Pearl District News

[Downtown_Gal]

I just went tonight and although the condos were beautiful, I gotta say, any given weekend you can tour the model homes in some of these buildings and you get wine and snacks... and it's free. You may not get to see the penthouses but it is a very similar experience. I'd take free with wine over $15 bucks with lots of people and no wine any day.

[pdxtraveler]

Originally Posted by Downtown_Gal

I just went tonight and although the condos were beautiful, I gotta say, any given weekend you can tour the model homes in some of these buildings and you get wine and snacks... and it's free. You may not get to see the penthouses but it is a very similar experience. I'd take free with wine over $15 bucks with lots of people and no wine any day.

I also went last night, well actually afternoon so the crowds weren't too bad. I really enjoyed it!

I really like the Encore units and terraces. I had actually been into the one bedroom with a sales agent before. Too bad that building finished when it did, or I think it would full.

[Northeast79]

This was my favorite Street of Dreams I've been to. I've gone for the last five years. Every other year, the homes have been so ridiculously huge and part of a completely unsustainable lifestyle. Plus, I'm completely biased because I am huge fan of buildings, architecture, urbanism, and skyscrapers. Which is the point of this forum right?

I can't believe that we finally have an "urban" street of dreams and people on this forum are complaining!

I agree with edirp, the views are worth the $15.

I posted some pics the other day,

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=88332&page=30

[rsbear]

People who bitch about spending $15 probably can't afford a condo so they should just save their money and stay away.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by rsbear

People who bitch about spending $15 can't probably can't afford a condo so they should just save their money and stay away.

My mom use to be a real estate agent years ago, so I learned from her how to see property that you cant afford and make the seller think that you can...it is a great way to see new developments....also, going to open houses work well too.

I personally wouldnt pay $15 for something I know I could do for free...though they would probably be unfurnished units that I would be seeing for free, which is fine for me.


Though I will say, it is good that they are going an urban Street of Dreams...even though the main reason for doing it is because they have so many unsold units and building big unsustainable homes doesnt seem to be the big focus in Portland right now.

[PacificNW]

For whatever reason they elected to do a "Urban Street of Dreams" it's a good plan, IMO. I hope this is the "first" of many in the coming years.

[Downtown_Gal]

Agreed... I love that they did it in condos instead of houses this year. I don't think I would have ever gone otherwise. I liked the 973 the best.

Also, I wasn't trying to bitch about the price - $15 certainly didn't break me. I was just noting that I usually have a lot of fun at open houses too, where I've seen very similar things. My husband and I are in the market for a condo and we've been going to a lot this summer and have really enjoyed them.

But even though the admission wasn't an actual problem - I'm sticking to my opinion that free can be awfully fun, if not better, too.

[Downtown_Gal]

Originally Posted by rsbear

People who bitch about spending $15 can't probably can't afford a condo so they should just save their money and stay away.

And, I doubt anyone who is seriously interested in buying a 1+ million dollar condo, would be doing so at the Street of Dreams. They would schedule a private showing with their agent. It's my opinion that most of the people who wanted to ogle the gorgeous condos and their views wanted to do just that and weren't in the market for that sort of thing anyway.

[bvpcvm]

I'm pretty sure I posted the design review notice a month or so ago; here's new info with color renderings for a small residential project at 14th and Pettygrove (also, a bit of info on an office project on the southern half of this block - a project which was widely condemned on this board, and not without reason).







Follow the link at the top for more.

[tworivers]

Where is the grade school going in again? Isn't that close to u/c?

[Okstate]

The grade school is directly north of the Sitka apartments I believe, which is Northrup & 11th. So Overton between 11th & 12th?

[Sioux612]

The Overton has to wait to find a tenant before they can build.

Is that the same hold up with One Waterfront Place?

[bvpcvm]

Originally Posted by Okstate

The grade school is directly north of the Sitka apartments I believe, which is Northrup & 11th. So Overton between 11th & 12th?

No, the grade school is (will be) actually up on Raleigh and 14th, quite a ways from the most recent developments.

[Okstate]

^ You're right, that is a ways off. For some reason I was placing it right next to the Fields project.

[MarkDaMan]

^One of the next affordable buildings in the Pearl will have a classroom element, but I can't remember if it is a community center, kindergarten, small school or what.

[RoseCtyRoks]

Thought I'd put this on the Vestas HQ thread. Maybe this HQ thing in Portland will keep spreading, and keep corporations zeroing in on our area.

Perhaps news like this can spur Vestas to continue with their original plans, even though it's not on the same scale.....it sure can't hurt!


http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/09/swiss_battery_maker_picks_port.html

[Snowden352]

A zinc battery maker? Nope. The future's in LITHIUM m'boy! There be gold in them thar hills! (in Chile and Bolivia)

[sowat]

^ the article says:

The company says zinc-based batteries deliver more than twice the energy of batteries made with lithium, a substance less abundant in the United States. Zinc-air technology, which can be used in hearing aids and energy grid storage, cost less to make and are safer to use, the company says.

Zinc-air batteries could be recharged by mechanically replacing spent electrolytes and particles with fresh ones, according to a circular from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

"This mechanical recharging is expected to take minutes at the equivalent of a gas station -- no time is wasted on conventional electrical recharging," the Lawrence Berkeley bulletin says. "The battery could give electric vehicles the same driving range as gas-fueled vehicles, while eliminating exhaust pollution."

[Okstate]

AUGUST 27,2009 More Business Closures in the Pearl District BY PEARLGIRL

The dog days of summer have not been kind to the Pearl District.

On Monday, Palomino shuttered its location at 1203 NW Glisan. This morning, a call to Puma North America confirmed that its retail location at 40 NW 10th Avenue has been closed—as evidenced by the missing signage and papered windows. A call to Puma Public Relations for more details has not yet been returned.

A quick jaunt down the street revealed that Bang and Olufsen at 634 NW 12th, which opened in November 2008, has also papered its windows. Calls were made to both the local store and the corporate office, but its status could not be confirmed—although the store appears to be lifeless.

The Pearl District Bang & Olufsen location is independently owned and the corporate office was not advised of a remodel or closure. They are currently "looking into the matter" and will update any changes on the corporate web site.

[designpdx]

Really bummed about the PUMA store. I shopped there often.