[cab]

The Strand hopes to tie waterfront living to Pearl culture
by Alison Ryan
Daily Journal of Commerce
10/11/2005

So much is in a name. And that's especially true at the under-construction condominium trio The Strand.
Developer Jack Onder puts inspiration for the community's name in two locales: London and the beaches of southern California. London's Strand connects Trafalgar Square with Fleet Street at the edge of London proper; the word itself is derived from the old English for shore riverbank. And in California, it's used for the slim stretches of shoreline that link larger beaches. Both suitable monikers, Onder says, for a place that will tie new development along the Willamette to Portland's existing cultural center - and connect residents to the activity of the water.

The development of The Strand was a long time coming, Onder said. The land, which sits between Southwest River Drive and the Willamette River, was purchased from the Portland Development Commission. Initial requirements included 150 condominiums and a boutique hotel for the space. But post 9/11, tourism was down, and a hotel just wasn't going to work, Onder said. But the city's goal was to activate the waterfront, and Onder and his partners, Williams and Dame Development Inc., went back to the city with another idea - a restaurant.

The final community is a grouping of three condominium towers, two with 11 floors and one with 13, and a single-story restaurant. The glass and metal point towers are brick and metal at the base, where two-story townhomes offer another option for residents looking for a different feel. The total unit count is 189 condominiums and 27 townhomes.

The point towers, Onder says, were a master stroke. The original design had called for two shorter towers, but the idea for three point towers allowed just about every unit to get an eyeful of the Willamette.

"We said, wait a minute - if we do point towers, more units will have views," he said.

And views more units do have. Even many of the lower-level units and townhomes catch at least a glimpse of the river. The community's location right on the riverbank, set against Waterfront Park spaces on two sides and existing structures on the others, sets the homes up to have views for life.

Activity is a buzzword for the project. Residents will be able to take advantage of the river activity, and the proximity to the downtown core - and the closeness to the streetcar - makes for easy access to Portland's cultural hub as well. As a result, Onder said, its attracting buyers who want that closeness to both the natural world and the nightlife. Lifestyle, he said, is proving to be more important to buyers than age or background.

"Some of the buildings we did in the Pearl attracted people who are in the 60 to 80 age range. And they're out there. They're at restaurants. They're at gallery openings," Onder said.

Buyers are taking notice. The sales office opened a month ago on the one and two bedroom homes, which range from the high $200,000 mark to $3 million. The 136 units put on the market in April were reserved in a month and a half, Onder said, and the upper-level penthouse units that are being released now have had exceptionally high interest.

The connection to the waterfront for the public is key as well. It's no gated community, Onder said, and the airy, open feel created by the abundance of space between the glass-and-metal towers makes a big difference in pulling Portlanders down to the waterfront. In fact, said Mike Cline, principal at project architect Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects, foot traffic was at the forefront of thinking in the plan.

"It's designed in kind of a more European fashion where the car coexists with the pedestrians," Cline said.

The restaurant is expected to be a huge attractor. The Portland Design Commission latched onto the space during the approval process, Cline said, as not only a well-designed element but as a potentially great way to bring the Portland community to the waterfront.

"They really felt it was there great counterpoint and created the amazing space for the public," he said.

Construction began in February. The east tower is expected to be completed next September, with the north tower following along in November. Completion of the west tower is expected in spring 2007, with the entire project expected to wrap up soon after.

[edirp]

The West Tower of the Strand was just released. Units range from $319,000 for 792 square feet to over $2 million for a penthouse.

The release is for those already on the Priority Wait List. Units that are not sold to those already on the list, if any, will be opened up to the "public" for sale at a later date.

[pdxstreetcar]

This project seems to have shot up overnight

The Strand has changed the feel of riverplace but for the better, already it feels more urban and ties the taller buildings by the marquam into the rest of the neighborhood.

