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Old Posted Feb 7, 2006, 8:00 PM
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Centennial Mills Redevelopment | Proposed

Future of Centennial Mill buildings comes to fore
The fate of a landmark scheduled for demolition is in the hands of developers and, possibly, the public.
The 5-acre Centennial Mill site, just south of the Fremont Bridge, was bought by the city of Portland in 2000 as a potential extension of Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Activists are working to save the abandoned feed and flour mills on the site.
Patricia Gardner, chairwoman of the Pearl District Neighborhood Association planning committee, said the neighborhood association considers the mills regionally significant, and that they should be allowed to remain regardless of how the rest of the property is developed. Gardner has asked the Portland Development Commission to include public input before making a final decision about the property.
The PDC is expected to announce a request for proposals from developers. Currently, the Portland Police Bureau uses the property as a stable for its mounted patrol unit.
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Old Posted Jun 1, 2006, 6:46 PM
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A new life's in store for old Centennial Mill
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Fred Leeson
The Oregonian

Ten buildings tied together by history and architecture hunker on the Willamette River's west bank, stained by rust and weather.

For 90 years, those structures produced flour, animal feeds and cake mixes until the last owner shuttered Centennial Mill in 2000. Demolition of the 4.75-acre complex appeared probable after the city bought the mill for $12 million. Plans dating as far back as 1988 identified the site as a park for the new River District, which includes the Pearl.

But citizen activism appears to be changing that. A new planning process that the City Council ordered last year is wrapping up soon, with indications that some of the old mill will be renovated for new uses.

"Without citizen involvement, they would have torn it down," says Patricia Gardner, a Pearl District representative on the citizens advisory group developing a framework plan for the mill.

Residents rallied after the Portland Development Commission issued a report in 2004 that seemed to condemn the mill to demolition.

"The mayor heard and we heard a desire from the community to preserve at least part of the site," says Art Hendricks, public participation coordinator for the city development agency. "It's fair to say we're stepping back from tearing it down completely."

But how much to save -- and for what?

The advisory group's recommendations should land at the City Council by late summer. Neither answer is simple.

The 10 structures, erected from 1910 to 1940, literally lean on one another for support. Some are in worse repair than others, and all sit on a riverbank where modern earthquake standards are most rigorous. The 1910 seven-story flouring building and the 1928 four-story feed mill are "particularly significant buildings," according to a recent historical evaluation. Saving them would reflect the industrial history of the early waterfront. Several warehouses and grain elevators are likely to be demolished unless they are restored.

Developers have stepped forward with tentative mixed-use ideas for the buildings, and cultural organizations also see opportunities. One plan looks to North Adams, Mass., where a 13-acre factory complex was reborn as a center for making and showing modern art, with space for performing arts.

Gardner, for one, doesn't have a plan in her own mind -- except for "something wonderful, something that's really active." Citizens also have spoken strongly for extending the Willamette Greenway along the river. The Parks Bureau is considering small greenspaces near whatever buildings remain. The police horse stables probably will remain.

How to pay for it all? Some revenue generated by rising property taxes in the River District Urban Renewal Area will contribute, but so will the private sector.

"There are a lot of creative ideas," Hendricks says. "Ultimately, it comes down to what is feasible. We have to see what the market will bear. Nobody has gotten down to much detail yet."

Once a general framework is adopted by the City Council, the redevelopment agency is expected to issue requests for detailed ideas compatible with the plan. Then, as Gardner says, "The public process will start up again to evaluate the proposals."

