Portland Infill | North Portland

[downtownpdx]

Originally Posted by DMH

I also volunteered during the fall with SOLVE to do litter cleanup Downtown. Honestly it was not bad, EXCEPT around homeless camps. And SOLVE told us not to attempt to clean those areas. I will volunteer again this spring and summer.

Then I went south for the winter, and returned to Portland on April 1st. I have since had two walks in Downtown, two rides on the Streetcar on the A and B loops, and one drive to the Eastside on errands. To be honest, except for a proliferation of empty storefronts and closed businesses, much of the inner city looks better than it did when I left Portland at Thanksgiving. Many of the usual places did not have homeless tents. Slow progress is being made. But yes, the tent villages are packed under freeway overpasses and along highways. Graffiti is splattered over unoccupied buildings while buildings still in business appear quite tidy and clean. Building owners of empty properties should be required to promptly clean up graffiti on their buildings. Government cannot do it all. Another eyesore are the boarded up storefronts. There are fewer now compared to December. Business owners need to remove the ugliness if they want business to return. For instance, Rich's Cigar Store on SW Alder looks disgusting. Yet, the plywood- and graffiti-covered entrance door stands open to let wary passersby know that they can still pop in for the NY Times.

I agree, things are improving. I especially feel this way after the Solve cleanup around Saturday Market/ Ankeny Street today. So many more people out than I'd expected, and the market doesn't open until next weekend. Huge line for Voodoo at 11am, Afuri Ramen was at capacity (granted that doesn't take much right now) with a line waiting for takeout, King's Kitchen had a full patio and a line waiting for tables... plenty of people in Pioneer Square. Dan&Louis Oyster Bar is reopening next weekend, and I'd heard they were closing a few months ago. Still plenty of empty storefronts and plywood, but the homeless tents etc are not as prevalent. Even Old Town, where things have looked apocalyptic lately, had people popping in and out of the newish hotel on 3rd/ Burnside and while a little depressing as always, the overall vibe was ok. The weather, vaccines, and the beginning of an economic boom are bringing people out and things felt almost normal again.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by DMH

I also volunteered during the fall with SOLVE to do litter cleanup Downtown. Honestly it was not bad, EXCEPT around homeless camps. And SOLVE told us not to attempt to clean those areas. I will volunteer again this spring and summer.

Then I went south for the winter, and returned to Portland on April 1st. I have since had two walks in Downtown, two rides on the Streetcar on the A and B loops, and one drive to the Eastside on errands. To be honest, except for a proliferation of empty storefronts and closed businesses, much of the inner city looks better than it did when I left Portland at Thanksgiving. Many of the usual places did not have homeless tents. Slow progress is being made. But yes, the tent villages are packed under freeway overpasses and along highways. Graffiti is splattered over unoccupied buildings while buildings still in business appear quite tidy and clean. Building owners of empty properties should be required to promptly clean up graffiti on their buildings. Government cannot do it all. Another eyesore are the boarded up storefronts. There are fewer now compared to December. Business owners need to remove the ugliness if they want business to return. For instance, Rich's Cigar Store on SW Alder looks disgusting. Yet, the plywood- and graffiti-covered entrance door stands open to let wary passersby know that they can still pop in for the NY Times.

I went walking around Northwest, Downtown, and the Pearl Friday and I was really enjoying seeing things trying to get back to normal with people out. It looked like hotels were starting to see some new activity from travelers. Lots of vacant spots but a lot of the plywood has come down which really helps to make the city feel less depressing. I am really hopeful that the rebound for the city will be a good one, especially since real estate has been insane here with the limited availability and the amount of people looking to buy.

[pdxsg34]

Rendering and update on the "The Hill Block" project at N Williams & Russell:
https://www.bizjournals.com/portland...hitecture.html ($)

Glad to see progress on this one.


More info on the project here: https://prosperportland.us/portfolio...collaboration/

[uncommon.name]

Minnesota Places, designed by Wright Architecture, will include 72 residential units affordable to those earning 60% Average Median Income.

