[PacificNW]

http://easylink.playstream.com/katu/050715_condos_pkg.wvx

[ltsmotorsport]

sweeeeeeet.

[buildup]

Any pics? I couldn't get a visual on my computer.

[MarkDaMan]

an early concept drawing of Portland's new South Waterfront District
http://www.nc3d.com/albums/movies/ohsuvideo.thumb.jpg

These towers already under construction

OHSU (Oregon Health and Science Univesity) is building its new campus in the SoWa district connecting to the main campus at the top of a large hill by an aerial tram.

1st building going up
http://chatterbox.typepad.com/portlandarchitecture/images/rc1_1.jpg

and with the new campus there are going to be several condo towers, these guys are already under construction.

The Meriwether Towers:
http://www.thesouthwaterfront.com/Images/illus_res_opportunities.jpg

The John Ross:
http://www.thesouthwaterfront.com/Images/JR_hero_web.jpg

there are several more in the pipeline but the designs seem to change almost weekly so I will post more as they become more finalized.

[innov8]

Beautiful... That's going to be the best 35 acres EVER!!!

[MarkDaMan]

The Portland Aerial Tram will connect the OHSU main campus on Marquam (Pill) Hill
http://www.ohsu.edu/about/ohsufoundation/images/aerial_OHSU.jpg
to the OHSU Bioscience Campus in the SoWa district below it
http://www.portlandtram.com/PedBridge2_lo.jpghttp://www.nc3d.com/albums/ohsutram/184_Phasing_BG1400.thumb.jpg
construction has begun!

[phillyskyline]

interesting, very interesting...

[northface]

looking good!

[MarkDaMan]

Just announced as the newest SoWa tower, Atwater Place
http://www.thesouthwaterfront.com/Images/atwater_place.jpg

[MarkDaMan]

Live shot of development-(this camera shot isn't always live depending on weather)
https://www.binaryscience.com/swf/swf.jpg

[James Bond Agent 007]

^
*drools*

[MarkDaMan]

There are two major parks planned for the neighborhood. The orange buildings in the live shot above has just been purchased for $7mil and will be torn down and converted to park space sometime in 2006.

The Willamette Greenway will consist of Salmon Habitat restoration as well as plaza space and native plantings connecting to the waterfront condo towers.

http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=59781

http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=59764http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=59750

for tons more info about the parks, and some district stats, you can visit

http://www.portlandonline.com/planning/index.cfm?c=34291

[colemonkee]

The John Ross tower looks exactly like two towers proposed by Williams & Dame in Downtown LA.

[MarkDaMan]

Williams and Dame is actually the development company of this district too. Homer Williams is the developer and he rose to national acclaim after he built our Pearl district.

[StevenW]

very nice. :)

[MarkDaMan]

thanks to pdxstreetcar for making an updated list of SoWa projects over in our Northwest forum, here is the latest

Block Number --- Building Name (if known) ---------------- Status
Block 25 ---------- OHSU Bldg 1 ----------------------------- Under Construction
Block 29 ---------- Future OHSU Building --------------------- Proposed (underground parking garage under construction)
Block 30 ---------- "Meriwether" Condominium Towers --------- Under Construction
Blocks 32 & 36 ---- Future Public Park ------------------------ Proposed (currently Public Storage)
Block 34 ---------- "Atwater Place" Condominium Tower ------- Proposed
Block 35 ---------- "John Ross" Condominium Tower ----------- Under Construction
Block 38 ---------- Unnamed Condominium Tower ------------- Proposed
Block 39 ---------- Tramwell Crow Apartment Tower ---------- On Hold

South Waterfront Street & Sewer Construction ---------------- Under Construction
Aerial Tram -------------------------------------------------- Under Construction
Streetcar Extension to Gibbs Street --------------------------- Completed; Closed

[MarkDaMan]

It is amazing to me the MILLIONS of seemingly small details that have to come together to make a new district work. I will hold myself back from posting most of them as they don't always have a major effect on the district like a tall building or streetcar line would. However, in this district the auto is second class to bicyclist and pedestrians and I will go ahead and post info, and renderings if possible, of projects aimed at promoting the foot over fossil fuels.


-from the Oregonian
Preliminary work may begin in November on the Southwest Gibbs Street pedestrian bridge connecting the historic Lair Hill neighborhood to the fast-developing South Waterfront district.

Congress approved $11 million in federal transportation funds last week for the South Waterfront area, with $5 million designated for the bridge. The other $6 million will finance preliminary environmental work for improving traffic access to the area, including interchanges from Southwest Macadam Avenue to the Ross Island Bridge and Interstate 5.

The 700-foot pedestrian bridge will cross Interstate 5. It will link Southwest Gibbs Street from Kelly Avenue west of I-5 to Moody Avenue east of I-5. The route will be below an aerial tram that will connect Oregon Health & Science University to the South Waterfront. Two concrete pillars on either side of I-5 will support the steel structure, which will accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists.

"Today we are righting a wrong committed against one of Portland's oldest neighborhoods," said U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore. "It was wrong to cut that neighborhood off from the water."

Smith, U.S. Rep. Darlene Hooley, D-Ore., and city Commissioner Sam Adams were on hand Wednesday morning to announce the funding in the South Waterfront.

Lair Hill resident John Perry said he's happy to see the long-awaited pedestrian bridge reach this stage. The construction of I-5 isolated the neighborhood from the Willamette River and the South Waterfront district, and Perry said many Lair Hill residents will take advantage of easy access once the waterfront is fully developed.

"It's going to be an attractive place to go, so the bridge is really important to provide that link," he said. "People who live and work in South Waterfront are going to be coming along our neighborhood and going along (Southwest) Corbett to shops and cafes."

Preliminary work on the bridge is estimated to take six months to a year, and city planners said it's unclear when construction may begin.

There's also no date for preliminary work to begin on traffic improvements to the South Waterfront district. That depends on when the city receives the federal dollars, said Stacy Bluhm, a transportation project manager for the city.

About 25,300 vehicles used the Macadam Avenue interchange with I-5 in 2002, said Art Pearce, a city transportation planner. With condominium projects quickly going up, that figure is projected to rise to 35,000 cars each day in 2020.

[phillyskyline]

the John Ross building looks like the proposed Murano in Philly...

http://www.themuranocondominium.com/

[MarkDaMan]

Was visting the district this weekend and forgot this project. The Strand isn't actually in the SoWa district but is being built as the "gateway" to the district built on the streetcar line and the main road leading under the freeway bridge and into SoWa.

There are actually three towers under construction but their rendering only shows two...
http://www.movingtoportland.net/homes/strand.jpg

[MarkDaMan]

streetcar loop to be built in district
Streetcar extension would be tight fit
South Waterfront - Plans call for tracks in the space between a tram stop and an OHSU building
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
FRED LEESON

Planners working on the latest Portland Streetcar extension may need to squeeze tracks -- at least temporarily -- between the aerial tram terminal and a new medical building in the South Waterfront district.

A streetcar line wasn't on the table when planners originally mapped out a small public plaza between the tram terminal and a new Oregon Health and Science University building at Southwest Gibbs Street and Moody Avenue.

But now it appears that the plaza may be part of the best route for a streetcar loop running through the urban renewal area burgeoning with new condominium towers.

The plan calls for removing tracks from the plaza once the city extends Southwest Bond Avenue at an undetermined future date.

"No question it's narrow," said Carter MacNichol, a principal in the Shiels Obletz Johnsen planning firm, referring to the plaza route. "But we think it's feasible to do it."

The tracks would lie approximately 10 feet from the tram stop and 14 feet from the front door of the new OHSU building.

"While it's tight and pedestrians would be there, we think we can have a safe operation," MacNichol told the Portland Design Commission last week.

The proposal would have the streetcar travel southbound on Moody Avenue to Southwest Lowell Street, then turn left and head northbound back on Southwest Bond Avenue. The tracks would rejoin Moody Street in the Gibbs right of way.