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

To get involved

The citizens advisory group meets 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. June 14 at the Portland Development Commission, 222 N.W. Fifth Ave., to discuss the framework plan. A public hearing on the advisory group's recommendations is 5:30 p.m. July 7 at the same location.

http://www.oregonlive.com/printer/pr...210.xml&coll=7
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Old Posted Jun 2, 2006, 2:59 AM
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i hope this revitalized centennial mill works out. plus it will give an urban feel to the waterfront
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Old Posted Jun 4, 2006, 6:29 PM
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Hope they keep more than the foundation!
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Old Posted Aug 24, 2006, 2:10 PM
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Open to ideas
by Alison Ryan
08/24/2006

If the draft framework plan for the Centennial Mils site that's been making the rounds through assorted Portland commission meetings seems open for interpretation, that's because it is. And that lack of prescription is the point.

In May 2005, the Portland City Council directed the Portland Development Commission and the Bureau of Planning to pull together a group of citizens and stakeholders to develop a comprehensive plan for the site. A citizen advisory group, with neighborhood residents, architects, historians and developers comprising its ranks, formed in March. The plan awaiting appearance before the City Council and the PDC board is the result.

While the framework plan offers up five principles - and specific objectives within those principles - meant to guide redevelopment of the 4.75-acre riverfront parcel in Northwest Portland, possibilities for programming are many. Example ideas for the site range from a public destination, such as a museum, to a "working" waterfront of river-related industry and activity.

"Instead of saying, 'Here's this specific proposal, you need to build X,' it's, 'Here's this range, show us your creativity,'" said Steven Shain, a PDC development manager.

The plan doesn't offer specific development schemes, but "outlines the various opportunities and constraints on the site, lays out redevelopment principles and objectives, and presents a series of images and text describing innovative treatments and ideas for the site," plan text reads. Solutions could provide open space, capture history, define the new community, strengthen connections to existing development and features and embrace sustainability - and look completely different as they meet those five principles.

Associated issues include the fate of historic buildings - most notable among them are the flour mill, starch plant and wharf - the ratio of development to open space, possible restoration of the riverbank and parking. Proposals also need to address the Portland Police Bureau's mounted patrol unit, whose steeds have been housed at the site since 2001, either by working the facility into the proposal or offering a feasible alternative for resiting.

Ideas wanted

That call for creativity is likely to result in an ideas competition of sorts. The Development Commission plans to extend the request for qualifications to a nationwide pool. Such an effort could mean contact with American Institute of Architects groups in cities such as Boston and New York as well as other development and creative organizations. The exact approach to a nationwide reach, Shain said, is still being determined, but a large response is the target.

"Right now," he said, "the idea is to blanket as many architects, developers, planners across the country to generate as much interest as possible for them to form a team."

In Portland, 10 to 15 groups have expressed interest in the project, he said.

Officials are hoping that the effort will result in at least 15 or 20 responses to the RFQ, out of which two or three will eventually be offered a stipend to fully program the site. In the pre-selection period, it's hoped the creativity will really be flowing. And at that stage, Shain said, the process could look like an ideas competition, with the chance to offer a fully formed proposal as the top prize.

An ideas competition could be a great first step, said Stuart Emmons, principal at Emmons Architects, to hatching an innovative, incredible solution for Centennial Mills.

"This is the kind of thing creative minds could really take to a different place," he said.

The interplay of ideas could be a catalyst for design as well, he said.

"This project could be amazing, if we take that next step and put an amazing design in there," he said. "But it's not going to come from a straight RFP process."

The framework plan is currently awaiting its appearance before the City Council and the Development Commission. Should a mid-September council appearance pencil out, the request for qualifications could be issued in late October or early November.

http://www.djc-or.com/viewStory.cfm?...27777&userID=1
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Old Posted Oct 13, 2006, 1:44 PM
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Casting call issued for Centennial Mills complex

Riverfront - Ideas are invited on new roles for the old commercial complex's buildings
Friday, October 13, 2006
FRED LEESON
Enthusiasm at City Hall was obvious for a revised strategy to turn the long-vacant Centennial Mills into something or other -- ideally creative and interesting.

Even from an unusual chair.

"I'm totally excited about it," Mayor Tom Potter said after casting the final vote in a 4-0 roll call on Wednesday. "I'm not usually effusive at City Council. I am effusive about this."