Minnesota Places at 1220 N Jessup St has been submitted for building permit review:

MINNESOTA PLACES – New 8 story, 72 unit residential building with associated site work and emergency generator

Source - Next Portland...

Additional information on the project on Wright Architecture's website here...

[tworivers]

Originally Posted by pdxsg34

Lots of activity on N Williams/Vancouver....

3185 N Vancouver, Zeal Lofts - DESIGN APPROVED

The Zeal Lofts are U/C. They appear to be using the rightfully-rejected 33 N Fargo building site for staging, etc.

[pdxsg34]

Lower (top) and upper Interstate Ave development. "Standard" blue are completed projects the past few years. Orange is UC. Other blues are EA/under review. Lots of 3-4 stories and starting to see higher builds (ex. Minnesota Places, Society Overlook, Koz, 4538 N Maryland Ave 7-story, etc.)

[pdxsg34]

N Williams current development. "Standard" blue are completed projects the past few years. Orange is UC. Other blues are EA/under review.

Already looks totally different than 10 years ago. Hoping the Fargo/Williams block moves forward at some point, as it's sat undeveloped for quite some time.

[jb111120]

Cathedral Village apartments U/C in St. Johns neighborhood. This building is a collaboration between Catholic Charities of Oregon and Related Northwest. 110 units total. 37 units will be affordable to households with incomes at or below 30% area median income, 8 of which will provide Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) with additional services for individuals and families impacted by homelessness.

[curt-pdx]

This MAY be the Minnesota Place project under construction (if I correctly understand where it is located). I-5 would be at the back of this photo behind the soundwall:

mn_place_under_contructon_IMG_20220430_101945033 by ce, on Flickr

[PacificStates]

The house in the background of this photo is where Minnesota Places will be built. The under-construction building is Society Overlook - 5 stories, 73 units. Thanks for the photo!

[curt-pdx]

Originally Posted by PacificStates

The house in the background of this photo is where Minnesota Places will be built. The under-construction building is Society Overlook - 5 stories, 73 units. Thanks for the photo!

Thanks for the clarification. The duplex in the background is quite sad, so I will wait a little longer!

[maccoinnich]

Palms Motel Could Become Apartments



The Palms Motel on North Interstate Avenue, famed for its towering neon sign featuring palm trees, could soon get new tenants staying for longer than a night.

The property is likely to be redeveloped into an apartment complex with 223 housing units, including retail and parking space. The seven-story development was first reported by independent real estate reporter Iain MacKenzie, and the property is owned by Green Lotus Investments.

The development plan is currently under review by the city.

Dirgesh Patel, manager of Green Lotus, tells WW he intends to keep the sign. “I would never take that sign down. I wouldn’t think of it,” he says.

The property has been owned by Patel’s family, albeit under a different company until recently, for 30 years. Patel says as of now, the development, if approved, will offer market-rate housing.

...via Willamette Week.

[MarkDaMan]

^Congrats on the new job title. Hope WWeek is paying you for the stories they're writing based on your tweets.

[pdxsg34]

Couple updates:

Minnesota Places at 1206-1208 N Jessup St was Approved to Issue earlier this month:

MINNESOTA PLACES - New 8 story, 72 unit residential building with associated site work and emergency generator w/21-076925-MT

A pre-application conference was completed for 24-36 N Russell St (N Russell & Vancouver):

A Pre-Application Conference to discuss construction of a 5 to 7 story mixed-use building with between 110 and 150 dwelling units on a 20,000 square foot site. Off-street parking is planned to the rear of the building. The proposal may include a Zoning Map Amendment Review to change zoning from CM2 (Commercial/Mixed Use 2) to CM3 (Commercial/Mixed Use 3).

