Centennial Mills Redevelopment | Proposed

[cityscapes]

Are the buildings terrible? No, and if they were anywhere else in the city I’d probably think they’re a welcome addition but given the visibility and history of the site, I can’t think of anything more disappointing to replace what was once there.

[MarkDaMan]

Originally Posted by FiveOverPun

That was my initial impression, but given there's a large restaurant space at the Sutton next door which still doesn't have a tenant, I'm guessing there's some trepidation there.

The restaurant in the Waterfront Pearl (Poke Maki) also seems pretty empty every time I go by, so I'm wondering if there's just not enough people in the area/reason to go yet to support more.

It feels like there's quite a lot of empty retail in this part of the Pearl.

I don't know why they'd spread the small retail out the way they did. Would make more sense to focus all the retail on the water tower plaza and connect the area to the rest of the Pearl with a ped bridge. Create a little district.

[FiveOverPun]

Originally Posted by MarkDaMan

I don't know why they'd spread the small retail out the way they did. Would make more sense to focus all the retail on the water tower plaza and connect the area to the rest of the Pearl with a ped bridge. Create a little district.

Yeah this makes a ton of sense to me.

[maccoinnich]

Originally Posted by FiveOverPun

That was my initial impression, but given there's a large restaurant space at the Sutton next door which still doesn't have a tenant, I'm guessing there's some trepidation there.

The restaurant in the Waterfront Pearl (Poke Maki) also seems pretty empty every time I go by, so I'm wondering if there's just not enough people in the area/reason to go yet to support more.

It feels like there's quite a lot of empty retail in this part of the Pearl.

Yeah, I agree that placing all the retail on the Naito side is unfortunate. The Centennial Mills section of the greenway trail is really well positioned to get foot traffic from the Pearl, even if the bridge over Naito never happens. If the warehouse site between Centennial Mills and the Sutton redevelops there would be the opportunity for a real critical mass of retail/restaurants along the river, which is sadly lacking in Portland proper.

Originally Posted by MarkDaMan

I don't know why they'd spread the small retail out the way they did. Would make more sense to focus all the retail on the water tower plaza and connect the area to the rest of the Pearl with a ped bridge. Create a little district.

There's some federal (?) regulation for development on flood hazard sites that applies to residential buildings but not mixed use buildings. I think they're trying to make sure there's at least a token amount of retail in each building.

[2oh1]

If the pedestrian bridge doesn't get built, I'd expect retail to be a challenge here.

[urbanlife]

Such a sad fate for the mill building. Looking at these drawings, I am wondering why even bother leaving the footprint of the mill and a relic of the water tower? The whole "future connection" seems to also be a joke. Basically adding it in to the drawings costs them nothing because they know it will never get built.

[sopdx]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

Such a sad fate for the mill building. Looking at these drawings, I am wondering why even bother leaving the footprint of the mill and a relic of the water tower? The whole "future connection" seems to also be a joke. Basically adding it in to the drawings costs them nothing because they know it will never get built.

I have to agree. The structures look straight out of the Sera playbook. I think it would be much better as an open space with river access and a bridge to the Pearl.

[FiveOverPun]

Originally Posted by sopdx

I have to agree. The structures look straight out of the Sera playbook. I think it would be much better as an open space with river access and a bridge to the Pearl.

There’s one last parcel left, there’s still hope! (Although more housing would probably be better.)

[aquaticko]

I'd think now would be a great time to go big here; 5 story structures in this kind of location seems incredibly modest.

I grant that now probably doesn't seem like THE time to be betting big on downtown, but unless you have serious reason to doubt the city's long-term viability--which would seem so pessimistic as to be maudlin--this is an incredible location that could see a huge amount of residential demand. Especially given how good transit could be in this area (a couple blocks down from Amtrak at Union, a block off of the streetcar and Red/Blue MAX), this area could support much, much higher population density than it does now.

Prosper sold the land while it was probably the cheapest it's ever going to be. 1362 should build big while construction costs are (probably) the cheapest they're ever going to be and rent out tons of units once downtown finally rebounds. Could they not solicit any other private investors to devise a bigger project?

[FiveOverPun]

Originally Posted by aquaticko

I'd think now would be a great time to go big here; 5 story structures in this kind of location seems incredibly modest.

The project to bury powerlines under the Willamette hits right on this spot, meaning they can't dig the support structures needed for anything over about 75 feet on roughly half of the property.

I posted some maps of the easement on the previous page.

[aquaticko]

Originally Posted by FiveOverPun

The project to bury powerlines under the Willamette hits right on this spot, meaning they can't dig the support structures needed for anything over about 75 feet on roughly half of the property.

I posted some maps of the easement on the previous page.

That still leaves about half the plot that could be built taller. The city should be thinking of plots like this in terms of possible tax revenue or investment inducement potential, and work with any development agency or developer accordingly.

I have to ask, too: is there nowhere else they could put those power lines? It’s kind of a moot point, as they’re going to limit development somewhere if they have to be here. More curious than anything.

[FiveOverPun]

Originally Posted by aquaticko

That still leaves about half the plot that could be built taller. The city should be thinking of plots like this in terms of possible tax revenue or investment inducement potential, and work with any development agency or developer accordingly.

