South Waterfront News

[soleri]

SoWa is dead to me.

Wow, this belongs out in the burbs.

The problem with SoWa is less architectural mediocrity than the arbitrariness of its urban footprint. I doubt even if that apartment building were cutting edge it would give its neighborhood cachet let alone a heartbeat. There's simply not an organic transition to the rest of the city. All the highway spaghetti around it may as well be a moat.

There are a lot of bad buildings in every urban paradise. Take heart that this one is in an area not many people would care about anyway. It's too bad there weren't some evocative old warehouses there to anchor the new development. Think what Pearl would look like without its treasure trove.

[urbanlife]

SoWa is dead to me.

Wow, this belongs out in the burbs.

This just made me laugh. It is obviously bland and probably does little to help with the establishment of the SoWa neighborhood. But in time the neighborhood will eventually begin to mature and will find its place in Portland. The proximity of it, I don't see it ever being anything more than a collections of towers in a sleepy isolated neighborhood, which works for people who like that or people who work at OHSU.

[zilfondel]

It's too bad there weren't some evocative old warehouses there to anchor the new development. Think what Pearl would look like without its treasure trove.

There actually are, between SW Moody and Macadam.

Anyways, this proposed building seems to lack any architectural soul... its just a conservative box with brick cladding and... EIFS? Even if they painted the non-brick a non-beige color it would be a massive improvement.

[65MAX]

I don't think EIFS is even allowed here anymore. It's probably Hardie panels. But regardless, not every building can (or should) be a showpiece. Background buildings are a necessary part of any urban neighborhood. Not defending the design at all, just not the end of the world to have a little mediocrity to contrast with the glitzier (?) neighbors.

[Mr. Walch]

Did you all catch that both the developer and architect for that hideous new building are from Texas. No disrespect to the state, but they are not from anywhere near here physically or culturally and perhaps don't understand that Portland is not a suburb of Dallas and as such aspires to a different aesthetic. Regardless of the reason, what a waste of materials.

[urbanlife]

Did you all catch that both the developer and architect for that hideous new building are from Texas. No disrespect to the state, but they are not from anywhere near here physically or culturally and perhaps don't understand that Portland is not a suburb of Dallas and as such aspires to a different aesthetic. Regardless of the reason, what a waste of materials.

That actually makes sense, I could see this apartment building somewhere in Texas and it would fit right in.

[riterpdx]

Looks like Zidell is getting the momentum building to start getting some development going on their property! I like the bridge idea..

http://hackforchange.org/hack-the-future-zidell-yards/

[MarkDaMan]

SUBSCRIBER CONTENT: Jun 27, 2014, 3:00am PDT
Cover Story: New school goes old school
Wendy Culverwell
Staff Reporter-
Portland Business Journal

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/print-edition/2014/06/27/cover-story-new-school-goes-old-school.html?ana=e_ph_prem&u=kFaEqOvgXoyG8%2FwIKsmMtmSIXCT&t=1404138615&page=all

What does a Texas oil drilling rig have to do with Oregon’s bold commitment to health and science education? A lot, it turns out. The new $295 million Collaborative Life Sciences Building rests on pilings that were rescued from a Texas oil operation.

The building, which took three years to construct near Portland’s South Waterfront, debuted this week. The collaboration between Oregon Health & Science University and the Oregon University System promises to rank among Oregon’s most sustainable new buildings and is gunning for the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest rating — LEED Platinum.

The building is designed to use 60 percent less water and 45 percent less energy than a comparable non-green building. Yet the design by Sera Architects and Interface Engineering doesn’t push the envelope in the conventional sense.
Gray water (the stuff coming out of sinks and sometimes showers) isn’t being harvested to use in toilets. There are no wind turbines, photo-voltaic panels or geothermal systems generating electricity on site.

But the 652,510-square-foot building definitely pushes the envelope in a literal way.

Lisa Petterson, director of Sera’s Sustainability Resources Group, said the firm borrowed a page from the Green Building Council’s LEED handbook and had the mostly glass envelope — or exterior walls — formally “commissioned.”

It’s a bit wonky, but commissioning a system means it gets tested to ensure it performs as designed. By commissioning the envelope, the designers ensure it doesn’t leak either air or water.

It was an unusual step.

Mechanical systems are typically commissioned as part of the LEED process, but not envelopes.

That, coupled with fashioning pilings from a drilling rig and sharing construction drawings electronically, are some of Petterson’s favorite green elements.

John McMichael, principal with Interface Engineering, said the entire building is worth celebrating, though his favorite green aspects are the incremental design steps that promise big results over its life.

Exhibit A: The laboratories.

Roughly two-thirds of air vented into the laboratories is drawn from unused areas of the building — a big departure from the standard practice of directly venting labs with air from the outside. Outside air has to be heated in winter and cooled in summer.

Recycling inside air reduces energy costs. Too, the air in the labs will refresh six times an hour rather than the standard 12 to 15 times, another energy saver.

“People are realizing that they just don’t need quite as much air in the laboratory,” McMichael said.

...

[MarkDaMan]

SUBSCRIBER CONTENT: Jun 27, 2014, 3:00am PDT
Cover Story: Introducing the medical school of tomorrow
Elizabeth Hayes
Staff Reporter-
Portland Business Journal

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/print-edition/2014/06/27/cover-story-introducing-the-medical-school-of.html

The Collaborative Life Sciences Building in the South Waterfront is open for business.

Not only is the complex, on Southwest Moody Avenue, the most imposing structure on that stretch of the Willamette River, it also represents a huge leap forward for Oregon Health & Science University’s educational and research missions.

“It will totally transform the educational mission and add significantly to our research capacity,” said OHSU Provost Jeannette Mladenovic. “In many ways, this is a unique opportunity for OHSU but also for Portland and all of Oregon.”

The design is geared to enhance cooperation across disciplines and among the three university partners — OHSU, Portland State University and Oregon State University.

“We built the building around the concept of collaboration and the spaces and architecture are set up so students, faculty and staff have to interact and bump into each other,” said OHSU Executive Vice Provost David Robinson.

Another noticeable feature is the openness — research and lecture spaces have glass walls, not the standard in OHSU’s aging buildings on Marquam Hill.
“On the hill, if you don’t have badge access, you won’t see the benches,” said Brian Newman, OHSU’s director of Campus Planning, Development & Real Estate. “Just like with education on display, we want to put research on display.”

Then there’s the cutting-edge technology, incorporated everywhere from the lecture halls with their sophisticated AV systems to the simulation theaters to the stadium-grade wireless.

OHSU expects the building to attract the best and brightest students and faculty. It will also allow it to expand programs. The medical school class, for example, will have room to grow from 120 to 160 students.