The city hopes to extend Bond further north, and the streetcar loop would be extended with the new street. But Zidell Marine Corp., which owns that land, is not yet ready to redevelop it. A crane used by Zidell to build barges stands immediately north of the tram terminal, blocking a proposed extension of Bond at this time.

No one can say how long the temporary route would last.
"What proof do we have that this isn't the permanent solution?" asked Jeff Stuhr, a member of the design commission. "We've had too many instances when temporary solutions become permanent solutions."

"We know it's a compromise," MacNichol replied. "We're trying to find a compromise that works."

Vicky Diede, streetcar project manager for the Portland Office of Transportation, said planners looked at three other streetcar alignments before recommending the Gibbs right of way adjacent to the tram.

She said it was the "only practical and feasible way" to complete the proposed streetcar loop without serious interference with one-way streets planned for cars and trucks. She said Whitaker Street south of the OHSU building could not be used because the electrical system would interfere with magnetic resonance imaging diagnostic tools to be installed on that side of the building.

Besides the OHSU building, three high-rise condominium towers are being built near the proposed loop, and others are in planning stages. The aerial tram is scheduled to start ferrying passengers between the urban renewal district and the Marquam Hill medical campus in late September.

A streetcar extension, already built but not in service, will open next year traveling along Moody to Gibbs. In theory, construction of the proposed loop could be completed by late 2006, but the city has yet to complete financing for the estimated $13.5 million price tag.

The route selection ultimately will be made by the Portland City Council. The design commission serves an advisory role in portions of the city designed as design-review areas. The design review body earlier approved plans for the tram terminal and for the narrow public plaza between the tram and the OHSU building.

"There's a lot of stuff going on there, and it's not the way it was intended to be," said Tim Eddy, a design commission member, referring to the tram plaza. "It seems incredibly shoehorned in."

Phillip Beyl, an architect who worked on the new OHSU building, said it was too late to change that building to make more room between it and the tram. But as for adding the streetcar, he said, "On a temporary basis, we think it could actually work."

MacNichol said the streetcar has operated safely in heavily used pedestrian environments such as the PSU campus, where it crosses the South Parks Blocks and an urban plaza.

He said streetcar boarding platforms would not be placed next to the tram or OHSU building. Streetcars would pass the building about once every 12 to 15 minutes. "That's just a few minutes every hour," MacNichol said.

A final decision on the streetcar route is expected in about 90 days. MacNichol said the city would like to install the tracks before pavement is installed on new streets in the renewal area.

Fred Leeson: 503-294-5946; fredleeson@news.oregonian.com

[MarkDaMan]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/PacificNW/Portland2/Snapshot2005-09-2818-33-23.jpg
This is the footprint for a new building going up on Block 38. It looks to be a 31 floor condo tower. I'm unsure of its construction status as there seems to be work going on at the site, but no one has heard if this has received final city approval. Will post a rendering when one becomes available.

[MarkDaMan]

Cost of steel lifts tram's price tag
South Waterfront The aerial tram might now cost Portland $45 million, nearly triple the estimate from 2003

Saturday, October 22, 2005
FRED LEESON

Unexpected high bids for steel have raised the price tag of Portland's aerial tram by $5 million and launched another City Hall scramble to find extra money.

The steel bids, which came in at almost twice the estimates, could push the total cost to $45 million, or close to triple the estimated price from three years ago.

Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams, who manages city transportation matters, said project officials are trying to cut costs while preserving tram safety and the original design "within reason."

World demand for steel, driven in large part by fast growth in China, has pushed prices well above general inflation, said Vic Rhodes, project manager for Portland Aerial Tram Inc., a nonprofit company created by city government to build the tram.

Adams said he is talking with property owners, Oregon Health & Science University, the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Portland Development Commission about additional construction dollars. He said he would not seek more money from property owners in local improvement districts at both ends of the tram.

The 3,250-foot tram system would ferry passengers between the South Waterfront district and the Marquam Hill campus of Oregon Health & Science University.

Adams said he hopes to have a revised funding formula in place by Nov. 7. Time is urgent because 80 percent of the tram materials and labor have been committed, and construction is under way at all three tram locations -- two terminals and an intermediate tower.

The project completion date remains Sept. 30, 2006, but Rhodes said that is "an extremely tight schedule." He said a November opening might be more likely.

A $45 million budget would leave a contingency fund of approximately $3.7 million. Adams said the contingency is essential because the project is technically complex and more surprises could occur as work progresses.

Tram estimates started at $15.5 million during a design competition in 2003, then rose to $24 million, $28.5 million and $36.38 million. The last figure was part of a $40 million package approved by the City Council in April with a contingency fund.
Tied to OHSU plan

OHSU is constructing a 16-story building that will house medical offices, research facilities and a wellness center adjacent to the tram's eastern terminal in the South Waterfront district. It is on schedule to open next September.

The tram is a key element in OHSU's operations at the new building. "We are very concerned about getting both projects in on time," said Steve Stadum, OHSU's chief administrative officer. "But we realize there are always going to be scheduling issues."

The OHSU project is expected to be the first of several possible OHSU buildings on the Willamette riverfront. In addition, several high-rise condominium projects are under construction or in the planning stages in the South Waterfront urban renewal district near the tram's eastern terminal.

A funding formula approved by the City Council in April relied on property assessments on land at both ends of the project, tax increment urban renewal money from the South Waterfront, energy tax credits and a $4 million contribution from OHSU. The formula did not include any city general fund money.

Stadum said he doesn't expect the university to offer more than the $28.7 million it already has committed through property assessments and the cash donation. "I think they are satisfied with our contribution to date," he said of the city.

A new plan is likely to rely more heavily on urban renewal revenue from rising property taxes in the South Waterfront area. Urban renewal contributions amount to $3.5 million so far.

However, a larger contribution would mean less money available for streets, parks and other capital improvements normally funded by tax increment money in renewal districts.

Commitment to design

Rhodes said directors of the nonprofit tram company considered changing the design of the 185-foot intermediate tower that will lift tram cars over Southwest Macadam Avenue and Interstate 5. A lattice tower, looking like those that carry electric lines, was a cheaper alternative.

But Rhodes said the board wanted to keep its commitment to follow the design by Sarah Graham, a Los Angeles architect who won a design competition on the tram project in 2003.
Adams agreed with keeping the more expensive design.

Otherwise, "what you would be left with would be something that looked like a cheap ski lift at a bad ski resort," he said. Adams added that he didn't want to leave the city with an "ugly postcard" that could last 100 years.

Adams said the city also could face legal problems from property owners paying tax assessments for the tram if the project doesn't substantially comply with the plan adopted by the City Council.

However, Rhodes said engineers have found ways to achieve some savings on the intermediate tower by bolting instead of welding some steel plates, and by using different paint. Erection of the tower poses difficulties because of its unusual shape and angles. "There isn't a right angle in it," Rhodes said.

[Chad]

Hugh project!!

[MarkDaMan]

New tower, the Alexan, the design has been approved but the developer is seeking tax credits so it's still up in the air...
http://chatterbox.typepad.com/portlandarchitecture/images/alexan_1.jpg

[MarkDaMan]

recent and very awesome pic from the Oregonian showing SoWa with OHSU standing tall above it.

http://www.oregonlive.com/cgi-bin/prxy/photogalleries/nph-cache.cgi/cache=3000;/olive/images/4308/c1.jpg

[MarkDaMan]

Finalized tram renderings now under construction

Upper Terminal-will connect with new OHSU building
http://www.portlandtram.com/UpTwr4_lo.jpg

MidSpan-tram begins decent into SoWa
http://www.portlandtram.com/MidTwr1_lo.jpg

Lower Terminal-to be placed between Streetcar and OHSU first SoWa building
http://www.portlandtram.com/LoTrmns2_lo.jpg

Overview and route map
http://www.portlandtram.com/press/AG_Compsm.jpg
http://www.portlandtram.com/AerialRouteSM.jpg

[MarkDaMan]

New waterfront condo
Thursday, November 03, 2005
-- Dylan Rivera
Taking elliptical form The next South Waterfront high-rise condo tower would take the shape of a narrow football facing slightly northwest toward downtown Portland.

