Plan for Portland market goes against grain
POSTED: Monday, May 3, 2010 at 04:18 PM PT
BY: Nick Bjork
Tags: Melvin Mark Brokerage Company, Project for Public Spaces, Ron Paul
http://djcoregon.com/news/2010/05/03...against-grain/
The 3-acre lot at the foot of the Morrison Bridge may become the home of the long-awaited James Beard Public Market. Representatives of the market are planning to building new after failed attempts to move into a historic building downtown.
There has long been a structured formula for creating financially feasible public market halls - repurposing large, historic commercial buildings into bustling year-round indoor marketplaces.
“Indoor markets need to be open and flexible while maintaining a relatively low lease rate,” said Kelly Williams, assistant planner with the New York-based Project for Public Spaces. “So, old warehouses and large industrial facilities work nicely.”
In Portland, however, developers of the long-proposed James Beard Public Market are breaking the mold. They tried multiple times to lease space in a historic building before settling on a plan to build a new, sustainably-minded facility at the foot of the Morrison Bridge in downtown.
That is a departure from the successes achieved by some of the most popular public markets around the country, such as Pike’s Place Market in Seattle, Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia and Ferry Plaza Market in San Francisco. All are located in repurposed historic buildings.
Williams noted that of the 100 indoor public market halls in the United States, she is not aware of a single one that had a building constructed for it.
“When people come to us they usually have an existing space already in mind,” she said. “The reason is that people tend to use markets as a way to revitalize an area, not develop a new one.
“Also, market halls are usually started by nonprofit organizations because they aren’t big moneymakers for building owners. The organizations usually have limited budgets and building new is not an option.”
But this is not the case for the backers of the James Beard Public Market. After failing to lease space at the Central Fire Station Building in Ankeny Square, Union Station and the 511 Federal Building, developers teamed up with Melvin Mark, owner of Melvin Mark Cos. Mark has since been leading fundraising for the project, increasing the feasibility of building new.
Multnomah County commissioners last week decided to speed up the process in sending out a Request for Proposals on the county-owned Morrison bridgehead property. The James Beard Market board and SERA Architects will be submitting a proposal for a mixed-use development that will include a 55,000-square-foot bottom-floor space for the market and housing or office space above.
Williams noted that while historic buildings often provide character and uniqueness, a market really only needs to reflect its surroundings and customer base. That’s why the creators of the James Beard Market are focusing on sustainability.
Ron Paul, consulting director for the James Beard Public Market, said the team is looking at every practical way to make the new building sustainable. This would include green walls with vegetation to catch rainwater and a climate-influenced temperature management system, he said.
“All the major downtowns in the U.S. were created around where the market was because it was where everyone met,” Williams said. “So, a market can become a destination but it really needs to have synergy with what’s around it first.”
Paul noted that the developers like the current tract of land because it’s more of a crossroads than a cul-de-sac. Not only will the new market be in the same vicinity as the markets of the 19th and 20th centuries, but it also will be within walking distance to Portland Saturday Market, the downtown shopping districts and some east-side districts, he said.
“We always encourage people to find a location next to an outdoor market or a farmers market,” Williams said. “Sales increase at both locations when an indoor market is put next to an outdoor market.”
Other new public market halls around the state are sticking with the standard formula.
In Tillamook, a revitalization committee restored and repurposed the 94-year-old Independent Order of Odd Fellows Building into an indoor market with room for 20 vendors year-round. The market is slated to open later this month.
In Astoria, developers Brian Faherty and Paul Caruana are renovating and repurposing the Astor Hotel Building into a mixed-use development. They plan to turn the 3,000-square-foot lobby into a retail market for arts and crafts.
In Medford, Jake Husel and Crista Singley converted an old, 12,800-square-foot industrial building into an antique collectors and artisan guild. It opened last weekend.
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