Toyoko Inn | 357' | 32 floors | Dead

[QAtheSky]

Prosper Portland (aka PDC) has challenges, but I agree that we're probably not better off without them. They have had some misses on trying to catalyze development, but this is the kind of agency that should have a lot of at bats on projects.

The Post Office site will almost certainly pan out with nice infill and by being parceled out the chance of development is close to 100%. Whereas buying out the whole lot individually would have required a much larger developer willing to take a risk...

Now they have other missteps: funding parking structures seems like a pretty big miss and I would love to see adjustments to their criteria for projects that eliminates them from the priority list. But, I wouldn't consider them obsolete at all.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by MarkDaMan

Don't jump on that bandwagon so quickly. Prosper Portland (PDC) has a unique ability to ready land for development that otherwise wouldn't be redeveloped or developed to the higher density. There's no way the Pearl would have developed in the manner it did without the PDC removing and cleaning the rail yards, remove the Lovejoy viaduct, fund the streetcar, remove brownfields and many other large scale, expensive improvements that would not be funded by developers or the city's general fund. Not every ball they hit out of the ballpark but they've played an instrumental role in so much of Portland's modern built form.

The USPS site is a perfect example. The city swooping in to get a sweet deal with two government agencies working together will allow the city to sell off pieces of land (possibly for even more than they paid) to developers to build at desired densities. One only needs to look at the Lloyd parking lot that is going to be developed to see what the USPS site could be, if left to the private market forces. Also keep in mind that the PDC has leveraged private development in URAs to create more affordable housing, such as Hoyt Street and Zidell's commitments.

Back in the day they were great with the Pearl. I am curious how they will handle the USPS site. I just wish they would operate more like they use to when they first started, I feel like politics got its hands too much involved rather than let it do its own thing to better Portland.

[maccoinnich]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

I just wish they would operate more like they use to when they first started

I don't think that would be such a good idea....

[2oh1]

WOW.

That photo is incredible, but not in a good way. It's painful.

Originally Posted by urbanlife

Back in the day they were great with the Pearl. I am curious how they will handle the USPS site.

If I'm not mistaken, the PDC was also integral in getting the replacement Safeway built back in 2003, in a deal that also brought the St. Francis apartments, Eliot Tower, and Museum Place apartments (obviously, since they're above the Safeway). And that sparked a lot of other development in that section of downtown which still continues today.

[stan]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

I don't think that would be such a good idea....

You should have put a trigger warning before posting that. Breaks my heart every time I see an aerial photo of the South Auditorium area post 1965.

Overall, I would say PDC has been a very mixed bag for Portland. Its decisions have often reflected the consensus of the political/ business community. Would say 50-70's PDC is net negative for Portland if you look what happened to South Portland, Rose Quarter, and Legacy expansion. Mitigated by the Pearl and South Waterfront Urban Renewal Areas.

The recent Lents developments would not have occurred without significant govt investment. How much market rate housing has gone in east of 82nd in the current business cycle? PDC paid for sidewalk infill and street paving as well.

[58rhodes]

its all market based anyway you look at it

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

I don't think that would be such a good idea....

Okay, apparently I need to be more specific, I was referring to how they ran in the 90s and early 2000s. I did not know the PDC even existed back then when they leveled the entire south end of downtown.

On a side note, comparing today's Portland to this photo, Portland was such a small city back then. It has come a long way in a rather short amount of time.

[2oh1]

Originally Posted by 58rhodes

its all market based anyway you look at it

While I don't entirely disagree with you, I think letting the market dictate what a city should be is a path to creating a place nobody could afford to live in, and most wouldn't want to.

The PDC can steer growth and progress in ways the market alone couldn't or wouldn't.

Take the example I mentioned above - the downtown Safeway on Jefferson. The old Safeway had lingered for decades. Even without the PDC, there would probably have come a point where Safeway would have decided to move elsewhere, and maybe a new development in the neighborhood would have been built with that in mind... but the PDC (or was it Vera?) managed to get a multiple block development in play (the block Safeway is now on, plus 3/4 of the double-block Eliot Tower now stands on). And that served as a relatively quick catalyst for change. The difference between what the neighborhood was 5 years before vs 5 years after is dramatic.

Then again... without the PDC's involvement, maybe Safeway would have kept their nasty old building, choosing to remodel instead.

Didn't the PDC also play a big role in revitalizing the South Park Blocks in the late 80s & early 90s?

Of course, we all wish things were better. Hell, most of us would want the PDC run by folks like MarkDaMan & maccoinnich. And hey, it sure would be great to get another Vera Katz in city hall.

[pdxtraveler]

Wow! There is activity. Early Assistance Intakes. 19 floor 486 rooms!

[ORNative]

Great news!! Lots of hotels going up in that area now - HiLo - new one at Chinatown gate - now Tokyo Inn - already Embassy Suites.

[pdxtraveler]

It will activate the corner, which is great. It is one of the corners that the more roaming type of street kids seem to congregate.

[maccoinnich]

Here's the Pre-App description:

Current code: Project is a 19 story, 120,000 SF business hotel with 486 rooms. Ground floor will have a lobby, breakfast area, business center and other facilities related to the hotel. An interior courtyard will include two loading bays, bicycle storage and outdoor dining.Site is subject to an obligation to provide underground parking for the abutting garage building.

[MarkDaMan]

^That's a remarkable number of hotel rooms packed into 19 floors on a quarter block. 27 rooms per floor (minus the ground level) on approximately 6,300 sqft floors.

[babs]

Originally Posted by MarkDaMan

^That's a remarkable number of hotel rooms packed into 19 floors on a quarter block. 27 rooms per floor (minus the ground level) on approximately 6,300 sqft floors.

Is this essentially going to be a pod hotel like Citizen M?

[MarkDaMan]

Originally Posted by babs

Is this essentially going to be a pod hotel like Citizen M?

Interesting comparison. I have no familiarity with either brand so I can't make an educated guess.

[AdamUrbanist]

6,300 SF floor plate x 80% efficiency / 27 rooms per floor = 186 SF per room. That’s pretty small, but still not pod hotel territory.

[maccoinnich]

Originally Posted by babs

Is this essentially going to be a pod hotel like Citizen M?

I love CitizenM. One thing that brand has going for it is great design; the rooms might be tiny but the lobby / bar / lounge feels like it's straight out the Vitra catalogue. Looking at photos of Toyoko Inns in Japan makes me think they don't have that in common with CitizenM.

[babs]

Originally Posted by AdamUrbanist

6,300 SF floor plate x 80% efficiency / 27 rooms per floor = 186 SF per room. That’s pretty small, but still not pod hotel territory.

Citizen M hotel rooms are 150 sq ft. so it looks like these are essentially pod-like hotel rooms. Aren't most standard hotel rooms about 300 sq ft?
I do believe there is a market for this. If you are traveling by yourself, this is a nice size, especially if there is room elsewhere in the building to hang out. I stayed at Citizen M in Paris and London, and loved it. Seattle is getting one too.

[AdamUrbanist]

300 SF is typical for a suburban hotel. Most brands have an urban version with rooms in the low 200s. Now that I’ve googled citizen m though I see what you mean by pods. I was envisioning double-decker train cots.

Like this: https://www.google.com/amp/s/asianwa...tel-tokyo/amp/

[maccoinnich]

Notice of a Pre-Application Conference