[MarkDaMan]

taken 2/11
http://static.flickr.com/21/100164233_c58ad6324c_m.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/38/100164229_949171c98d_m.jpg

[CouvScott]

East Tower is topped out.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e214/couvttocs/MVC-845F.jpg

[der Reisender]

Really impressed with how fast this project has shot up, riverplace always seemed like it was missing something, kinda on the downtown periphery. I think this will create more activity there (along with streetcar and SOWA) and will really liven the area up. thanks for the pictures!

[MarkDaMan]

^maybe we can get someone to tear down the burbian monstrosity of apartments between the Strand and Waterfront Park and build more Strand type towers?

[brandonpdx]

^I like the mix of smaller wooden structures. It's nice to have height variation and something more than just steel and glass.

[MarkDaMan]

^They just look so...Beaverton...I'm actually not against varying heights, but I'd like to see modern architecture instead of the "McMansion" style apartment buildings.

With the Strand, SoWa, and the entire Riverplace district coming more alive, I hope that (cement) Boardwalk with all the empty store fronts around the Marina comes alive. That could be a happening spot with the right infrastructure and tenants.

[crow]

that area really has a huge potential. although it feels very suburban. i admit i lived for a short period in that drab apartment building, which was 75 percent business travelers...it seemed more like a hotel. anyway the walk to work along the river away from the traffic was very pleasant. the walk home was just as nice, with the ability to stop for a happy hour snack and beer. with more real residential properties going up in that area, i am sure it will change for the better. portland has such a huge asset such as the river. development south and development on the east will only further magnify the beauty of the city!!!

[zilfondel]

A couple of shots of the Strand, taken on Wednesday 4/19:

http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/6783/strand12or.jpg


http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/6353/strand22pj.jpg


http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/988/strand33cr.jpg

[zilfondel]

And a couple more!

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/8241/strand48rh.jpg


http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/2549/strand53fb.jpg


http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/3715/strand60uy.jpg


http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/3475/strand70dd.jpg


http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/3392/strand84ax.jpg

[zilfondel]

Note that there are still 2 lots of land available near the Strand - 1 directly to the south, and one SW of it to the N of the substation. Both are around 1 acre in size.

[sirsimon]

^^^^ Are those the lots that the PDC is seeking bids for?

[zilfondel]

?

The only lot I know of the PDC seeking bids for is the one in the Lloyd district (Cascadian). Any other sites would be news to me!

[pdxstreetcar]

the one directly south of the lloyd the pdc put out an rfp about 6 months ago

[cab]

You really didn't hear much about this project before it started contruction. It just sort of turned around quick. I have to say its awesome up close. The buildings have just the right mass, they avoid the slab and work really well with the park. Because there are three buildings the project also gives the area a lot more oomph, if you know what I mean. It seems it may be enough to give the area the critical mass it needs to be a destination spot.

[bvpcvm]

It seems it may be enough to give the area the critical mass it needs to be a destination spot.

...and maybe to finally get a Starbucks! :D

[pdxstreetcar]

true, riverplace doesnt have a starbucks now so you know one will be opening in the strand

[zilfondel]

No retail in the strand.

There will be, however, a new restaurant opening between the two towers and the park. Huge. 10,000 sq ft, seafood restaurant. Very modern design. Construction hasn't started yet.

Eww, starbucks? There's already 150 of them in Portland! We need more independent coffee houses. Try Segafredo Zanetti, it's 5 million times better.

http://www.segafredo.it/

(and most popular coffee chain in Europe & Italy) <-- they have one on NW 18th and Lovejoy.

[bvpcvm]

Eww, starbucks? There's already 150 of them in Portland! We need more independent coffee houses.

I was being facetious... though I'll bet it won't be long until one arrives.

[awg]

The buildings have just the right mass, they avoid the slab and work really well with the park.

What do you mean by slab?

[dkealoha]

I was just down there last night for Cirque du Soleil and the buildings up close are really nice. I love the color of the glass and the white panels in between the windows. It will be amazing for the people living there when it is warm out like yesterday. Walking by there along the river was so nice!