“This really changes everything in OHSU’s educational milieu,” Mladenovic said.
Atrium

Natural light pours in from the glass curtain walls to the east and glass roof. More light emanates from a public art installation of lights on the undersides of the elevated walkways. Communal spaces with tables and chairs and comfortable seating are scattered throughout, even on a suspended walkway.
PSU Lecture Hall

The front row of each tier of seats can swivel around, so students can interact in small-group breakout sessions within the 400-seat lecture hall, which will be used for biology and chemistry classes.

Lab space

Windows on either side not only allow for natural light, but a view of scientists at work.

Skourtes Tower: OHSU School of Dentistry

Dental simulation rooms feature mannequin heads with mouths agape so students can practice performing root canals and restorative work, such as fillings and crowns. Each work station has electric equipment and computers. There’s even a vacuum system to suck up the water from the instruments. The dental clinic treats 500-to-1,000 patients a day. Students are organized into “practices” and each manages a patient population. All told, there are 215 dental chairs and all-electric hand pieces, which are state-of-the-art in dentistry.

School of Dentistry lecture hall

Jutting over the promenade, the hall seats 200.

Low vibration microscopy suite

Located underground beneath the rear promenade, this is the most expensive corner of the entire complex — at $12 million in construction costs.

It’s here that Dr. Joe Gray will conduct pioneering work in early cancer detection, as well as research into treating advanced cancers.

“The ultimate goal is to use the instruments to understand what’s different between normal tissue and diseased tissue,” said Gray, director of translational research at OHSU’s Knight Cancer Institute and director of the OHSU Center for Spatial Systems Biomedicine.

Gray’s task requires not only high-powered microscopes, which the university already owns, but also an absence of vibration, which could mess up the lab’s high-resolution imaging.

Gray said the suite of six microscopy labs will contain $8 million worth of equipment, including electron microscopes made by Hillsboro-based FEI Co. that are among the most powerful available in the Northwest. The highest-resolution microscope stands 12 feet high and “looks nothing like a conventional microscope,” Gray said.

The microscopes will enable measurement of protein structures of genomic abnormalities, a view of the structure of individual proteins, and how they assemble into complexes, then into cells and into organs.

“It’s the Google Earth view of cells and tissues, which will help us understand how they function,” said Gray, a biomechanical engineer who is renowned for his work in cancer imaging and genomics. “This is a nontrivial undertaking. It requires an extremely high-precision microscope. The microscope can’t vibrate.”

Canceling out vibrations was no easy task. The building sits on squishy alluvial gravel. Buses and street cars run by regularly and barges on the Willamette River are equipped with low-rpm propellers.

To overcome those challenges, the suite was situated on a mote that’s separated from the rest of the building by 30-foot sheets of steel.

Concrete piles were driven more than 100 feet into the ground and there’s a four-foot-thick pad of concrete around the outside. A raised access floor sits on top of the concrete pad. The floors meet the specifications of electron microscope manufacturer FEI for optimal resolution for its electron microscopes.

“In terms of the ultimate resolution we can achieve with these instruments, we couldn’t achieve this on the hill,” Gray said.

Clinical simulation

There are eight simulation theaters, including general surgery, outpatient and maternity, complete with birthing mannequins and babies. Adjacent control rooms with mirrored glass allow professors to view and critique the students’ work, which they can later view in the debriefing areas. The rooms even allow for power outages to test students’ problem-solving skills. In addition, there are 21 patient rooms where actors pretending to be patients can sit on exam tables and flat screen computers line the corridor walls, allowing students to check virtual charts.

Learning studio, OHSU School of Medicine

The 360-seat room contains 12 screens and 12 projectors, with a partition in the center to break it into two separate classrooms. Windows around the back and sides allow anyone to peek in and see what’s going on.

Elizabeth Hayes covers health care for the Portland Business Journal.

[MarkDaMan]

Jul 2, 2014, 10:32am PDT Updated: Jul 2, 2014, 10:45am PDT
Zidells plan 2 new buildings that could permanently alter So. Waterfront skyline
Alli Pyrah
Staff Reporter- Portland Business Journal

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/real-estate-daily/2014/07/zidells-plan-2-new-buildings-that-could.html?ana=e_ptl_bn_exclusive&u=kFaEqOvgXoyG8/wIKsmMtmSIXCT&t=1404323555

The Zidell family, which owns 33 acres at South Waterfront, is planning to build an apartment building and an office building, Real Estate Inc has learned.

The family hopes to build the two new buildings near The Emery, an apartment building with retail units on the ground floor.

Matt French, a fourth-generation member of the family, said the two new buildings will be a similar scale to The Emery.

The Emery features seven stories that hold 118 apartment units.

French said the family is excited about the rare opportunity to develop an urban neighborhood.

“It’s going to be a very visible project with the views across the water so we are really interested in making a statement," he said. "We have a lot of creative license down here.”

...

Assuming the plans are approved by local government authorities, French said he believes the apartment building could be built in as little as two years. The office building may take longer, as potential tenants will need to be found in advance, but French said four years might be a realistic timeframe.

Possible tenants for the office building may include organizations that would benefit from the proximity to Oregon Health and Science University's new 500,000-square-foot Collaborative Life Sciences Building.

...

[pylon]

SUBSCRIBER CONTENT: Jun 27, 2014, 3:00am PDT
Cover Story: Introducing the medical school of tomorrow
Elizabeth Hayes
Staff Reporter-
Portland Business Journal
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/print-edition/2014/06/27/cover-story-introducing-the-medical-school-of.html
Thanks for posting this info, MDM.
I saw the external angles of the building to be reflective of lecture hall seating...
http://i58.tinypic.com/2ldjcj4.jpghttp://i60.tinypic.com/2h3apmo.jpg
...though don't know if that's really what it is.

The most southerly building has always reminded me of ING's "shoe building" in AMS,
worth checking out if heading down from the Centrum, past the old Olympic stadium
(done in the Amsterdam School style), to the Amsterdamse Bos...
http://www.homeownernut.com/uploadedfiles/2011/05/shoe-6.jpg
(from http://www.homeownernut.com/architecture-renewing-the-old-woman-style.html )


Closer to (my) home, and especially SoWa, is another healthcare education institution's
plan for expansion, The National College of Natural Medicine...
http://www.ncnm.edu/about-ncnm/campus-master-plan.php

cheers

[maccoinnich]

From Eater PDX (http://pdx.eater.com/archives/2014/07/01/south-waterfront-to-welcome-brewpub-and-wine-bar.php): new Gastropub going in the former Soho Asian Fusion space; and a wine bar/restaurant going into the Ardea. I haven't been down there in a while - have all the new business in the Emory opened now? It seems like South Waterfront really has reached a tipping point now.

[Derek]

Lovejoy Bakers, Greenleaf Juicing and a flower shop are already open. Cha Cha Cha was supposed to open a few days ago but they're still wrapping up construction.

[Innovativethinking87]

I don't see how "similar scale to the Emery" can alter the skyline...

