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Waterfront Place had their Pre Application Conference and some news in the DJC.

One Waterfront Place takes preliminary steps forward
Development on the long-awaited project inches forward despite opposition and indistinct market predictions
POSTED: 06:00 AM PDT Friday, September 21, 2007
BY TYLER GRAF

For seven years, development on the proposed One Waterfront Place office building stalled due to a weak office leasing market. But with the economy improving, the developers and architects of the project hope to break ground on the long-gestating development by next summer.

The One Waterfront Place development would create a 12-story, 235,000-square-foot office space adjacent to the Broadway Bridge on Northwest Naito Parkway. The structure is being developed by 1201 Building LLC, formed by developers Bob Naito and Jim Winkler.

At a Sept. 18 pre-application conference, Boora Architects, which is handling design of One Waterfront Place, met with city staff to discuss the details of the development before the project goes before the Portland Design Commission. If the development goes forward, it could bring as many as 1,000 jobs to the Pearl District, according to the Portland Development Commission.

Originally, Boora’s architects were aiming for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold certification for the project, but they have since bumped their goal to a platinum rating.

The green-friendly design would feature lockers and showers for bicycling employees, an eco-roof on the third-story terrace and rainwater harvesting.

“Though we’re dealing with this as if it were a new project, the bones of it pretty much remain the same,” said John A. Meadows, a principal for Boora. “It was originally one of the most sustainable office buildings; now we want it to go even further.”

In order to achieve LEED platinum status, the revised design will incorporate solar panels on the tower roof and garage trellises to generate power, said Meadows.

Although design plans are moving ahead, project developer Winkler says it’s too early to talk about development or release renderings of the tower because the project must still win approval from the Portland Design Commission.

The Pearl District Neighbor-hood Association has its own concerns about the development, primarily the parking garage portion of the project.

The neighborhood already has Station Place Garage, completed in 2005, which is located on Northwest Ninth Avenue and Lovejoy Street. One Waterfront Place and its garage would be “literally right across the street from the railroad tracks” from Station Place Garage, said Patricia Gardner of the Pearl District Neighborhood Association.

The association’s initial reaction to the development was positive, but over the years the group has begun testifying against the development, specifically the required parking structure.

“The involvement (of the PDNA) has changed over the years because this project has been around forever,” said Gardner.

The cost for the parking garage could be as much as $16 million, with the PDC obligated to pay $8.5 million, according to a recent PDC report. The $8.5 million in allocated PDC resources would not fund the entire parking project. Development of a full funding plan would have to occur, including additional tax increment financing for a privately owned parking structure, negotiations for which are ongoing, according to the PDC.

Although the size of the office tower remains the same, the “footprint” of the parking structure has been diminished, architect Meadows said.

Barbara Linn, a project manager with Boora, said the building, with its “jewel box” design and foot bridge, will change the complexion of the Pearl District.

“The thought is that now is a good time for the office market,” Linn said. “We hope that this is the type of office that the people who live in the Pearl would also want to work.”