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[PacificNW]

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Design Commission - Printable Version

The Design Commission provides leadership and expertise on urban design and architecture and on maintaining and enhancing Portland’s historical and architectural heritage. The Design Commission consists of eight members, none of whom may hold public elective office. The Commission must include a member of the Planning Commission, a representative of the Regional Arts and Culture Council, one person representing the public at-large, and five members experienced in either design, engineering, financing, construction or management of buildings, and land development. No more than two members may be appointed from any one of these areas of expertise. The Planning Commission member is chosen by the Planning Commission chair. The Regional Arts and Culture Council member is nominated by the Regional Arts and Culture Council chair and approved by the Mayor. The other members are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. The term shall be maximum 4 years, limited to a maximum of two full terms.

The Commission meets the first and third Thursday of each month at 1:30 p.m. in Conference Room 2500A, 2nd floor of 1900 SW 4th Ave (Updated 6/09)

Accepting Applications: Yes
Current Vacancies: 0
Upcoming Vacancies: 0
Contact: Tim Heron, BDS, 503-823-7726
Commission Website: http://www.portlandonline.com/bds/in...43126&a=168799

Updated: 8/11

[zilfondel]

I thought this article was an interesting read in its applicability to the proposed downtown Apple Store:

http://seattletransitblog.com/2012/0...icked-problem/

Steve Jobs may have been a genius, but he was also – to quote The Big Lebowski – a man for his time and place. He was born and raised in the postwar Bay Area suburbs, and even became obsessed with the specific style of suburban tract home he grew up in. Thus, the Apple campus represents the apotheosis of a time when we thought of buildings as distinct objects, like iPads. Now we recognize them as part of a complex ecosystem involving streets, sidewalks and transit. For example, smart building design these days often involves letting the outside world in as much as possible to minimize energy costs. By contrast, Apple’s campus won’t let employees open the windows. Then again, Jobs was never much interested in complex ecosystems he couldn’t completely control.

Although, they are talking about office headquarters and not retail stores, Apple stores really are like, as my architecture professors would put it, "Christmas ornaments," and decidedly not buildings or part of the urban environment.

[MarkDaMan]

Rumored Apple store would be ‘the jewel on Yamhill Street’
POSTED: Thursday, March 22, 2012 at 04:13 PM PT
Daily Journal of Commerce BY: Reed Jackson

A proposed one-story retail building downtown could bring a big change to Portland’s architectural landscape.

Anticipation for the potential 20-foot-tall structure, which would face Yamhill Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues as part of Pioneer Place, has grown because of its rumored future use as an Apple retail store – something neither Apple nor San Francisco-based architecture firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, a frequent project partner, has confirmed.

Portland Design Commission members last week held a preliminary hearing for the building proposal with representatives of BCJ.

“The city’s design guidelines are written to persuade people to provide (only) a minimum amount of glass and open space; this project is the ultimate expression of that,” said Andrew Jansky, a commission member. “(This proposal) adheres to the guidelines, but they did something completely new.”

Rather than have a few, large, show windows like most retail buildings, the proposed square-shaped structure would be fully glazed with clear glass. Stone stairs would surround its 165-foot-wide front while a 30-foot stonewall would separate it from the building behind it.

Inside, only slender, pipe columns would disrupt the openness of the retail space, which would be topped by a thin, metal roof. BCJ representatives said they designed it to be as light and open as possible – more like a plaza than a store.

“We encourage buildings to create space that activates the streetscape; this building appears to be 100 percent active,” said Tim Heron, primary staff to the design commission. “Everything inside will be on display.”

The two-story, 23,000-square-foot building that formerly housed Saks Fifth Avenue – as well as the Pioneer Place sky bridge across Yamhill Street – would be completely demolished to make room for the structure. Although the property is capable of holding up to 40,000 square feet, the proposed structure would be only 8,000 square feet and sit 12 feet back from the street, leaving almost 4,000 feet of unused space.

