OHSU Sells Waterfront Parcel

[PacificNW]

OHSU sells waterfront parcel
Portland Business Journal - 10:27 AM PST Monday


Oregon Health & Science University is selling a one-block parcel in the South Waterfront District to Pacific Retirement Services Inc.

Medford-based Pacific Retirement Services plans to build a a 30-story residential tower at the site.


The 507,300-square-foot continuing care retirement community, to be named Mirabella, at Block 31, will be located two blocks south of OHSU's new Center for Health & Healing. Plans call for the building to have 224 independent living residences, 16 assisted living apartments, 20 skilled-nursing private rooms, 21 special care memory-support private rooms and 244 parking spaces.


Construction is set to begin in spring 2008, with completion planned for summer or early fall 2010.

[Urbanpdx]

Wait a minute...I thought OHSU was desperately out of land and needed SOWA for expansion and creation of high paying jobs? I could be wrong but I think most people that work at retirement communities are minimum wage or very close to it.

[WonderlandPark]

Originally Posted by Urbanpdx

Wait a minute...I thought OHSU was desperately out of land and needed SOWA for expansion

So did I. WTF? I'm suprised.

[PacificNW]

I understand the university is building 3 or 4 more towers of its own. I think they are going to be located on the parcels next to the present tower and a couple closer to the river. I would presume these people working in these towers would be paid higher than the minimum wage. Those people living in the retirement tower are probably pretty well off and I think they fit into the long range plan of people living in the district as well as those working in the district...No doubt many of the people working in the retirement center will not be pulling down high paying wages.

[tworivers]

"Two blocks south"? Wouldn't that be in the new park?
Trying to remember which one is 31...

[PDX City-State]

I could be wrong but I think most people that work at retirement communities are minimum wage or very close to it.

This place will have a skilled nursing element to it; given the land value and its proximity to OHSU, which is no accident, I'm sure the workers will make a good wage. I actually worked at an upscale retirement home for a year during college. Some of the places actually pay very well. But urbanpdx is correct to note this usually isn't the case.

[pdxtraveler]

This does feed into OHSU. I retirement center close to the tram to take them up to the hospital. I also like the design looks nice.

[PDX City-State]

There has been a lot of study in recent years about what is called "healthcare migration." As boomers age, experts say we're going to see a lot of communities clustered around hospitals. Still, the fact that this came out of nowhere makes me wonder what OHSU has up its sleeve.

[PacificNW]

Don't forget OHSU has most of the land north to the Marquam Bridge that they are going to build a low rise campus upon. When there is a demand I am sure that the campus can incorporate some towers also. The availability of land on "Pill Hill" is at a minimum for expansion needs.

[65MAX]

This didn't come out of nowhere. You can see the footprint for this tower (the long gentle curve on one side of the tower) on site plans for South Waterfront....from two years ago! And correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the scale model at the Discovery Center also shows this tower.

So, this has been planned for a while.... it's just the first time we've seen a rendering.

[westsider]

Originally Posted by PacificNW

Don't forget OHSU has most of the land north to the Marquam Bridge that they are going to build a low rise campus upon.

I hear that all the time, the marquam campus being described as "low rise". Does anyone know what the height limits are there, and how low exactly OHSU is planning to build? I've always thought that at least a couple taller buildings there would be nice, to tie SOWA in with downtown.

[NJD]

Block 31 is the block north of the John Ross, and west of the Meriwether.

Judging by the old diagrams and models of sowa, this tower has been in the works for quite some time. My guess is that with the land gift's additional parcels, this block is now expendible and is being sold to help fund the next OHSU tower... if so, this is good news.

[pdxtraveler]

I also remember on one of these threads there was a discussion about the viability of a highrise retirement center in South Waterfront as it had been mentioned in some of the releases. I think that was 6months to a year ago. That and the fact the outline of the building is on those maps really makes it look like this was in long term planning.

[Dougall5505]

i think you guys are right there is a elliptical building in the model at the discovery center. this one looks ok but i don't know if i like the top. and i know townhouses are cool and everything but wouldn't a public courtyard be nice instead just to give some variety. I am very worried about all the buildings in the south waterfront looking alike. we need some designs that are unique and different. anyone heres the map it is the block that is curently being used for the john ross as a staging area

[zilfondel]

80,000 sq ft more than the new Moyer 'scraper!

This thing kind of reminds me of some of the new Seattle condo towers... although a little less boxy.

Originally Posted by Dougall5505

I am very worried about all the buildings in the south waterfront looking alike.

You obviously haven't been to Vancuover CA, have you? Nearly all the new downtown residential developments follow the same formula... and SOWA is based on that model. It won't look bad, but will be pretty cool... and I'm sure it won't take much time before other projects pop up near SOWA that try to be as different as they can be from this formula.

[Dougall5505]

Actually i have been to vancouver many times. i like the density idea of vancouver and hope sowa turns out the same way but i don't see why the designs all have to be so similar. i want to see a unique 937ish building that makes the neighborhood unique
pacnw: where did you find the rendering?

