Pop Blocks (Pepsi Blocks) | 120' | xx floors | U/C

[maccoinnich]

DAR #1 Drawings [9 MB]

[urbanlife]

The massing looks good, also nice to see they want to save the Pepsi building and make it a part of the design. It is gonna be nice to see new life in that building. I am not expecting much from the actual architecture of the buildings, but it does look like the kind of density Portland needs.

[AdamUrbanist]

I think it's unfortunate that the open spaces between buildings are so unrelated to the surrounding street pattern. I'd love to see 26th avenue extended into the site perhaps as a pedestrian parkway closed to vehicles.

[johnliu]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

The massing looks good, also nice to see they want to save the Pepsi building and make it a part of the design. It is gonna be nice to see new life in that building. I am not expecting much from the actual architecture of the buildings, but it does look like the kind of density Portland needs.

Hopefully the buildings will relate to the Pepsi building, not necessarily aping its form but rather its mid century cool simplicity.

[maccoinnich]

Design Commission reviews plans for sizable property



A superblock development proposed to replace the former PepsiCo bottling facility along Sandy Boulevard met a generally positive reception from the Portland Design Commission.

The project is in the early stages of development, but the team on Thursday presented the site plan, massing and circulation for the four-block property, which is owned by Security Properties of Seattle.

The 4.7-acre site would have a public plaza on Northeast Sandy Boulevard, a pedestrian- and bicyclist-friendly woonerf providing an east-west connection and a private park available to residents near the center.

Housing dominates the development plan, with 335 units expected. A portion of the housing units will be affordable, and John Marasco, Security Properties’ chief development officer, suggested in a recent interview that the affordable housing would be built in the first phase. The development would eventually accommodate approximately 1,000 residents, changing what was an industrial property into a largely residential area.

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[Pavlov's Dog]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

...continues at the DJC (temporarily unlocked).

I have to admit to googling woonerf. I understand the concept and have seen them first hand but when did woonerf become a common term?

[cab]

Woonerf. I love that word. This is a solid project. Unexpected for that location.

[eric cantona]

Originally Posted by cab

Woonerf. I love that word. This is a solid project. Unexpected for that location.

careful, if you don't pronounce it "voonerf" the urban planning nerds will get mad at you.

[maccoinnich]

DAR #2 drawings [126 MB] and staff memo.

[MarkDaMan]

^It's looking like a corporate headquarters instead of a residential neighborhood. I guess what really matters is the street level activity, but those building seem awfully close together.

[AdamUrbanist]

My understanding, which may be incorrect, is that this application is only for the “planned development” which allows a developer more flexibility in how the site is built. The process identifies approximate building footprints and heights and may establish some guiding principles for the architecture, but is not intended as a design review of the individual buildings. I assume the reason the buildings are so generic is because they are diagrammatic placeholders rather than proposed designs.

That said, I do think the site would be more successful if the spaces between buildings felt more like public streets and less like a private campus.

[maccoinnich]

You're correct (and they're only at the design advice stage of the masterplan).

[maccoinnich]

Pepsi Blocks have been submitted for Type III Planned Development Bonus Review:

The Pepsi Blocks Planned Development project includes the phased demolition of existing Pepsi warehouse buildings, renovation of a mid-century Pepsi warehouse bow-truss structure, the development of five new mixed use market rate and affordable residential and office buildings, th introduction of a shared woonerf street along the formerly vacated Right-of-Way, a new Plaza along Sandy Boulevard and a new Park located in the center of development, and associated underground parking. The phasing schedule envisions entitlements and construction of the first phase immediately following Planned Development approval and will continue with four additional phases. The project will use the Planned Development Bonus for additional height and bonus FAR.

[maccoinnich]

Request for Response

[maccoinnich]

Masterplan Staff Report, which recommends approval, and drawings [95 MB].

[maccoinnich]

Masterplan was approved today.

[maccoinnich]

Dense development proposal wins approval



The long-awaited redevelopment of Northeast Sandy Boulevard took a major step forward on Thursday.

The Portland Design Commission voted 5-0 to approve Security Properties’ plans to transform a former PepsiCo bottling plant off of Sandy Boulevard. Those plans call for turning the 4.7-acre superblock into a dense collection of mixed-use space that leans heavily residential.

The developer is considering building anywhere from 485 to 1,297 housing units, said Dorothy Faris, a principal with Seattle design firm Mithun. That would include 39 to 195 affordable units, depending on affordability level and how many units are built overall.

“It’s a dense project; let’s not kid ourselves,” Commissioner Sam Rodriguez said. “I think that’s what we’re looking for as a city.”

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[urbanlife]

This is a great reason to have a streetcar line running up Sandy. This is also the kind of urban development we need to see more of along Sandy.

[maccoinnich]

Final Findings And Decision By The Design Commission

[hat]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

This is a great reason to have a streetcar line running up Sandy. This is also the kind of urban development we need to see more of along Sandy.

If we're talking about functional transportation, a new MAX stop on 28th would serve a lot more people.