[der Reisender]

still amazed at the pace they are building the strand, feels like i've been down there in the last 2 weeks yet there is a major visible change. it definitely seems that they have done a good job designing the buildings, that restaurant that will be added in will have some nice (and probably expensive) river views

[MarkDaMan]

1 directly to the south, and one SW of it to the N of the substation

what's the deal with the substation? can/will it be moved elsewhere in the future?

[cab]

awg,

200ft, by 100ft buildings. See the new OHSU building or most of the pearl. Slabs are more like walls then actual towers.

[awg]

The slab doesn't bother me so much as uninspiring design--though I prefer a well-proportioned building as much as the next person.
I think it should be noted that an office building will almost always dictate a slab floor plate. Comparing OHSU's medical office building with high rise residential is not very helpful.

[MarkDaMan]

Comparing OHSU's medical office building with high rise residential is not very helpful.

I think OHSU has stunning architecture on Pill Hill...STUNNING! The shape of OHSU H&H has been a disappointment to me, though up close the building is fantastic.

[cab]

"office building will almost always dictate a slab floor plate" Why is that? Big pink is a tower not a slab. Most of the office buildings are towers, small and boxy, but still towers. The Pearl is filled with residential slabs, with the cave units that slabs bring to design. You can pretty them up with materials (see the eliot), but slabs will never have the same elegance as a true tower. Just think of the the PDX main train station tower if its proportions had been rectangle slab. Its the icon it is because its a true tower.

[pdxstreetcar]

its all about proportion, this is why i love the benson tower so much

[saeternes]

Not to mention that it provides LIGHT indoors...

[awg]

Big pink is a tower not a slab. Most of the office buildings are towers, small and boxy, but still towers.

This is not true. Big Pink is one of the largest slab floor plates of an office tower in the city (20,000 sf). It may even be the single largest (Wells Fargo is 18,000 sf). And because of its unique shape (which was derived from its unique site shape) it casts the largest and longest shadow in all of Portland (the diagonal is 239' compared to Wells Fargo at 188'. If there ever were a "wall of a building" in this city, this is it. See image below.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e309/awg5/USBancorpTowerPlan.jpg

A standard office tower is very prescriptive about its dimensions. They are derived from a 10' deep office, a 5' corridor, 8'x8' workstations, and the elevator and stair cores. That's it. Tall buildings have fundamental building blocks that need to be addressed. Tall housing towers are the same--though the building block dimensions are different. That is why it muddies the waters to discuss housing towers and office towers. They are fundamentally different.

[zilfondel]

That doesn't even count the attached parking garage. Which. Is. Horrible!
If that thing were to come down, replace the parking with underground, and add some more office space... it would go a long way to help that area!

[CouvScott]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e214/couvttocs/strand2.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e214/couvttocs/Strand1.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e214/couvttocs/Strand.jpg

[Dougall5505]

Not much on this recently has anyone seen a rendering with all three buildings?
http://static.flickr.com/76/171838297_e1fd0d9e63.jpg?v=0
http://static.flickr.com/78/171838917_b7abda7e24.jpg?v=0
http://static.flickr.com/62/171839381_c941a02582.jpg?v=0
http://static.flickr.com/48/171840630_8e64bd95ec.jpg?v=0
Looks like all three have topped out

[hi123]

Great looking project! any pics of the progress? also... what is the building in the middle the complex going to be ? has it started construction?

[Dougall5505]

all three have topped out the third is going to be identical to the second

[Dougall5505]

from the bridge pedal:
http://static.flickr.com/95/214255247_226852be50.jpg?v=0
http://static.flickr.com/87/214256158_adf969ad93.jpg?v=0
http://static.flickr.com/69/214257739_3ecd2da8ca.jpg?v=0

[tworivers]

Riding accross the Marquam today, I found myself thinking (again) that they should have built the tallest tower, closest to the river, twice as high. It would have de-emphasized the Marquam a bit, and added some height between downtown and South Waterfront. The three towers are too blocky and close to the same height for me. Oh well...

Nice shots, Dougall.