The decision could mean new life for some structures in a 12-building complex that sits on 4.75 acres, including more than 600 feet of Willamette River frontage, on the west bank midway between the Broadway and Fremont bridges.

Erected from 1910 to 1940, the complex of buildings produced flour, cake mixes and animal feed at varying times in its industrial life.

The city planned to destroy the rundown buildings for park space when it acquired the property in 2000. But given the outcry in the Pearl District and elsewhere, the city reversed course in favor of the new strategy approved Wednesday.

Some 500 to 1,000 developers nationwide will be asked next year to submit ideas based on such principles as adding park space, preserving industrial history, creating a new community attraction and strengthening connections to the Pearl and downtown -- all in "sustainable" fashion, of course.

"It whets my appetite to see what comes in," said Commissioner Erik Sten. "I hope the enthusiasm is contagious in the development community."

Redevelopment of outdated industrial buildings in other cities has generated many uses such as museums, artists' spaces, offices, retail and residences.

"We are not asking for a specific proposal," said Steve Shain, a Portland Development Commission manager. "We're asking for a range of creativity."

Bob Layfield, representing the Oregon Maritime Museum, said that preservation of the mill's wharf, the last of its kind in Portland, is essential. "It's what made Portland Portland," he said. "When it's gone, it's gone forever."

Layfield said the museum would like to be able to dock its chief attraction, the steamer Portland, at the wharf when the project is finished, and run tours on the river. Bob Alton, part of a group that has restored a World War II PT boat, said he could envision it docked at the wharf, too.

Commissioner Dan Saltzman said the wharf was a key ingredient for him. He said developers who don't include the wharf in a redevelopment plan should be expected to justify why not.

Many buildings in the complex probably will be demolished because of poor condition. The two most significant structures historically appear to be a seven-story flouring building that dates to 1910 and a four-story feed mill added in 1928.

Melissa Darby, a member of the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission, encouraged the council to keep as many buildings as possible.

The Portland Development Commission hopes to winnow development proposals next spring and perhaps enter an agreement with a developer by next summer, Shain said.

At this point, the city doesn't know how much public subsidy, if any, is necessary to make a redevelopment plan work. Potential sources of public assistance include River District Urban Renewal Area funds and tax credits for historic preservation.
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Old Posted Dec 11, 2006, 7:20 PM
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Centennial Mills Renovation | x | x | Partial Demolition

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Old Posted Dec 11, 2006, 9:18 PM
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what a lost opportunity to not incorporate all existing buildings that can be rehabbed. I love the old mill on the Willamette and am afraid it will be cheaper and easier to demolish most of the existing site.
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Old Posted Dec 11, 2006, 10:07 PM
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Since the Fire Station #1 deal fell through what do you guys think of the Public Market (Farmers) being located at this site? Maybe even move the Saturday Market there. Incorporate housing. Just a thought.
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Old Posted Dec 12, 2006, 12:37 AM
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Yeah, none of those plans seem to be incorporating the old wharf buildings, the last of their kind in the city. Seems like a huge opportunity wasted.

Keep in mind, though, that I think those options are very preliminary. I thought they were sending out a call for creative proposals from interested parties this winter. This could be an opportunity for both preserving notable architecture and possibly incorporating modern design into the mix. Works, hello??