[maccoinnich]

Yeah, I thought that too. Still, the Emory is one of the best apartment buildings of recent years in Portland. So more of the same is a good thing.

[pylon]

Lovejoy Bakers, Greenleaf Juicing and a flower shop are already open. Cha Cha Cha was supposed to open a few days ago but they're still wrapping up construction.
The south/light rail-facing side of the building had an Elephant's Deli liq.lic.app posted
on the glass. Noticed it walking around the building yesterday, which is now open...
http://i58.tinypic.com/2j45zm1.jpg

Things should pick up when school kicks in...

[cronked]

From Eater PDX (http://pdx.eater.com/archives/2014/07/01/south-waterfront-to-welcome-brewpub-and-wine-bar.php): new Gastropub going in the former Soho Asian Fusion space; and a wine bar/restaurant going into the Ardea. I haven't been down there in a while - have all the new business in the Emory opened now? It seems like South Waterfront really has reached a tipping point now.

Yes, and a new "upscale" restaurant was just announced for the Ardea.

http://m.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/real-estate-daily/2014/06/south-waterfront-tower-adds-upscale-restaurant.html?ana=e_ptl_real&s=newsletter&ed=2014-06-23&u=olGExpq1FIScmMskbfdklyVH8SL&t=1403550584&r=full

[maccoinnich]

More retail for South Waterfront. I imagine that Starbucks will be pretty busy once PMLR opens.

OHSU research mecca gets a coffee shop and deli

Starbucks and Elephants Deli will open this fall in the OHSU Collaborative Life Sciences Building in South Waterfront.

The $295 million OHSU Collaborative Life Sciences Building opened its doors last month at the foot of the Tilikum Crossing "Bridge of the People" transit bridge. The 650,000 square foot tower is expected to improve training for medical professionals in Portland and provide better education for over 3,000 students.

...continues at Portland Business Journal (http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/real-estate-daily/2014/07/ohsu-research-mecca-gets-a-coffee-shop-and-deli.html).

[cronked]

I read today on the Facebook South Waterfront page that OHSU will begin construction of a new building in November, 2014. The site will be one block south of the existing Center for Health and Healing Building where the entrance to the underground parking garage is. Has anyone else heard this? I originally heard rumors that building was slated for 2016. I'm fairly certain the person who posted it on Facebook was not an official OHSU spokesperson and I am unable to find any other info on it. I live down there and it's kind of strange because we usually get notices from the city about stuff like this. We even got a notice for the "Go By Tram" sign long before they put it up.

Thanks.

[MarkDaMan]

^My understanding is that will be one of the Knight Cancer Center's two new buildings in South Waterfront. The state has already set-aside $200M to help with the $500M we need to raise to get the matching $500M from Knight.

[Derek]

Was that park always slated for future construction?

[MarkDaMan]

^Yep

[Derek]

I figured, I always thought the garage entrance was a little awkward. :P

[pylon]

Cha Cha Cha- soft opening this Monday (7/14), official on Tuesday.
Chairs and a long bar are located outside, just off the ped/bike path.

Lovejoy Bakers has a few Adirondack chairs along the same path.

The combo of morning sun, folks enjoying outside seating, and foot/bike traffic
going by reminds me of The Strand pathway vibe down in SoCal; a bit.

Looks like we're beginning to see enough "facilities" down there to support a proper pub crawl,
from Three Degrees at the top of the Riverplace (inc. their new-ish outdoor bar),
down to the wine bar going into the Ardea.
I wonder if urban planners ever factor pub-crawl-ability into their equations.

[downtownpdx]

Block 37 design not ready yet

GBD Architects' design for a six-story South Waterfront building needs more work to gain city approval.

Read more: http://djcoregon.com/news/2014/07/11/block-37-design-not-ready-yet/#ixzz37K1unR2K

http://djcoregon.com/files/2014/07/0714_block_37_gbd_greenway_overview_web_lead-600x330.jpg

[Derek]

Does anybody have full access to the article?

[pdxstreetcar]

So where are these new Zidell buildings going? Hopefully one will be between the Emery and Gibbs Bridge on that vacant lot which would fill that in, the other though?

[Derek]

^That's an awfully small plot of land, and the topography is funky too.

[65MAX]

^That's an awfully small plot of land, and the topography is funky too.

???

That lot next to the Bridge/Tram is larger than the one the Emery was built on. And the topography is identical. That would be prime for Zidell's next building.

[maccoinnich]

I was cycling past the Benz Spring unit recently, and noticed the signage had been taken down. Curious, I checked Portlandmaps (http://portlandmaps.com/detail.cfm?action=Assessor&&propertyid=R327929&state_id=1S1E10DC%20%20700&address_id=674102&intersection_id=&dynamic_point=0&place=4330%20SW%20MACADAM%20AVE&city=PORTLAND&neighborhood=SOUTH%20PORTLAND&seg_id=500990&x=7645416.733&y=672847.054), and noticed it was sold earlier in the year, for $4.85 million. The concrete warehouse is only valued at $500k, so presumably this was bought with an eye to redevelopment. Does anyone know anything about this this?

More than anything else, I would be excited for this parcel to be redeveloped, because it would trigger a greenway review. A new section of multiuse trail along the river would link the Willamette Greenway trail to South Waterfront via the little used bike path behind the Old Spaghetti Factory. See Google Maps (https://www.google.com/maps/@45.4915007,-122.6711972,294m/data=!3m1!1e3!5m1!1e3). Right now the officially designated route involves a very narrow path along the side of the River Forum building.

[Derek]

???

That lot next to the Bridge/Tram is larger than the one the Emery was built on. And the topography is identical. That would be prime for Zidell's next building.


I'll have to have a better look. Maybe it just looks weird to me since it's elevated from the sidewalk.

[cronked]

I was cycling past the Benz Spring unit recently, and noticed the signage had been taken down. Curious, I checked Portlandmaps (http://portlandmaps.com/detail.cfm?action=Assessor&&propertyid=R327929&state_id=1S1E10DC%20%20700&address_id=674102&intersection_id=&dynamic_point=0&place=4330%20SW%20MACADAM%20AVE&city=PORTLAND&neighborhood=SOUTH%20PORTLAND&seg_id=500990&x=7645416.733&y=672847.054), and noticed it was sold earlier in the year, for $4.85 million. The concrete warehouse is only valued at $500k, so presumably this was bought with an eye to redevelopment. Does anyone know anything about this this?

More than anything else, I would be excited for this parcel to be redevelopment, because it would trigger a greenway review. A new section of multiuse trail along the river would link the Willamette Greenway trail to South Waterfront via the little used bike path behind the Old Spaghetti Factory. See Google Maps (https://www.google.com/maps/@45.4915007,-122.6711972,294m/data=!3m1!1e3!5m1!1e3). Right now the officially designated route involves a very narrow path along the side of the River Forum building.

