Downtown Portland News

[PhillyPDX]

I don't recall seeing it discussed before, but the crown of the Ritz has a very noticeable lighting scheme. I meant to post before seeing it while downtown, but then I saw it pop the other night driving 84 into the city (at Lloyd when the skyline appears in view). Couldn't take a photo while driving....

[DMH]

Originally Posted by PhillyPDX

I don't recall seeing it discussed before, but the crown of the Ritz has a very noticeable lighting scheme. I meant to post before seeing it while downtown, but then I saw it pop the other night driving 84 into the city (at Lloyd when the skyline appears in view). Couldn't take a photo while driving....

On the Ritz Carlton thread around the time when the tower opened on Halloween, I wrote about the endless possibilities if the illuminated crown could have seasonal colors or if it could become a "canvas" for light artists controlling the illumination with a computer program. I even asked Ritz Carlton staff if they knew whether the illuminated crown would be used in those ways. No one knew.

I am out of Portland for a few months, so if anyone has any photo(s) to share or more information, please provide it.

[CorbinWarrick]

Originally Posted by pdxsg34

Responding to the troll feeds the troll...

What’s with the name calling? It’s a discussion forum last time I checked. If it bothers you u should leave

[pdxsg34]

Originally Posted by CorbinWarrick

What’s with the name calling? It’s a discussion forum last time I checked. If it bothers you u should leave

Who said I was name calling? Just stating a fact. You have a consistent history of complaining about Portland, making the same comments over and over, failing to back up your comments with facts, contribute nothing of substance to the discussion, and when challenged by others on the forum about the above, you don't respond. Trolls perform this behavior, and it seems we have a jewel-chested, hairy poof in our midst.

[maccoinnich]

CorbinWarrick - you've been publicly and privately about making unproductive comments, and have received temporary bans for it. I haven't had a lot of time to be moderating over the holidays, so I've clearly let some things slide, but please consider this a final and public warning before your account is permanently suspended.

[HillsboroTech]

I have not seen it in any other color. Wish it had a matching Christmas color. Took this photo a week or two ago. Still like how much it stands out though.

[CorbinWarrick]

Does the ritz only do that white color?

[aquaticko]

I'd like to point out the irony of people pointing out Seattle's office-and-HQ-dense CBD as a reason for its relative success, and in the same breath so frequently stating that office towers are dead due to work-from-home.

We can't force people back into offices, and a lot of people won't willingly give up that change for the sake of business efficiency, but...that's what the trade-off is. There are statistics showing that countries which tend to have less sprawling CBDs, people have been returning to work in larger percentages, large enough to support the high-rise office buildings, the efficiencies of which are a major reason that cities have grown so rapidly since service sectors became dominant drivers of economic growth.

Job sprawl is bad for the climate because more or less everyone drives to an office park, and it's bad for cities because it reduces overall economic activity and removes an otherwise hard-to-relocate source of high-density tax revenue. You don't need Fortune 500 companies for healthy CBDs--though there is irony in a shoe company building its HQ in an area where almost no one walks but recreationally--even though they do help. If the SMEs that are predominant in a less-corporatized city like Portland are surrounded by medium-density mixed-use development, they can constitute a CBD; this is what many European cities live on.

Job sprawl and housing sprawl go hand-in-hand. Big business can obviously exist without sprawl (this is South Korea), or exist in pure sprawl because it can cross-subsidize lower-revenue, lower-traffic markets with higher-revenue, higher-traffic markets (most of the U.S.). SMEs don't work very well with sprawl because they don't have the resources to support lower-performing markets, though they can coat-tail on big businesses if a country has strong anti-trust laws (this is Japan).

You don't need big business for a healthy urban economy, though it can help. However, all business do better in well-urbanized areas (which Portland and most other auto-oriented cities are not), and the smaller a business is, the more it needs to do better to thrive.

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by aquaticko

I'd like to point out the irony of people pointing out Seattle's office-and-HQ-dense CBD as a reason for its relative success, and in the same breath so frequently stating that office towers are dead due to work-from-home.