When asked at the hearing why the firm chose to design a new, smaller building rather than renovate the existing one, Karl Backus, a BCJ principal, said the building was designed to present a new kind of retail experience.

“These large street stores occupy most of urban America, and there’s a question of how long they might last,” he said. “It might not be necessary to think of reuse but instead rejuvenation – to create something fresher and more inviting that will be a rejuvenation of downtown.”

Renderings of the proposed building were shown at the hearing, but were not given to the design commission afterward. BCJ refused to release copies of the renderings, stating that the project is too early in the design phase.

BCJ has designed multiple Apple retail stores in the past, which led Gary Allen, a longtime blogger about Apple, to speculate that this project will become one. He drove to Portland from California to attend the hearing.

“(Backus’) full-time job at BCJ is to design these stores; he doesn’t do anything else at that firm. No question that’s what they’re proposing,” Allen said. “The location of the store, its size, the glass materials and all the architectural details are the ones they are using at other locations. The glass paneling proposed, for example, is custom-made in Germany – nobody else but Apple uses it.”

Allen added that although the proposed building has common characteristics of an Apple Store, it also has unique design features not seen at other stores around the world.

“There is no other Apple store that looks like this project; there is no store that extends an entire city block and is entirely made of glass,” he said.

Commission members couldn’t talk about the proposed building’s use, but some hinted that Allen’s speculation could be accurate.

“I can’t say, but it’s pretty obvious,” Janksy said.

Nearly all commission members expressed support for the design during the hearing; Jane Hansen said it could become “the jewel on Yamhill Street,” while Janksy said it has the potential to be a “very iconic building in downtown.”

But many members wondered how a building with such a unique design would fit in downtown. Its small and sleek appearance would differ greatly from the older and much taller buildings that line Fourth and Fifth avenues. Some members questioned whether it should occupy a downtown property when it could be built on a much smaller lot elsewhere.

Other concerns focused on potential reuse.

“If the (retailer) goes out of business, how would, for example, a mattress store be able to use the building?” Heron said. “Some members wondered whether the building would be able to be used by other businesses.”

Heron added that he believes the building proposal has a good chance of being supported by all commission members when it goes before them for a final ruling later this year.

[Black Box]

Sounds very sparkly. Good for Portland!

[tworivers]

Portland IKEA installs solar energy system on roof



IKEA, the Sweden-based home products company, will see its Portland store powered partly by solar energy.

On Wednesday, IKEA unveiled a solar array built on the roof of its 280,000 square foot store located near the Portland International Airport.

According to a press release, the 62,500 square-foot photovoltaic system consists of 2,072 panels that will produce approximately 568,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year, enough to power 48 homes annually.

The array was constructed by REC Solar. This is the 16th IKEA store to install solar energy panels.

“A solar energy system will help reduce the store’s carbon footprint and represents another investment toward our future in this community,” said Alessandra Zini, the Portland store manager.

IKEA, founded in 1943, has 330 stores in 40 countries.

-- Faris Tanyos, KOIN

[downtownpdx]

Originally Posted by MarkDaMan

[B][

...concerns focused on potential reuse.

“If the (retailer) goes out of business, how would, for example, a mattress store be able to use the building?” Heron said. “Some members wondered whether the building would be able to be used by other businesses.”

Seriously, this is a concern? I doubt a building like this would have a hard time finding a new tenant someday. Are they worried about the ability of Sleep Country, USA to adapt to it in 30 years?

[2oh1]

Originally Posted by downtownpdx

Seriously, this is a concern? I doubt a building like this would have a hard time finding a new tenant someday. Are they worried about the ability of Sleep Country, USA to adapt to it in 30 years?

I suspect they're just worried for the sake of worries because some people think it's their job to prevent the future from arriving if the future doesn't look identical to the past. If Apple had plans to tear down Saks and replace it with an identical structure - ridiculous as that would be - it would probably get approved easily.