Not so long ago, the waterfront looked like this:

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Old Posted Dec 12, 2006, 5:08 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PacificNW View Post
Since the Fire Station #1 deal fell through what do you guys think of the Public Market (Farmers) being located at this site? Maybe even move the Saturday Market there. Incorporate housing. Just a thought.
I think it's a bad idea. The market has to be on the MAX line as far as I'm concerned, or it'll be a huge disappoinment. I think probably the best site is under the Burnside bridge. What would be awesome is if they could take out the MAX turnaround and put it there. Or if a spot could be found somewhere near Civic Stadium. But wherever it is, there's got to be a train close by so people can take their groceries home.
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Old Posted Dec 12, 2006, 5:20 AM
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Good points.....
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Old Posted Dec 12, 2006, 6:37 PM
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I agree. In a town like Portland, the market will likely become one of the most--if not the most--treasured places in the city. It needs to be central and close to other amenities--namely MAX...
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Old Posted Dec 12, 2006, 6:46 PM
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I still think under the marquam Bridge over by OMSI would be perfect. The model would be Grandview Is. in BC. You could have water Taxis and the east side streetcar. The hawthorne Bridge is a good walking bridge, safe and friendly with great views. The area under the bridge has that raw feel. Perfect for that controlled chaos or markets. Saturday Market can stay under the burnside Bridge and have a watertaxi stop as well.
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Old Posted Dec 12, 2006, 7:41 PM
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Supposedly, the future MAX line to Milwaukee will stop at OMSI as well.
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Old Posted Dec 14, 2006, 5:50 PM
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Originally Posted by CouvScott
Gotta love how #4. Festival Marketplace preserves more of the existing buildings than #2. Restoration & Preservation.

I'd like to see #5 Destination/Attraction. I think that part of town could use something that draws people.
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Old Posted Feb 22, 2007, 4:09 PM
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City still waits on plans for Centennial Mill site
Daily Journal of Commerce
by Kennedy Smith
02/22/2007

It was more than a year ago that Portland's City Council voted unanimously to halt any demolition plans for the Centennial Mill site and start anew. At the time, the fate of the 100-year-old former grain mill along the Willamette River between the Fremont and Broadway bridges was in limbo. Some said tear it down. Some wanted to relocate the Portland Saturday Market to the site. Some wanted to turn it into a maritime museum.

Seventeen months later, the Portland Development Commission is ready to put Centennial Mill – within the PDC's River District urban renewal area – back in the spotlight, this time nationally.

Steven Shain, a project manager at the PDC in charge of the River District urban renewal area, said Tuesday that the agency has new plans for the site that include issuing a request for qualifications across the country to turn the dilapidated site into a landmark.

In January, the PDC board of commissioners approved a new plan for Centennial Mill that calls for redevelopment guided by five main principles: providing open space, capturing the site's history, defining a community focal point, strengthening connections to the rest of the city and embracing sustainability.

The PDC plans to issue a request for qualifications March 15 to "thousands" of candidates across the country, Shain said.

"We may get 50 to 75 responses after sending those," he said.

The PDC will then form an internal selection team to narrow the candidates down to seven teams "hopefully by spring," Shain said. "We'll be grilling them on how they will start solving the problems and economic realities of a redevelopment project like this."

From there, the PDC will involve stakeholders and possibly put together a citizen advisory group to narrow the candidates to three teams. Once the three are chosen, PDC will give each a $40,000 stipend to come up with a development proposal.

Shain said an estimated cost for redevelopment has not yet been determined.

Precedent set

In its search for the right developer, PDC will reach beyond local developers and begin a nationwide recruitment campaign for companies that have done this sort of work before, Shain said. "We've looked at developments that have set precedent," he said.

Project managers with the PDC have studied several sites around the country as examples of how Centennial Mill could be redeveloped, namely the $3.63 million Gas Works Park in Seattle, a 19-acre public park at the site of the former Seattle Gas Light Co. along the north shore of Lake Union; the $31.4 million Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams, located on the site of the former Sprague Electric Works factory; and the $65 million Ferry Building in San Francisco, an 1898-built ferry terminal that was converted into an upscale marketplace in 2004.

"We want somebody that has the capacity and has done a project like this in the past," Shain said.

Unanswered questions

Tiffany Sweitzer of Hoyt Street Properties – which is building the Encore, a 16-story condominium tower adjacent to Centennial Mill along with another tower on what's known as Block 17 – said that, regardless of what happens, the site "needs to be something amazing, something outside the box."

