Slabtown (formerly Conway) Developments

[maccoinnich]

Metro report time:

New mixed use project including 8 story building with ground floor retail and condominiums and public square.

Part of the Conway masterplan. Architects are YBA.

[pdxtraveler]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Metro report time:



Part of the Conway masterplan. Architects are YBA.

8 floors, wonder how the NW Examiner peeps are going to react?

Can't wait to seeing drawings! For this to be the 1400 block, that means they will be tearing down the old CF terminal building.

[maccoinnich]

I think you're right. I would have to check, but if I recall correctly, that's the block where the masterplan calls out a public square.

[PDXDENSITY]

It seems to me, "square" is starting to be thrown into a lot of projects as an excuse to leave land empty as opposed to densely utilized. Probably, confirmation bias. Still... it irks me.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by PDXDENSITY

It seems to me, "square" is starting to be thrown into a lot of projects as an excuse to leave land empty as opposed to densely utilized. Probably, confirmation bias. Still... it irks me.

The Conway blocks cover a lot of land, it makes sense to dedicated a site for a square/plaza/park.

[maccoinnich]

I'm as big an advocate of dense urban living as you'll find, and I've criticized the size of the open at the AAT Oregon Square project, and the need for any additional open space at all at the Convention Center Hotel. Still, I think a square here is needed. If we want to entice people to live in dense urban settings, we have to provide spaces for them to gather. The Conway masterplan was years in the making, and I think it got the balance between built and open space right. You can see the full masterplan here [100 MB PDF].

[maccoinnich]

GBD have applied for a pre-application conference to a new building on Block 294 of the Conway masterplan:

Pre-Application Conference to discuss a Type III Design Review for two new mixed-use buildings with approximately 370 new units including 600 underground vehicle parking spaces and 500 bike parking spaces on the Conway Master Plan site.

[bvpcvm]

Which one is block 294? Is this the same location as the 8 story bldg you mentioned in the metro reports last week? Or is this another new project?

[bvpcvm]

OK, I can answer my own question (Comcast was down and I only had my phone - argh).

This is yet another new project.
Block 294 is bound by Thurman/Savier/21st/22nd.
Block 290 is the location of the 8-story project in last week's metro report. It is bound by Pettygrove/Quimby/21st/20th.
Block 296 is bound by Raleigh/Quimby/21st/22nd, and is the location of New Seasons as well as the new apt building (LL Hawkins).
Q21 is not part of the Conway Master Plan, but is directly south of Block 296.

Add to that the double 5-story Tess O'Brian project between Overton and Pettygrove and 19th and 20th, AND another one at the SW corner of Pettygrove and 20th, and you have quite a lot of construction in the pipeline for NW.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by bvpcvm

OK, I can answer my own question (Comcast was down and I only had my phone - argh).

This is yet another new project.
Block 294 is bound by Thurman/Savier/21st/22nd.
Block 290 is the location of the 8-story project in last week's metro report. It is bound by Pettygrove/Quimby/21st/20th.
Block 296 is bound by Raleigh/Quimby/21st/22nd, and is the location of New Seasons as well as the new apt building (LL Hawkins).
Q21 is not part of the Conway Master Plan, but is directly south of Block 296.

Add to that the double 5-story Tess O'Brian project between Overton and Pettygrove and 19th and 20th, AND another one at the SW corner of Pettygrove and 20th, and you have quite a lot of construction in the pipeline for NW.

This is turning into a really dense urban neighborhood for the city. I have to say, I am kind of a lot more interested in the redevelopment of the Conway land than I am of what has been done at South Waterfront.

[maccoinnich]

Here are the boundaries of the Conway Masterplan, and the block numbers:



And not to push my own site too heavily, but if you zoom in on the map at Next Portland you can see all the current project mapped in relation to each other.

[pdxtraveler]

I knew the parking component had to be coming soon! LOL. I have been wondering. Because I work a later shift I can't park in the main lot, I used to park on block 296, then construction pushed me to 291. As the construction has been picking up I have been just waiting for when they were going to start the underground parking.

