WTF happened on 7th Street/Roosevelt? Last I paid attention, the K was under construction, but I had no idea they were building on their former site as well. Surely, they had to request variances to be able to have a parking lot fronting that intersection and if so, how could that be approved with the auto-oriented uses on each of the corners? It's a great tenant - a community center for the disabled - but the design is just so inappropriate for is the gateway into downtown and an important point of connectivity between a struggling, but revitalizing neighborhood (Garfield) and its much more thriving neighbor (EC). The PBC is already doing enough to shut out Eastlake, and this intersection is a complete fail when you look at the rehab efforts just south.
A small, 4-story mixed use building with parking the rear could have housed this center, along with a joint EC+Garfield community center, classrooms for promoting arts to the community and disabled, gallery space, and the Welcome Center that is continuously talked about.
Looks like plans are being finalized to put out a new RFP for the city-owned land (incl. Knipe House) along 2nd Street between Roosevelt and Moreland. As I usually feel, I think this community gets too much of a say in what happens to city-owned land and assets. Converting the historic 2nd Street landscaping buffer to accommodate angled parking is really shitty; both 2nd and 1st Streets should have been designed to pull people into Hance Park, and looks like both will fail miserably at doing so. Nothing horrifying about their ideas, but I don't get why perfectly fine rehabs on Portland are being targeted for redevelopment? Let's try and build on the empty lots first, please.
https://app.box.com/s/xdv0uh61g8b8kjeovaqtatb9kjzkii8q
Given the City is still batting 0% on their RFPs and AFAIK, The Oscar on 2nd/Portland is yet to break ground, I wouldn't my breathe on anything happening.
This developer is doing quite a bit in the triangle neighborhood. The City is counting pedestrian activity between 7th Ave from Fillmore for the possible installation of a crosswalk. Too bad Wood Partners' Alta is a giant fortress. But, these guys seem like they do good work, and also have a project planned for Grant St/2nd St.
http://www.vannormandevelopment.com/