[Dougall5505]

im waiting for parcel 8 to be developed that could have some potential

[bvpcvm]

Riding accross the Marquam today, I found myself thinking (again) that they should have built the tallest tower, closest to the river, twice as high. It would have de-emphasized the Marquam a bit, and added some height between downtown and South Waterfront. The three towers are too blocky and close to the same height for me. Oh well...

Nice shots, Dougall.

IIRC among the original plans was to have been a 17-story tower, but the residents of the american condos or whatever they're called raised a ruckus about their views being blocked.

[cab]

Those buildings looked Beautiful from the Marquam Bridge. The water was reflecting off the glass surface giving it a strange gentle swaying look.

[Dougall5505]

yah i tried to get a picture of that i am still trying to figure out what the thinkg is at the bottom right of the last picture a fountains maybe?

[tworivers]

Here's a couple more from the ride with a slightly wider context.

http://static.flickr.com/80/214437675_b4d1382ec9.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/79/214437674_3f001ce45b.jpg?v=0
(Benson off to the right)

[Dougall5505]

MORE!!!
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC06673.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC06666.jpg
the water reflected on the glass
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC06661.jpg

[Dougall5505]

More (last one)
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/bridge_pedal_pano.jpg

[Dougall5505]

they took down the taller crane today

[pdxf]

Good looking project. I really like the mix of urban/nature together on the waterfront and I'm looking forward to seeing a new place to eat near the waterfront. Unfortunately, since we can only currently develop the western bank of the river, all of these great places are in shadow during dinner. It would be nice to get some sun while I eat, but I'll take what I can get I guess.

[CouvScott]

they took down the taller crane today

There seems to be a lot of crane trading these days. I would imagine that this one will become one of the Waterfront Pearl's cranes.

[crow]

nice location, but as much as i want to love this project - it looks cheap!

[pdxf]

I agree crow, I think several of the newer projects look really cheap, especially the benson and civic towers. I think it's the spandrel panels that really give it the cheap look to me.

[MarkDaMan]

I feel ya crow! The finishing product isn't nearly the Vegas 'Mirage' styled glass that initial renderings made me believe I was to expect.

[brandonpdx]

yes, I would agree: these spandrel panels really cheapen up the look of these buildings that I thought would look great from their renderings. I noticed the Metropolitan is putting up these spandrel panels. I thought this building was going to look nice; now I'm not so sure.

[pdxstreetcar]

i agree too, i was really appalled when i saw the civic about a week ago... thought it looked terrible thats why i was wondering about how well it is selling. i also had high hopes for the benson tower until i saw the spandrel panel facade go up.

[zilfondel]

Can we say 'Value engineering?'

I bet they weren't even in the original design - but got dummed down for budgetary reasons. This is why modernism rules in large building design: the simpler the design, the more likely the finished product will actually look like the original design.

[tworivers]

Strand pictures from last Friday.

http://static.flickr.com/120/259180059_5c3f0c2236.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/79/259180063_4ab0fac0ed.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/113/259180057_2812809485.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/112/259180061_f838357a87.jpg?v=0

I can't decide how I feel about this project. I still feel, particularly when I'm accross the river or on the Hawthorne, that one of the towers should have been taller to provide a counterpoint to the Marquam and to downtown.

Also, the almost-finished product doesn't seem to live up to the renderings all that well, as discussed earlier on this thread. Right now I'm having trouble imagining the restaurant ending up looking nearly as epic and flashy as it does here. \/ \/

http://www.emporis.com/files/transfer/6/2006/01/430088.jpg

I hope the next block they do over there is 30+ stories. Is the rfp out yet?

[Dougall5505]

nice pics i dig the curve on the tallest building I wish all three buildings had something that set itself apart from each other.
on parcel 8 I heard proposals are being taken and cleanup of the contamination onsite will begin soon.

[MOPIdaho]

Its nice that a little city has sprung up in this beach front resort.

[River Rat]

150 feet tall is the limit in Riverplace. You can't beat the location on this one.

[CouvScott]

I hope the next block they do over there is 30+ stories. Is the rfp out yet?

