James Beard Public Market | Proposed

[58rhodes]

Originally Posted by PDX City-State

I think you guys are missing the point on the Beard Market.

First, it's nothing like Pine Street Market. Pine Street Market is nine restaurants under one roof and some common area seating. It's the middle ground between a full restaurant buildout and a food cart pod.

The James Beard Public Market could truly be an important civic project--one that revitalizes the waterfront, is used as an education and research center for food access and security issues, is a visible symbol of Oregon Agriculture to the world, and would add another opportunity for Oregon producers to bring product to market. There are some pretty high civic ideals embedded in that project, and that's one reason why it's taken so long to get off the ground--because Ron and the other planners refused to compromise.

I think the investment in the market would generate enough tourism dollars that it would more than pay for itself.

I dont think its a given that it would really pay for itself--we had a pretty large farmers market back in the 60s and it was on the waterfront.

[maccoinnich]

The possibilities are almost endless for what the City could do with this proposed $200,000 appropriation, which represents a massive 0.04% of the City's annual budget.

[58rhodes]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

The possibilities are almost endless for what the City could do with this proposed $200,000 appropriation, which represents a massive 0.04% of the City's annual budget.

well thats what Im sayin--200 grand isnt much of a commitment. Doesn't seem all that important to the city?

[pylon]

it could be another shiny object to attract more convention business, once
we get the new hotel built and begin attracting higher/larger level events,
and thus more folks to fill it- a synergy.

[maccoinnich]

On City Council agenda for next week:

*1136 Authorize a grant agreement with Historic Portland Public Market Foundation dba James Beard Public Market for $200,000 to implement a program for a permanent, year-round public market in Portland (Ordinance)

[urbanlife]

Good to know this is still alive, I can't wait until we see more from the architects.

[athorak]

This can't be good.

James Beard Public Market abandons downtown Morrison Bridge site

[innovativethinking]

Meh it was a pipe dream anyways

[urbanlife]

That doesn't surprise me, I have always felt that the idea of this market was a bit far fetched and needed to join with the Portland Farmer's Market to even have a chance to being successful. It is funny that they said Naito was a barrier for them and with the city to the park, that is something I don't really buy. You see plenty of people using the park, so obviously it isn't that much of a barrier. When you look along Naito, the real issue is the lack of first floor commercial space along that road. All that needs to happen is that anything that is built along Naito must be required to have commercial space along that street. The amount of foot traffic that area already gets will take care of the rest.

The who concept of the off ramps, that is something the city itself needs to address and not expect any private firm to tackle that issue if they ever expect to see development at the Morrison Bridgehead.

I won't be holding my breathe over what happens next, the OMSI idea does sound intriguing because of Shohetta working with OMSI as well, something like this could potentially work into a good urban masterplan for that area to make it more attractive to visitors. Though I think the main focus of the OMSI masterplan should be to expand OMSI and make it be less of a dump than it currently is.

The South Waterfront is another interesting option, but if something went in there, I would expect that we would just get a duplicate of something like Pine Street Market, which would be cool because SoWa could definitely use something like that.

[maccoinnich]

I'm curious about what happens with the land now. It's owned by Morrison Bridgehead LLC (who I assume to be owned by Melvin Mark), who took title to the property in December 2015 after paying the County $10,430,00. Skimming through the Agreement for Disposition and Development there doesn't seem to be any obligation that requires the JBPM to be built on the site. Even with the constraints of the ramps, I assume that land is worth more now (especially given that the height limits are likely going from 75' to 250'). Will Melvin Mark choose to do something else with the land? Or flip it, for a nice profit?

[2oh1]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Even with the constraints of the ramps, I assume that land is worth more now (especially given that the height limits are likely going from 75' to 250'). Will Melvin Mark choose to do something else with the land? Or flip it, for a nice profit?

When will that happen? I sure hope something good happens for this site. It's a shame it won't be James Beard Market. I had such high hopes, but I wasn't convinced that sort of market could be successful there.