Known now as Block 38, the project is the latest developers are proposing for the massive high-rise redevelopment east of Interstate 5 and south of the Ross Island Bridge.

The 30-story tower will be unveiled today at a Portland Design Commission meeting and faces months of review before construction could start in mid-2006.

Like the John Ross tower, which was controversial and prompted a zoning code change last year, Block 38 is proposed to reach the district's maximum height of 325 feet. That is 75 feet taller than the taller of the two Meriwether condo towers nearby which are several months from completion.

Also like the John Ross, Block 38's architects have drawn an elliptical form, stretching it in the east-west dimension to minimize obstruction of views from neighborhoods west of the interstate.

Unlike the John Ross, Block 38's northwest alignment would allow more units on the northwest face to see downtown and a park planned in that direction, said Stephen W. Domreis, an architect with Portland's GBD Architects, which designed the project.

"The whole building has been sited to respond to that context," he said.

The tower would hold 279 units, and an accompanying five-story building would have 26. Units would average 1,100 square feet, about 125 square feet smaller than in the John Ross.

[MarkDaMan]

^scanned rendering by BaloneyJoe from the NW forum
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d63/snebulosa/block38.jpg

[MarkDaMan]

^Better rendering of Block 38, John Ross to the left and Atwater in the distance.
http://chatterbox.typepad.com/portlandarchitecture/images/block38rendering5.jpg

[MarkDaMan]

Fall fog over SoWa
http://i35.imagethrust.com/i/61202/dsc0975.jpg

[Chicago3rd]

Unbelievable! That MT. never fails to amaze me!

[MarkDaMan]

^simply gorgeous...isn't it?!?!?

[mSeattle]

That picture is really great with 1) sky, 2) the mountain, hills, 3) the fogged-in highrises and cranes and 4) the forest in the foreground. Very nice, Portland!

[InlandEmpire]

I LOVE that picture! One of my friends saw that view with the fog in person, and said it was spectacular. Sounds like it won't be too long before many more cranes pop up in the SoWa! Way go to PDX!

[colemonkee]

Words... can't... describe it. Should've... sent... a... poet.

Sorry, couldn't resist. Seriously, though, that photo is worthy of being in National Geographic.

[Jularc]

Amazing photo! :eek: What a view!

I remember when I was in Mount Hood... Wow the views!

[MarkDaMan]

anybody want to buy me an early Christmas present?

The Meriwether is 98% Sold
Five penthouses with city views are available. www.themeriwether.com

[MarkDaMan]

new rendering of "Block 38"

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/PacificNW/Portland1/Block38001b.jpg

[colemonkee]

Looks nice. It's strange that they make it look significantly taller than the John Ross. Aren't they both 30 stories?

[MarkDaMan]

yeah, they're both 325 feet...I think they were trying to depict the angle...the John Ross is on the far corner of the next block to this project.

[crow]

ohsu block 25 images...

[crow]

duh...

I WILL POST A COUPLE IMAGES OF THE MERIWHETHER TOMORROW

http://i39.imagethrust.com/t/95527/img6982.jpg (http://i39.imagethrust.com/p/95527/img6982_jpg.html)

http://i31.imagethrust.com/t/95528/img6986.jpg (http://i31.imagethrust.com/p/95528/img6986_jpg.html)

http://i38.imagethrust.com/t/95529/img6990.jpg (http://i38.imagethrust.com/p/95529/img6990_jpg.html)

[MarkDaMan]

awesome photo thread of current SoWa construction from PDX Streetcar
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?threadid=92882

[MarkDaMan]

Finalized Atwater Place rendering, now under construction

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/edirp/AtwaterPlace.jpg

[MarkDaMan]

Streetcar's route in South Waterfront is tight fit
Development - The extension isn't paid for, but the plan meshes with the tram and bicycle lanes
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
FRED LEESON

Squeezed in places by a bike lane and the aerial tram, the Portland Streetcar now has a route for its next extension in the South Waterfront district -- but no budget or target opening date.

The Portland City Council signed off last week on a 16-block loop that will carry streetcar riders southbound on Southwest Moody Avenue from Gibbs Street to Lowell Street, and then back northbound on Southwest Bond Avenue to Gibbs.

Cost of the work is estimated at $11 million, but a financing plan has not yet been proposed.

Earlier streetcar legs have been financed mostly from tax assessments on nearby property owners and urban renewal revenue generated by rising property values in renewal districts.

The Lowell extension would be the fourth leg since the streetcar began operations in 2001. Service was added earlier this year to RiverPlace and will be extended along Moody to Gibbs in September 2006.

"This is a few more blocks toward Lake Oswego," said Chris Smith, chairman of the streetcar's citizen advisory committee.

Streetcar supporters hope that the line someday will travel along a historic streetcar route that hugs the Willamette River bank between Portland and Lake Oswego.

Adding the blocks between Gibbs and Lowell, however, proved difficult logistically.

At the north end of the loop, the streetcar will have to share a narrow right of way with the aerial tram, which will land at its eastern terminal just a few feet from streetcar tracks.

A long-range plan calls for extending Bond Avenue and its streetcar tracks north of Gibbs, but that route is blocked by a crane used in barge-building by Zidell Marine Corp.

"This is temporary, until property to the north becomes available for redevelopment," said Vicki Diede, streetcar project manager for the city Office of Transportation, but no one knows how long "temporary" will be.

Another significant conflict arose between the streetcar and plans for a bicycle lane on Moody.

After numerous meetings, the transportation office devised a plan that allows both the streetcar and the bicycles to use the right side of Moody, with the bike lane ducking between the sidewalk and raised streetcar platforms.

"It's a slightly unusual design, but it looks like it will work," said Mark Ginsberg, chairman of a city bicycle advisory committee.

City Commissioner Sam Adams, whose office helped broker the compromise, suggested that the bike lane be paved in a different color between the sidewalk and streetcar platforms so streetcar riders "will know a bike might be whizzing by."

Diede said it was important for the city to approve a streetcar route now so that reconstruction of Moody and Bond avenues can proceed with track beds in mind. Otherwise, those streets would have to be torn up again when streetcar construction eventually begins.

The South Waterfront district will be the home of a new 16-story Oregon Health & Science University building as well several high-rise residential buildings under construction and in planning stages.

The streetcar is considered a key transportation link for the long-vacant industrial area that is growing into a new urban neighborhood.

Fred Leeson: 503-294-5946; fredleeson@news.oregonian.com

[MarkDaMan]

another block 38 rendering

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/edirp/Block38.jpg

[MarkDaMan]

posted by MitchE at PDX streetcar's photo thread.

Aerial shot of SoWa before construction began
http://www.sinecosine.org/forums/sowa_ortho_lg.jpg

Aerial "conceptual" rendering of district at buildout
http://www.sinecosine.org/forums/sowa_concept_lg.jpg

[colemonkee]

This is going to double the skyline of downtown Portland, not to mention the density of the West side.

[MarkDaMan]

OHSU takes green building higher
A new tower in Portland will be the largest to earn the world's top rating for environmental friendliness
Friday, December 02, 2005
DYLAN RIVERA

Flush a toilet in the new OHSU Center for Health and Healing after the building opens next year, and the water won't go into the city's sewer. Instead, it will be used to nourish the landscaping and fill a water tower that provides air conditioning.

And there's more to the building than its unique plumbing.

Rejecting the traditional flat, glass-walled high-rise look, the OHSU Center will have rows of solar panels protruding from its southern wall, generating electricity to help power the building and shade to keep it cool against summer heat.