The RFP is out for the site cleanup/abatement (Parcel 8 I believe it was called)

[cab]

I think these 3 buildings came out great. Compare these new ones to its neighbors. Nothing else needs to be said. THe height is perfect for this location, the glass makes them fit in with the water location and they are really going to add to the pedestrian environment with all the nooks and pedestrian paths throughout them.

[BrG]

What I know:

The buildings are as tall as the zoning code allows there, and the spandrel panels were introduced due in large part to meet a fairly conservative energy code.

Alternatives to spandrel and clear glass are: less spandrel and a larger amount of vision glass, but it gets progressively darker or more mirrored. Eew.


IMO: Also, the restaurant is gonna be cool.

[MarkDaMan]

^I didn't think they maximized the height potential. I remember in it's early stages that this was going to be some sort of Hotel/Office/Condo project and there was a lot of flak from the condo owners up a few blocks that their views would be disrupted, so the project, first two tallers towers, became three squattier towers. I could be wrong, but that is what I remember.

I go back and forth on this almost finished project, sometimes I like it, sometimes it looks cheap. I guess after people move in and the area opens up, the area will be greatly improved. Hell, I'd love to get that Riverplace boardwalk area alive. Mucho undervalued IMO.

[zilfondel]

I hope the next block they do over there is 30+ stories. Is the rfp out yet?

Well, hope so - they have about 3 more acres in this little area to build out on. Two are adjacent to the substation.

[bvpcvm]

Well, hope so - they have about 3 more acres in this little area to build out on. Two are adjacent to the substation.

i wonder if the sub-station could eventually be moved..?

[zilfondel]

i wonder if the sub-station could eventually be moved..?

Like underneath the freeway?

Probably not tho; but its not in the greatest of locations either to build on. The two acres to the North of it are sitting on a corner, which is much more attractive to build on.

[MarkDaMan]

Smart park
by Alison Ryan
10/17/2006


Parking more cars doesn’t have to mean making more parking spaces – supporters of mechanical parking systems say the technology could pave the way for high-density parking solutions in places where space is at a premium.

The first bigger-scale installation in Portland is ongoing at under-construction condominium project the Strand, where 31 lifts will be employed. Each simple lift will let a condo owner drive one car onto a platform, which then rises so a second car can be parked below.

The concept is new in Portland, but it’s one that’s familiar in other states – and to other developers. Since 1995, California real estate development company Panoramic Interests has installed close to 300 lifts in “seven or eight” Berkeley buildings, said Patrick Kennedy, owner of Panoramic Interests.

“It’s been a boon for high density development,” Kennedy said, “especially on smaller sites, where the cost of going down is either prohibitive or impossible.”

The lifts are common in the bay area, he said, both in higher-density urban areas and anywhere developers want to be more efficient with the land they have.

“If you have a 10,000-square-foot lot, you can get triple the capacity of it using the lifts,” he said. “It’s pretty significant.”

Simple, cost-effective

The lifts entered the Portland market on the brainwaves of Mike Maloney, chief executive officer of Carbunk, which distributes the systems. Maloney was reading a car magazine at a doctor’s office when he spotted a mechanic-type lift and thought: you could use that to park cars.

A trip to an after-market car show in Las Vegas turned up limited options, Maloney said. But then he stumbled across Klaus Parking Systems. The company, headquartered in Aitrach, Germany, had been producing mechanized systems since the 1960s. And the latest Klaus products, Maloney said, were high-end lifts for high-density areas.

The mechanized systems had been considered for several local projects, said Mack Selberg, project architect at Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects, but ultimately didn’t work. But on the Strand, Selberg said, the team looked at a variety of lifts before realizing the simple single vertical car lift, similar to a lift seen at any auto mechanic’s shop, penciled out well.

“Simplest is best,” he said. “The more cars we tried to pack into a single-car parking mechanism, the higher the cost got.”