We can't force people back into offices, and a lot of people won't willingly give up that change for the sake of business efficiency, but...that's what the trade-off is. There are statistics showing that countries which tend to have less sprawling CBDs, people have been returning to work in larger percentages, large enough to support the high-rise office buildings, the efficiencies of which are a major reason that cities have grown so rapidly since service sectors became dominant drivers of economic growth.

Job sprawl is bad for the climate because more or less everyone drives to an office park, and it's bad for cities because it reduces overall economic activity and removes an otherwise hard-to-relocate source of high-density tax revenue. You don't need Fortune 500 companies for healthy CBDs--though there is irony in a shoe company building its HQ in an area where almost no one walks but recreationally--even though they do help. If the SMEs that are predominant in a less-corporatized city like Portland are surrounded by medium-density mixed-use development, they can constitute a CBD; this is what many European cities live on.

Job sprawl and housing sprawl go hand-in-hand. Big business can obviously exist without sprawl (this is South Korea), or exist in pure sprawl because it can cross-subsidize lower-revenue, lower-traffic markets with higher-revenue, higher-traffic markets (most of the U.S.). SMEs don't work very well with sprawl because they don't have the resources to support lower-performing markets, though they can coat-tail on big businesses if a country has strong anti-trust laws (this is Japan).

You don't need big business for a healthy urban economy, though it can help. However, all business do better in well-urbanized areas (which Portland and most other auto-oriented cities are not), and the smaller a business is, the more it needs to do better to thrive.

And to the 1st point, that is a question then for why Seattle still booms. I "think" proper downtown Seattle is still down since pandemic (though not as low as Portland), but the Amazon area is booming. But if Amazon is still remote (I have no idea what Amazons WFH requirements are) and this is mostly residential construction now, why? Why be close and pay more to be close to an office you don't go to? This was supposed to be the big paradigm shift in remote work: now one can move to a cheaper area and remote in (it does still seem to be happening in uber $$ bay area). Maybe there is enough uniqueness to each city's (and neighborhood's) situation that renders overall national trends moot?

I did hear that Nike is going back to office 4 days, and soon 5 days? Of course, in suburban Beaverton...that doesn't at all help downtown Portland. And they also just announced $2b in layoffs. I'm guessing these plans aren't unintentionally timed (let attrition for those wanting WFH to lower the number of layoffs needed).

[maccoinnich]

My sister-in-law and brother-in-law both work for Amazon, in offices in South Lake Union and Downtown Bellevue. After being hired during the pandemic and working fully remote, both are now required to be in the office 4 days a week. I haven't spent any time in Downtown Bellevue during office hours, but I have in South Lake Union and Amazon's return to the office is definitely having a huge effect there. But it's also worth noting that a lot of the towers in that area are residential, unlike further south in Seattle's Downtown.

Also, the Spheres are really cool and worth a visit if you can get access.

[dizflip]

OT but forcing return to office most of days of the week is evil. Nike did the same thing. Not justifiable in a post-pandemic world.

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by dizflip

OT but forcing return to office most of days of the week is evil. Nike did the same thing. Not justifiable in a post-pandemic world.

Market will say what it wants. If high quality talent leaves, then that's on the business for making a misstep. Surely offering it is a benefit, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out in the fight for quality talent, and relative to loss of productivity (real or perceived).

In terms of remote work, I know a couple of lawyers in Portland that work out of San Fran but live in Portland for QOL and family reasons (this was even before pandemic). The cost savings, even with maybe 1-2 easy flights a month to meet with clients in Bay Area, is worth it. Of course that income/work bracket (seller/doer...who cares where you live if you bring in the $$?) is probably quite different from low/middle management biz at Nike.

Now that I say the above, Portland should work hard to push for true HSR (fast and reliable and not on freight lines) to Seattle, so workers can live here and get to downtown Seattle in 1.5 hours. A lot more reasonable if only 2-3 days a week, and you can work on the train.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by 2oh1

Are you advocating for forced treatment?

No, I am advocating for social workers to work with each individual to help them want to seek treatment. Suffering from addiction isn't an easy thing to break and it requires a lot of work to get someone to want to seek treatment to get themselves out of addiction.