Ventilating stairwells with natural breezes and using the natural rising of hot air and falling of cool air are among the conservation methods that will save the building's owners an estimated $400,000 a year in electric bills.

Combined, the elements appear to make the new OHSU building among the most environmentally friendly buildings in the nation, and probably the most eco-friendly biotech building in the world. Upon completion in 2006, it will be the largest building in the nation built to meet the top rating under the premier program for green construction: the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

For all those bells and whistles, most building owners would expect to pay a premium, at least in the short term. But to add financial audacity to ecological idealism, the building's engineers claim they saved money.

The building's engineering bill for mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems pencils out to 25 percent less -- $7.5 million -- than the $30 million budget of a conventional office building, said Jerry Yudelson with Portland's Interface Engineering Inc.

"We're getting a high-performance building on a conventional budget, which puts to rest the notion that green costs more," Yudelson said. "It can be done by local design teams that really work closely together and pay attention to the details."

Interface Engineering published a 48-page book detailing the environmental features it plugged into the OHSU tower. It has been distributing the glossy volume for free, including at the U.S. Green Building Council's annual conference last month in Atlanta.

Interface views the book as a challenge to its peers.
"When everybody hears LEED, they think it's going to add cost to the project, and that's not the case," said Andy Frichtl, an engineer who led Interface's team on the OHSU building. "Nobody realizes you can do this."

Only 13 buildings worldwide have received the platinum level certification, and none is in Oregon, according to the council's Web site.

Most of the platinum LEED certified buildings are small-scale offices for environmental groups, and none has energy-intensive uses such as the biotech research labs included in the OHSU building, said Paul T. Schwer, president of PAE Consulting Engineers Inc., one of four companies that bid for the engineering work on the OHSU project and lost to Interface.

In the new building, the "membrane bioreactor" that cleans toilet waste into nearly drinkable water will be a unique system for the Portland area, at least in an urban building, Schwer said.

Much of the drinkable water buildings use is wasted in toilets and other facilities that don't really need water so clean, he said.

"You save the drinking water for drinking," Schwer said. "Then you don't have to build the next reservoir on Mount Hood. It's thinking about the problems differently."

The system will flush some solids to the city's sewer system, Interface officials said, but only equivalent to about 1 percent of what a conventional building would send.

Patients waiting to see a doctor in the new building will be surrounded by air bouncing gently up and down. Radiators near the floor will heat the air. When it rises, as hot air does, the air will be cooled by chilled beams -- metal fixtures set to a low temperature. Then, the air goes down to the hot radiators, and the process starts over again.

The result will be a room that's designed to be more comfortable than those of conventional buildings where people are doused in a draft of hot or cold air, Frichtl said.

The chilled beams -- common in Europe -- will mean that section of the building won't have to have fans and other elaborate energy-sucking devices that tend use more electricity.

The upshot? The building will use about 62 percent less electricity than the state building code's requirements.

"That's off the charts," said Bill Nesmith, assistant director of the Oregon Department of Energy.

Dylan Rivera: 503-221-8532; dylanrivera@news.oregonian.com

[crow]

who is the architect?

[horatio_the_hermit]

this whole southh waterfront thing reminds me of the Beach crescent in Vancouver (BC). Like 8 towers with some constantly being added. Like its own little city.


Oh, that picture is the best ive ever seen on this website. It is now my background. Id be hard pressed to find any flaw. If i were, it would be the existence of Vancouver WA.

[MarkDaMan]

Vancouver isn't bad...in fact, I think it has potential to become a Bellevue type burb. Because of PDX, the buildings wont be as tall, but there are advantages to doing business in Washington over Oregon for certain industries. but need to be in the Portland market for qualified employees and the such. The only people to blame for Vancouver still cowering like a scared cat in a corner while Portland dominates the room as the Vancouverites themselves.

[sequoias]

Very nice redevelopment project, Portland will sure have a highrise boom in coming months.

[MarkDaMan]

new Atwater Place rendering, under construction
http://chatterbox.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/atwaterplace1b.jpg

[MarkDaMan]

new Alexan rendering
http://www.amaa.com/_uploads/photo/project/88_lg4_88_Alexan_04.jpg

[James Bond Agent 007]

^
Sorry, but that Alexan is boring. :D

[crow]

i agree. it is too repetitive....the good thing is that is a for-rent product, which the district is going to need if it wants to have any chance in hell of being something diverse. the pearl in many ways sucks, but one thing for sure is that it lacks diversity - in style and demographics.

[urban_encounter]

I am just completely stunned at the level of activity in Portland. If Ray Kerridge can bring just a fraction of the kind of development to Sacramento as Portland is experincing, it will completely transform our city.



Question for Portland forumers:

Does Portland have any difficulty building so close to the river (directly atop levees or adjacent the waterfront), due to flood control (ie army corp of engineers or environmental roadblocks???)

I mention this because of some of the difficulties (as mentioned above) encountered in building adjacent the River in Sacramento.

There are so many agencies involved it has made development over the decades cost prohibitive (and in my reasoning) has ended up causing developers to build cheaper tract homes in the suburbs, thus only hurting the environment in the long run....

Any similar problems in Portland?

[MarkDaMan]

urban encounter, I've been trying to no avail to find the one article I've read about flooding in the South Waterfront District. In 1996 that entire district was under water as the Willamette spilled over its banks. Homer Williams, the lead developer made a statement in the article that the entire district has been raised by 3 or 4 feet to the same flood level as the rest of downtown. It was my understanding that if SoWa flooded now, the entire downtown would be flooded too. He also mentioned that all buildings would have water pumps in their basement parking garages.

There aren't any levees in Portland to the best of my knowledge. Maybe some around the airport, but I couldn't say for sure. The entire downtown, SoWa, Pearl, well basically any part of the city abutting either the Willamette or the much larger Columbia are typically built above the 100 year flood mark.

[urban_encounter]

urban encounter, I've been trying to no avail to find the one article I've read about flooding in the South Waterfront District. In 1996 that entire district was under water as the Willamette spilled over its banks. Homer Williams, the lead developer made a statement in the article that the entire district has been raised by 3 or 4 feet to the same flood level as the rest of downtown. It was my understanding that if SoWa flooded now, the entire downtown would be flooded too. He also mentioned that all buildings would have water pumps in their basement parking garages.

There aren't any levees in Portland to the best of my knowledge. Maybe some around the airport, but I couldn't say for sure. The entire downtown, SoWa, Pearl, well basically any part of the city abutting either the Willamette or the much larger Columbia are typically built above the 100 year flood mark.


Thanks for the info Mark.

I was trying to recall my last visit to Portland and as far as I can recall I never remember seeing any levees just as you've stated. The entire waterfront had a natural look to it. That removes one level of bureaucracy right there (No Federal intrusion as to land use by the Army Corp of Engineers).

[pdxstreetcar]

i've noticed that when i'm down in the sowa district and walk toward the meriwether and john ross construction sites the street and ground level increases the closer you get to the riverbank which would follow what markdaman said about homer williams raising the earth

[MarkDaMan]

South Waterfront is ready for its close-up
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Fred Leeson
The Oregonian

A neighborhood unlike any other in Portland will finally start to blossom this year after years of planning and talk.

People will begin moving into slender condo towers with stunning views of downtown, Mount Hood and Ross Island. Patients and doctors will meet in a new medical building. Airborne visitors will be whisked silently to and from the neighborhood in silvery capsules suspended from a cable running to Oregon Health & Science University. The Portland Streetcar will provide a vital artery to downtown.

Although completion will take a few more years, the South Waterfront Central District (the official name) will show its face, springing to life from barren former industrial land south of the Ross Island Bridge.

It's the real test for many top architects and planners who worked on it. "Here, it's all being designed simultaneously," says Michael McCulloch, chairman of the Portland Design Commission, which reviews each new building proposal.

