[CouvScott]

It looks like they are finalizing the sales price of the last parcel of land to buy for this project. Hopefully, final design is already in process.
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e214/couvttocs/BurnsideBridgeheadpurchase.jpg

[urbanlife]

that is good news

[CouvScott]

PDC, Opus sign MOU on Burnside Bridgehead

The nonbinding agreement aims to guide the $200M redevelopment

The PDC and Opus NW LLC have signed a memorandum of understanding for the development of the Burnside Bridgehead project in the Central Eastside Urban Renewal Area.
The MOU is a nonbinding agreement that sets the basic understandings that both PDC and Opus have agreed upon to guide the $200 million development project.
Under specific terms of the MOU, Opus will be responsible for conducting existing and future market studies to determine the mix of uses, exploring with Beam Development Co. the possibility of partnering to develop one or more compinents of the project, conducting environmental and geotechnical studies of the property and identifying any work that may need to be done, and working with a citizens advisory committee to form the final development program for the project.
For its part, the Development Commission will be responsible for obtaining zoning changes for portions of the site, conducting a traffic analysis of the proposed development, working with the Portland Office of Transportation on the design and construction of the Burnside/Couch couplet, working with the Office of Transportation on the possible extension of the Portland Streetcar to the porject, analyzing the feasibility and marketability of affordable housing in the project, and purchasing the Convention Plaza Building at 123 N.E. Third Ave. - which lies in the center of the proposed development and is the only property not yet owned by the PDC.

[CouvScott]

PROJECT OVERVIEW
In 2004, PDC solicited and received
three competitive development proposals
for the Burnside Bridgehead Project
- a significant, mixed-use “gateway”
project. The project is envisioned to transform five city
blocks at the base of the Burnside Bridge and provide a distinctive
entryway to eastside neighborhoods. It is one of the
signature projects within the Central Eastside Urban Renewal
District, one of eleven such districts in the city.
A redevelopment site of this size – over 195,000 square feet – is
extremely rare in the Central City and offers a unique opportunity
to develop a landmark retail/commercial, housing and
offi ce project in the Central Eastside area. In April 2005, PDC
selected Opus Northwest LLC as the preferred developer for
the project.
Getting the Public Involved
A Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) was formed early in the
project to serve as an ad hoc advisory group to the development
team and PDC. The CAC has, and will continue to provide
advice throughout the predevelopment and implementation
stages of the Burnside Bridgehead project to ensure that the
fi nal project creates an asset that surrounding neighborhoods
can be proud of and achieves the policy goals of PDC and
the City of Portland.
The CAC currently meets at least once per month. The meetings
are open to the public, and time is provided at each
meeting for input from the general public. Please note that
the timing of these meetings is subject to change and can
be confi rmed by calling 503-823-3200 or by consulting the
online calendar one week in advance of the meeting date
at: www.pdc.us/ura/eastside.asp#calendar.
PDC would like to thank the representatives from the following
organizations, businesses and property owners for serving
on the Citizen Advisory Committee:
Central Eastside Urban Renewal Advisory Committee
Central Eastside Industrial Council
Buckman Community Association
Hosford-Abernethy Neighborhood Development
Kerns Neighborhood Association
AFRIEND
Adjacent Property Owners
The Skateboard Community
Bicycle Transportation Alliance
City Club of Portland
Portland Institute of Architects, Portland Chapter
Portland Business Alliance
Williams & Dame
Affordable Housing Advocate
Real Estate Commercial Broker
Real Estate Financial Lender
PDC and Opus Northwest created a Public Participation
Plan to clearly defi ne the opportunities for public involvement
throughout the project. PDC and Opus Northwest are
committed to working with stakeholders and the broader community
throughout the life of the project to ensure that public
aspirations and concerns are understood and considered by
staff, the developer and the PDC Board.
Specifi cally, the public participation plan outlines:
• Public participation goals
• Identifi ed stakeholders
• Public participation tools – including the
formation of a Citizen Advisory Committee
• Preliminary public participation timeline, roles
and responsibilities
• Tools for dissemination of public input
• Tools for evaluation of the public participation
process
The full document may be downloaded at www.
pdc.us/public-participation/pp-plans.asp.

Memorandum of Understanding
On March 8, 2006, PDC and Opus Northwest signed a Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) setting forth the roles and
responsibilities of PDC and Opus to implement the $200 million
Burnside Bridgehead development project. While the MOU is
not legally binding, it sets the stage for how the project partners
will move forward to realize an exciting new development.