Portland already lost the NW 23rd store due to foolish squabbles. I think an Apple Store on 23rd would have helped the street weather the recession since Apple brings foot traffic. I think the city should look back on that lost opportunity and do whatever they can to not repeat it. This new store will be so good for downtown retailers.

[Shilo Rune 96]

FYI - Ikea is doing some renovations inside too. I drove out there, planning to buy lot's of kitchen utensils, only to find half the downstairs not accessible. I asked where all the products are, "what you see is what we got," said an employee. I wonder what they're cooking up?

[zilfondel]

I think its kind of a valid concern. Apple won't be around forever, and this kind of building has zero capacity for reuse. It's too specialized. So we would be losing one very unremarkable, 2 story podium structure, with tiny windows, for a truly kick ass building scaled way too small for the site, with dubious potential reuse.

[2oh1]

And if that were to happen, the building Apple is proposing couldn't be replaced because................? The building Apple is proposing would be a million times easier for a large retailer to repurpose than Saks ever was. But that didn't stop Saks from being built. If Target didn't want to move into that Saks space, who else would? How many years would it sit vacant?

Quite frankly, I suspect Apple's new design isn't ugly enough for Portland. It lacks the yawn-worthiness of so much of our architecture. It isn't the beige carpet to our white walls. Oh, Portland, I love you, but you're better than that!

Apple walked away from plans to build on 23rd after a few building designs were turned down. What marvelous building ended up in that spot instead, eh? NW 23rd ended up with a building that is ugly and doesn't drive much foot traffic. Awesome, right? I sure hope that doesn't happen again.

[zilfondel]

You really think a 1 story building is the best use of a central city site zoned for what, 500+ feet?

Also, skyscraperpage.com

[Derek]

Apple is tearing down the existing structure. Who's to say that whenever Apple vacates that site, say maybe 20?+ years from now, that a new tenant couldn't tear this structure down and start anew?

[2oh1]

Originally Posted by zilfondel

You really think a 1 story building is the best use of a central city site zoned for what, 500+ feet?

Hold on.

If Saks stays abandoned, what are the odds that in the next 20 years, someone would build a 500 footer on this spot? We can't even get PAW built, and that's nowhere near 500 ft.

Remember what happened the last time Apple tried to build in Portland. In hopes of achieving the epitome of what a few people whose taste is probably questionable thought of as absolute perfection, Portland ended up with nothing. Apple abandoned their plans due to the ridiculousness of the hassle.

Good job, PDC! Here's what ended up on that spot instead. Ugly building. Less foot traffic. That's a loss for the overall health of retail on 23rd.

Also, let's be honest. How many people complained about having just one store occupying the space when Saks was built? Was Saks a 500 footer? A huge Apple Store is better for downtown than Saks. It's going to create more foot traffic than Saks did and it's going to attract more customers who are likely to wander to other nearby shops. That's a win for downtown retail.

Apple brings a ton of foot traffic. There's no denying that. With Apple on 4th and Target on 10th, plus Macy's, Nordstrom, etc, there's potential for a lot of smaller shops to really benefit from a ton of foot traffic. It'll hopefully even be great for the mall. In a perfect world, Apple would have wanted a massive chunk inside the mall, perhaps including a corner or side entrance, and another Saks type retailer (though not so high end) would have wanted the Saks building. That's not happening. And, really, this is better since we'll be getting a very attractive structure that'll draw a ton of foot traffic right in the heart of our downtown retail, not to mention a bit more open space (though the term plaza seems like a stretch, but that's fine).

This should be such a big win for Portland. It would be anywhere else... but here, we're trying to figure out how to get Apple to make the structure ugly enough to justify tearing down a bland building that We Can't Even Fill. Somehow, in Portland, an abandoned Saks with bad 90s suburban mall architecture is better than a modern stylish architecture with a store that'll bring in a ton of foot traffic. CRAZY.