Even in the fast-growing Pearl District, architects have had a decade to learn from successes and mistakes. Not so on the South Waterfront.

"These developments are happening in quick succession," McCulloch says. "They are in sympathy with each other, but they are not evolutionary in terms of learning from each other."

The design commission has tried to make sure new buildings fit with their neighbors and create a pleasing pedestrian environment for residents and visitors. Many buildings will offer retail spaces at street level for neighborhood-oriented restaurants and businesses.

Further, a Portland Office of Transportation plan offers a unified approach to street furniture such as benches, street signs, utility poles and newsracks intended to lend a tasteful uniformity to the new district. Will it all work?

The answer will lie in the eye of each beholder. "It has been a challenge to imagine something as good as it possibly can be," McCulloch says.

Key elements to watch for this year:

Opening of the first condo towers, a 21- and 24-story duo called The Meriwether.

Topping out of The John Ross, a 31-story elliptical condo tower that will be the first to hit a 325-foot maximum height allowed in the district.

Completion of Building One, the start of a new Oregon Health & Science University complex that represents the university's first major expansion off Marquam Hill.

Start of service by the Portland Aerial Tram, that will carry passengers between the main OHSU campus and the central district in less than three minutes.

Extension of the Portland Streetcar along Southwest Moody Avenue from RiverPlace to Southwest Gibbs Street.

Clearing and planting of interim turf for a two-block neighborhood park bounded by Southwest Moody and Bond avenues between Curry and Gaines streets. Planning will come later for a permanent park design. "We don't want to start planning before residents move in," says Larry Brown, a Portland Development Commission senior development manager. "People who live there deserve to have a say in their park's design."

Fred Leeson: 503-294-5946; fredleeson@news.oregonian.com

[colemonkee]

I can't wait to see construction pics of the John Ross. Particularly because we should be getting twin 34-story versions of it in LA starting later this year [crosses fingers].

[MarkDaMan]

City needs more time to check its tram math
Portland - The PDC doesn't want to raise its contribution until it nails down a price -- now standing at $45 million
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
RYAN FRANK

City officials say they need another three weeks to figure out exactly how much its aerial tram will cost even as crews build foundations for the link between the South Waterfront district and Oregon Health & Science University.

The tram's construction has badgered City Hall for 21/2 years. The city-owned project broke its deadline and busted its budget. It's scheduled to open six months behind schedule, a timeline that might be extended again, and its price has nearly tripled to an estimated $45 million.

Leaders at the Portland Development Commission say they don't want to raise their contribution - now $3.5 million - until they know for sure what the tram costs. The commission, a semi-independent city agency, hired Pinnell Busch, a Portland-based construction management consultant firm, to search for savings and verify the city's transportation office cost estimate.

"We need to have a lot more confidence in the cost and the size of the problem we're addressing," said Larry Brown, a senior development manager at the development commission. "We really need to bring some outside expertise and fresh eyes to look at the project."

OHSU has worked on the tram idea since the 1990s. The City Council approved the idea in 2002, a move that persuaded the hospital to give up thoughts of a Hillsboro expansion in favor of the South Waterfront. The hospital's decision triggered $2 billion in private and public investments in the former industrial district.

At the time, city transportation staff said the tram would cost $15.5 million. But they left out contingency funds and fees for engineers and architects. Prices for steel, concrete and labor rose. And the tram's iconic design proved far more costly than anyone imagined.

Two years later, the cost surged to $28.5 million. In 2005, it hit $40 million. At that price, the city had a plan to pay for it.

OHSU, a public corporation that receives a slim part of its budget from the state, would pay $30.7 million. South Waterfront property owners would pay about $5.7 million through a local improvement district created to collect a special fee for the tram.

And property taxpayers within the North Macadam urban-renewal district would pay $3.5 million, up from $2 million originally.

Today, that leaves it $5 million short. That's where Pinnell Busch comes in.

Among its tasks, the firm will check the city's construction schedule. The tram was originally supposed to be done in March. But crews are now sprinting against the Sept. 30 deadline. The project is 31/2 months behind schedule, according to development commission documents.

Pinnell Busch will help figure out how much extra it would cost to meet the deadline.

"Sept. 30 is pretty optimistic," Don Gardner, the city's director of transportation engineering, acknowledges.

The firm's first report is due Jan. 31.

After that, the development commission will restart negotiations with people who represent two of the tram's primary funders: Steve Stadum, OHSU's chief administrative officer, and South Waterfront developer Dike Dame.

When they last left the tram, both sides favored the same idea to fill the $5 million gap. Under the proposal, the Portland Development Commission would double its investment to $7 million in property tax dollars. OHSU would kick in another $2.25 million.

Ryan Frank: 503-221-8564; ryanfrank@news.oregonian.com

[JBinCalgary]

great news for portland

[MarkDaMan]

Planners declare tram must go on
Project passes ‘point of no return’ as consultant eyes cost
By JIM REDDEN Issue date: Tue, Jan 17, 2006
The Tribune Although the city has hired a consulting firm to determine a final cost estimate for the Oregon Health & Science University aerial tram, there is virtually no chance the project will be canceled no matter how high the tab climbs.
“We passed the point of no return a long time ago,” said Art Pearce, project coordinator for the Portland Office of Transportation, which is managing the project.
The tram will connect two OHSU-related buildings, a biomedical research building on the university’s Marquam Hill campus and the Center for Health and Healing in the South Waterfront area that will be owned by the nonprofit OHSU Medical Group.
OHSU insisted on the tram before approving construction of the South Waterfront building, which is expected to help inspire up to $2 billion in private investment in the area by 2010.
The estimated cost of the tram has increased from about $8 million when it was proposed in 2001 to $15.5 million when the City Council approved it in 2003 to $40 million today — $45 million if you include an as-yet-unbudgeted contingency fund.
The Portland Development Commission has retained the Pinnell Busch management consulting firm to review the project and provide an independent cost estimate later this month or early next month.
Mayor Tom Potter and Commissioner Sam Adams, who is in charge of the Transportation Office, have promised to investigate why the original estimates were so low. But even if the Pinnell Busch estimate is significantly higher than $45 million, Pearce said, the city is committed to finishing the project. More than $10 million has been spent on the two construction firms hired to build the tram, Pearce said. Much of the money paid for steel for the project.
“The steel has been purchased and is sitting on the floor of the supplier or is being fabricated to meet the project specifications,” Pearce said. “It can’t be returned.” He declined to speculate about whether any of the steel could be resold.

Deadline approaches

In addition, Portland is legally obligated to complete the tram this year. The South Waterfront Central District Project Development Agreement signed by the city, OHSU and area property owners requires the city to deliver a working tram by September. Pearce said that if the project is not completed on time, OHSU Medical Group could sue the city.
“The two buildings are designed to be able to move patients back and forth quickly on the tram,” he said. “If the doctors can’t use their offices as designed, there’s the possibility of suing for damages.”
Other key players involved with the project agreed that it is too late to stop construction. OHSU spokeswoman Lora Cuykendall said there are no circumstances that would prompt the teaching university to support canceling the project. OHSU has invested millions of dollars in the buildings at both ends of the tram route that specifically were designed to accommodate it, said Cuykendall, director of OHSU news and publications.
South Waterfront developer Homer Williams also said it’s too late to cancel the project.
“The bottom line is, this is going to be built,” said Williams, whose company, Williams & Dane, also owns property in the South Waterfront area. “The city needs to buckle down and get it done.”

City’s share is unchanged

Pearce, Cuykendall and Williams all stressed that only a small portion of the tram budget is coming from Portland taxpayers. The City Council has agreed to spend $3.5 million in urban renewal property tax dollars on the project.
Of the remaining amount, $30.5 million is coming from the property owners at both ends of the tram — a little more than $24.7 million from a local improvement district formed by OHSU and just under $5.8 million from a local improvement district formed by the South Waterfront property owners.
OHSU is putting an additional $4 million in cash and $2 million in energy tax credits into the project.
So far, the city has not increased its $3.5 million commitment to the project. When the cost estimate jumped from $15.5 million to $40 million, OHSU increased its local improvement district share by nearly $11.5 million.
Williams said that even if costs go up and the city puts more money into the project, Portland taxpayers still will end up paying only a fraction of the total.
“People talk like the public is paying for the entire project, but that’s just not the case,” Williams said.