A land use review for this project was recently completed at 3836 N Vancouver (N Failing & Vancouver):

The applicant requests Design Review approval for a new six-story mixed-use building with ground-level commercial units facing N Vancouver, a residential lobby and parking entrance facing N Failing, and 42 dwelling units above. Parking is provided for 17 cars, one Type B loading space, and 71 long-term and four short-term bike parking spaces. Exterior materials include concrete bulkheads with brick, metal and wood cladding above on street-facing facades and added fiber cement on non-street-facing facades. Proposals for non-exempt development within a Design Overlay zone in Central City Plan District require Design Review per Section 33.420.041 of Title 33, Portland Zoning Code.

There was a recent design advice request for the North Portland Library at 512 N Killingsworth St:

HLC HEARING - DAR for proposed renovations and modernizations to the North Portland Branch of the Multnomah County Public Library, a contributing resource in the Piedmont Conservation District. Alterations include a new Black Cultural Center at the south-east corner of the building (facing N Commercial Ave) and a new staff addition to be located at the south-west corner of the existing building. Both additions are proposed to be single story with a combined square footage of approximately 1,500 sf. The Black Cultural Center is proposed to be clad in dark brick, the staff addition in metal panel.No Modifications or Adjustments are proposed.

Permits were issued for the Analog Apartments at 1835 N Flint Ave:

ANALOG - **Revised Scope 3/10/22 see comments** revised scope - new 8-story (Level 1.5 considered a story by code) multifamily building with 134 units. Ground floor lobby, amenity, open courtyard, residential units and parking. Upper six levels all residential, with 7th floor roof deck. **sauna/storage now in main building no longer detached. Review w. 20-188851 MT

A design advice request was recently completed for the Albina One project at 253 N Broadway:

DESIGN COMMISSION HEARING - NOTEroposed 7-story building with 94 units (all affordable), a large community room and services, lobby, flexible meeting space and an incubator space. No vehicle parking provided, however, loading and bike parking will be onsite. Outdoors play area for the residents on the north side and large plaza space for community gathering and events on the south side. Alternatives design options include solar panels on the roof and balconies. A modification is requested to not provide an ecoroof.

[curt-pdx]

OK, I'll try this again with ACTUAL progress on Minnesota Place foundations - looking west - with Society Overlook in the background and up at 4.5 stories:

nopo_mn_place_foundation_22-09_b by ce, on Flickr

nopo_mn_place_foundation_22-09_a by ce, on Flickr

[uncommon.name]

Has anyone been able to find any updates on the new track & field facility that the University of Portland is building on the banks Willamette River? An article I found on the "Franz Campus" states construction is scheduled to begin in 2023, but on google maps, you can clearly see they have broken ground some time ago. I just can't find any updates.

Site plan and info that I have found is here...

[PhillyPDX]

In case anyone is interested, PPS is in the middle of a relocation plan for HTMS. They are looking to relocate given the I-5 widening encroaching (more) onto existing HTMS space. As an olive branch, Gov Brown gave PPS $120mm to assist in building a new school.

I have been active as a parent in the community discussions, and this is a PPS train wreck, as they have backed themselves into a corner with so many restrictions that no sites actually work for the proposed middle school. We have no idea what they will do (a PPS Board member this week actually suggested "using eminent domain" to site the school on Irving Park....haha, NO....).

Of course overall, this appears like PPS is in search of a problem, as there is more than enough space in existing facilities to go back to K-8, but they continually say that's off the table (and refuse to state why, when questioned). So we will likely end up with 4 elementary schools and a new $200mm MS, all under 50% capacity. Of course, NONE of the proposed sites comes close to working, so then what?

They just hired an outreach firm "to begin community outreach to select a site", even though they have been holding HTMS specific community outreach meetings since JAN, and their timeline originally was to select a site by last month. So.....back to the drawing board then? Bring in a real search firm instead of internal PPS outreach?

"2022 HTMS Re-siting Due Diligence Vol 4" is the latest iteration of the PPS site search, and lays out the current proposed sites.

https://meetings.boardbook.org/Publi...meeting=548985

[MarkDaMan]

Originally Posted by PhillyPDX

In case anyone is interested, PPS is in the middle of a relocation plan for HTMS. They are looking to relocate given the I-5 widening encroaching (more) onto existing HTMS space. As an olive branch, Gov Brown gave PPS $120mm to assist in building a new school.