[Sioux612]

Major bummer.

Whatever is eventually built at this bridgehead will pale in comparison to what Snøhetta had designed.

[maccoinnich]

Oregonian answers some of my questions.

James Beard Public Market scraps plan for downtown location



Long-held plans to build a public market at the west end of the Morrison Bridge have been discarded in favor of a new but undetermined central city location, the project's chief proponent said Thursday.

The decision is the latest obstacle for the James Beard Public Market and represents a wholesale switch from the development proposal approved by Multnomah County leaders five years ago. The market had been a showpiece in the pitch but that public amenity will now slip away, even as the private developer moves forward with plans for a high-rise tower.

Leaders for the public market are hoping to find a new location on Central Eastside property owned by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry or on land in the South Waterfront owned by the Zidell family, said Fred Granum, executive director for the food project. Building at the bridgehead site proved too difficult, he said.

...continues at the Oregonian.

[maccoinnich]

Email I received today:

Update: Sights are set on the Innovation Quadrant

Dear Friends of James Beard Public Market,

It may seem as though we've been quiet in recent months. That's because we've been working hard to seize upon an opportunity too good to miss: we've enthusiastically set our sights on locating the public market in Portland's emerging Innovation Quadrant.

Specifically, we're participating in the master planning process for the development of OMSI's 16-acre riverfront property near the Tilikum Crossing, a stretch of waterfront included in the central east side quadrant. More broadly, the Innovation Quadrant extends across the Willamette River and includes four districts in the central city.

As you may know, we previously sought to develop the Public Market at the west end of the Morrison Bridge in downtown Portland. Many mission-driven staff, board members, donors and volunteers worked very hard to make that site fit the market's success criteria. Ultimately, the site's constraints proved to be too limiting. Repeated delays, increasing costs and major safety concerns posed by the ramps would not allow us to move forward with building the market and fulfilling its mission as established by our late project champion Ron Paul.

A new location will allow us to move the project forward. The producers and eaters of Portland and Oregon are ready for this public market and we are forging ahead swifter than ever before.

What makes this a good choice?
Moving away from the Morrison Bridgehead and locating near the east end of Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People, has countless community and cost-savings benefits. Teaming up with OMSI and other partners in the area brings a mission-aligned boost to our plans; the costs of building on a new site will be significantly less than the previous site; and it allows our timeline to remain the same, with groundbreaking as early as 2019. Many fellow supporters enthusiastically favor this change.

What's next?
OMSI selected design firm Snohetta to lead the master planning team. Work on the plan began earlier this month and completion is expected this spring. That means we'll have much more news for you over the coming months.

We thank you for your understanding and commitment to a true public market for Oregon and we appreciate your continued support. We couldn't do this important work without you. The market's mission is what drives us forward together: to serve a public good, and to showcase the incredible abundance of this stunning northwest region and the people who make it possible. Bringing the public market to Portland will be yet another reason we are so lucky to call this place home.

To learn more, check out this great perspective from architecture blogger Brian Libby.

If you have any questions or ideas, we'd be happy to talk with you. Please contact us at:
Fred Granum, Executive Director at fred@jamesbeardmarket.com or 503-313-2288
Lori Warner-McGee, Development Director at lori@jamesbeardmarket.com or 503-936-2652
Suzi Carter, Community Engagement Manager at suzi@jamesbeardmarket.com or 540-810-7667

All our best,

Your James Beard Public Market Team


PS - Want to see the market move forward? Please consider a gift of any size today.

[urbanlife]

So basically it sounds like they are aiming more for being a part of OMSI rather than be downtown because they will get more bang for their buck. I can't argue with them there. Plus with the height increase happening at the Morrison Bridgehead, it would be interesting to see what happens there instead. I still think the removal of the ramps should be a priority since they could just utilize the local streets for access to Naito Parkway.

