Central Eastside News

[maccoinnich]

Multnomah County Commissioners voted unanimously to allow Central City Concern to sell the land for 419 E Burnside. CCC will use the money for an unspecified affordable housing project.

[maccoinnich]

Land deal could mean more low-income, fair market housing units in Multnomah County



A land deal among a Portland nonprofit, a private developer and Multnomah County could bring more than 150 fair-market apartment units in Northeast Portland, and up to 50 low-income housing units in the future, officials said Thursday.

The Board of Commissioners approved a land sale near the east side of Burnside Bridge that surrounds the county's Crisis Assessment and Treatment Center, a 16-bed, locked facility where people can recover from mental health problems for up to 14 days. The deal involves three-fourths of a city block surrounded by Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Grand Avenue, and Burnside and Couch streets.

Central City Concern, an organization that provides recovery services for homeless folks and others in mental health or drug addiction recovery, owns the north half of the block that includes the treatment center.

...continues at the Oregonian.

[Abide]

So excited for this one to get moving!

[maccoinnich]

[maccoinnich]

[zilfondel]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

The most hated building in the city--the Portland Building--is a cube with undersized punched windows and two dimensional applied decoration. The Dumbbell is two [almost] cubes with undersized punched windows and two dimensional applied decoration. I can't even begin to think how someone in this city, of all cities, can think that's a good idea.

Just for the heck of it, I calculated the glazing % of the Dumbbell to be roughly 19%...

The Portland Building is closer to only having 12% of its envelope glazed.


Thats 63% more glazing than the Portland Building!

[eric cantona]

Originally Posted by zilfondel

Just for the heck of it, I calculated the glazing % of the Dumbbell to be roughly 19%...

The Portland Building is closer to only having 12% of its envelope glazed.


Thats 63% more glazing than the Portland Building!

interesting. so it's not only butt ugly on the outside, it will be a miserable place to be on the inside. lovely.

[2oh1]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks the Dumbhell is ridiculous.

[eric cantona]

Originally Posted by 2oh1

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks the Dumbhell is ridiculous.

I am absolutely astonished that anyone thinks it's a good idea at all. gimmicky in the extreme, assumed poor interior experience, a developer with a mediocre track record of maintenance on a project that will definitely require a higher level of care to look good in the coming years/decades. I'm also not sold on the argument made upstream that it's not in a prominent location, or will fade into the background of all the other development happening at the bridgehead. ummm... what? this is probably one of the MOST exposed and prominent pieces of property on the eastside. this will stick out like a baby ruth in a swimming pool.

and I'm not even a part of the underground architecture cabal working to sublimate the common Portlander's ideals about how things should look.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by eric cantona

I am absolutely astonished that anyone thinks it's a good idea at all. gimmicky in the extreme, assumed poor interior experience, a developer with a mediocre track record of maintenance on a project that will definitely require a higher level of care to look good in the coming years/decades. I'm also not sold on the argument made upstream that it's not in a prominent location, or will fade into the background of all the other development happening at the bridgehead. ummm... what? this is probably one of the MOST exposed and prominent pieces of property on the eastside. this will stick out like a baby ruth in a swimming pool.

and I'm not even a part of the underground architecture cabal working to sublimate the common Portlander's ideals about how things should look.

I am still on the side of liking this building, though I am concerned with the amount of glazing. It is nice to see something proposed for this area that will be different than the glass and steel we are seeing go up.

[eric cantona]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

I am still on the side of liking this building, though I am concerned with the amount of glazing. It is nice to see something proposed for this area that will be different than the glass and steel we are seeing go up.

I'm all for different. but this is poorly designed, full stop.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by eric cantona

I'm all for different. but this is poorly designed, full stop.

I will just have to disagree with you here.

[maccoinnich]

Notice of a Pre-Application Conference [PDF] for the conversion of the Towne Storage building into creative office space.

Notice of a Pre-Application Conference [PDF] for the new apartment at SE 11th & Sandy. Thankfully UDG are using Vallaster Corl this time.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Notice of a Pre-Application Conference [PDF] for the conversion of the Towne Storage building into creative office space.

Notice of a Pre-Application Conference [PDF] for the new apartment at SE 11th & Sandy. Thankfully UDG are using Vallaster Corl this time.

I am liking the SE11th and Sandy, that one is looking good. I must say I am a bit jealous of that one because I have always liked that triangle lot, it would be have been a dream to design something to go there, but this should look good for that area.

[Abide]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Notice of a Pre-Application Conference [PDF] for the conversion of the Towne Storage building into creative office space.

Been waiting for this to happen. Exciting to see that building get some much-needed love. Sad for the current low-rent tenants.

[Abide]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

I am still on the side of liking this building, though I am concerned with the amount of glazing. It is nice to see something proposed for this area that will be different than the glass and steel we are seeing go up.

I agree with you, urbanlife. I'm looking forward to seeing this one go up. If the exterior material is decent quality, then it could simply be repainted when everyone gets tired of Grandma's wallpaper, but I'm looking forward to something crazy-different gracing the area.