I haven't seen anything about that specific site. Very interesting though. I did find a project called The Boathouse which is further south.

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/real-estate-daily/2014/06/developer-of-that-new-johns-landing-project-talks.html

Rumor has it that Cha Cha Cha in South Waterfront opens tomorrow (July 15th).

[pylon]

...
Rumor has it that Cha Cha Cha in South Waterfront opens tomorrow (July 15th).I was told that their happy hour menu will begin being offered this coming Monday, July 21st.
http://chachachapdx.com


btw, there's a Farmers Market in the SoWa, June-Oct, on Thursdays...
http://southwaterfront.com/farmers-market.html

and another, just an aerial tram-ride away, up on Pill Hill, Tuesdays...
http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/about/services/food-and-nutrition/farmers-market/

[RED_PDXer]

Tried to eat at Cha Cha Cha yesterday during lunch. The line was incredibly long! Ended up going to Bambuza, but just about everywhere we went was packed. Lots of people walking around and so many kids playing in the park. It really does feel much more complete down there now.

[PDX City-State]

Tried to eat at Cha Cha Cha yesterday during lunch. The line was incredibly long! Ended up going to Bambuza, but just about everywhere we went was packed. Lots of people walking around and so many kids playing in the park. It really does feel much more complete down there now.

I was there this week and thought the same thing. It's easy to forget that the first buildings opened in South Waterfront only seven years ago. It has really grown fast.

[cronked]

I was there this week and thought the same thing. It's easy to forget that the first buildings opened in South Waterfront only seven years ago. It has really grown fast.

I ate at Cha Cha Cha last Friday and it was packed. Barely got a table. It is great that they have so much outdoor seating. Pearl Bakers also gets pretty busy. Wait until this fall when the dentist school is in session. We should see even more traffic.

Not sure if I mentioned this before but a friend of mine put her condo on the market recently. She received an offer that was above the asking price within 12 hours of it being on the market.

A realtor has purchased retail space in the John Ross building. I believe it is the space that faces the courtyard next door to the dentist's office. I heard the availability of condos in SoWa is still below 1%. The Montessori school has expanded and taken over the empty space next door which was the last retail space in the John Ross that is located on the streetcar line.

[PDX City-State]

I ate at Cha Cha Cha last Friday and it was packed. Barely got a table. It is great that they have so much outdoor seating. Pearl Bakers also gets pretty busy. Wait until this fall when the dentist school is in session. We should see even more traffic.

Not sure if I mentioned this before but a friend of mine put her condo on the market recently. She received an offer that was above the asking price within 12 hours of it being on the market.

A realtor has purchased retail space in the John Ross building. I believe it is the space that faces the courtyard next door to the dentist's office. I heard the availability of condos in SoWa is still below 1%. The Montessori school has expanded and taken over the empty space next door which was the last retail space in the John Ross that is located on the streetcar line.

All great stuff! Ripping on South Waterfront has become a Portland past-time, but in a decade, it could very well be the epicenter of innovation for the entire city.

[cronked]

Here is a shot of the Zidell drive in theater that happened over the weekend:

http://bobcronkphotography.com/image/92268290588

if that link doesn't work, try this one:

http://bobcronkphotography.com/

[cronked]

I heard on Facebook that an amphitheater is being built under the Tilikum Crossing bridge on the west side. Has anyone else seen or heard about this? I may go down there tonight to check it out.

[davehogan]

I heard on Facebook that an amphitheater is being built under the Tilikum Crossing bridge on the west side. Has anyone else seen or heard about this? I may go down there tonight to check it out.

I'd assume that's the drive in theater under the Ross Island mentioned in the previous post.

[PacificNW]

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/health-care-inc/2014/07/ohsu-gears-up-for-500m-more-of-south-waterfront.html

[tworivers]

^^^

Proof that Randy Leonard was right when, during the media-inflamed controversy around the tram cost overruns, he threatened to “back up a tow truck and hook it up to the pilings and pull them out” himself. :koko:

[urbanlife]

^^^

Proof that Randy Leonard was right when, during the media-inflamed controversy around the tram cost overruns, he threatened to “back up a tow truck and hook it up to the pilings and pull them out” himself. :koko:

I am so happy Randy Leonard is gone, he could have easily turned into Portland's own Robert Moses. I never liked him and had no problem voting against him in every election.

[maccoinnich]

Of course-of course-the Oregon Live nutjubs are out in force, complaining about the fact that $200 million is coming from the State. As if a 5:1 private:public funding ratio is a bad deal for the taxpayers.

Oregon Health & Science University receives $100 million anonymous gift toward cancer challenge

http://imgick.oregonlive.com/home/olive-media/width620/img/health_impact/photo/13270914-mmmain.jpg

By Nick Budnick | nbudnick@oregonian.com
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on July 28, 2014 at 10:23 AM, updated July 28, 2014 at 12:17 PM

An anonymous donor has given $100 million to Oregon Health & Science University to help a fundraising challenge intended to generate $1 billion in cancer research.

In September Phil and Penny Knight promised $500 million for OHSU's Knight Cancer Institute if the university could raise another $500 million in two years.

The gift has propelled OHSU over the $400 million mark. It is shooting for $1.2 billion in all, intended to lure scientists and accelerate the development of drugs to control the advance of cancer. Knight Cancer Institute director Brian Druker has been a leading figure in the field since his work on with the drug Gleevec and chronic myeloid leukemia a decade ago

...continues at the Oregonian (http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2014/07/oregon_health_science_universi_29.html#incart_river).

[urbanlife]

That is good news, Portland moves a step closer to being the city that one day cures cancer.

[2oh1]

I wondered what would happen if OHSU couldn't reach their half of the 500 million mark. Well, I'm sure glad it looks like we'll never find out. Phil Knight's offer was a brilliant move. Why give 500 million when you can instead use the lure of your 500 million donation to create a billion dollar investment? This really is fantastic news.

[PacificNW]

Great news!

[cronked]

Got lucky with this shot the other night during the lightning storm. Can't wait for the Starbucks and Elephant's deli to go in the new building! They now have signs up and are making great progress on the build out.

http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums/b640/cronked/tumblr_n9nlfwrJmR1r6pzafo1_1280_zps1a605f6c.jpg

[2oh1]

Holy cow, man. That's fantastic.

[pylon]

Got lucky with this shot the other night during the lightning storm. Can't wait for the Starbucks and Elephant's deli to go in the new building! They now have signs up and are making great progress on the build out.
Gorgeous. Thanks for sharing, neighbor.
(I didn't even know that light show happened)

Noticed music playing over some speakers coming off the aerial tram
this morning; lower station. Has the sound system always been there?

PS I really like the Tilikum bridge towers- short, squat, and with a kind of art deco minimalism due to the angles.