[pdxf]

This is a shame...I just really don't think it will have the same impact on the city locating it near OMSI as it would have been downtown. All of those office workers who won't be able to quickly grab a lunch there, or stop in for groceries before heading home, it's just too far out of the way for many people. Perhaps I'm being shortsighted, and once that area of town develops more, it will make perfect sense, but it seems like there is a long way to go for that.

I wouldn't mind if they took over a section of waterfront park (maybe even the spot directly to the east of the proposed site, under the bridge), or even O'Bryant Square (too small?), which doesn't really seem to get that much activity.

I've always been intrigued with little forgotten pieces of land, like in the image below (which is just south of Waterfront Park on Naito). According to portlandmaps.com, the top red box is owned by the city (seems like that could be an easy piece of land to devote to a better purpose), and I'm not sure who owns the lower red box. It seems like these pieces of land could be great areas for a public market. The pedestrian friendliness of the area is pretty bad, but it seems like that could be solved, and perhaps even used to create a stronger bond between the south end of downtown and the waterfront.

I did a quick writeup about this option here: http://www.drempd.com/blog/A-Better-...-Public-Market

[maccoinnich]

Originally Posted by 2oh1

When will that happen?

2018, assuming Council approves the Central City 2035 plan.

[MarkDaMan]

Originally Posted by pdxf

I've always been intrigued with little forgotten pieces of land, like in the image below (which is just south of Waterfront Park on Naito). According to portlandmaps.com, the top red box is owned by the city (seems like that could be an easy piece of land to devote to a better purpose), and I'm not sure who owns the lower red box. It seems like these pieces of land could be great areas for a public market. The pedestrian friendliness of the area is pretty bad, but it seems like that could be solved, and perhaps even used to create a stronger bond between the south end of downtown and the waterfront.

Very interesting. There's little downside for a market at this site.

[Pavlov's Dog]

Originally Posted by pdxf

This is a shame...I just really don't think it will have the same impact on the city locating it near OMSI as it would have been downtown. All of those office workers who won't be able to quickly grab a lunch there, or stop in for groceries before heading home, it's just too far out of the way for many people. Perhaps I'm being shortsighted, and once that area of town develops more, it will make perfect sense, but it seems like there is a long way to go for that.

I wouldn't mind if they took over a section of waterfront park (maybe even the spot directly to the east of the proposed site, under the bridge), or even O'Bryant Square (too small?), which doesn't really seem to get that much activity.

I've always been intrigued with little forgotten pieces of land, like in the image below (which is just south of Waterfront Park on Naito). According to portlandmaps.com, the top red box is owned by the city (seems like that could be an easy piece of land to devote to a better purpose), and I'm not sure who owns the lower red box. It seems like these pieces of land could be great areas for a public market. The pedestrian friendliness of the area is pretty bad, but it seems like that could be solved, and perhaps even used to create a stronger bond between the south end of downtown and the waterfront.

I did a quick writeup about this option here: http://www.drempd.com/blog/A-Better-...-Public-Market

I think it is a great location. I concur that it is preferable to the OMSI location. I would want to try to integrate with the Mercedes block and the Tri-Met block to create something bigger. My only concern with this location is the large volume of traffic creating a psychological barrier.

[DMH]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

So basically it sounds like they are aiming more for being a part of OMSI rather than be downtown because they will get more bang for their buck. I can't argue with them there. Plus with the height increase happening at the Morrison Bridgehead, it would be interesting to see what happens there instead. I still think the removal of the ramps should be a priority since they could just utilize the local streets for access to Naito Parkway.

I too was intrigued by the Morrison bridgehead site because it would energize a deadzone, be close to so many downtown workers, and be so near Saturday Market. Weekend crowds would visit both. The OMSI site might work just as Granville Island in Vancouver BC works. Granville has very difficult access. Perhaps it succeeds because it is co-located with some cultural activities. OMSI could play a role in creating a similar synergy.