[2oh1]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

And not to push my own site too heavily, but..

I just have to say... you bring so much great info to this forum, and you do it without ever being a spammer. So many people who have websites use forums to get hits on their sites, but you don't do that at all. You seem to have the opposite approach. You post such excellent content here, and mention your site when it's relevant - always in an unquestionably respectful. You're awesome. Kudos to you, sir! And thank you for what you bring to this forum.

[2oh1]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

This is turning into a really dense urban neighborhood for the city. I have to say, I am kind of a lot more interested in the redevelopment of the Conway land than I am of what has been done at South Waterfront.

I agree completely. Conway and recent development in the Pearl are really extending density northward, and hopefully leading to even more development in between. South Waterfront feels more like an island unto itself, or a peninsula of development extending south from Riverplace. I'm glad South Waterfront is continuing to see development. It's evolving nicely, but I'm more excited about this Conway property because it's going to have a greater effect on the neighborhood its in and around. This will drastically change NW, pulling the neighborhood north, and it'll fill in so much of what felt like wasted land. I'm really excited about this!

[maccoinnich]

Originally Posted by 2oh1

I just have to say... you bring so much great info to this forum, and you do it without ever being a spammer. So many people who have websites use forums to get hits on their sites, but you don't do that at all. You seem to have the opposite approach. You post such excellent content here, and mention your site when it's relevant - always in an unquestionably respectful. You're awesome. Kudos to you, sir! And thank you for what you bring to this forum.

Awww shucks. Thanks!

Originally Posted by 2oh1

I agree completely. Conway and recent development in the Pearl are really extending density northward, and hopefully leading to even more development in between. South Waterfront feels more like an island unto itself, or a peninsula of development extending south from Riverplace. I'm glad South Waterfront is continuing to see development. It's evolving nicely, but I'm more excited about this Conway property because it's going to have a greater effect on the neighborhood its in and around. This will drastically change NW, pulling the neighborhood north, and it'll fill in so much of what felt like wasted land. I'm really excited about this!

I agree. I don't think South Waterfront is the failure some people make it out to be, but I do think there's more potential in the Conway / North Pearl areas.

[2oh1]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

I agree. I don't think South Waterfront is the failure some people make it out to be, but I do think there's more potential in the Conway / North Pearl areas.

For me, South Waterfront's problem is geography. It's a long thin strip of land that's cut off from anything else in all directions except the north, where there's a gap between it and downtown - a gap that'll someday fill in. It's not like there will ever be a ton of foot traffic from South Waterfront to other neighborhoods. Due to the way I-5 cuts it off its western side, it might as well be an island in the middle of the Willamette. In some ways, that may be a good thing. South Waterfront may appeal to people who like a quieter pace. The Conway property is between different parts of NW that always felt separated to me. The trendy parts of 21st and 23rd are mostly to the south of it. The Thurman part of NW is to the northwest. Overflow from The Pearl that's starting to fill in on the other side of the 405 is to the east, and there's the sort-of isolated industrial area to the north. Developing the Conway land could really tie it all together. I think that, someday, people will look back and wonder how that much land in the heart of NW sat vacant for so long, kind of like how newcomers look at the Pearl and wonder why that obvious spot wasn't developed sooner.

[bvpcvm]

Originally Posted by 2oh1

I think that, someday, people will look back and wonder how that much land in the heart of NW sat vacant for so long, kind of like how newcomers look at the Pearl and wonder why that obvious spot wasn't developed sooner.

Someday? Ha. I've been wondering that for the last 12 years I've lived here in NW. But now the areas around have reached critical mass and the whole area is filling in, which is really exciting. I'm really looking forward to seeing plans for the latest new developments.

[2oh1]

Originally Posted by bvpcvm

Someday? Ha. I've been wondering that for the last 12 years I've lived here in NW.

Oh, yeah, I've been thinking it for ages too - for that spot and many others - but I suspect that most people are so used to it being mostly vacant that they haven't given it a thought.

[maccoinnich]

Pre-Application conference [PDF] for Conway block 290.

[downtownpdx]

Great, can't wait to see this area fill up!