I have to ask, too: is there nowhere else they could put those power lines? It’s kind of a moot point, as they’re going to limit development somewhere if they have to be here. More curious than anything.

That's probably a question for PGE but I'm guessing rerouting an existing underwater cable capable of serving multiple neighborhoods is pretty expensive.

Given how many plans, developers, and projects have fallen through on the site, I'm somewhat biased toward seeing this developed, even if it's not as tall as we might like.

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by FiveOverPun

That's probably a question for PGE but I'm guessing rerouting an existing underwater cable capable of serving multiple neighborhoods is pretty expensive.

Given how many plans, developers, and projects have fallen through on the site, I'm somewhat biased toward seeing this developed, even if it's not as tall as we might like.

It’s also similar in scale to much of the other residential among the river, especially north of Fremont bridge. The Fremont tower being a notable exception. If it allows more infill to fill in gaps in the streetscape, at the expense of height, I’m ok with it.

[FiveOverPun]

Originally Posted by MarkDaMan

I don't know why they'd spread the small retail out the way they did. Would make more sense to focus all the retail on the water tower plaza and connect the area to the rest of the Pearl with a ped bridge. Create a little district.

A few tidbits from the DAR meeting today, still ongoing. I'm just an interested citizen, not an architect or developer, so hopefully I've got this all correct.

The retail is spread out because, to qualify for below-grade parking, the buildings need to be mixed-use, not pure residential.

SERA is working with PBOT to ensure the feasibility of a future bridge over Naito. It would connect Fields Park to the area where the flour mill sits today. There's no funding or plan for the bridge, but PBOT has requested a 20x20' landing site which is part of the plan.

They're also planning to change out the trees along Naito, apparently the existing ones are an invasive species.

[maccoinnich]

New plan presented for prominent Portland property



A new future is emerging for the long-anticipated redevelopment of Centennial Mills, which has sat vacant along the Willamette River for over two decades.

On Thursday, Portland design commissioners got their first look at the proposed project, which would cost $100 million, according to a Bureau of Development Services estimate. MLR Ventures is aiming to revitalize the iconic Centennial Mills location with construction of three five-story buildings holding approximately 277 residential units, 400 square feet of retail space, 244 parking stalls in a shared underground garage, and a greenway trail adjacent to the river.

Additionally, the proposal calls for the creation of two public plazas, including a sculpture that would pay homage to the site’s water tower – a prominent landmark that has crowned the location for over a century.

Unless the water tower can be saved – and currently that is the plan – no existing structure on the site will be preserved.

Centennial Mills is “an amazing site but very, very complex,” SERA Architects principal Kurt Schultz said. Due to its location between Northwest Naito Parkway and the river, the site is subject to four different design and planning overlays, as well as site constraints.

One of the key issues discussed during Thursday’s design advice meeting was the location of the top of the riverbank, which directly impacts the site’s developable area. The debate centers on determining where the top of the bank line should cross the 35-foot inlet on the site’s northern portion. City staffers contend that it should be measured around the inlet with the existing seawalls, resulting in a 50-foot setback. The project team wants a different crossing point, aligning with two perpendicular seawalls, based on the Central Reach Top of Bank Map.

...continues at the DJC.

[aquaticko]

Originally Posted by FiveOverPun

That's probably a question for PGE but I'm guessing rerouting an existing underwater cable capable of serving multiple neighborhoods is pretty expensive.

Given how many plans, developers, and projects have fallen through on the site, I'm somewhat biased toward seeing this developed, even if it's not as tall as we might like.

Fair enough. Also true that it's not necessarily a big deal to redevelop again in the future if the area ends up being as in-demand as I'd hope it'll become in the future, being in the middle of the city by the train station and all.

[maccoinnich]

Second Design Advice Posting Notice.

I attended a Pearl District Neighborhood Association meeting last week. The changes since DAR 1 include more variation in building heights (within the constraints of podium / wood construction); larger plazas; placing the water tower (or a replica of it) on top of one of the buildings; and providing a landing area for a future bridge, that wouldn't be constructed as part of this project.

[maccoinnich]

DAR #2 Drawings [16 MB]

[DMH]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

DAR #2 Drawings [16 MB]

The placement of all ground floor retail spaces along NW Naito Parkway does not look like a recipe for retail success. The adjacent busy roadway is not an inviting environment for patrons of shops, cafés, restaurants, and bars. Instead the development team should create some activity zones at the two plazas accessing the river walkway by placing retail spaces with café and restaurant terraces facing the river views. The proposed pedestrian bridge over NW Naito to the Pearl District and The Fields Park must be built in order to bring the public to this potentially lively riverfront site.

[CorbinWarrick]

Originally Posted by DMH

The placement of all ground floor retail spaces along NW Naito Parkway does not look like a recipe for retail success. The adjacent busy roadway is not an inviting environment for patrons of shops, cafés, restaurants, and bars. Instead the development team should create some activity zones at the two plazas accessing the river walkway by placing retail spaces with café and restaurant terraces facing the river views. The proposed pedestrian bridge over NW Naito to the Pearl District and The Fields Park must be built in order to bring the public to this potentially lively riverfront site.

It shouldn’t shock you. This city doesn’t utilize its river for shops, cafes, restaurants and bars well at all.

This is another prime example. Why they are choosing to face a busy street is beyond me.. Ah well