[aquaticko]

Originally Posted by PhillyPDX

Market will say what it wants. If high quality talent leaves, then that's on the business for making a misstep. Surely offering it is a benefit, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out in the fight for quality talent, and relative to loss of productivity (real or perceived).

Well that's kind of the thing; if it was justifiable pre-pandemic (arguable), there's no reason for it not to be now. There is something to be said for the possibility of spontaneous interactions like those enabled by working in a physically-shared space. I don't necessarily have a dog in this fight--I can't do my work outside of a hospital setting--but I also can't imagine having my work follow me home. My dad worked as a software engineer on the east coast for decades, and he'd often spend his nights not at work working from home. If you can work from home, you can always be made to work; the dissolution of that physical barrier seems inherently dangerous, to me.

In terms of remote work, I know a couple of lawyers in Portland that work out of San Fran but live in Portland for QOL and family reasons (this was even before pandemic). The cost savings, even with maybe 1-2 easy flights a month to meet with clients in Bay Area, is worth it. Of course that income/work bracket (seller/doer...who cares where you live if you bring in the $$?) is probably quite different from low/middle management biz at Nike.

Now that I say the above, Portland should work hard to push for true HSR (fast and reliable and not on freight lines) to Seattle, so workers can live here and get to downtown Seattle in 1.5 hours. A lot more reasonable if only 2-3 days a week, and you can work on the train.

I think the distance from Seattle to Portland is too great to try to get Portland to piggyback on Seattle's economic vitality in a significant way. True 320kph HSR--with greenfield alignments and all--is probably too expensive given the size and isolation of the PNW from everything else. Upgrading and electrifying the existing corridor--if we could get the freight railways to be sane and sensible--would help supercommuters and the travel/tourism sectors of these cities, but Portland's economic geography needs to change and be healthy enough on its own if it's going to be anything but a flash-in-the-pan.

[pdxsg34]

Originally Posted by PhillyPDX

I did hear that Nike is going back to office 4 days, and soon 5 days? Of course, in suburban Beaverton...that doesn't at all help downtown Portland. And they also just announced $2b in layoffs. I'm guessing these plans aren't unintentionally timed (let attrition for those wanting WFH to lower the number of layoffs needed).

In-office is 4 days, starting in January. There's been no word about a 5-day requirement. The layoffs, which will be substantial, are focused on middle management and trimming the fat off internal processes. Nike has struggled on the innovation side of things, as nothing substantial or market-altering has been released in quite some time (since dri-fit, flynit, self-lacing, react, etc, releases in early 2010s).

Source: Wife, who works at HQ in design

[DMH]

Originally Posted by aquaticko

Well that's kind of the thing; if it was justifiable pre-pandemic (arguable), there's no reason for it not to be now. There is something to be said for the possibility of spontaneous interactions like those enabled by working in a physically-shared space. I don't necessarily have a dog in this fight--I can't do my work outside of a hospital setting--but I also can't imagine having my work follow me home. My dad worked as a software engineer on the east coast for decades, and he'd often spend his nights not at work working from home. If you can work from home, you can always be made to work; the dissolution of that physical barrier seems inherently dangerous, to me.



I think the distance from Seattle to Portland is too great to try to get Portland to piggyback on Seattle's economic vitality in a significant way. True 320kph HSR--with greenfield alignments and all--is probably too expensive given the size and isolation of the PNW from everything else. Upgrading and electrifying the existing corridor--if we could get the freight railways to be sane and sensible--would help supercommuters and the travel/tourism sectors of these cities, but Portland's economic geography needs to change and be healthy enough on its own if it's going to be anything but a flash-in-the-pan.

Having worked most of my career for a Portland-based firm that expanded to 6 offices in the US & Canada while I was with the firm, and recalling Portland's vitality before the pandemic, I see no need for Portland to piggyback on Seattle's success. Let's maintain a realistic perspective. Our anxiety about Portland is only about the fate of Downtown. Our many city neighborhoods are jumping with energy. The Inner Eastside is a hotbed of cool proposals as that discussion thread shows. Other signs of revitalization include the OMSI master plan, the former central post office site, Lloyd Center redevelopment, continuing build-out of South Waterfront, etc.