[MarkDaMan]

new Meriwether construction pic posted by dkealoha
http://images.snapfish.com/345%3A27433%7Ffp337%3Enu%3D3238%3E765%3E3%3C2%3EWSNRCG%3D3233464685438nu0mrj

[MarkDaMan]

new OHSU Building One (Women's Health Building) construction pic taken and posted on NW forums by dkealoha. The orange storage buildings in the foreground have been purchase by the city of Portland for parks space and should be demolished shortly as the last of the tenant evictions has been completed.
http://images.snapfish.com/345%3A27433%7Ffp337%3Enu%3D3238%3E765%3E3%3C2%3EWSNRCG%3D3233464685439nu0mrj

[MarkDaMan]

Potter shifts tram construction oversight to full council
South Waterfront - An upcoming work session will help decide who will manage construction
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
RYAN FRANK

Three months ago, Portland city Commissioner Sam Adams was the front man on the tram as its budget spiraled to $45 million. But the transportation commissioner is now seeing the spotlight of managing tram construction shift from his second-floor office to the full City Council.

Mayor Tom Potter sent out a memo Monday asking the entire council to call the shots on the project that Adams had led.

Adams says he's OK with Potter's ideas. After all, Adams says, he always consulted with his council peers anyway and knew they'd have to approve his ideas.

Potter said he's also opening the question of which department will manage the rest of the tram's construction to link South Waterfront to Oregon Health & Science University: Adams' transportation office or the mayor's Portland Development Commission.

"We need a clear sense of who is in charge and a clear path by which they keep the council involved," Commissioner Erik Sten said. The council must "get through the power struggle and into the management."

But the tram's management is the latest delicate diplomacy between Adams, the council's hard-charging junior commissioner, and the more laid-back Potter. They've butted heads more often than any other council members, most publicly on new reporting requirements for lobbyists.

Adams has taken some heat for the way he's handled the tram.

In October, the commissioner announced the aerial tram's long-spiraling cost jumped another $5 million to $45 million.

Within three weeks, he said, he hoped to figure out how to cover the cost bump. True to his hands-on management style, Adams led stomach-churning negotiations with South Waterfront developers and OHSU executives.

He backed away in December when the council asked the development commission to take charge.
Adams said he handed it over to the development commission because he got what he wanted: A commitment that the tram's rising costs wouldn't eat up money for South Waterfront's affordable housing, parks and riverfront greenway.

Originally approved at $15.5 million, the tram is projected to cost about $45 million and is due to start flying in September, six months behind schedule. A consultant's report is expected today to help verify the final cost.

After a Jan. 12 report in The Oregonian that gave details about the tram's increasing costs, Adams asked tram manager Vic Rhodes to resign as director of a non-profit managing construction. He announced Rhodes had stepped down even though he hadn't yet.

In his Monday memo, Potter called on the council to "provide policy oversight and direction for this project." The move matches with his call last year that the council, not individual commissioners, decide infrastructure issues.

The mayor plans to call a council tram work session on an undetermined date led by Bruce Warner, executive director at the Portland Development Commission. Portland's semi-independent redevelopment arm is contributing the city's share of the tram costs, at $3.5 million. Most costs will be paid by OHSU.

At the meeting, the council will help decide who will manage the rest of the tram's construction. City transportation staff worked on it so far. Adams said changing project managers could cost the city tram expertise and drive up costs further.

Commissioner Randy Leonard says the entire council is getting blamed for the tram's cost overruns, so they should all share responsibility for doing their homework.

"Clearly I need to start burrowing in on something that hasn't been burrowed in on enough," he said.

Ryan Frank: 503-221-8564; ryanfrank@news.oregonian.com
http://www.oregonlive.com/metro/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1138764330118900.xml&coll=7

[MarkDaMan]

one huge mud pit...can't imagine having to be out there after rain poured every day but two last month!

SoWa live pic, sometimes
https://www.binaryscience.com/swf/Images%5Ccurrent.jpg

[buffy]

I was talking with a friend of mine who is a project manager at the OHSU building and he said the next OHSU building could be started this year. It will have a similar look and be about the same height.

[MarkDaMan]

check out the John Ross in the "live" cam up a post. BEAUTIFUL!


OHSU's OGI school locating to SoWa!!!! :cheers:
OGI to leave Hillsboro for Portland site
OHSU move - The land will be sold to help endow research and teaching at the graduate institute
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
ANDY DWORKIN, ESMERALDA BERMUDEZ and DYLAN RIVERA
The Oregonian

The Oregon Graduate Institute, a science and engineering school founded in Hillsboro's high-tech corridor, will move to Portland by 2012, continuing its evolution into a medical engineering unit of Oregon Health & Science University.

The move to Portland's developing South Waterfront district will let OHSU sell 40 acres of prime real estate in Hillsboro. That should raise many millions of dollars, which OHSU says will help feed an endowment for OGI. School officials hope to sell the land as soon as fall, then lease space back for research and classes while they plan OGI's space in Portland.

The engineering school now occupies only part of the 270,000 square feet of buildings on its campus, and it will fill about 85,000 square feet of new space in OHSU's Schnitzer Campus. That 20-acre parcel between the Ross Island and Marquam bridges, which Schnitzer Investment Corp. donated to OHSU in 2004, will one day hold many of OHSU's classrooms. University officials said they do not expect to cut any OGI staff jobs or eliminate any OGI programs in the move.

OHSU and OGI merged five years ago. Since then, the engineering school has lost faculty, programs and hundreds of students as it moved away from basic computer sciences and emphasized medical engineering -- closer to OHSU's core purposes. The school is probably at or near a stable size, OHSU officials said, and will concentrate on increasing its research funding and endowment while tightening connections with OHSU's medical scientists.

"It's bringing full circle what we envisioned when we were planning the merger in the first place," OHSU provost Leslie Hallick said. "We're incredibly excited about this."

School officials hope to build a $60 million endowment to support research and teaching at OGI. So far, they have raised $22 million in donations. The land sale will cover a significant chunk of the rest, although Hallick said OHSU doesn't know how much money it will make. The school is talking to a broker now.

"Selling isn't going to solve the whole problem" of raising $60 million, Hallick said. "We still need to raise some funds. But what it does is make this (goal) reasonable."

But OHSU will be taking advantage of a time when billions of dollars are pouring into commercial real estate deals nationwide. The Hillsboro campus is surrounded on the west by the AmberGlen Business Center, a 217-acre complex that is the state's largest office park and indicates the desirability of the area. A unit of Principal Financial Group bought AmberGlen in November 2004 for $114.56 million, in one of the largest commercial real estate deals in the Portland area in recent years.

Hillsboro officials are excited by the shift. They dream of creating a new community similar to Tanasbourne on 582 acres of land in the city's east end, including the OGI parcel.

Planners envision a mix of homes, stores and other businesses -- some perhaps in five- or six-story towers -- along with schools serving the area's high-tech sector. The land is attractively situated for development, connecting Tanasbourne to the north with the MAX light-rail on the south.

"This is an opportunity for us to develop the area to a higher standard," Hillsboro Mayor Tom Hughes said. "It'll give us a chance to provide more housing close to the light rail."

The decision to move OGI continues a series of changes that have remade the school since combining with OHSU in 2001. The engineering school was founded in 1963 by then-Gov. Mark Hatfield at the urging of high-tech leaders, especially Tektronix cofounder Howard Vollum. The school was designed to offer graduate degrees and continuing education classes in applied physics, electrical engineering, computer science and management that could support the area's high tech businesses.