For retrofits, garage ceiling height is the biggest issue. In areas where parking is installed, height needs to be between 10.5 and 11 feet, compared to a typical height of 8 feet. The Strand garage, said project manager David Lintz, wasn’t specifically designed to accommodate the systems.

“We realized we had some extra height,” he said, “and one of the team members knew about the lifts.”

Reworking an area of the garage that had the necessary height made room for the 31 spaces. And although taller garage ceilings in existing Portland buildings – such as the Gregory and the Marshall Wells Lofts – makes retrofits possible, thinking about height before the building goes up is essential, said Rob Marzo, project manager for manufacturer Klaus Parking Systems.

“Adding height isn’t more difficult,” he said. “It just needs to be taken into consideration early in the process.”

More to come

The Carbunk team is expecting more developers to consider the systems. The cost of below-grade parking, Maloney said, is prohibitive – when it’s a possibility at all.

“In most cases, they can’t build more parking spaces,” he said. “They can’t go down any further.”

Cost ranges from $9,000 to $15,000 for the simple lifts, which the developers then sell to the homeowners. The maximizing of space, said Ken Chitwood, Carbunk’s chief operations officer, makes sense.

“You really shouldn’t be paying to park your cars on dirt,” he said. “You should be doubling your parking.”

But the idea has its challenges. No one knows about it, Chitwood said, and no one wants to do it until he or she sees a system successfully installed.

“It’s a new idea for Portland,” he said. “People need a frame of reference that it actually works.”

The big test – dwelling owners running their cars up and down on the lifts – is still to come, Selberg said, but he sees the systems as part of the city’s condo future.

“They’re definitely here to stay,” he said. “They’re working. The single lift is going to prevent the size of the garages from growing out.”

Carbunk CEO Maloney agrees. “Once these go in, I think it’ll be a domino effect,” he said.
http://www.djc-or.com/viewStory.cfm?recid=28188&userID=1

[River Rat]

It looks like they are removing the last tall crane and most of the hardscape is now finished.

[Dougall5505]

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC_0211.jpg?t=1166818587
another photo update by dougall!
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC_0014-1.jpg?t=1166818027

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC_0029-1.jpg?t=1166818058

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC_0031-1.jpg?t=1166821663

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC_0032-1.jpg?t=1166818084

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC_0036-1.jpg?t=1166818110

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC_0037-2.jpg?t=1166818170

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC_0038-1.jpg?t=1166818173

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC_0039-2.jpg?t=1166818179

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC_0041-1.jpg?t=1166818186

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC_0042.jpg?t=1166818192

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC_0047.jpg?t=1166818471

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC_0048.jpg?t=1166818485

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC_0050.jpg?t=1166818494

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC_0051.jpg?t=1166818507

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC_0062.jpg?t=1166818536

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC_0077.jpg?t=1166818549

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC_0078.jpg?t=1166818552

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/DSC_0079.jpg?t=1166818558

[pdxtraveler]

Wonderful pics! Especially the 1st one! Thanks.

[MarkDaMan]

I spent about a half an hour trying to will myself to love this development, but I just can't. There are some things to like about it, and many things that just suck. Like the 'flower pots' (garage air returns) down the main pedestrian walkway. It just didn't turn out like the sleek, gold, glassy renderings...oh well...at least more people will be living in the area, hopefully awakening the long dead Riverwalk...so much potential for a cafe row down there...

[Dougall5505]

I think the restraunt at the strand is gonna be really cool

[vjoe]

It's just too close to I-5. Why would you want motorists looking into your living room.

What is that big circular hole in the roof near the corner? I was down there a few weeks ago and was wondering about that.

[NW Mike]

I think it looks pretty damn good. Nice photos Dougall.Right on the river! I hope Everett Washington does this with the Snohomish River front development.

[MarkDaMan]

^surprisingly enough, I think it would be kinda cool to look out onto the bridge, as long as my pad was big enough to have a balcony looking out over the city too...but the development itself just isn't working...Like that hole. It was supposed to be an artistic element, but it just looks odd now. I agree Dougall, the restaurant looks to be sweet, but that is one of the few things I actually do like about the project.

