Nice tower, city says, but could it be taller?
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Fred Leeson
The Oregonian
In a city seemingly leery of tall buildings, the Portland Design Commission made an unusual request of developers planning a tower at 431 S.W. 12th Ave.
Could you, they asked in a hearing this month, make it a little taller?
Once planned for 31 stories and 325 feet, the revised scheme stands at 22 stories and 266 feet because a hotel company withdrew from the project.
"The reality and the economics proved impossible to make it happen," said Larry Bruton, an architect with Zimmer Gunsul Frasca.
Lower floors of the shimmering glass structure would become headquarters for the prominent ZGF firm. The upper 17 stories would hold 274 apartments, ranging from 550-square-foot studios to three-bedroom units of 2,125 square feet.
So what's up with height downtown? After all, residents squawked about tall towers in the South Waterfront, the City Council toppled a 19-story proposal in Goose Hollow and neighborhoods routinely fight proposals for four- or five-story buildings.
The answer lies in a phrase: downtown skyline. Portland's height limits mean the city will never grow as tall as Seattle or San Francisco, but tall buildings still define a city's core. And since completion of the U.S. Bancorp tower in 1983, nothing tall has been built in the blocks just south of Burnside.
"If you could take advantage of the height, seeing a tall slender tower on the skyline would be a nice addition," said Jeff Stuhr, a Design Commission member. Commissioner Andrew Jansky called the ZGF plan "beautiful" but added, "I still think the extra height when you have the opportunity is something to go for."
Unlike at some Design Commission meetings, nary a resident showed up to object.
Taller would be fine with the building designers, too. But fast-rising construction costs may outpace what renters are willing to pay. "It's really a market judgment for the type of units this building will provide," Bruton said.
The tower is not without a downside, even at reduced height. It would block views of the stately 185-foot First Presbyterian Church steeple for pedestrians and motorists heading south on Southwest 13th Avenue.
"Any building that is built in that envelope would block it," said Lloyd Lindley, a Design Commission member. Saving the view would erase half the development, said Eugene Sandoval, the building's chief designer.
Instead of the historic spire, eyes in the 13th Avenue corridor could be drawn to a novel 21st century feature. Preliminary plans show rooftop pillars for five wind turbines.
"We're still flirting with the idea," Sandoval said, adding that it's too soon to know what the turbines would look like.
Lindley encouraged Sandoval to press ahead. "We talked about turbines in the South Waterfront," he said. "I'm encouraged by everything the developer, Gerding/Edlen, has tried. Try your very best to make it happen. We need an example."
The commission will continue its review Nov. 2, when a favorable vote is likely. The meeting, open to the public, will be at 1:30 p.m. at 1900 S.W. Fourth Ave., Room 2500.
Fred Leeson: 503-294-5946;
fredleeson@news.oregonian.com
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/o...850.xml&coll=7
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