PSS Seeing quite a few out-of-towners on the 4T Trail and tram lately, due to MLS A-S game tomorrow.
More cooperative temps over the next few days should make those endeavors more enjoyable.

cheers

[pdxf]

Got lucky with this shot the other night during the lightning storm.

Wow, that shot is incredible. Nicely done!

[maccoinnich]

EROSION CONTROL

https://placesovertime.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/3706.jpg

After several iterations in front of the design review board, Block 37 is looking more and more SoWa-esque. The approximately 300′ long groundscraper is set to front the Willamette River just south of THA and GBD’s Atwater Place. The ‘frontage’ maintains the eroding forms created by its neighbors, and adds some retail activity along the greenway at the Gaines Street turnaround.

The central parking structure’s entrance has been moved closer to SW River Parkway, which will reduce the distance automobiles have to traverse down the pedestrian-oriented Gaines Street. The designers have also reduced the building’s encroachment into the public ROW, a definitive sticking point amongst the project’s detractors. Materially, the envelope has been simplified from the originally proposed hodgepodge of cladding to a three-tone brick, wood, and metal panel scheme.



...continues at Places Over Time (http://placesovertime.wordpress.com/2014/08/13/erosion-control/), with more images.

[Derek]

The author mentions the typical Portland block of 200'x200' and how the project feels long to him. I'm really curious to see what happens with the long block between SW Curry and Gaines.

[cityscapes]

I just hope that over the news few years SOWA gets some more 300+ ft buildings to the north and south of the existing towers. It would make for a nice visual continuity towards the OHSU / Zidell development towards downtown especially when driving North on I-5.

[bvpcvm]

Crane is up at block 43.

[Derek]

Two vacant storefronts at Riva on the Park have been leased!

Growler Guys will be going in at 3739 SW Bond and Mo's Cuts barbershop will be going in at 0630 SW Gaines.

[cronked]

Two vacant storefronts at Riva on the Park have been leased!

Growler Guys will be going in at 3739 SW Bond and Mo's Cuts barbershop will be going in at 0630 SW Gaines.

Everything is awesome! :cheers:

[maccoinnich]

DJC Oregon reports (http://djcoregon.com/news/2014/08/22/third-time-is-the-charm-for-block-37/) ($) that Block 75 has been approved by the Design Commission.

[Derek]

DJC Oregon reports (http://djcoregon.com/news/2014/08/22/third-time-is-the-charm-for-block-37/) ($) that Block 75 has been approved by the Design Commission.

Block 37 ;)

[maccoinnich]

Oh, you knew what I meant.

[Nunya]

Mostly a tease but hopefully where there is smoke there is fire in the not to distant future.

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/real-estate-daily/2014/08/zidells-keenly-evaluating-potential-for-creative.html

Quote from one of the Zidell family in the article:
"We are keenly evaluating the office market and believe that we are well positioned to build creative office space," said French. "As values and work cultures have changed over time, so have the priorities for for what companies are looking for in their office space."

Quote from the article author:
a major office development in South Waterfront could be a game-changer for tech companies and other creative businesses.

Not sure the quotes attributed in the article imply 'major' or there was additional things unquoted, but I'd be happy with something major.

[maccoinnich]

Some great photos if you click through:

Making connections: the Collaborative Life Sciences Building

http://chatterbox.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c86d053ef01b7c6d3bb1e970b-500wi

BY BRIAN LIBBY

At the Collaborative Life Sciences Building, there is a lot going on.

For starters, it’s really not one building that comprises its 650,000 square feet but three: the 12-story Skourtes Tower on the north end, the smaller South Bar to the south, and a large glass-ensconced atrium in between that includes wood-wrapped auditoriums at the building’s front and back entrances.

There are also three different schools occupying a variety of classroom, laboratory and office spaces located here: Oregon Health & Sciences University is moving the first two years of its MD program to the CLSB, as well as its entire School of Dentistry. Oregon State has its joint program with OHSU in pharmacy here and Portland State University has moved its undergraduate biology and chemistry departments to the building.

Having this cross-section of institutions and students (some 3,000 will come here each day) isn’t just a matter of the trio of schools pooling their resources. It’s also a chance to encourage the kind of cross-disciplinary interaction between students and faculty that often leads to scientific breakthroughs and synergies.



...continues at Portland Architecture (http://chatterbox.typepad.com/portlandarchitecture/2014/08/exploring-the-collaborative-life-sciences-building.html).

[maccoinnich]

Didn't agree with the WWeek's decision to name Gert Boyle as the donor, but I'm glad that they're able to make lemonade out of it:

The story behind Gert Boyle's $100-million gift for cancer research at Oregon Health & Science University

http://imgick.oregonlive.com/home/olive-media/pgmain/img/oregonian/photo/2014/08/29/-6a7f0bee0e46bf24.JPG

Behind the $100-million donation that Gert Boyle made anonymously to Oregon Health & Science University last month was a seven-year friendship based on the memory of her late sister, Hildegard Lamfrom.

On Friday OHSU for the first time confirmed that Boyle, the chairwoman of Columbia Sportswear, made the mystery donation announced last month. The announcement came in the form of a humorous Facebook video after Boyle agreed to release the institution from its confidentiality commitment to her.

...continues at the Oregonian (http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2014/08/the_story_behind_gert_boyles_1.html#incart_river).

[davehogan]

Apparently SoWa has a bit of demand. My friend was telling me he just got notice that since his one year lease is up his rent will increase from $1050 to $1450 if he wants to stay in his apartment.

[innovativethinking]

Apparently SoWa has a bit of demand. My friend was telling me he just got notice that since his one year lease is up his rent will increase from $1050 to $1450 if he wants to stay in his apartment.



Geez that's a huge jump

[2oh1]

Yikes. I didn't realize Oregon doesn't have laws to prevent rent from being jacked up that much for tenants. Holy cow, that's more than a 1/3 increase in a single year.

[davehogan]

Yikes. I didn't realize Oregon doesn't have laws to prevent rent from being jacked up that much for tenants. Holy cow, that's more than a 1/3 increase in a single year.

I should clarify. I found out they were on their second six month lease, but hadn't been there a year yet when they got notice. Apparently after a year the rules are tighter, but for the first year it's pretty lax.

[maccoinnich]

Zidell cleanup earns national kudos for shoreline restoration, soil work

http://media.bizj.us/view/img/867071/south-water-front-ross-island-bridge-south.png

The $20 million, private-funded cleanup of the Zidell Yards property has won top honors from the American Society of Civil Engineers Coasts, Oceans, Ports and Rivers Institute. The 32-acre parcel is south of the Ross Island Bridge and is being re-imagined as a mixed use development by the owner, ZRZ Real Estate.

Wendy Culverwell

The American Society of Civil Engineers Coasts, Oceans, Ports and Rivers Institute has honored the cleanup of the Zidell Yards property in Portland with its 2014 Project Excellence Award.