PDC and Opus have begun negotiating the terms and conditions
of a legally binding Disposition and Development
Agreement (DDA). The DDA will establish the obligations for the
acquisition, fi nancing, development and operation of the project.
PDC expects to have the DDA fully executed by the end of
2006.
Zone Changes Requested;
One Block of Five to Remain
as Industrial
Portland’s Comprehensive Plan, a
plan for future land use, designates
a Central Employment or “EX” zone for
all of these blocks except one, allowing
a wide range of employment, retail and
residential uses.
The majority of the property comprising the Burnside Bridgehead
project site is currently zoned General Industrial, abbreviated
IG1. This land use zone requires development that
is industrial in character in order to promote viable industrial
sanctuary.
The Comprehensive Plan contains a map showing the type, location
and density of land development and redevelopment
permitted in the future. When the Comprehensive Plan Map
identifi es a parcel of land as appropriate for a more permissive,
fl exible use, the change must be made on a case-by-case
basis following the city’s standard zoning amendment procedures.
The fi rst step for this project is to request a zone change from
IG1 to EX on four of the project’s blocks. Group Mackenzie, a
local consulting fi rm, was selected to process this zone change.
The zone change application was submitted to the City Bureau
of Development Services in December 2005 and is currently
in process.
The remaining block has a zoning and Comprehensive Plan
designation of IG1, limiting development on the block to industrial
uses. After careful study with the Central Eastside Industrial
Council, the Burnside Bridgehead CAC and other stakeholders,
the project team has decided to leave the IG1 designation
as is. The property will remain available to support industrial
uses within the Burnside Bridgehead project.
Good Transportation Access
Provides Foundation for a Good Project
The development team and the Citizen Advisory Committee
are working together to provide good access in, through and
around the Burnside Bridgehead project area for all kinds of
traffi c – motor vehicles, bikes, bus transit, and pedestrian traffi c
alike. Several options have been raised and the team continues
to refi ne the concepts. The CAC has been an invaluable
source of insight in the analysis of the transportation alternatives.
The fi nal design concept is contingent upon resolution
of various issues pertaining to the redesign of the Burnside-
Couch couplet, a separate but parallel effort led by the
Portland Offi ce of Transportation (PDOT).
Uniting the Burnside-Couch Couplet and
Burnside Bridgehead Project
Converting two-way Burnside and Couch streets into a pair of
one-way streets from I-405 east across the Willamette River as
far as the NE Sandy Boulevard/E. Burnside Street intersection
(at approximately SE 13th) has been in the works for several
years. The eastside portion of the project, from the Willamette
River east to roughly 13th Avenue is a critical component of
the Burnside Bridgehead Project. A traffic couplet allowing
vehicles traveling west on Couch to the Burnside Bridge is
envisioned as a central corridor in the Burnside Bridgehead
project. By redesigning the streets, the city hopes to slow traffic,
improve pedestrian connections, improve commercial access
with left turns at all intersections, and generally create a more
pleasing streetscape environment.
The Portland City Council recently voted to divide the project
into two discrete projects – one on the east side and the other
on the west side of the Willamette River. This allows the eastside
design work to proceed while City Council continues to review
issues specific to the westside. The resolution also directed the
PDC and PDOT to prepare a funding plan that aligns the timing
of the traffi c improvements with the opening of the Burnside
Bridgehead project.
PDC is supportive of the Burnside Couch transportation project
as it has been envisioned and supports the decision to move
forward with the eastside design. Full funding of the eastside
portion of the project is critical to the success of the Burnside
Bridgehead project and will provide enormous benefi ts to the
entire district, as well.
Acquisition of Convention Plaza Property
The Convention Plaza property at 123 NE 3rd Avenue is
another key piece of the Burnside Bridgehead project.
In January 2004, PDC entered into an Option to Purchase
with the property owner. The PDC Board voted to exercise the
Option and proceed with the acquisition at its January 11, 2006
meeting. The transaction closed in May 2006. PDC will transfer
the property to Opus Northwest in advance of demolition and
construction according to the terms and conditions to be negotiated
in a Disposition and Development Agreement.
The Convention Plaza Building is a fi ve-story offi ce building
which currently houses approximately 25 tenants. PDC has
assumed all of the current tenant leases and will continue to
operate the building until demolition and reconstruction is imminent.
At that point, the property will be conveyed to property
developer, Opus Northwest. The current schedule projects
demolition and property transfer by the end of 2007. Existing
tenants will be eligible for relocation assistance as provided for
by Oregon Sate Law and PDC’s Relocation Policy.
For More Information please visit the PDC’s
website at www.pdc.us/bridgehead.
Also contact Trang Lam by calling
503.823.3200, or email lamt@pdc.us.

[MarkDaMan]

The current schedule projects
demolition and property transfer by the end of 2007.

is this when they expect construction on this entire project will begin? or just this block? End of 2007 seems like a long time to get this deal together....

[MarkDaMan]

The current schedule projects
demolition and property transfer by the end of 2007.

is this when they expect construction on this entire project will begin? or just this block? End of 2007 seems like a long time to get this deal together....

[Dougall5505]

i found a rendering of the burnside bridgehead but i don't know how to post it because it is in a pdf document. help anyone? i don't know if it is just a concept drawing but it looks all right. anyway heres the link:
http://www.pdc.us/pdf/ura/central_eastside/burnside_bridgehead/bridgehead-news_6-16.pdf

[alexjon]

...wow.

[urbanlife]

even more wow if they actually started building it. I always hate the waiting part when you are just an outsider to a project.

[65MAX]

Some of the tenants in the Convention Plaza have leases that are locked in till the end of 2007 (I know one of the tenants). Since most of the below grade levels in this development are all tied together, similar to Brewery Blocks, the Convention Plaza needs to go first before they can begin. Yeah, the waiting sucks, but they still don't have the final design done. It's likely they wouldn't have been able to start till next year anyway. :(

[Dougall5505]

found some renderings it looks like there are three different teams that proposed a project:
opus
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/opus.jpg
gbd
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/gbd2.jpg

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/gbd.jpg
I looked at the final reccomendation at it looks like recommended this last project which is good, this is by beam:
http://s96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/th_beam7.png

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/beam1.jpg

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/beam2.png

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/beam3.jpg

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/beam4.png

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/beam5.jpg
notice the wind turbins
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/beam6.png

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/beam8.png

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/beam9.jpg
i don't know what this all means regarding construction time tabels but the beam project sure looks promising with all the parking underground and the enviromentally friendly wind turbines and such i wonder if they are going for a leed platinum rating

[sirsimon]

Unforunately, iirc, the city chose Opus for this project. Personally, I think Beam had the best overall vision... :)

[pdxstreetcar]

whats going in place of the lowes?

i hope there is some sort of destination attraction that draws people to the neighborhood/complex

[urbanlife]

I think Beam and Works PA did the real leg work for this project and created something that would of changed the makeup of the eastside. It is still a shame the city didnt just run with that proposal.

[tworivers]

^^^ I agree, the Beam proposal was beautifully put together. If he had had just a few more larger projects under his belt at the time, he might have gotten the job, but the PDC was worried about his ability to pull it all together.

The Opus design could turn out nice, and it sounds like Beam might get the nod to do one building or something. And hopefully they'll incorporate some of his ideas, like the wind turbines.

Too bad we have to wait so long for construction. That area is going to be insane for awhile, with the couplet, the eastside streetcar (maybe) and the bridgehead all under construction.

[urbanlife]

Keep an eye on Works PA, they are the architects that work with Beam. They have some amazing ideas for the eastside. It could turn into quite a cool urban city over there.

[Dougall5505]

darn i liked the beam design the opus doesn't seem ambitious enough

[mcbaby]

I hope that the opus desing incorporates the public square concept that beam had with access to the burnside skate park.

[tworivers]

Not sure if this article ever got posted on the forum, and this thread seemed like an appropriate place for it.

Two major projects are set to begin on East Burnside in Portland
Daily Journal of Commerce (Portland, OR), Nov 1, 2006 by Kennedy Smith

Traffic gets a bit congested during the morning drive along East Burnside leading up to the Burnside Bridge headed into downtown. Commuters, freight trucks and buses stop and go, day laborers hang out at an empty lot at Sixth Avenue, and early risers jog up and down the street.

But underneath the hustle and bustle, the noise and traffic, there's a change going on at East Burnside from the bridgehead to 12th Avenue.

"It's going to be a street that people don't even recognize once it gets all built out," said Tim Holmes, president of the Central Eastside Industrial Council.