[MarkDaMan]

those pictures are great, but they do the buidings more justice than sitting in front of them in person.

[NW Mike]

Tell that to the people who forked over the $500,000 or so dollars to move in.They have to live with any devloper changes that might have changed the looks or feel. But I'm sure they are happy with the purchase.

[vjoe]

The thing I really liked was the water accesses. I didn't see them on Dougall's pictures on the previous page, but I thing I've seen them on the South Waterfront thread. These must be relatively new, I don't remember them from previous years.

The 2 ramps look great in person and if I live there I'd get a Kayak. Hopefully they have storage for Kayaks there.

[River Rat]

[URL="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7879878@n07/"]

[Dougall5505]

from flickr http://flickr.com/photos/portland-pete/
i like the glass it reminds me of vancouver
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/176/439735304_0a64b11e0b.jpg?v=0

[zilfondel]

I think the architecture of The Strand ended up being a lot 'busier' with the facade details than the simple, monolithic quality the renderings implied.

[MarkDaMan]

Car lifts reflect elevation of local real estate prices
Portland Business Journal - June 29, 2007
by Wendy Culverwell
Business Journal staff writer

Phyllis and Ron Maynard retired a few years ago from a home in the Sylvan area to a condo in Portland's Riverplace district.

There was plenty of downsizing, but the couple balked at cutting back to a single car.

Phyllis, who retired from the Portland Public Schools, and Ron, who retired from the city, felt they each needed a vehicle -- a BMW wagon for her and a Porsche roadster for him.

Parking was a sticky proposition until earlier this year, when they moved to The Strand, a new riverfront project by developer Jack Onder.

The Maynards moved to The Strand because they wanted steel and concrete construction instead of the wood frame variety of their former home. But it turned out the building offered something more: Portland's first mechanical parking lifts.

Onder Development installed German-made car lifts in about 30 parking spots that had enough headroom to accommodate vehicles parked double-decker style. The high-density parking arrangement complements the high-density living arrangements above and is yet another sign of the value of pressing every square inch of space into service.

Beth DuPont, a broker specializing in multifamily investment properties at Colliers International, said it's natural to start looking for ways to maximize space when real estate and parking are at a premium. Car lifts have been successful in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., she said.

"It's a natural to come to Portland."

Klaus Parking Systems has installed its system in 88 West Coast locations, according to its regional representative, Norm Brudigan. Most are in and around the Bay Area, but there are a few noteworthy exceptions. In addition to The Strand, Klaus has put its lifts in condominium projects in Kansas City, Mo., and Seattle.

Brudigan said he's gotten lots of inquiries from the Northwest.

The technology is nothing new, which makes permitting relatively easy. Jeff Joslin, a land use manager for the city's Bureau of Development Services, said car lifts have a place in Portland and could be a meaningful addition to high-density projects if they are widely adopted.

Noting that parking garages are among the most costly and permanent structures built, he said it's surprising they didn't arrive earlier.

The Maynards said they initially balked at paying $28,000 to put a car lift in their one-car parking spot. They decided to go for it, treating it as both a convenience and an investment that could pay off handsomely if or when they sell their unit and can boast that it comes with parking for two vehicles.

Most of the time, the Porsche is parked on the lift and elevated over head, while the wagon is at the ready on ground level. The Maynards say they love having two parking spots and the convenience of parking both their cars a short elevator ride away from their home outweighs the inconvenience of having to coordinate who parks and when.

Ron Maynard said the elevated parking comes with another bonus. It puts his Porsche out of reach of other cars, protecting it from door dings and accidental bumps. The idea has clearly caught on, with sports cars and collector vehicles making up the majority of the population of elevated vehicles in The Strand's garage.

Onder, who has built luxurious condos all over Portland, said he first saw the Klaus parking lift system while visiting Chicago. He weighed bringing it home to Portland but didn't know if real estate was pricey enough to warrant the cost.

The Strand offered the perfect opportunity to find out if it was, he said.