The school has moved away from some core computing areas, however, focusing on the intersection between technology and human and environmental health. That reflects OHSU's interests, including the establishment of a biomedical engineering program, something Oregon previously lacked, Hallick said.

In 2004, 10 computer science professors moved from OGI to Portland State University, as OGI shifted to more health-related science.

The shift in focus also reflects changes in funding for education, OGI dean Edward Thompson said. After Sept. 11, the dot-com bust and restrictions on foreign graduate students lessened support for computing and engineering, he said. At the same time, National Institutes of Health funding was increasing.

In that climate, OGI's student enrollment fell from 559 in 2001 to 245 this year. The school's research grant funding also fell from about $20 million in 2000 to roughly $9.5 million today. By moving OGI's faculty closer to the medical school and increasing the endowment, Thompson hopes to generate new research that will get the grant funding back to $20 million.

Hallick said moving OGI harmonizes with OHSU's plans to make the Schnitzer Campus "an education center where students of all disciplines would be together." Besides moving OGI to the land, OHSU's dental school will move to the campus, as well as many educational parts of the medical and nursing schools, such as classrooms and simulators for training, Hallick said.

The school and city are discussing the campus's design, which OHSU hopes will be more like traditional college buildings instead of not like the high rises planned south of the Ross Island bridge.

Andy Dworkin: 503-221-8239; andydworkin@news.oregonian.com
http://www.oregonlive.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news/1141185332117330.xml&coll=7

[MarkDaMan]

PDC devises plans for South Waterfront's first park
The Business Journal of Portland - 1:43 PM PST Wednesday

The Portland Development Commission said it has begun the process of siting the South Waterfront district's first public park.

PDC said demolition of buildings at a public storage site will begin in late April.

The project's first phase, set for completion this July, will include a perimeter sidewalk, a large open-space lawn, improved adjacent streets and temporary streetlights.

Park developers will remove the low levels of contaminants found around the site. The cleanup is funded by a $200,000 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Cleanup grant.

The park will contain a historic marker commemorating Portland's first log cabin, which sat near the park's site.

PDC expects the park to be fully developed in the next four years.

[citybuilder]

MarkDaMan, you seem to have all the info on the South Waterfront. I have heard that a new developer is getting ready to start down there. Have you heard anything about Promethius? I think they are coming up from California. A new face breaking into Portland should be good.

[MarkDaMan]

I haven't. On the PDC website this is all I could find:

"A representative of Prometheus Development, a private property owner in the South Waterfront District, said that Prometheus supports the Central District Development Agreement. Concerned was expressed however about affordable housing requirements that may fall to other District developers. If the Central District property owners build 16% of the required affordable units, this could mean that Prometheus (with only 8 acres of development) may be required to construct a disproportionate amount of affordable housing."
http://www.pdc.us/ura/north_macadam/2003meetings/20030707_minutes.asp

They also have a 2000 press release and in it is states:

"New developments in planning include a 9-acre waterfront development in Portland, OR, and two projects in Silicon Valley involving approximately 225 residential units and 200,000 square feet of office space."
http://www.prometheusreg.com/prom_news/5_15_00_Name_Change.html

It will be good for the district to get more than Willams and Dame developing. Adding in a little more diversity.

[crow]

SOWA looking east at Meriwhether / john ross
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e231/kwand/DSC01034.jpg
SOWA looking north OHSU / Meriwhether / john ross
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e231/kwand/sowa-s.jpg
meriwhether
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e231/kwand/MRWTHR.jpg
various shots of ohsu - RCB1
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e231/kwand/OHSU-N.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e231/kwand/ohsu-s.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e231/kwand/ohsu-s-up.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e231/kwand/ohsu-e-up.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e231/kwand/ohsu-ATRIUM.jpg

[MarkDaMan]

I have heard that a new developer is getting ready to start down there. Have you heard anything about Promethius? I think they are coming up from California.

I posted the question on the NW Forum, here is some additional info
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=100636

[MarkDaMan]

aerial tram 40% complete. The towers are just starting to come out of the ground.

OHSU has posted a few pics on their website here
http://www.ohsu.edu/ohsuedu/landingpages/tramupdate/

[MarkDaMan]

Thanks to CouvScott. Rendering of Block 46. I think the two smaller buildings are in the process, but not the larger tower yet.
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e214/couvttocs/98_lg1_Block_46_01.jpg

[tworivers]

does anyone have a comprehensive map, or know of a link to one, of south waterfront that includes the block numbers for every block from the ross island bridge south?

[MarkDaMan]

^There is one but I haven't been able to find it on the PDC website. I will keep looking if someone else doesn't post it.

[CouvScott]

From one of the original reports on the SWF District agreements. Sorry about the focus/resolution...

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e214/couvttocs/MVC-831F.jpg

[colemonkee]

So far all the buildings seem to be using the same tan stone/blue glass color scheme, including Block 46. Hopefully some of the other buildings will vary the color a bit to keep this area from looking like variations on the same design.

[CouvScott]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e214/couvttocs/MasterPlan-halfsize.jpg

[MarkDaMan]

^that's the one I was trying to find...Thanks!


So far all the buildings seem to be using the same tan stone/blue glass color scheme, including Block 46. Hopefully some of the other buildings will vary the color a bit to keep this area from looking like variations on the same design.

it is still very early, and there is a ton of land left to develop, but I agree. Things are getting a bit repetitious. Everything currently, except the OHSU building has been developed by Williams and Dame. I know of two other developers that own land in the district and we should be seeing some variation from them soon....I hope.

[CouvScott]

Also, I noticed while driving by the SWF today that they are tearing all the trees down and tearing up the parking lot of the Spaghetti Factory. I think this might be part of Promethius' property, but a block or two South from their one proposed tower. Maybe it will become a staging area.

[MarkDaMan]

^Ha, you noticed that too. My partner was like, check out the Spaghetti Factory's purple roof. I had never really seen it before and than noticed there were trees gone that used to block the full view. I'm glad to see it though, one of the sexiest roofs in Portland IMO

[CouvScott]

^Ha, you noticed that too. My partner was like, check out the Spaghetti Factory's purple roof. I had never really seen it before and than noticed there were trees gone that used to block the full view. I'm glad to see it though, one of the sexiest roofs in Portland IMO
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e214/couvttocs/osf_main.jpg
Definetly a great jewel on the waterfront. I think the price of spaghetti might follow the prices of steel, copper and concrete here in a couple of years. At least at this location ;) Now I have to figure out if they have public stock.

[MarkDaMan]

:haha:you never go anywhere without your camera do you?

Roof looks more blue than purple there...

[CouvScott]

:haha:you never go anywhere without your camera do you?

Roof looks more blue than purple there...

Actually, this photo was from the website, but I do keep my old digital camera with me for job walks. It helps me remember site conditions (and is good for the occassional shot for SSP). :D

[Hoodrat]

I LOVE Blue tile roofs!!!

I don't know why you don't see them more often on the more upscale residential and commercial projects with pitched roofs.

I am soooo sick of charcoal composition :yuck:

I did see alot of blue tile in San Diego, but I think that they'd be equally appropriate in the NW.

Again, asphalt shingles are so boring.

[tworivers]

mark and scott, thanks for the maps.
just what i was looking for.

[MarkDaMan]

flux73 provided this neighborhood update in the NW Forum

I was at a South Waterfront update meeting last weekend at the Discovery Center. Thought I'd fill you all in on what little I remember from the meeting.