Two major projects are set to begin on East Burnside - Opus Northwest's Burnside Bridgehead and the Burnside-Couch couplet headed by the Portland Office of Transportation.

When complete, the Burnside Bridgehead project will be a 195,000- square-foot, $250 million mixed-use center at the east end of the Burnside Bridge. The Burnside-Couch couplet project will turn East Burnside and Northeast Couch streets into one-way thoroughfares, with East Burnside heading east and Couch heading west. It will extend to the intersection at 12th Avenue, where Sandy Boulevard meets Burnside, and will reconnect Couch where it gets dissected by Sandy.

Lloyd Lindley, an urban designer who was involved with the Burnside-Couch couplet, completed economic analysis of the couplet, which indicated that in 20 years a revitalized Lower Burnside would generate about $7 million a year in new taxes and have a net assessed value of more than $300 million.

"You can look down the street and see the underdeveloped parcels that have the potential to be unlocked once there's better pedestrian access, wider sidewalks and narrower streets," Lindley said.

"This area is priming itself for change," said Bill Hoffman, project manager at PDOT. "What we have is two gateways at the Central Eastside: one at 12th and one at the bridgehead. What happens in between it will act as a catalyst."

Although the two major projects are still on the drawing board and not expected to be completed until at least 2009, activity is already picking up on the street, Hoffman said.

That's partly due to the popularity of the Doug Fir Lounge at 830 E. Burnside St. and its adjacent Jupiter Hotel. The restaurant and music venue has brought to town a slew of popular musical acts and has been listed as a top destination in magazines like Sunset, Jane and Metropolis, as well as the Frommer's guidebook. To boot, the Doug Fir has helped keep afloat a few independent art boutiques located directly across the street.

Up the road on 11th Avenue is developer Kevin Cavenaugh's emerging Burnside Rocket, an under-construction mixed-use building slated to house a restaurant, office and retail space. Cavenaugh is reaching for gold status from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system.

Between Sixth and Seventh avenues, Dave Dernbach of Mattsonian Investments LLC is busy renovating 10 studio apartments on the second floor of a currently vacant building. He bought the property nine months ago because he saw the neighborhood as "up and coming."

The ground floor of the building was leased Tuesday to Jeff and Shelia Kish, who plan to open a vintage and new clothing store in December.

Bernbach said the renovations are designed to maintain the building's historic feel, but right next door, there's a modern touch being added to the street.

Developers Brian Faherty and Lance Marrs on Nov. 16 will go before the Portland Design Commission to seek final approval of Bside 6, a 7-story mixed-use building designed by Works Partnership Architecture, which earned two awards from the Portland chapter of the American Institute of Architects for its design.

"When we had a pre-design review, the question of how this building would fit with its surroundings came up," Faherty said. "You have historic buildings next to surface lots, and the Plaid Pantry next door. But we think it's going to fit very well, especially with the Rocket and the Burnside Bridgehead in the future. We're a part of the pioneering of the new Lower Burnside."

Faherty said he realized about three years ago that it was prime time to snatch up property along East Burnside. "We work on Southeast Oak and Sixth, so we're already part of the neighborhood. What we liked about the Central Eastside is that it's a real working men and women neighborhood, and we like the fact that Burnside, more than other streets like Hawthorne and Belmont, could become this neat little urban enclave to have retail, businesses and services to provide more of a mix and more diversity to the expanding neighborhood."

The corner of the empty lot where Bside 6 is slated to stand is currently a top spot for day laborers, who gather there everyday. Faherty said that's part of the fabric of the neighborhood. "That is something that we kind of embrace as a working neighborhood; we're not trying to displace them. They're already sort of moving down to Couch Street."

[Dougall5505]

wow i wonder how soon this could actually get started. this is huge!

[WonderlandPark]

For me, this is one of the most exciting projects in Portland, density jumps the river, and could catalyze development all over the East side, Lloyd district on south.

[urbanlife]

sounds great, I am all for the Burnside Couch couplet on the east side of the river, but completely against it on the west side of the river.

I would love to see the east side become much more dense. If Portland cant have height and buildings pushing 1000 ft high, then we might as well be as dense as we possibly can.

[BrG]

Keep an eye on Works PA, they are the architects that work with Beam. They have some amazing ideas for the eastside. It could turn into quite a cool urban city over there.

Works Pa has some great things going. Hopefully they can see some of thier ideas to frutition. Thier latest condo project could be great if they can pull it off. It's a technically difficult one.

BTW, the Beam proposal ws put together by a collaboration of firms.

Ankrom Moisan, Colab and Diloreto. The principal person involved from Diloreto's office left to co-found Works PA.

Could've been a brilliant project.

[zilfondel]

I still mourn it, but we'll get something, sooner or later.

And urbanlife, why don't you like the couplet idea? I think it fits in with the rest of downtown's network, but there just isn't enough room for pedestrians with 4 lanes of traffic (the situation we have now).

[westsider]

A couplet on the west side would improve pedestrians ability to cross burnside, but at the cost of removing the only easy way across downtown for traffic. I know thinking about auto access around downtown isnt very popular but it's still necessary, and the couplet would probably make the trip from 405 to the bridge go from 3-5 min to 10 or 12.

[65MAX]

A couplet on the west side would improve pedestrians ability to cross burnside, but at the cost of removing the only easy way across downtown for traffic. I know thinking about auto access around downtown isnt very popular but it's still necessary, and the couplet would probably make the trip from 405 to the bridge go from 3-5 min to 10 or 12.

Actually, the Glisan/Everett couplet is much easier going E-W than Burnside. Even the Washington/Alder couplet moves better and is more ped-friendly. There will be timed lights on the new couplet to improve the flow of traffic and eliminate the mad dash to see how many green lights you can make it through before all of the lights turn red again. That increases ped safety. It will also untangle the bottleneck at Powell's, which also helps N-S traffic along the streetcar line.

And no, it will not take 2-3 times longer to go from 405 to the bridge. If anything, it will be quicker. The projected travel times were a part of the couplet study.

[westsider]

The 2 right angle turns going westbound after the bridge will make the trip very awkward, those kind of intersections always cause a lot confusion and make for signals that cycle more frequently. The timed signals are fusterating anyway, it seems like no matter how slowly you hit the gas after the light turns green you have to brake as you approach the next. The speed limit on most streets downtown is 25, but the timed lights hold you to about 17. ( I've experimented.)

[urbanlife]

I still mourn it, but we'll get something, sooner or later.

And urbanlife, why don't you like the couplet idea? I think it fits in with the rest of downtown's network, but there just isn't enough room for pedestrians with 4 lanes of traffic (the situation we have now).