The project consists of 189 condominiums and 27 townhouses in three towers. Most important, it occupies a sloping site bordering the Willamette River waterfront.

That sloping terrain means the floor of the underground parking garage rises and falls, creating areas inside where the ceiling is high enough to accommodate two vehicles stacked one over the other.

About 30 spots (out of 250) had sufficient clearance to allow cars to be stacked two high by way of an electric-powered hydraulic lift.

Had the garage been specially designed to accommodate the lifts, the cost would have been prohibitive, which is one reason they aren't part of Onder's other ongoing high-rise condominium project at the Uptown Shopping Center.

Lift-equipped parking spots have been a hit with Strand buyers, said Kathleen MacNaughton, principal broker for the project. The lifts are offered as an upgrade and as with condos, released for sale in batches.

Every one that has been offered has sold, she said.

wculverwell@bizjournals.com | 503-219-3415


http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2007/07/02/focus4.html?t=printable

[tworivers]

Crazy? Gutsy? Incredibly stupid?

New Restaurant: Lucier
by Christina Melander, special to The Oregonian
Thursday May 22, 2008, 2:55 PM

Walking through $4 million Lucier restaurant, on the South Waterfront, it's clear that owner Chris Dussin means to deliver a dining experience heretofore unseen in Portland.

With custom leather furniture from Italy and high-polish marble on bar tables; with true Kobe beef and a cart full of caviar on offer from the kitchen; with a wine list that spans $25 to $10,000 for a single bottle, Lucier aspires to be swankier than Bluehour, more contemporary than El Gaucho and as food-obsessed as Genoa during its heyday.

Whether Portlanders are of a mind to hold up their end of the bargain and shell out for luxe good times remains to be seen.

But you can't fault Dussin, his wife, Tyanne, and partner-chef Pascal Chureau for aiming high.

The restaurant they have created, with design direction from industry pros Alvarez + Brock, is supermodel stunning. Situated in a single-story standalone building about 10 feet from the riverbank, Lucier is wrapped in windows and handsome African hardwoods. Inside, a tasteful water channel snakes around the dining room, echoing the nearby Willamette. A reflective gold pod faceted like a gemstone conceals the bar and its noisy presence. Overhead, bronze tube chandeliers lend a bit of edge to the classy decor.

Will the food rival the trappings?

Chureau, who also is executive chef at Fenouil (the Dussins formed a business alliance with Chureau a year ago and bought out Fenouil founders David and Susan Regan), tapped his classic French training and assembled a brigade-style kitchen for Lucier. In this model, two cooks command each station -- garde-manger, salad, saute, etc. -- and handle every aspect of the dishes for which they are responsible. The goal is consistency. "It allows us to control the product from when it comes in the door to when it goes out on a plate," Chureau explains. "In other kitchens it's more typical for management to do the butchering. Here, when a tuna comes in, the fish station butchers, prepares and plates it. If there's a problem, you know where to go."

Preview menus were not available, but Chureau describes Lucier's food as modern European cuisine, pulling flavors from Morocco, Italy and Portugal as well as from France, and borrowing techniques from Japan. Menus comprise a la carte, bar and a seven-course chef's tasting menu that emphasizes a few ingredients -- tomatoes and the red mullet fish rouget, for example -- throughout the entire meal. To encourage diners to try luxury items like Kobe beef and live scallops in the shell, the kitchen will prepare them in tiny portions, coupling, say, an ounce of Wagyu beef with a New York steak to demonstrate the difference. Similarly, wine director Scott Calvert will pour several of his 200 Champagnes by the glass.

Champagne and caviar are a world apart from the Virginia Cafe*, founded by Dussin's grandfather in 1914, and the Old Spaghetti Factory*, opened by Dussin's father in 1969. The third-generation restaurateur has longed to open a high-end place for a decade and felt the time was right despite the shifting economy. "Things go in cycles," Dussin says. "People always find a way to go out and celebrate special occasions."

Lucier opens for dinner on Monday, May 26. 1910 S.W. River Drive; 503-222-7300

*Weird.