I love Portland, but I do not claim to always understand this town.

[2oh1]

Originally Posted by derek

apple is tearing down the existing structure. Who's to say that whenever apple vacates that site, say maybe 20?+ years from now, that a new tenant couldn't tear this structure down and start anew?

Exactly.

[downtownpdx]

Originally Posted by 2oh1

Hold on.

If Saks stays abandoned, what are the odds that in the next 20 years, someone would build a 500 footer on this spot? We can't even get PAW built, and that's nowhere near 500 ft.

Remember what happened the last time Apple tried to build in Portland. In hopes of achieving the epitome of what a few people whose taste is probably questionable thought of as absolute perfection, Portland ended up with nothing. Apple abandoned their plans due to the ridiculousness of the hassle.

Good job, PDC! Here's what ended up on that spot instead. Ugly building. Less foot traffic. That's a loss for the overall health of retail on 23rd.

Also, let's be honest. How many people complained about having just one store occupying the space when Saks was built? Was Saks a 500 footer? A huge Apple Store is better for downtown than Saks. It's going to create more foot traffic than Saks did and it's going to attract more customers who are likely to wander to other nearby shops. That's a win for downtown retail.

Apple brings a ton of foot traffic. There's no denying that. With Apple on 4th and Target on 10th, plus Macy's, Nordstrom, etc, there's potential for a lot of smaller shops to really benefit from a ton of foot traffic. It'll hopefully even be great for the mall. In a perfect world, Apple would have wanted a massive chunk inside the mall, perhaps including a corner or side entrance, and another Saks type retailer (though not so high end) would have wanted the Saks building. That's not happening. And, really, this is better since we'll be getting a very attractive structure that'll draw a ton of foot traffic right in the heart of our downtown retail, not to mention a bit more open space (though the term plaza seems like a stretch, but that's fine).

This should be such a big win for Portland. It would be anywhere else... but here, we're trying to figure out how to get Apple to make the structure ugly enough to justify tearing down a bland building that We Can't Even Fill. Somehow, in Portland, an abandoned Saks with bad 90s suburban mall architecture is better than a modern stylish architecture with a store that'll bring in a ton of foot traffic. CRAZY.

I love Portland, but I do not claim to always understand this town.

PERFECTLY SAID Thank You. I'm not gonna miss the monotonous Pioneer Place architecture -- it'll be great to break up that complex with a modern, sleek building that drives more foot traffic. We can't pass up opportunities like this because we're afraid of the 'what-if's' in 30 years. And if modern Apple retail architecture can't fit in DT Portland, where exactly would be good enough?

[PacificNW]

[downtownpdx]

The Fireside restaurant/bar will open in the long-vacant Music Millenium space on NW 23rd... no details yet, but a liquor license application is posted on the door.

http://pdx.eater.com/archives/2012/0...ant-tenant.php

[MarkDaMan]

Tesla plans to open a mini dealership like this one at Washington Square on July 20. The electric-car maker's first Oregon retail location will display one of its five-seat Model S sedans as well as an interactive program that provides information on its electric motor and allows customers to design their own car.

Tesla to sell all-electric Model S at Washington Square
Published: Thursday, July 12, 2012, 5:15 PM Updated: Thursday, July 12, 2012, 5:41 PM
By Laura Gunderson, The Oregonian

http://www.oregonlive.com/window-sho..._river_default

Tesla Motors is best known for its all-electric sports car with a matching, megawatt price tag. But apparently, that doesn't pay the bills.

The Fremont, Calif.-based manufacturer has rolled out a new sedan aimed for the masses -- including those who shop at Washington Square.

Tesla, which unveiled its two-seat Roadster for $109,000 in 2008, will unveil a "dealership" within the Tigard mall next Friday, fittingly next door to the Coach store and nearby Nordstrom. It's Tesla's first retail location in Oregon; the closest before was in Bellevue, Wash.