I just think if they wanted this, they should of built it before the Brewery Blocks went up. I never have a problem crossing Burnside when I walk, I just have to wait an extra minute or two. What bothers me about the westside of the couplet is that it would then make Couch less pedestrian friendly, and I don't think that would be best for that area.

[MarkDaMan]

The speed limit on most streets downtown is 25

actually from my understanding, the downtown speed limit is 20 MPH

[Urbanpdx]

Mark is right. I know from my experience in traffic court. :(

[MarkDaMan]

Mark is right

finally, urbanpdx sees the light :D

[BrG]

I still mourn it, but we'll get something, sooner or later.

Me too, since I, along with several other individuals, was responsible for the architectural design in Brad's proposal to PDC. :)

C'est La Vie, for we designer types, but I felt for Brad. He really did not deserve the treatment he got from some now departed individuals at PDC.

In the long run the city should get something very nice there, as Gary Larson and his team should be able to effectively deal with a very difficult set of design problems.

My opinion: I think the biggest thing that may shift from the original proposal is the number of housing units and how the construction of them are phased. The real estate market's actions, mixed with near inviable rise in associated construction costs will make the realization of the "for-sale" housing portion, difficult in the shorter term.

What's frustrating is that the absurd length and manner of the process of selecting the developer, has severely hampered the project's ability to be financially viable. Regardless of the choice of master developer. The window of financial opportunity to achieve the projects stated goals is closing.

Rapidly.

[westsider]

Huh, I guess all this time I've been getting pissed for nothing!

[tworivers]

Me too, since I, along with several other individuals, was responsible for the architectural design in Brad's proposal to PDC.

Excellent work.

What's frustrating is that the absurd length and manner of the process of selecting the developer, has severely hampered the project's ability to be financially viable. Regardless of the choice of master developer. The window of financial opportunity to achieve the projects stated goals is closing.

This definitely seems like a case of the Portland Process run amok. From the get-go. Hopefully it will turn out well, one way or another... someday.
It's kind of ironic that the PDC rejected Beam due to questions of "financial viability"...

[Urbanpdx]

finally, urbanpdx sees the light :D

Perhaps it would have been more accurate if I has written. "Mark is uncharacteristically correct about the speed limit, too bad he is so often mistaken about other things"

:cheers:

[MarkDaMan]

:haha:

[Dougall5505]

latest elevations
west elevation
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/Picture2-2.png?t=1166560340
south elevation
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/Picture1-3.png?t=1166560387

[Snowden352]

Just found on Colab's website some images of the old BEAM proposal for the Burnside Bridgehead I hadn't seen before.

If only...:happysad:

http://www.colabarchitecture.com/urbanBrunsideBridgehead.htm

[pdxman]

Those are some sweet renderings...

[mcbaby]

too bad the pdc had to quelch the voice of the people.

[der Reisender]

what exactly is the holdup on the bridgehead anyway?

[MarkDaMan]

^PDC wasn't expecting it to start until fall 2008 so I don't think it is even behind schedule.

[PDX City-State]

Originally they had hinted at breaking ground in early 2006. Reasons for the stall have been attributed to Opus.

[CouvScott]

Originally they had hinted at breaking ground in early 2006. Reasons for the stall have been attributed to Opus.

Well, if they would take a break from building lifestyle centers for a while...

[tworivers]

Aren't they also unable to proceed until the couplet plans are finalized? I thought that was part of the reason that the eastside couplet segment was originally given the go-ahead before the westside. Though now it seems like
Adams has unified them again??

[PDX City-State]

I heard they were squaking about the traffic flows and said they would break ground once the Couplet was approved. In reality, they're probably retooling a bit as their proposal was heavy on residential. The residential market is a bit softer and may be softer yet in two years once build out is complete. I wouldn't be surprised if their adding more small-tenant industrial space--that's stuff's pretty hot on the Eastside right now.

[MarkDaMan]

According to the PDC they have been negotiating leases in the Convention Plaza Building up until December 2007. The funding commitments aren't even schedule to be in place until later this year, with construction beginning mid 2008. In some of their earlier paperwork it did say they preferred construction to begin no later than 2007, but that was changed during the RFP I believe.

latest plan update:
http://www.pdc.us/pdf/ura/central_eastside/burnside_bridgehead/agendas-notes/2007/0109/burnside-bridgehead-status-update-sheet.pdf

[PacificNW]

I reactivated the thread... :)

[WonderlandPark]

I work in this Convention Center building and:

1-Our office has been visited by a few commercial RE agents selling us on new space, but that doesn't matter to the company I work for, a film, we dissolve the company June 1 or something
2-Building maintenance has gone to shit, not even fixing soap dispensers.
3-"This Fall" has been the word for a drop dead date on companies moving out.

That is all I can add.

[PacificNW]

I prefer the Beam proposal but Opus is better than I expected.

[PDX City-State]

Except--we're now in a softer housing market and this could affect this proposal as the Opus plans call for a lot of condos. The Central Eastside doesn't have the luxury of just changing over to rentals as it would be very unlikely that many would pay for luxury rentals outside of downtown. I bet the plan changes again before the first shovel is turned.

[PacificNW]

You're probably right..

[MarkDaMan]

Bridgehead project stuck in Burnside-Couch jam
Daily Journal of Commerce
by Kennedy Smith
06/05/2007


Back in 2005, residents of the Central Eastside were abuzz about Burnside Bridgehead, a multi-block, mixed-use, $200 million development the Portland Development Commission planned for the foot of the east side of the Burnside Bridge.

And in February 2006, Brian Bennett, project manager at Opus Northwest, the development team picked by the PDC for the project, said Burnside Bridgehead would be complete “as early as 2009.”

That’s only a year and a half away, and all signs indicate Burnside Bridgehead is still resting on the drawing board.

Eastside residents, who debated the PDC’s selection of national mall developer Opus over a Portland competitor, are no longer up in arms about how the selection process was handled, but few are talking much about the project at all, suggesting Burnside Bridgehead’s momentum may be fizzling.

But, in terms of real estate market forces and community support, the project still has some steam, Kia Selley, a PDC project manager, said. “Our main focus is to get a tenant for the site, and PDC is working in close coordination with Opus to find one.”

While the PDC was moving through its developer selection process, the city’s Department of Transportation independently was planning how it could convert Burnside and Couch streets, which intersect the Burnside Bridgehead site, into one-way throughways from the eastside at 12th Avenue all the way to 20th Avenue on the westside. PDOT said it would finish that effort by 2014, five years after Opus’ targeted completion date.