Not sure if it's been discussed here before, but there are some interesting light fixtures that they exhibited. These would be the corner lamp posts. They have this fan shaped canopy that will shield pedestrians from the rain while they wait at the corners to cross a street. Very nice looking and also many great looking benches planned. Also they are going to be tearing out the storage sheds in a month or two and laying down grass for the preliminary park. A design for the park is still to be settled. If I recall correctly, the streetcar will begin service to the SoWa district in Sept. I THINK. There's going to be a Daily Cafe in the OHSU One Building and I think they will be starting up fairly soon. There will be a temporary waterway path, but not much more was said about that, like in regards to its length or where it will run. Atwater Place was announced and sales are starting very very soon (if not already). A conceptual drawing of the building on Block 38 was shown. I believe one of the other threads on this board showed it awhile ago. Anyhow, very interesting design. They said it was made to look like half of the building had "slipped". My understanding is that one half of the building will have all its floors be half a floor lower than the other half, or at least look like that from the outside. Not sure if the inside will maintain that half-height staggered design.

There will be an exit ramp off of I-5 North to get into the SoWa district. I asked about coming south on 405. Unfortunately, there isn't anything planned for that yet. Right now, you have to get off at 6th Ave (at the bottom of the hill from OHSU) and then go towards the Ross Island bridge before you can connect up to Macadam and finally getting into the district. Kind of a pain and I hope there are some future plans to deal with this.

They showed photos of the Tram foundations being poured. There's a stunning amount of rebar and concrete. Afterwards, Dike Dame made a funny sarcastic comment about Randy Leonard's remark that he would bring a truck and rip out the foundation himself if the project had to be halted - something like "Well, he can certainly try..."

I also asked about the powerlines - the ones that come across from Ross Island. What I was told was that they would be moved 200 feet to the north, and possibly may be run under the Ross Island Bridge itself.

Move-ins to the Meriwether start up within the next month. My parents and I have bought a place there, but we aren't planning to close until late July. We want to give the neighborhood a chance to settle in. I'm looking forward to seeing the neighborhood spring to life!

[pdxstreetcar]

i saw the work going on at the Promethius' property but it looked like it was just PGE digging. The vehicles were all PGE trucks.

SoWa update, taken April 1, 2006:
http://static.flickr.com/38/123546821_e97f015675_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/42/123547582_498808e9c7_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/40/123546818_5ac7965361_o.jpg

[MarkDaMan]

i saw the work going on at the Promethius' property but it looked like it was just PGE digging.

great pics! I went to the OSF for dinner this weekend and there was a sign on the "Promethius" property...maybe it was too far south to be their property, but it was the property where a bunch of work is going on. Anyway there was a sign on the fence that said, pardon us while we expand our parking, ~Old Spaghetti Factory....EEEEWWW!

[MarkDaMan]

Next wave hits South Waterfront
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
DYLAN RIVERA
Even as workers begin to put the finishing touches on the South Waterfront's first condo towers this month, developers have designs on even more high-rise construction in the area.

The long-awaited expansion of Oregon Health & Science University at the site has coincided with intense demand for urban condos. Riding that trend, Portland development companies led by Homer Williams and Mark Edlen have taken the area from lines on a map to construction on the ground since 2003, selling condo buyers on their vision of a lusher, taller riverfront version of the Pearl District.

Now, big names in real estate are ready to join the party.

The next large chunk of waterfront construction will be led by Prometheus Real Estate Group Inc., a Bay Area developer that manages 14,000 apartment units and owns 1 million square feet of commercial space in four western states.

Prometheus recently presented a master plan to the city calling for six towers on a four-block, 10-acre riverfront parcel. The first tower would have about 240 condo units, not unlike the 1,000 condos the company has developed elsewhere. The $500 million in construction will, in coming years, fill in the riverfront between the pair of construction cranes on the site now and the Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant just to the south.

With streetcar tracks already extended to the area, new streets emerging all over and an aerial tram connecting the waterfront to OHSU's Marquam Hill campus apparently on the way despite a funding controversy, Prometheus is confident a neighborhood is replacing what was an industrial wasteland.

"It's an incredible area," said Jon Moss, senior vice president of development for Prometheus. "What the city of Portland has done in getting the infrastructure and the transportation is key."

It's an about-face for Prometheus, which unsuccessfully sued Portland when the City Council rejected its plans for a low-rise, gated community on the same site in 1996. But the city later rezoned the area for high rises and persuaded OHSU to expand at the waterfront. Condo buyers have scooped up units, with little more than floor plans and faith to go on.

As with other area land owners, Prometheus has agreed to help pay for the tram and streetcar construction, Moss said. The company won't need the zoning changes and public assistance for infrastructure that the original Portland-based developers required. Other issues, such as who will pay for a waterfront park, have not yet been worked out.

The California company's master plan won praise from the Portland Design Commission on Feb. 16 for its incorporation of a planned riverfront greenway, said Troy Doss of the city's Planning Bureau. It would have first-floor townhouses face a planned riverfront greenway and build a plaza extending greenway elements between two towers.

Ironically, it was the company's litigation 10 years ago that prompted the city to plan the area in earnest, Doss said.

"The lawsuits . . . started the waterfront planning," Doss said. "Now they're coming in with some of the more progressive thinking in master planning their site."

[MarkDaMan]

here is my first attempt at a project rundown

SoWa Development

Under Construction

Block; Name/use; Completion
30....... Meriwether................. Apr-Oct '06
32,36... Neighborhood Park....... interim amenities Sum'06
25...... OHSU Center for H&H.... Nov 06
29...... OHSU underground garage... Nov 06
35...... John Ross............ Summer 07
34...... Atwater.............. Winter 07
Streetcar... extension to Gibbs... Sept 06
Tram..................... Fall 06

Planned

block
38 to start construction summer 06; 30 stories 325 feet
41 to start construction fall 06; 240 ft-Prometheus
46 to start construction fall 06; 20 story tower, two shorter buildings
39 Pending city review...........; 230 feet apartment (Alexan)
42,44,45 to be announced.....; 240-325' Prometheus
27,37 to be announced..........; 250' North Macadam Inv
31 to be announced...........; 325' North Macadam Inv
24,28,29 to be announced.....; 125'-325' OHSU
33A, 33B pending funding.......; 250' affordable housing; OHSU garage
23 to be announced...........; 250' possible hotel
Greenway pending funding
Streetcar pending funding

[wrendog]

wow.. that is an awesome devolopment..

[MarkDaMan]

CouvScott took some pictures from the Oregonian story above and posted them in the NW forum.

The first pic is a map of SoWa, the second is a conceptual look at Prometheus towers based on preliminary plans. On the left corner is the NMI's Block 38, also an affordable housing tower, and Atwater.
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e214/couvttocs/MVC-847F.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e214/couvttocs/MVC-850F.jpg

[MarkDaMan]

CITY COUNCIL WATCH
Thursday, April 20, 2006
The Oregonian

South Waterfront plan approved, 3-2

A divided City Council approved $43 million in new city money Wednesday to continue building public improvements in the South Waterfront district.

Background

The 3-2 vote OKs the basics of a new financial agreement with Oregon Health & Science University and North Macadam Investors, South Waterfront's lead developers, for $177 million in public improvements through 2011.

The deal would expand taxpayer's commitments to $113 million for the aerial tram, affordable housing, streets, parks and a riverfront greenway, among others. The remainder would be covered by OHSU, developers and property owners.

The city's Portland Development Commission will start work on a formal agreement that will come back to the City Council in about two months.

Mayor Tom Potter and Commissioners Sam Adams and Dan Saltzman supported it. Commissioners Randy Leonard and Erik Sten voted no.

The vote went as expected, though not before Leonard peppered city staff with questions. Leonard said he felt burned by approving the tram in 2003 and recent public barbs between himself and OHSU executives.

By the same 3-2 vote, the council also approved new debt to pay for the $57 million tram and agreed to increase tram builder Kiewit Pacific's city contract.

The council has now approved up to $78.3 million in city debt to pay for South Waterfront projects. It will be repaid by property tax revenues and fees charged to property owners in the area.

Kiewit Pacific, a division of Nebraska-based giant Kiewit, won a $17.8 million contract in 2005. Wednesday's vote nearly doubles the contract to $34.8 million.