The cleanup of a 32-acre parcel on the Willamette following a century of industrial activity won in the large project category.

The award recognized the complexity of the privately funded $20 million project, completed by ZRZ Realty, which owns the property, and Maul Foster & Alongi.


...continues at Portland Business Journal (http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/real-estate-daily/2014/09/zidell-cleanup-earns-national-kudos-for-shoreline.html).

[urbanlife]

South Waterfront looks so weird when it is photographed by itself without anything downtown in the background. It makes it look like it is out of place and like Portland is trying to build a new downtown. But when the photo is to the north and you can see downtown, it makes it look like Downtown is just massively expanding.

[innovativethinking]

South Waterfront looks so weird when it is photographed by itself without anything downtown in the background. It makes it look like it is out of place and like Portland is trying to build a new downtown. But when the photo is to the north and you can see downtown, it makes it look like Downtown is just massively expanding.



Imagine if those buildings were all within that gap between the big pink and the Wells Fargo building

[urbanlife]

Imagine if those buildings were all within that gap between the big pink and the Wells Fargo building

Oh I know, I would love to see the West End get a bunch of residential buildings like what is in SoWa.

[Sioux612]

The whole district has an awkward feel to it. SoWa = Meh. However, I still have hope for the Zidell property.

You have a row of 32-floor towers surrounded by a row of 6-floor buildings - with more in the works? It wouldn't be as bad if these low-rise buildings weren't designed so cheaply.

[cityscapes]

The whole district has an awkward feel to it. SoWa = Meh. However, I still have hope for the Zidell property.

You have a row of 32-floor towers surrounded by a row of 6-floor buildings - with more in the works? It wouldn't be as bad if these low-rise buildings weren't designed so cheaply.

This is very true and it is awkward looking and feeling now but once there are taller buildings built there it won't look as weird. In that picture you can see just how much vacant land is still there to build on, once that's built up and the Zidell property gets developed and cohesively links SOWA to the OHSU area and Downtown it will feel like a real neighborhood.

[bvpcvm]

It's kind of funny how there's all this hype about all the development in Portland, and much more growth on the way (the article in the Times a couple days ago about climate refugees, for example), plus we have a ridiculously low vacancy rate -- and yet, mostly what we're getting is 5 story apts on Williams and Division (yes, there are other big projects scattered around too, but I'm talking numbers of projects in a given area). Why is so little happening in sowa, given all the empty land? I know there are a couple small projects there too, but I would expect to see 4 or 5 taller towers at least in the planning stages, given the market. At least *something* over 5 stories. And given how central it is, I would expect projects of a similar scale in downtown, too. What's wrong with this picture?

[maccoinnich]

I would guess that people are still feeling burned by 2008. There are three pretty tall buildings going up adjacent to each other in the North Pearl. That's probably where developers and lenders feel that there is money to be made.

[innovativethinking]

It's kind of funny how there's all this hype about all the development in Portland, and much more growth on the way (the article in the Times a couple days ago about climate refugees, for example), plus we have a ridiculously low vacancy rate -- and yet, mostly what we're getting is 5 story apts on Williams and Division (yes, there are other big projects scattered around too, but I'm talking numbers of projects in a given area). Why is so little happening in sowa, given all the empty land? I know there are a couple small projects there too, but I would expect to see 4 or 5 taller towers at least in the planning stages, given the market. At least *something* over 5 stories. And given how central it is, I would expect projects of a similar scale in downtown, too. What's wrong with this picture?


Tell me about it. I've been mentioning this for awhile now. In this market with Portland having the lowest vacancy in the country if not one of the lowest, I have no idea why there is not more PAW type level buildings being built. At the very least being planned. It's weird to me. It seems like the perfect receipe right now and we still can't get anything significant..

[cab]

For Downtown its the same problem as last building cycle. Look who owns the underutilized property. Nothing gets built in DT. The PAW is an anomaly. For SouthWaterfront, I bet it will lag behind the pearl a little, but I bet more will come on board soon. I have no hope for DT other than a random hotel, a government building or possible some PSU investment. The rest of the DT is locked up in parking. Sad because the one thing DT is missing are people living in it.

[eric cantona]

Tell me about it. I've been mentioning this for awhile now. In this market with Portland having the lowest vacancy in the country if not one of the lowest, I have no idea why there is not more PAW type level buildings being built. At the very least being planned. It's weird to me. It seems like the perfect receipe right now and we still can't get anything significant..

Portland BDS and other local jurisdictions are seeing a big uptick in the amount of projects they're reviewing. It seems most of that is private development by businesses expanding or moving here. The assumption is that all those companies that have been sitting on large cash reserves are finally needing to spend something on facilities and the like due to the economy improving. What we're NOT seeing is a lot of large speculative development. My understanding is that the banks are still being EXTREMELY cautious in construction/development lending, so that type of project is still on a recession footing, in essence.

[zilfondel]

It's kind of funny how there's all this hype about all the development in Portland, and much more growth on the way (the article in the Times a couple days ago about climate refugees, for example), plus we have a ridiculously low vacancy rate -- and yet, mostly what we're getting is 5 story apts on Williams and Division (yes, there are other big projects scattered around too, but I'm talking numbers of projects in a given area). Why is so little happening in sowa, given all the empty land? I know there are a couple small projects there too, but I would expect to see 4 or 5 taller towers at least in the planning stages, given the market. At least *something* over 5 stories. And given how central it is, I would expect projects of a similar scale in downtown, too. What's wrong with this picture?

I read that lending is still too tight. Taller buildings have significantly higher construction costs than 4 over 1s, so they need to charge a lot more... but developers are probably going for the low-hanging higher yield fruit right now. Property owners sitting on lots in the more expensive SoWa and downtown land are probably a bit leery of committing to building larger, more expensive projects.

"Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen last week labeled mortgage-market conditions "abnormally tight."

source: http://online.wsj.com/articles/easing-mortgage-lending-poses-a-conundrum-1411322579

Beats me why we are then seeing so many 3-4,000 square foot Renaissance Homes under construction in the neighborhoods, though.

[davehogan]

I read that lending is still too tight. Taller buildings have significantly higher construction costs than 4 over 1s, so they need to charge a lot more... but developers are probably going for the low-hanging higher yield fruit right now. Property owners sitting on lots in the more expensive SoWa and downtown land are probably a bit leery of committing to building larger, more expensive projects.

"Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen last week labeled mortgage-market conditions "abnormally tight."

source: http://online.wsj.com/articles/easing-mortgage-lending-poses-a-conundrum-1411322579

Beats me why we are then seeing so many 3-4,000 square foot Renaissance Homes under construction in the neighborhoods, though.

The cost per unit is way cheaper on shorter buildings that can get away with being made out of wood over concrete. Only high end apartments (which there really isn't a huge market for at the moment) and condos can support that.