Bridgehead waits for Burnside-Couch

“The Burnside Bridgehead needs the couplet to happen to provide transportation capacity and access for the project,” Selley said. “The couplet has to move forward in advance of the Burnside Bridgehead.”

The two projects weren’t always interconnected, Lew Bowers, PDC senior development manager, said. Planning for the Burnside Bridgehead development started around the same time PDOT began mulling the couplet, but it was only after Opus was selected in 2005 that the projects aligned, Bowers said.

PDOT had been keeping a design alternative on the table that would have directed traffic across Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard instead of diverting cars along Third Avenue, the current plan.

“We assumed it would be more advantageous to go on MLK,” said Bowers, who was Burnside Bridgehead’s project manager at the PDC when the agency picked Opus. “But it became clear to Opus that the Burnside-Couch couplet was necessary to help handle expected traffic. Everybody believed the couplet would be advantageous. But it went from advantageous to essential after Opus was chosen. That’s when the two became linked as opposed to parallel.”

The PDC, Bowers said, had to wait for Opus to decide where the Burnside-Couch couplet would end up. When Opus wanted the couplet to run through its development, the two projects aligned.

“Until then we thought (the Burnside-Couch couplet) could proceed on a slower timeline or that it could be phased,” he said. “We didn’t think they were going to be tied as directly as they are.”

While the PDC has to wait on the outcome of the $22 million Burnside-Couch project, PDOT sees no roadblocks to getting its project off the ground. And, in order to accommodate the PDC’s Burnside Bridgehead plans, the transportation agency moved its construction and completion timeline up to 2010 from 2014.

“We can build the couplet independent of the construction of the Bridgehead project,” Bill Hoffman, PDOT project manager, said.

The transportation agency is just starting engineering, which will continue through next summer, Hoffman said. The next step will be to seek bids from contractors through January 2009.

Although PDOT’s work on Burnside and Couch streets will cut directly through the Burnside Bridgehead site, Bennett said he’s “confident” the Burnside Bridgehead development will go forward as long as Opus gets a guarantee soon that the city will pony up the money still needed to pay for the street project.

So far, PDOT has secured $4.8 million in federal money and $250,000 from the Oregon Department of Transportation. Plus, a $3 million grant was awarded in March through Metro’s Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program. In addition, the PDC’s budget includes $5 million for fiscal year 2007-2008, $2 million in 2008-2009 and $3.1 million in 2009-2010.

PDOT requested another $2.7 million in January from a 2008 federal appropriations bill; the city will find out whether it will get the money in winter 2008.

“We need to be assured everything is going along on track,” Bennett said.

PDOT began planning a Burnside-Couch couplet back in 2002. But, in 2005, after what Hoffman describes as PDC’s “meltdown with the community,” PDOT halted any further plans until later that year, he said.

A year after signing a nonbinding agreement, the PDC and Opus still don’t have a disposition and development agreement in place. Once it’s put together, Selley said, the PDC board of commissioners must approve it.

Big, bad box

A citizen’s panel picked by the PDC to monitor the developer selection process expressed that the Burnside Bridgehead development should not house a big-box store, which Opus initially proposed for the site. But public sentiment about a big-box retailer on the site has changed in the last couple of years, Bennett and Selley said.

And how one defines big box is relative, Bennett said.

“When we first started talking with PDC about whether or not to allow a big box, PDC did not want to incorporate language that talked about size,” he said. “Powell’s is a big box. But people like Powell’s a whole lot more than they like a Wal-Mart.”

The Oregonian reported May 22 that Washington County-based Columbia Sportswear could move its headquarters to Burnside Bridgehead once the development is complete. Opus and the PDC declined to comment on whether a move would happen, and Columbia Sportswear did not return phone calls by publication Monday.

Too many cooks in the kitchen

After so many years of talk, there have been almost no changes to the Burnside Bridgehead site or Burnside and Couch streets. But that’s to be expected, Hoffman said, when a number of parties are invested in the projects’ success. And this much collaboration among so many stakeholders has been necessary before in Portland, he said.

Think of South Waterfront, he said, where street infrastructure is moving along concurrently with the construction of the neighborhood’s several condo towers.

“There are few projects that don’t engage multiple players anymore,” he said. “We’re working in sync right now, but you don’t want two different construction projects happening concurrently at the same location. We’re working on how to finesse the couplet going through the Bridgehead property.”

http://www.djc-or.com/viewStory.cfm?recid=29523&userID=1

[Snowden352]

Nothing that wasn't obvious, but thought I might as well post...

East Burnside's plans shift from homes to offices
Portland - Opus Northwest wants an anchor tenant before it starts construction
Monday, July 02, 2007
RYAN FRANK
The Oregonian
By late 2007, the gritty east end of Portland's Burnside Bridge was supposed to be buzzing with backhoes.

Opus Northwest won the right in 2005 to buy land from the city's urban renewal agency for a $260 million village of condos, apartments and shops. The four-block development is designed to perform the kind of transformation on East Burnside that the Brewery Blocks did to West Burnside.

But today, it looks like construction is a year or more away.

Opus Northwest, staring at cooling housing sales and a warming office market, has shifted its focus from condos to cubicles. But the backhoes can't start moving until Opus signs a major tenant, such as Columbia Sportswear or a retailer on the scale of Crate & Barrel.

The project, known as the Burnside Bridgehead, is a high-stakes deal for the city's urban renewal agency, the Portland Development Commission. It has been a political watershed in the PDC's 58-year history.

Beam Development, a small Portland company, bid on the deal and won the hearts of neighbors and an endorsement from a citizen selection committee. But the PDC's board sided with Opus, a real-estate giant based in Minneapolis, because its deeper pockets meant less city risk.

Critics saw the decision as a sign that the PDC favored big money interests over citizens. That was not the message Mayor Tom Potter wanted his urban renewal agency to send. A few months later, the agency's executive director resigned, and Potter has since appointed a new PDC board.

In that time, city staff and Opus have been hard at work on the often mundane tasks required in projects of this scale.

Among them, the city took a step to reduce traffic snarls near Burnside and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard that might come with the Opus project. The city locked up money to direct Burnside's westbound traffic one block north onto Couch Street. The work, scheduled to start in 2008, also will improve car, bike and pedestrian access into the Opus development, said Kia Selley of the PDC.

The PDC board was going to take its final action on the Opus deal in early June, but the vote was put on hold while Opus jumps its final major hurdle: finding an anchor tenant.