[soleri]

Originally Posted by Abide

I agree with you, urbanlife. I'm looking forward to seeing this one go up. If the exterior material is decent quality, then it could simply be repainted when everyone gets tired of Grandma's wallpaper, but I'm looking forward to something crazy-different gracing the area.

As the signs say, Keep Portland Weird.

I'm dubious whether this is really cutting edge design, but that's not the issue. Portland plays it safe in so many narcotizing ways. The playfulness here is eye-popping. Portland's brand should be a naked bike ride to Pee-wee's playhouse.

[65MAX]

Originally Posted by eric cantona

I am absolutely astonished that anyone thinks it's a good idea at all. gimmicky in the extreme, assumed poor interior experience, a developer with a mediocre track record of maintenance on a project that will definitely require a higher level of care to look good in the coming years/decades. I'm also not sold on the argument made upstream that it's not in a prominent location, or will fade into the background of all the other development happening at the bridgehead. ummm... what? this is probably one of the MOST exposed and prominent pieces of property on the eastside. this will stick out like a baby ruth in a swimming pool.

and I'm not even a part of the underground architecture cabal working to sublimate the common Portlander's ideals about how things should look.

It's most definitely in a VERY prominent location. I mean, how much more visible can you get than MLK and Burnside? And gimmicky and garish?.... absolutely. But the building is actually designed to be very functional and pleasant to be in. Ground floor retail; high, exposed beam ceilings in open, flexible creative space; plenty of bike parking (zero auto parking); skybridges joining the two main volumes on all levels. Also, 20% glazing is actually not too shabby, considering you'll be able to see out at least three sides of the building from the center of the (relatively small for a commercial building) open offices. The Portland Building is a very large floor plate combined with miniscule windows, therefore the lack of natural light is exponentially worse.

I was also worried about the maintenance of the exterior at first. But they're using a high grade stucco finish that would require almost no maintenance and should last for at least 50 years or more. So that lively pattern should be around longer than all of us.

[eric cantona]

Originally Posted by 65MAX

It's most definitely in a VERY prominent location. I mean, how much more visible can you get than MLK and Burnside? And gimmicky and garish?.... absolutely. But the building is actually designed to be very functional and pleasant to be in. Ground floor retail; high, exposed beam ceilings in open, flexible creative space; plenty of bike parking (zero auto parking); skybridges joining the two main volumes on all levels. Also, 20% glazing is actually not too shabby, considering you'll be able to see out at least three sides of the building from the center of the (relatively small for a commercial building) open offices. The Portland Building is a very large floor plate combined with miniscule windows, therefore the lack of natural light is exponentially worse.

I was also worried about the maintenance of the exterior at first. But they're using a high grade stucco finish that would require almost no maintenance and should last for at least 50 years or more. So that lively pattern should be around longer than all of us.

OK, I'll take one more shot at this then I will be done. I don't want to become PDXDensity MkII.

I would ask those that like this design to imagine this building painted a solid color. still like it? it would be two connected boxes with too few randomly placed windows (20% is abysmal BTW). its entire concept (parti) relies on the painted pattern. I'm sorry, but that's just poor design. either lazy or cheap, take your pick, but in the end the designer takes a severe shortcut to relevancy by using an audacious skin to cover the lack of design rigor applied to the entirety of the building. given the location and visibility I personally find that inexcusable.

and don't be fooled by the use of "high grade" stucco. it's still a painted pattern on top of the stucco. it will require maintenance and occasionally need to be repainted. in order to look decent in the long term it will require an owner committed to keeping up the appearance. does this owner have that? will this owner be around in ten years? thirty years? there's absolutely no guarantee that this building won't look like crap in a relatively short time, and there's no hiding at this location.

I would be happy to see something interesting, even severe, at this location. but you simply can't fake good design.

[maccoinnich]

Originally Posted by eric cantona

OK, I'll take one more shot at this then I will be done. I don't want to become PDXDensity MkII.

I would ask those that like this design to imagine this building painted a solid color. still like it? it would be two connected boxes with too few randomly placed windows (20% is abysmal BTW). its entire concept (parti) relies on the painted pattern. I'm sorry, but that's just poor design. either lazy or cheap, take your pick, but in the end the designer takes a severe shortcut to relevancy by using an audacious skin to cover the lack of design rigor applied to the entirety of the building. given the location and visibility I personally find that inexcusable.

and don't be fooled by the use of "high grade" stucco. it's still a painted pattern on top of the stucco. it will require maintenance and occasionally need to be repainted. in order to look decent in the long term it will require an owner committed to keeping up the appearance. does this owner have that? will this owner be around in ten years? thirty years? there's absolutely no guarantee that this building won't look like crap in a relatively short time, and there's no hiding at this location.

I would be happy to see something interesting, even severe, at this location. but you simply can't fake good design.

Agreed entirely.