[bvpcvm]

i've been to vancouver and i have the same worries.

here's the developer's press release:

PRS to Build New 30-Story CCRC in Portland; Buys South Waterfront Parcel from OSHU

(Medford, Oregon) January 22, 2007 – Pacific Retirement Services, Inc. (PRS), announced today that it has entered into a land sales agreement with Portland-based Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) to purchase a one-block parcel in the South Waterfront District of Portland in order to build Mirabella, a new 30-story Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC). Mirabella at South Waterfront is the second in PRS’s new line of quality CCRCs specifically designed to support residents in successful aging.
The 325-foot-tall, 507,300-square-foot CCRC will be located at Block 31 of The River Blocks, a “green” development in the center of South Waterfront, near the Willamette River, the new Aerial Tram, and OHSU’s Center for Health & Healing. PRS plans call for Mirabella to offer spacious Senior Living residences and health care in all-private rooms, including 224 Independent Living residences, 16 Assisted Living apartments, 20 Skilled Nursing private rooms, 21 Special Care Memory Support private rooms, 244 parking spaces, clinic and research space, and various fine amenities and social areas. Apartments and penthouse suites are available up to nearly 2,000 square feet, each with views of the Willamette River, Mt. Hood, the Portland cityscape, or a park, which is expected to span two blocks in front of Mirabella.
PRS will develop and operate Mirabella. Construction is expected to be by Hoffman Construction Company and architecture by Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects—both based in Portland. PRS plans to begin construction in spring 2008, with completion in summer or early fall 2010.
Tom Becker, President and CEO of PRS, says, “This purchase and alliance with OHSU not only allows PRS to provide more housing for seniors in Portland; it also helps us realize our goals to provide state-of-the-art care and services and investigate new technologies that will benefit residents and aging services as a whole.”
PRS/OHSU Affiliation Agreement
PRS signed the sales agreement December 29, which also included a long-term Affiliation Agreement that expresses PRS’s and OHSU’s interest in collaborating on new health innovations to serve the needs of seniors. As part of the agreement, Mirabella residents can enjoy additional health and wellness services at the adjacent OHSU Center for Health & Healing, and this close proximity will allow PRS and OHSU to focus together on the physical, social, cognitive, psychological, environmental and other dimensions of aging with the intended result of improved care for elders.
According to OHSU President Joseph E. Robertson, Jr., MD, MBA, “PRS has an outstanding reputation as a developer and operator of retirement communities, and we chose it as a buyer because of its desire to work closely with our health care providers in a way that’s mutually beneficial for OHSU and Mirabella residents.”
Seniors are encouraged to inquire now about reserving their new view residence at Mirabella in South Waterfront. Call (503) 245-4742 or 877-254-9371, or visit the Mirabella website at www.mirabellaretirement.org/portland for more information.
About Pacific Retirement Services, Inc.
Pacific Retirement Services, Inc., is a not-for-profit corporation that develops, operates, manages, and markets a family of 46 retirement communities and service organizations in Oregon, Washington, California, and Texas. It has approximately 1,600 employees and provides housing and services to more than 4,000 seniors through its many affiliated organizations, including six CCRCs (Mirabella in Portland is the seventh), two managed retirement communities, and twenty-four affordable senior housing communities. To learn more about PRS, its communities, affiliates, and services, call (888) 724-6424 or visit www.retirement.org.
About Mirabella by PRS
PRS unveiled its new Mirabella brand of CCRCs in 2006 at the groundbreaking of the successful Mirabella at South Lake Union in Seattle. At the new Mirabella in Portland, PRS plans to continue its mission to “enhance lifestyle opportunities for seniors” using the philosophy of successful aging. As defined by results of the MacArthur Foundation Study of Aging, successful agers live an actively engaged life filled with friends, enriching activities, lifelong learning, and healthy living. PRS is committed to creating this lifestyle for residents. The name “Mirabella,” which in Italian essentially means “beautiful vision,” expresses PRS’s new thinking about retirement—that today’s seniors deserve to live in a community where physical age is just a number, a place where age does not define or limit how they choose to live their lives.
About OHSU
Oregon Health & Science University is Oregon's only health and research university, and only academic health center. OHSU is Portland's largest employer and the fourth largest in Oregon (excluding government), with nearly 12,000 employees. It serves 189,000 patients, and is a conduit for learning for more than 3,400 students and trainees. OHSU is the source of more than 200 community outreach programs that bring health and education services to each county in the state. For more information about OHSU, call (503) 494-8311 or visit www.ohsu.edu.
Additional Contact Information
To learn more about The River Blocks and the South Waterfront Development, visit www.thesouthwaterfront.com or go to The Discovery Center at 680 S.W. Bancroft Street in South Waterfront.

[der Reisender]

will give OHSU a couple hundred more built-in customers when finished, and for a retirement it looks pretty good. I would guess NJD is right, and the land is expendable with the Schnitzer land north of Ross Island Bridge under OHSU ownership

[tworivers]

i want to see a unique 937ish building that makes the neighborhood unique

I'm with you 100%, but it doesn't seem conducive to this sort of master-planning-from-scratch process with only a few developers lording over the available land.

[PacificNW]

I think my posts and thoughts are invisible to all except me....