Opus originally proposed 631,000 square feet of housing for 530 condos, apartments and lofts. The firm had suggested 111,000 square feet of office and work space, enough to cover a little over four stories of a typical office tower. At the time, the mix of housing and offices worked because of the strong condo market.

But these days, condos seem to stay on the market longer, discouraging developers from building more, and demand for offices in the central city is rising. Compared with 2005, the amount of vacant office space in central Portland has dropped, and rents are creeping back up.

Brian Bennett, a senior real estate manager at Opus Northwest, said the amount of office space in the Opus' project will depend on who the tenant is.

Opus has talked about building 300,000 square feet, more than double the original proposal, and the two sites previously set aside for housing towers are now likely to be offices, Selley and Bennett said. The amount of affordable housing has dropped by one-third to 85 apartments.

Instead of two market-rate condo towers, Selley said, there may be just one. A switch from a housing focus to offices would fit with the rest of the employer-heavy Central Eastside.

Opus wants to sign an anchor tenant before construction, because it's too risky to invest millions of dollars in construction without the promise that someone will buy or lease the space to pay them back when they finish. With a tenant signed this summer, Opus could start construction a year later, Selley said. For now, the site's corner remains a grassy lot with downtown's skyline a background view for passing motorists.

That's where Columbia Sportswear comes in.

The company is looking at the Burnside Bridgehead as an option for moving back into the city, said company spokeswoman Anne Lindberg. Columbia left the city for Washington County in 2001, frustrated with city leaders. Columbia is growing and needs more space.

If Columbia moves its more than 600 headquarters jobs to Burnside, it would be the biggest relocation to downtown in decades.

For more about Portland politics, visit The Oregonian's City Hall blog at blog.oregonlive.com/portlandcityhall/ Ryan Frank: 503-221-8564; ryanfrank@news.oregonian.com.

[MarkDaMan]

East Burnside's plans shift from homes to offices
Portland - Opus Northwest wants an anchor tenant before it starts construction
Monday, July 02, 2007
RYAN FRANK
The Oregonian

By late 2007, the gritty east end of Portland's Burnside Bridge was supposed to be buzzing with backhoes.

Opus Northwest won the right in 2005 to buy land from the city's urban renewal agency for a $260 million village of condos, apartments and shops. The four-block development is designed to perform the kind of transformation on East Burnside that the Brewery Blocks did to West Burnside.

But today, it looks like construction is a year or more away.

Opus Northwest, staring at cooling housing sales and a warming office market, has shifted its focus from condos to cubicles. But the backhoes can't start moving until Opus signs a major tenant, such as Columbia Sportswear or a retailer on the scale of Crate & Barrel.

The project, known as the Burnside Bridgehead, is a high-stakes deal for the city's urban renewal agency, the Portland Development Commission. It has been a political watershed in the PDC's 58-year history.

Beam Development, a small Portland company, bid on the deal and won the hearts of neighbors and an endorsement from a citizen selection committee. But the PDC's board sided with Opus, a real-estate giant based in Minneapolis, because its deeper pockets meant less city risk.

Critics saw the decision as a sign that the PDC favored big money interests over citizens. That was not the message Mayor Tom Potter wanted his urban renewal agency to send. A few months later, the agency's executive director resigned, and Potter has since appointed a new PDC board.

In that time, city staff and Opus have been hard at work on the often mundane tasks required in projects of this scale.

Among them, the city took a step to reduce traffic snarls near Burnside and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard that might come with the Opus project. The city locked up money to direct Burnside's westbound traffic one block north onto Couch Street. The work, scheduled to start in 2008, also will improve car, bike and pedestrian access into the Opus development, said Kia Selley of the PDC.

The PDC board was going to take its final action on the Opus deal in early June, but the vote was put on hold while Opus jumps its final major hurdle: finding an anchor tenant.

Opus originally proposed 631,000 square feet of housing for 530 condos, apartments and lofts. The firm had suggested 111,000 square feet of office and work space, enough to cover a little over four stories of a typical office tower. At the time, the mix of housing and offices worked because of the strong condo market.

But these days, condos seem to stay on the market longer, discouraging developers from building more, and demand for offices in the central city is rising. Compared with 2005, the amount of vacant office space in central Portland has dropped, and rents are creeping back up.

Brian Bennett, a senior real estate manager at Opus Northwest, said the amount of office space in the Opus' project will depend on who the tenant is.

Opus has talked about building 300,000 square feet, more than double the original proposal, and the two sites previously set aside for housing towers are now likely to be offices, Selley and Bennett said. The amount of affordable housing has dropped by one-third to 85 apartments.

Instead of two market-rate condo towers, Selley said, there may be just one. A switch from a housing focus to offices would fit with the rest of the employer-heavy Central Eastside.

Opus wants to sign an anchor tenant before construction, because it's too risky to invest millions of dollars in construction without the promise that someone will buy or lease the space to pay them back when they finish. With a tenant signed this summer, Opus could start construction a year later, Selley said. For now, the site's corner remains a grassy lot with downtown's skyline a background view for passing motorists.

That's where Columbia Sportswear comes in.

The company is looking at the Burnside Bridgehead as an option for moving back into the city, said company spokeswoman Anne Lindberg. Columbia left the city for Washington County in 2001, frustrated with city leaders. Columbia is growing and needs more space.

If Columbia moves its more than 600 headquarters jobs to Burnside, it would be the biggest relocation to downtown in decades.

For more about Portland politics, visit The Oregonian's City Hall blog at blog.oregonlive.com/portlandcityhall/ Ryan Frank: 503-221-8564; ryanfrank@news.oregonian.com.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1183346729131730.xml&coll=7

[robbobpdx]

I don't think things are as bad as Opus seems to paint them in the housing situation. Sorry, but I just don't buy it.

But I can't say the delay or the changes surprise me based on how Opus handled the Ladd situation. They seem quite comfortable moving the game pieces around like a monopoly game. So I wonder which way is it, apartments are preferrable in the Ladd's location, but condos are still selling pretty well, but apartments or condos are not good for the Burnside Bridgehead? Huh?

I do hope the Columbia Sportsware location there works out. THAT may make this project work, almost no matter what else happens with the housing part. That may or may not be thanks to Opus, but whatever . . . it would be nice to get Columbia's headquarters back in Portland !

[zilfondel]

I think the whole Burnside Bridgehead sucks. There will likely be absolutely no similarity between the original proposal and what gets built - they are going to route 1/2 of the Burnside Couplet through the site, nixxing the pedestrian plaza, and are probably going to drop a couple of corporate big-box offices and/or stores on the site. I'm guessing the other half of the site is going to be a big parking lot as well?