The condo market isn't doing that well and the apartment market is booming, so it just makes more sense to build cheap short buildings that you can pack a bunch of apartments into. Once you get into building almost anything over 6 floors you're going to end up building structured parking which adds a lot to the price.

Why do one megaproject instead of doing five 35 unit buildings?

As for the houses a contractor I know who has worked on a number of them pointed out that many of the houses they're buying are cheap enough and the market for them is hot enough that they can make $100,000+ (often a few times that) per house even after the teardown and rebuild cost.

I saw one in Sellwood that from what I could find went from $209,000 to about $480,000. There's no way they spent even close to $271,000 to tear that down and build the new house.

[maccoinnich]

New TriMet path carves better route to South Waterfront, but PSU link still awkward

Posted by Michael Andersen (News Editor) on September 25th, 2014 at 3:55 pm

http://bikeportland.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/orange-line-path-lead.jpg

The wide sidewalk along SW Naito Parkway between Lincoln and Harrison.
(Photos: M.Andersen/BikePortland)

Thanks to TriMet’s nearly completed Orange Line, the main bike route to the South Waterfront got smoother this week.

But as we discussed in a post last week, there are still significant complications with the bike connections to Portland State University that could have been solved if it had been possible to run a bike/walk/skate path on the new MAX viaduct.

I spent a while in the area last night, comparing the various route options created by the new northwest/southeast path that now links Moody Avenue and Sheridan to Harbor Drive and River Parkway. Let’s start with the good news.

...continues at BikePortland (http://bikeportland.org/2014/09/25/new-trimet-path-carves-better-route-south-waterfront-psu-link-still-awkward-111429).

[Derek]

According to the SOWA facebook page, a 10 story Ronald McDonald House will be going in on the parking lot north of the Mirabella. A sky bridge will supposedly connect it and a new OHSU building going in to the south of the current one in the grassy park area. No source was provided, however.

[maccoinnich]

Tipping point reached in South Waterfront?

South Waterfront's Muselet Reveals Chef, Opening Details

Exciting details have emerged about Muselet, the 80-seat restaurant/bottle shop slated for the Southwest Waterfront's Ardea building. Chef William Harper, former sous chef of the now-closed Noisette, and more recently one half of the duo behind Ippai's kaiseki-style pop-up, will lead the kitchen.

Harper has worked in some of Portland's best restaurants, including Biwa, Castagna, Clarklewis, and Paley's Place. But he's spent time in Asia as well, as an apprentice at Kichisen in Kyoto (two Michelin stars) and RyuGin in Tokyo (three Michelin stars), two experiences that inspired his kaiseki popup.

...continues at Eater PDX (http://pdx.eater.com/2014/10/8/6944325/south-waterfronts-muselet-reveals-chef-opening-details).

[downtownpdx]

Sounds like a great spot, hopefully it faces the water?

[maccoinnich]

Sounds like a great spot, hopefully it faces the water?

This (https://www.google.com/maps/place/3730+SW+Bond+Ave,+Portland,+OR+97239/@45.4960386,-122.6708537,3a,75y,127.24h,84.92t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sde8iAnWpESSyvHKBfGk1Xg!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x54950a6788aabe93:0xdfda9a6a9c884961) is the space Muselet is going into, which faces SW Bond. I could be wrong, but I don't think South Waterfront currently has any retail spaces that face the water. As the Lucier / Quartet space proves (http://www.wweek.com/portland/blog-31421-quartet_finally_closes.html), facing the river is no guarantee of success. (That said, the rest of RiverPlace seems to do well).

[Derek]

Any updates on this?

DJC Oregon reports (http://djcoregon.com/news/2014/08/22/third-time-is-the-charm-for-block-37/) ($) that Block 37 has been approved by the Design Commission.

[maccoinnich]

It was appealed to the City Council (http://efiles.portlandoregon.gov/webdrawer.dll/webdrawer/rec/7026900/view/City%20Auditor%20-%20City%20Recorder%20-%20Council%20Agenda%20-%20October%2022,%202014.PDF). They tentatively voted to uphold the decision on October 22nd:

1109 TIME CERTAIN: 2:00 PM – Appeal of South Portland Neighborhood Association against the Design Commission’s decision to approve with conditions the 6-story, mixed-use building with 270 residential units, 8,359 square feet of retail area and 225 parking spaces at 3700 SW River Parkway (Hearing; LU 14-117884 DZM) 1.5 hours requested Motion to deny the appeal: Moved by Fritz and seconded by Fish. (Y-5)

TENTATIVELY DENY THE APPEAL AND UPHOLD DESIGN COMMISSION’S DECISION; PREPARE FINDINGS FOR NOVEMBER 5, 2014 AT 10:30 AM TIME CERTAIN

I wouldn't expect the Council to change their mind.

[Derek]

Thanks. :)

Hopefully this gets going soon.

[maccoinnich]

South Waterfront reconsidered

http://chatterbox.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c86d053ef01b7c6fe386f970b-500wi

BY BRIAN LIBBY

In its short life, Portland’s South Waterfront has had a tumultuous history. And recently there seems to be somewhat of a collective desire to re-evaluate where the neighborhood stands and gauge its successes and failures. Is it an exemplary high-density, transit-connected, pedestrian-oriented 21st century neighborhood, or is it a cautionary tale? Or both?

The long-range planning behind South Waterfront was rooted in statewide land-use planning goals to curb suburban sprawl not only with urban growth boundaries but also, by extension, re-claiming heretofore industrial and other under-utilized parcels of land. It’s the same playbook that helped give rise to the formerly industrial Pearl District’s lofts and condos. Like the Pearl, South Waterfront especially took off in the 2000s thanks to the robust and booming real estate market. Besides the reasons these new neighborhoods fit into broader density schemes, it was a time when condo towers were shooting up not just to provide housing but as part of a rampantly speculative market in which people bought property to turn around and sell for a profit. South Waterfront wasn’t as well located as the Pearl, being downriver from the urban core and pinned in by I-5 against the river, but it also had a core occupant besides the condo owners and a few retailers: OHSU in its burgeoning riverside campus, connected to its main Marquam Hill campus by the Portland Aerial Tram.

Then came the recession beginning in 2008, the price of the which for South Waterfront was not just the foreclosures but the lost momentum: the dwindled sense that this could be a vibrant urban place. More so than the Pearl, the South Waterfront was a kind of idea that had to be sold.



...continues at Portland Architecture (http://chatterbox.typepad.com/portlandarchitecture/2014/10/south-waterfront-reconsidered.html).