As we brainstorm about ways to re-energize Downtown, we can take note of efforts in other US downtowns. There was an interesting piece in the NYT about redevelopment of San Francisco's iconic pyramidal Transamerica Tower as the nexus of the re-energizing of SF's Montgomery Street, a bit out of the center of Downtown SF. Like that strategic investment, maybe our new Ritz Carlton tower will be the catalyst to get nearby building and property owners to incrementally expand the West End rebirth and make needed redevelopment investments.

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by pdxsg34

In-office is 4 days, starting in January. There's been no word about a 5-day requirement. The layoffs, which will be substantial, are focused on middle management and trimming the fat off internal processes. Nike has struggled on the innovation side of things, as nothing substantial or market-altering has been released in quite some time (since dri-fit, flynit, self-lacing, react, etc, releases in early 2010s).

Source: Wife, who works at HQ in design

Not really a downtown topic, but didn't Nike just have a massive middle/upper management cull maybe 2 years ago? Seems concerning they would need to do this again so soon.

Now that I search....yes, they did. Weird trend over short term. Up...then layoffs, then up...layoffs. Seems like an odd and inefficient biz plan for a non cyclical company. Can't be good for morale.

https://www.oregonlive.com/business/...%20in%20Oregon.

[pdxsg34]

Originally Posted by PhillyPDX

Not really a downtown topic, but didn't Nike just have a massive middle/upper management cull maybe 2 years ago? Seems concerning they would need to do this again so soon.

Now that I search....yes, they did. Weird trend over short term. Up...then layoffs, then up...layoffs. Seems like an odd and inefficient biz plan for a non cyclical company. Can't be good for morale.

https://www.oregonlive.com/business/...%20in%20Oregon.

Tell me about it! The fact the recent layoff news was announced as employees were headed to xmas break was a big gutpunch to morale to say the least. The sentiment at Nike is growing increasingly negatitive toward Donahue and his style, more of a cutthroat biz approach than the historical design/innovation-first style prior to his term.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by DMH

Having worked most of my career for a Portland-based firm that expanded to 6 offices in the US & Canada while I was with the firm, and recalling Portland's vitality before the pandemic, I see no need for Portland to piggyback on Seattle's success. Let's maintain a realistic perspective. Our anxiety about Portland is only about the fate of Downtown. Our many city neighborhoods are jumping with energy. The Inner Eastside is a hotbed of cool proposals as that discussion thread shows. Other signs of revitalization include the OMSI master plan, the former central post office site, Lloyd Center redevelopment, continuing build-out of South Waterfront, etc.

As we brainstorm about ways to re-energize Downtown, we can take note of efforts in other US downtowns. There was an interesting piece in the NYT about redevelopment of San Francisco's iconic pyramidal Transamerica Tower as the nexus of the re-energizing of SF's Montgomery Street, a bit out of the center of Downtown SF. Like that strategic investment, maybe our new Ritz Carlton tower will be the catalyst to get nearby building and property owners to incrementally expand the West End rebirth and make needed redevelopment investments.

This is such a key thing to not overlook. I used to live and spend all my time in downtown for years, but these days, I no longer work downtown nor live downtown so I don't get to downtown as much as I would like to. On the other hand, I spend a lot of time in the neighborhoods I live near and they each are lively places to be as it seems a lot of people are spending time in their own neighborhoods rather than going downtown.

This is obviously a good thing for Portland neighborhoods, but it is also a reminder that downtown needs to become more like a neighborhood and less like an office park.

[maccoinnich]

Delighted to see that the ground floor of one of my favorite buildings in the city will become an events space.

Downtown Portland tower's ground floor will transform into events venue, 'The Midtown'



The ground floor of a prominent downtown Portland tower will soon become an event venue.

Owners of the Union Bank building at 707 S.W. Washington St. have leased 16,600 square feet to locally based Art of Catering for a space called "The Midtown," which will split into two spaces for customers to rent. Art of Catering is taking the former Union Bank space.

Union Bank moved out of the tower during the pandemic and was acquired by U.S. Bancorp in late 2022. Art of Catering is an events business owned by Eric Sandstrom and Christopher Dahl.

...continues at the Portland Business Journal.