At this point it would be better to leave the Ararat, affordable housing apartment building, and seed the empty lots for grass.

Opus is a terrible and uncreative development company. The city should muzzle it and stick it on a tight leash to prevent future damage to the city...

[tworivers]

I wonder: is it too late in the game to ditch Opus and hand the project over to Beam? The delays could be a blessing in disguise. Maybe Opus will just pull out of the project. OK, they probably won't, they'll just dumb it down... but still, I can dream...

[EastPDX]

... talking about moving back into PDX but are asking for tax breaks at the Blanchard site (Portland Public School HQ/Maintenance location).

This is one of two articles I have seen about this:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/steve_duin/index.ssf?/base/news/1183425923284310.xml&coll=7

I would hope that the PDC and the city would re-configure the Bridgehead into the Columbia Sportswear HQ with any height and tower number they need. Do everything needed to get CS into the Burnside Bridgehead site. The idea of work/live apts/condos should be in the design so that CS can have on-site employees. This was one of the pieces of Beams' proposal that really appealed to many. 75% office, 20% live/work residential, 5% retail/service

I have a personal reason for this wish. I want Portland to get a MLB team and the best location in my mind for the stadium would be the Blanchard site. Getting CS into the Bridgehead would kick start that project.

EP

[cab]

The reason CS wants the School admin site is because its suburban in nature. These companies gravitate more towards the campus style then highrise. As much as I'd like CS to return, long term is it worth sprawling parking lots and 1 story buildings taking up far too much space this close to the central city?

[Snowden352]

I thought this might be an ok place to drop a link to the latest, "central eastside reporter" (just bits of information dropped in the form of a pamphlet). What's interesting is one can read through the subtext what the Central Eastside is becoming: a haven for small, creative businesses who want to be near downtown, but can't afford the rates.

http://www.pdc.us/pdf/ura/central_eastside/central-eastside-reporter/2007/summer.pdf

[MarkDaMan]

I wonder: is it too late in the game to ditch Opus and hand the project over to Beam? The delays could be a blessing in disguise. Maybe Opus will just pull out of the project. OK, they probably won't, they'll just dumb it down... but still, I can dream...

The PDC includes timelines when awarding a contract. If Opus doesn't meet benchmarks in the spelled out timeframe, the PDC can reevaluate the project and either get concessions from the choosen company,, extend the timeframes, or pull the contract and reissue an RFP at a later time.

Unfortunantly the PDC has choosen to keep extending the timeframes for Opus without concessions, as of yet.

[CouvScott]

Update on the project

http://www.pdc.us/pdf/about/commission_meeting/2007/1010/Report%2007-120%20-%20Burnside%20Bridgehead.pdf

[crow]

this is way too important of a site to let OPUS develop it themselves without locking the design. The MO for this developer is to take a concept from an architect and then bring it "in-house" to do the final design and documents. i have seen some of the massing that OPUS has developed on their own and it is a warmed up Marriot with green metal hip roofs - a stretched suburban model and bland w/out character. Crapola with without a shine! If the city is going to stand behind this development then given the importance given to the process and the obvious stature of the site, the city should play hardball and demand excellence. I hope the public will put the city and the developer to the test on this.

[MarkDaMan]

PDC extends Opus’ deal for Burnside Bridgehead
The developer says it won’t bring Home Depot or Lowe’s to the site
POSTED: 06:00 AM PDT Thursday, October 11, 2007
BY TYLER GRAF
Daily Journal of Commerce

The Central Eastside’s Burnside Bridgehead project inched forward Wednesday when the Portland Development Commission extended an agreement with the project’s developer, Opus Northwest, through Dec. 31.

“We are at a pivotal point with four acres in the central city that are shovel ready, waiting for the right tenant,” Kia Selley of the PDC said. “It’s really exciting.”

Initially mired in controversy, the project has evolved over the years. When the PDC accepted Minneapolis-based Opus over a home-grown alternative, Central Eastside residents and property owners groused that the process was unfair to Portland developers that might be better suited to retain the spirit and culture of the city.

But members of a PDC-appointed neighborhood council have grown to support Opus’ work over the years, including the firm’s big – but unsuccessful – push to lure Columbia Sportswear back to Portland as the bridgehead’s anchor retailer.

At a meeting Tuesday among the PDC, Opus and council members, Tim Holmes, president of a business lobby that represents Central Eastside property owners, encouraged neighborhood residents to support Opus.

“There are people who feel held hostage by this process,” Holmes said. “It’s time to leave this behind us now.”

The PDC’s extension with Opus calls for the developer to complete a new market analysis by Dec. 28 – a response to drastic changes in the market since the PDC and Opus first came to terms in 2005.

The current plans scrap the originally planned condominiums – a result of the buckling condominium market. The initial plan called for 527 housing units; now, Opus plans office space.

But the changing plan hasn’t swayed Holmes, who insists condominiums could still work in the Central Eastside. “Stand on that site, look out at that view of the city, and then not want to move out of the Pearl,” Holmes said.

The PDC on Wednesday also encouraged Opus to reconsider affordable housing, hire an outside broker, continue to negotiate with Central Eastside stakeholders and clear the site for demolition.

But as the process moves forward, the once-and-future issue, anchor tenant retention, remains at the forefront.

After six months of negotiations, Columbia Sportswear pulled out of talks with Opus and chose to remain in Washington County, saying a move to the Central Eastside would be too expensive. The failure to close the deal came as a tremendous blow to Opus and the PDC, and now neighborhood residents worry the developer will ink a deal with another national retail chain.

Bruce Wood, a co-developer of Burnside Bridgehead, is emphatic that Opus won’t negotiate with big-box retailers that don’t represent the culture of Portland, citing Lowe’s and Home Depot as examples. “We’re not even interested in talking about it,” Wood said, adding that Opus has been in talks with four potential tenants.

In 2004, the PDC hired consultant Econorthwest to study select big box stores – including Costco, Home Depot and Target – as potential anchor tenants for Burnside Bridgehead. The report said Target or Home Depot would best serve the community, but ultimately all three stores rated highly. “The placement of any one of the prospective retailers would reduce what can be substantial travel costs ... especially for those residents who do not own vehicles,” the report said.

With the go-ahead for the Burnside-Couch couplet, which would turn both streets into one-way roads, Opus feels even more confident that the 176,215-square-foot project will develop briskly. “Given the challenges of developing the site, and the hurdles encountered with getting the Burnside-Couch couplet funded, things are going fine,” Opus’ Brian Bennett said.