[maccoinnich]

OPB Think Out Loud did an hour long show (http://www.opb.org/radio/programs/thinkoutloud/segment/the-past-present-and-future-of-the-south-waterfront-district/) about South Waterfront earlier this week:

The Past, Present And Future Of The South Waterfront District

http://www.opb.org/images/upload/c_limit,h_730,q_90,w_940/southwaterfront5_k9bnh1.jpg

Not long ago, the Portland neighborhood known as the South Waterfront was all but written off as a failed experiment. At one time, city officials were hopeful that the district could become the next up-and-coming neighborhood, plunged serious money into it, along with the developers. The aftermath of the 2008 recession squelched those hopes, and it looked like the area might never develop the way the city envisioned.

But the South Waterfront has rebounded, and now stands as an attractive landing spot for businesses and residents, partly because of its proximity to the Willamette and a variety of transportation options. There’s also a big collaborative life sciences building, a senior living facility and some affordable housing.

We’ll spend this hour talking about the history of the South Waterfront, the reasons behind its rise in popularity, and what the area might look like in the future.

Do you live or work in the South Waterfront? Do you pass through it on your commute? What do you think about its development as a neighborhood? What would like to see it look like in 10 or 20 years?

GUESTS:

Daniel Nguyen: Owner of Bambuza Vietnam Kitchen
Floyd Skloot: Author and South Waterfront Resident
Dennis Allen: Director of Planning and Development at ZRZ Realty
Homer Williams: Co-founder and Chairman of Williams and Dame
Brian Libby: Journalist and Founder of the Portland Architecture Blog
Editor’s note: This show will be broadcast from the South Waterfront neighborhood at Bambuza Vietnam Kitchen, at 3682 S.W. Bond. We’d love to have you join us!

[maccoinnich]

It looks like the appeal of the approval of Block 37 was denied yesterday (http://efiles.portlandoregon.gov/webdrawer.dll/webdrawer/rec/7050494/view/City%20Auditor%20-%20City%20Recorder%20-%20Council%20Agenda%20-%20November%205-6,%202014.PDF); Design Commission decision stands.

1139 TIME CERTAIN: 10:30 AM – Appeal of South Portland Neighborhood Association against the Design Commission’s decision to approve with conditions the 6-story, mixed-use building with 270 residential units, 8,359 square feet of retail area and 225 parking spaces at 3700 SW River Parkway (Introduced by Commissioner Fritz; Previous Agenda 1109; Findings; LU 14-117884 DZM) 10 minutes requested

Motion to deny the appeal and uphold Design Commission’s design decision and adopt findings: Moved by Fritz and seconded by Fish.

FINDINGS ADOPTED

[maccoinnich]

DJC reports (http://djcoregon.com/news/2014/11/07/ohsu-set-to-hire-teams-for-two-south-waterfront-projects/#ixzz3ISo7Qo2i) ($) that "Oregon Health & Science University officials anticipates having firms contracted to design and build the $340 million Center for Health and Healing South in mid-December and having a project team in place for the $160 million Knight Cancer Research Building by early January 2015."

[maccoinnich]

Affordable housing in South Waterfront: Portland officials recommend decreasing goals

http://imgick.oregonlive.com/home/olive-media/width620/img/oregonian/photo/2013/12/14006441-mmmain.jpg

By Brad Schmidt | bschmidt@oregonian.com

Portland officials want to dramatically decrease their goals for construction of affordable housing in the heavily subsidized South Waterfront District.

The city is already failing to develop the affordable housing it pledged in 2003, with just one low-income project among the high-end condos that tower above the Willamette River.

Now, rather than attempting to meet decade-old city goals, officials for the Portland Housing Bureau want to lower the bar.

City officials have recommended decreasing South Waterfront affordable housing construction to 434 units, a 25 percent reduction from the original target of 582.

...continues at the Oregonian (http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/11/affordable_housing_in_south_wa.html#incart_river).

[urbanlife]

This should teach Portland a lesson, when a developer agrees to building low income housing along with high income housing but they will do it later, the developer needs to be told that the low income housing goal must be met near the beginning of the development of a district like this.

I knew Portland was going to get the short end of the stick on this one when the developers wanted to push back building low income housing for a while.

[2oh1]

This should teach Portland a lesson, when a developer agrees to building low income housing along with high income housing but they will do it later, the developer needs to be told that the low income housing goal must be met near the beginning of the development of a district like this.

The two goals need to be met at the same time, relatively speaking. Hoyt was building like crazy for a while there, and they shouldn't have been allowed to let the affordable units slide into the future. I remember touring one of their apartment buildings (not affordable) in late 2004. It was still under construction. By the time we returned to see what they still had available and sign a lease, the building had been flipped to condos. I have no problem with Hoyt getting the deals they got from the city, but I do have a problem with them not living up to their end of the deal. In the end, roughly 25% of the units were affordable, and that's great! But if the original deal called for 35%, then they could have and should have done better.

I knew Portland was going to get the short end of the stick on this one when the developers wanted to push back building low income housing for a while.

I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.

[bvpcvm]

Are you sure they flipped low income apts to condos? The only apt building i remember them flipping was the Lexus, but i didn't think it was low income.

[PDXDENSITY]

We need to be able to zone for it; it's currently not allowed. So we end up with incentive crap like this that they know will fail. It's just lipstick on a pig until zoning declares there must be low income housing included... Which we again cant do in oregon.

[maccoinnich]

Nick Fish says city shouldn't scale back affordable housing goals in South Waterfront: Portland City Hall Roundup

http://imgick.oregonlive.com/home/olive-media/width620/img/portland_impact/photo/9468032-mmmain.jpg

By Brad Schmidt | bschmidt@oregonian.com

Portland Commissioner Nick Fish said he believes it's too early to give up on achieving affordable housing goals for the South Waterfront District.

Fish, who oversaw the Housing Bureau from 2009 through early 2013, said the city should explore every possible option to subsidize affordable units in a neighborhood best known for its high-end condos.

"To recast the numbers, I think is a mistake," he said.

But the Housing Bureau, now under Commissioner Dan Saltzman, has proposed lowering affordable housing goals from 582 units to 434 units, a 25 percent reduction.

Housing Bureau officials recommended lowering the goals to provide a more realistic look at what they think could be accomplished.


...continues at the Oregonian (http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/11/nick_fish_says_city_shouldnt_s.html#incart_river).

[PDXDENSITY]

I still think it's just pandering if they keep giving tax incentives to developers. It should be zoned to have a percentage of housing for each wage scale without forcing upscale if not needed.

What this article mentions will create some numbers to be lauded; it works well in the Pearl, the incentive model... However, how will those numbers look in 20 years when there's no longer as intense oversight of the affordability numbers and the properties have shifted hands a few times? We're not doing it in a world class way here.

[2oh1]

Are you sure they flipped low income apts to condos? The only apt building i remember them flipping was the Lexus, but i didn't think it was low income.

I didn't say they flipped low income to condos. I made it clear it was not an affordable building. My point was that they seemed to be building 'em and moving 'em as quickly as they could. That's understandable, but I think they should have fully lived up to their affordable obligations.