"The city should seek somebody out who can bring a new idea to that property," Sweitzer said. "We've had local developers looking at it, but it would be great if it could become a destination, like a farmers market."

Sweitzer said she's been frustrated by the slow pace of redevelopment plans for Centennial Mill because her company owns so much property around the site.

"In terms of how we engage with the site, whatever is going to be there is something significant," she said. "We're thinking in terms of questions like: Will there be a boardwalk across Naito? How much retail do we need in our developments if Centennial Mill were to become a retail destination? These questions are still unanswered."

The Portland Development Commission plans to issue a formal request for proposals in December. The agency, Shain said, may decide to pull certain aspects from each of the three final candidates to create an overall vision, but, he said, it's too early to tell whether that would be the case.

But as with any historic renovation project, there are tradeoffs, Shain said. Currently the Portland Police's Mounted Patrol Unit occupies part of the site, and Shain said there may be more productive ways to utilize that space.

"We need to find a better way to integrate the (patrol unit) or relocate them and find a way to pay for it," he said.

Open space versus new development is another concern, along with wharf retention and riverbank restoration.

Retaining history

One of the site's primary stakeholders is the Oregon Maritime Museum. The museum would like to set aside part of the site for exhibits of the museum's sternwheeler "Portland," its barge "Russell" and the Columbia River gill net boat "Mom's Boat."

Museum Vice President Bob Layfield said that, by March 1, the museum would embark on a public campaign to retain a portion of the site. "We'd like to own part of it or get a good lease on maybe 20,000 square feet of the structure, and we're willing to spend money to do so," he said.

Centennial Mill began operation in 1910 as a large merchant flour mill. The PDC purchased the site from Archer Daniels Midland Co. in 2000 for $7.7 million. The River District urban renewal area was enacted in 1982; it's set to expire in 2020.

The urban renewal area itself is fairly healthy financially, Shain said. There is $103 million left in its budget; however, the PDC estimates those funds will be spent by 2010, a full decade before the urban renewal area expires, so redeveloping Centennial Mill in a timely manner would be essential to bring in more money, he said.

http://www.djc-or.com/viewStory.cfm?...28945&userID=1
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Old Posted Feb 22, 2007, 11:46 PM
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this is very good i look forward for a amazing design
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Old Posted Feb 23, 2007, 6:20 AM
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I wonder if this "RFP" will generate interesting & innovative plans architecturally... although there are buildings on the site, the decision of which ones to keep and how to renovate the others - plus the open space and public connections - are going to be key.

However, I can't believe that there is as yet nothing beyond vague ideas of what the programmatics might be. C'mon Portland - this site has been in some form of topic of discussion for years now! Perhaps there should be some sort of foundation created - "Centennial Mills Historic Gallery" or something. They could change the program over the months/years and host art gallery shows, parties, public events, films, ourdoor plays, farmers markets, etc. The Parc de la Villette in Paris by Bernard Tschumi would be a very good model to follow, as it allows a huge amount of flexibility in what goes on in the park spaces they built.

Of course, a combination of public & private funds should help pay for it (condos in the mix would be great for subsidizing high-quality renovation). And if Hoyt Street Props is so concerned that it should be a GREAT SPACE, then they should kick in some bucks: I'm sure they have a few mil. sitting around from all those condo sales...
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Old Posted Feb 23, 2007, 6:54 AM
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It's been less than a year since the decision was made to save Centennial Mills. Before that, it was assumed it was going to be removed to make way for open space. The great thing about this project is that it could be pretty much ANYTHING. It's a blank canvas waiting for a masterpiece to be applied to it. I think an international RFP is a fantastic way to blow open the doors to some creative thinking. I think it's worth the extra time to see what proposals come in.

I love Parc de la Villette, but this site is nowhere near large enough to replicate that here. I'd rather see something original.
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