But Holmes worries the couplet will add traffic and take away parking.

“I don’t know if PDOT has put all the layers on top of each other to determine if there are fatal flaws with (the Burnside-Couch couplet),” he said.

Opus continues to wrestle with parking issues. Getting the right mix of office and retail parking has been a struggle, Bennett said. Holmes said the developer should commission a parking study when it completes its market analysis.

Optimism compels all involved to believe groundbreaking will occur this spring.

Still, it’s tempered optimism.

“It takes so long that I wouldn’t want to say that we could secure a tenant by the end of December,” Selley said.
http://www.djcoregon.com/articleDetail.htm/2007/10/11/PDC-extends-Opus-deal-for-Burnside-Bridgehead-The-developer-says-it-wont-bring-Home-Depot-or-Lowes-t

[pdxman]

I think putting in a Target there would be awesome. Thats pretty much the only big box i would want to go in there tho. I've also thought it would be nice if they put a winco(its a northwest company, employee owned!)somewhere in the central portland area. I'm tired of safeways.

[MarkDaMan]

I'm cool with a Costco, it is also NW based and treats their employees really well!

[tworivers]

I thought for sure that a New Seasons would be in the mix.

[brandonpdx]

^I heard New Seasons was in the mix a long time ago. I hope it is. That is the best grocery store in town!

[Sioux612]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=UMN_FGFIlY8

[urbanlife]

Oh god! I would love a Target in that. We will have arrived to a middle class downtown if we got an urban Target. I would never have to leave the downtown area if I didn't want to if that were to happen....wow, that would be quite a sheltered life then, but whatever; I could always take the light rail to Ikea and buy a new couch to ponder that one on!

[Pavlov's Dog]

I hope this project doesn't get off the ground. The reason is that it occupies the most likely site for where a future I-5 would go underground. I imagine that the freeway would go under 2nd Avenue Southbound and 3rd Avenue Northbound. The portal would probably have to be at about Couch. In my opinion moving the freeway away from the riverbank and underground is much more important for the vitality of the Central Eastside than this project.

[PDX City-State]

Word on the street is this ain't happening...or at least no time soon.

[Snowden352]

Which? The Bridgehead or the I-5 underground?

[pdxman]

I honestly believe that i-5 will never be buried...i'd like it to be but with the feds giving out less and less for roads every year and living in oregon with an incompetent state government i just don't see it happening. :(

[Pavlov's Dog]

I honestly believe that i-5 will never be buried...i'd like it to be but with the feds giving out less and less for roads every year and living in oregon with an incompetent state government i just don't see it happening. :(I actually don't think it would require a whole lot of federal money. Selling the development rights along the river along the eastside would certainly pay for a lot of it. Creating one of those special incremental tax or whatever they call them in the Central Eastside could pay for a lot more.

What I'd like for the city of Portland and the state DOT to decide on a corridor and zone accordingly so it'll be cheaper and easier to build when the time comes.

[MarkDaMan]

Despite a lack of tenants, Bridgehead project lives on
Portland Business Journal - by Wendy Culverwell Business Journal staff writer

The Portland Development Commission has recommitted itself to an ambitious makeover of the Burnside Bridgehead, despite an apparent lack of success in attracting tenants to occupy the ambitious project.

Wednesday, the commission extended its development agreement with Opus Northwest LLC for 12 months past its Oct. 21 deadline. The commission said Opus remains the right partner for the project, but in extending the development agreement, commissioners say they want Opus to make regular progress reports to the public.

PDC Chairman Mark Rosenbaum suggested the agency isn't interested in partial redevelopment at the site, which consists of 4 acres at the northwest corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and East Burnside.

Rosenbaum said the commission wants a full project that maximizes the development potential of the property. If the time isn't right, he said the agency will shelve the Bridgehead project until it is.

Still, Rosenbaum noted that much progress has been made in the 29 months since PDC selected Opus for the high-profile undertaking.

Among other accomplishments, the site has been rezoned from General Industrial to Central Employment, which sets the stage for a high-density, mixed-use project. Railroad easements have been removed and PDC is negotiating easement agreements with the Oregon Department of Transportation and the city of Portland to eliminate as many barriers to good site design as possible.

"There has been a great deal of work done," said Bruce Warner, executive director.

The Burnside Bridgehead effort suffered a recent setback with the announcement by Columbia Sportswear that it won't relocate inside Portland. Opus and PDC had concentrated their efforts on recruiting Columbia and its decision left planners with a gaping hole in their plans.

Rosenbaum suggested the effort focused too much on Columbia and should have involved a larger search for tenants from the start.

The slowing market for condominiums delivered another setback. Condominiums were always a risky offering for the untested neighborhood. Still, financing them was easy and Opus had planned to construct 527 units of housing, including 135 units for low-income residents.

The stalled market for condos could result in fewer affordable units, since for-sale units would offset costs associated with providing homes to people earning 50 percent or less of the median family income.

In addition to housing, Opus proposed to construct 120,000 square feet of retail space, 100,000 square feet of flexible work space and 24,000 square feet of office space at the Bridgehead site.

wculverwell@bizjournals.com | 503-219-3415
http://portland.bizjournals.com/port...ml?t=printable

[zilfondel]

I hope this project doesn't get off the ground. The reason is that it occupies the most likely site for where a future I-5 would go underground. I imagine that the freeway would go under 2nd Avenue Southbound and 3rd Avenue Northbound. The portal would probably have to be at about Couch. In my opinion moving the freeway away from the riverbank and underground is much more important for the vitality of the Central Eastside than this project.

I've heard it would go under MLK/Grand - don't forget that the railroad will have to be tunneled at some point (not an 'if') and the Big Pipe runs really close to the river - an I-5 tunnel would likely smack into the giant vertical 150' deep shafts they've sunk in the area.

Among other accomplishments, the site has been rezoned from General Industrial to Central Employment, which sets the stage for a high-density, mixed-use project. Railroad easements have been removed and PDC is negotiating easement agreements with the Oregon Department of Transportation and the city of Portland to eliminate as many barriers to good site design as possible.

Wow, 29 months for rezoning and eliminating a couple of easements. These guys are just so on the ball with this one!

OPUS should be fired.

[Snowden352]

Was Opus responsible for the rezoning or the PDC?

[zilfondel]

private developers dont rezone, the city rezones. If someone requests it... like the PDC.

[ScizzoTX]

Any ideas on when this project will get started?

[tworivers]

My guess is either 2011 or never, at least in current form.

I would gladly support a smaller-scale project with Beam in the driver's seat.