I have been active as a parent in the community discussions, and this is a PPS train wreck, as they have backed themselves into a corner with so many restrictions that no sites actually work for the proposed middle school. We have no idea what they will do (a PPS Board member this week actually suggested "using eminent domain" to site the school on Irving Park....haha, NO....).

Of course overall, this appears like PPS is in search of a problem, as there is more than enough space in existing facilities to go back to K-8, but they continually say that's off the table (and refuse to state why, when questioned). So we will likely end up with 4 elementary schools and a new $200mm MS, all under 50% capacity. Of course, NONE of the proposed sites comes close to working, so then what?

They just hired an outreach firm "to begin community outreach to select a site", even though they have been holding HTMS specific community outreach meetings since JAN, and their timeline originally was to select a site by last month. So.....back to the drawing board then? Bring in a real search firm instead of internal PPS outreach?

"2022 HTMS Re-siting Due Diligence Vol 4" is the latest iteration of the PPS site search, and lays out the current proposed sites.

https://meetings.boardbook.org/Publi...meeting=548985

Thanks for your perspective! I've moved this to the North Portland Infill thread. While it's a significant project, most developments stay in the infill threads unless they are 7 or 8 floors or taller. All the other PPS school reconstruction updates, including the new Lincoln HS high-rise, have lived in the infill tabs to keep the main forum less cluttered.

[maccoinnich]

Originally Posted by PhillyPDX

In case anyone is interested, PPS is in the middle of a relocation plan for HTMS. They are looking to relocate given the I-5 widening encroaching (more) onto existing HTMS space. As an olive branch, Gov Brown gave PPS $120mm to assist in building a new school.

I have been active as a parent in the community discussions, and this is a PPS train wreck, as they have backed themselves into a corner with so many restrictions that no sites actually work for the proposed middle school. We have no idea what they will do (a PPS Board member this week actually suggested "using eminent domain" to site the school on Irving Park....haha, NO....).

Of course overall, this appears like PPS is in search of a problem, as there is more than enough space in existing facilities to go back to K-8, but they continually say that's off the table (and refuse to state why, when questioned). So we will likely end up with 4 elementary schools and a new $200mm MS, all under 50% capacity. Of course, NONE of the proposed sites comes close to working, so then what?

They just hired an outreach firm "to begin community outreach to select a site", even though they have been holding HTMS specific community outreach meetings since JAN, and their timeline originally was to select a site by last month. So.....back to the drawing board then? Bring in a real search firm instead of internal PPS outreach?

"2022 HTMS Re-siting Due Diligence Vol 4" is the latest iteration of the PPS site search, and lays out the current proposed sites.

https://meetings.boardbook.org/Publi...meeting=548985

It looks like the only site that's still under consideration is the Prophet Education Service Center (until recently the Blanchard Education Service Center). That's a shame, in my view, given the impact it would have on the Albina Vision. I see Albina Vision Trust are listed as a stakeholder group, but the only reference to the Albina Vision later in the document is in passing.

[PhillyPDX]

Yes, and no. The latest meeting Gary Hollands (Board) flat out said that's a terrible site and they shouldn't keep considering it.

Plus, in the due diligence report, the construction cost given in the table doesn't include the cost need to relocate the over 600 PPS staff that currently use that site. Minor details....

I've been pushing (hard) the empty Legacy Emmanuel blocks that exist just north of the Prosper Portland development site at Williams/Russell. I keep getting BS pushback: Once PPS even said the cross street there is much too busy (Graham street...the one with the Legacy Emmanuel parking lot). At least give me a real reason. I have contacts with that Prosper Portland team, and even they love the idea (a modern new school to replace what was taken via eminent domain and then left fallow for decades).

I have also heard "it's not for sale" from PPS. Yeah, it wasn't when it was originally taken either....Just sayin'.