The Washington Square store will display the Model S, a five-seater that first went on sale last month starting at $49,900 after a federal tax credit. Fully loaded, the Model S tops out at $101,550.

"Tesla's goal is to accelerate the world's transition to electric mobility with a full range of increasingly affordable electric cars," announced Tesla, which aims to sell 5,000 of the sedans this year and 20,000 in 2013.

Some industry analysts are dubious, however, noting that Nissan's all-electric Leaf, priced at a little more than half of the Model S, has sold only 30,000 vehicles since hitting the market in 2010.

The Oregon location, one of nearly two dozen in North America, also will feature interactive displays that allow customers to design their own vehicle.

-- Laura Gunderson

[edirp]

DALLAS, Oct. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Corner Bakery Cafe, the fast casual bakery cafe known for its ingredient-inspired menu, made fresh to order for breakfast, lunch and dinner and catering for any occasion, has announced expansion plans for Portland, Ore., Minneapolis-St.Paul and Orlando, Fla.

With more than 140 franchise and company-owned locations open or under development, Corner Bakery Cafe expects to open at least 47 restaurants in the three markets as part of previously announced plans to double its footprint in the U.S. over the next four years. The growth will be accomplished primarily through franchising.

"These markets are a perfect for Corner Bakery Cafe," said Jonathan Benjamin , vice president of franchising at Corner Bakery Cafe. "Each is known for their strong neighborhoods and with our neighborhood approach to development, we expect each new restaurant to quickly become a favorite gathering place for local families and friends. Add the fact that fast casual is the fastest growing segment of the restaurant industry, and that makes Corner Bakery Cafe an ideal concept for entrepreneurs and multi-unit operators looking for new opportunities in these markets."

The targeted expansion calls for 18 new restaurants in Minneapolis-St. Paul, 18 in Orlando and 11 in Portland. Corner Bakery Cafe is currently evaluating potential franchisees for each market.

"Based on the exceptional success we are experiencing with both existing and new restaurants, we are convinced that now is the time to be even more aggressive in our efforts to take Corner Bakery cafe into new markets," said Benjamin.

Evolving from its start in 1991 as a small bread bakery in downtown Chicago, Corner Bakery Cafe is today a national cornerstone of the fast casual dining segment thanks to an innovative menu, its neighborhood approach to development and exceptional unit level economics, including an average $2.2 million in annual sales volume and an attractive AUV/Investment Ratio.

Corner Bakery Cafe's made-to-order menu features hot breakfast scramblers, signature panini and sandwiches, homemade soups, hand-tossed salads, pastas and decadent desserts while providing a place to gather with family and friends. Corner Bakery Cafe also provides a robust, best-in-class catering platform, presenting fresh food perfectly packaged for delivery or pick up.

More information on Corner Bakery Cafe franchise opportunities is available at www.cornerbakerycafe.com/Franchise.

About Corner Bakery
Corner Bakery Cafe is a fast casual restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner to guests in 14 states and Washington, D.C. Established in 1991, Corner Bakery Cafe restaurants are owned and operated by CBC Restaurant Corp. with more than 140 company-owned and franchised locations around the country. Founded on a philosophy of creating a place for people to relax and gather with family and friends, Corner Bakery Cafe offers a casual atmosphere featuring innovative, seasonal menu options ranging from hot breakfasts and signature panini to handcrafted salads, sandwiches and mouthwatering sweets. Corner Bakery Cafe offers dine-in, to-go and catering service for any occasion. Corner Bakery Cafe delivers a premier bakery cafe experience in the heart of neighborhoods everywhere.

For more information, visit www.cornerbakerycafe.com. Become a fan of the Corner Bakery Cafe on Facebook, or follow Corner Bakery Cafe on Twitter @CornerBakery.


SOURCE Corner Bakery Cafe

PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1qizP)

[downtownpdx]

New restaurant moving into old Lucier space in Riverplace

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/...&ed=2012-11-26