projects out there. Though seeing how things have gone at centenial mills this might be an uphill battle.

https://www.dezeen.com/2017/09/15/thomas-heatherwick-zeitz-mocaa-cape-town-art-museum-south-africa/

Ask and you shall receive! 1803 Fund unveils renderings of $70 million investment for Portland’s Black community

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by lemon

Ask and you shall receive! 1803 Fund unveils renderings of $70 million investment for Portland’s Black community

Very interesting. I was trying to figure out how the silos would be connected to the Albina development, and based on that one aerial rendering (which appears to show the new buildings being built off Mississippi near the White Eagle tavern), the silos really are not at all part of the development, at least not in any contiguous sense. They look to be about 1 mile away (mapped), off in the distance in that rendering. Makes me wonder why the silos needed to be combined as part of this timeline, unless that sale last week was purely coincidental.

Speaking off the new development, have they bought all that land near White Eagle? That's entire area is pretty active with business. If so, I wonder where all of that will move to. I thought they had a deal for PPS site, but that is not the same location in that rendering, as far as I can tell.

[dizflip]

Reminds me of Presidio in SF

[downtownpdx]

Exciting to see this happen. I do kinda hope some of the silos go away. I know in the grand scheme it’s not super important but it would be nice to have that view from the Moda Center to downtown opened up. But nice to see the waterfront finally getting some love in this area.

[pdxsg34]

Project leaders say they expect initial site work for what they’re calling Rebuild Albina, including permitting, to take roughly two years, with construction scheduled to take another two years after that.

Those timelines seem incredibly advantageous, if not unbelievable, considering the environmetal remidation, environmental permitting, master plan design, etc.

Smith told attendees that whenever she travels to another city, there’s a district called The Low End where members of the Black community live and gather.

I understand the black community has a significant presence in the Williams area, and the term "displacement" has been used commonly amidst this area, but why does it have to be limited as a black community, when that area has seen various "ethnic groups" occupy it over time (pre-WW2, post-WW2, post 70s redevelopment, etc.). Why the hell-bent nature of defining a particular area a specific "culture" or "race", when we're trying to get away from segregating parts of town? Can't it be more holistic culturally? It's coming from Uncle Phil's pockets anyway, right?

“The connection of Black folks who migrated here from watersheds in the Jim Crow South to that Willamette River watershed is deep and spiritual,” Adams said. “My family left the Red River watershed in Louisiana to come to the Willamette River watershed here.

I can respect that take, but can't that essentially apply to anyone? The chinese I'm sure had their connection, as did some white family from the ohio river that moved over here too. Why is the mysticism necessary with this project? We all just want better landscapes, better connections, better infrastucture, better housing options, why insert "deep seeded culture" as a way to define a particular group to a particular piece of land, especially given the fact none of us were here pre-1840 anyway.

I hope the long term plan succeeds, but I gotta say the timelines are absurd and when I look at this, I just don't see the immediate progress that's being imagined here.

EDIT: Oh I forgot! What about the railroads in the renderings? Seems like something that requires accomodation, but the renderings seem to completely not address that obstacle. Sorry to be a hater, I just believe Portland sinks its teeth in lofty imagination vs the reality of what's on the ground, and these sites require an immense amount of work, permitting changes, changes to designations, environmental work and long term planning to succeed.

[PhillyPDX]

Are they saying the silo location work will take 4 total years, or the entire neighborhood? I suppose if they can work that fast, maybe give this team the keys to the Post Office development.

I'm still perplexed as to why the silos, with no seeming function outside being neat, are at all connected to the rest of the Albina development with their large separation. Is it just so they can say they literally connected to the river, somewhere, anywhere? 1 mile gap in a dense city is an eternity. The site is just so incredibly isolated from pretty much anything other the Moda Center, and there is no significant land immediately nearby to even develop into a thriving neighborhood.

That being said, go for it (silos site). It's better than the current status. It'll be cool looking for sure, definitely one for instagram-focused tourists, who I assume will be the predominant users in this location.

[maccoinnich]

The February Urban Design Panel might be of interest to some:

February Urban Design Panel - Reconnecting Albina Planning Project (RAPP)

Register Here

The Reconnecting Albina Planning Project (RAPP) will create urban development strategies for Lower Albina that foster equitable and sustainable outcomes, centered on restorative development for Portland’s historic Albina and Black communities. Funded through a Federal Department of Transportation Reconnecting Communities grant, Reconnecting Albina is an approximately two-year project likely to be completed in the fall of 2026. The project will create an updated land use and transportation framework to support equitable urban development in Lower Albina.

Albina Vision Trust (AVT), the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS), Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), and Prosper Portland will collaborate to establish, align, and leverage partnerships and investments that support redevelopment opportunities in the district, including on the new I-5 highway cover being developed by the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Following an Open House event in December 2025, the project team is in the process of reviewing community feedback and planning another series of engagement events in the late spring/early summer 2026. This engagement, and subsequent analysis, will help inform the final project deliverables which include a Community Participation Plan (CPP) and a Development Framework Plan.

Speakers – City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability

Cassie Ballew, City Planner, Urban Design

Cassie has over 15 years of combined experience in planning, urban design and architecture. Her experience includes work as an architectural designer, as a planner conducting permit and land use reviews and as an urban designer, working on the development of design standards, guidelines and concepts for large area plans in Portland. Cassie previously helped lead the development of the urban design framework and character statements for the River Plan South Reach, West Portland Town Center and Montgomery Park Area Plans.

Mike Serritella, Senior Planner, Transportation

Mike brings a decade of public-sector planning experience in Portland, building on a second career in teaching and education advocacy in New York City and Denver, Colorado. His interdisciplinary background informs a people-centered, equity-driven approach to urban design and transportation planning, with a focus on creating safer, more vibrant, and more accessible streets and public spaces.

At the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), Mike has led major corridor- and district-level planning efforts including Northwest in Motion and North Portland in Motion, as well as key streetscape projects on N/NE Broadway and Willamette Boulevard. Across his portfolio, Mike integrates transportation, development, and public space design with community engagement and interagency collaboration to achieve practical, equity-focused outcomes.

[maccoinnich]

Demolition permits under review for three accessory buildings at the former Louis Dreyfus grain terminal:

SINGLE PDF - DEMOLISH OFFICE. NO FILL GREATER THAN 24". REMOVE ALL FOUNDATIONS AND DEBRIS.**26-016130/35/38/40 CO ON SAME SET OF PLANS**

SINGLE PDF - DEMOLISH RAIL CAR UNLOADING SHED. NO FILL GREATER THAN 24". REMOVE ALL FOUNDATIONS AND DEBRIS.**26-016130/35/38/40 CO ON SAME SET OF PLANS**

SINGLE PDF - DEMOLISH STORAGE BUILDING. NO FILL GREATER THAN 24". REMOVE ALL FOUNDATIONS AND DEBRIS.**26-016130/35/38/40 CO ON SAME SET OF PLANS**