Low-rise housing in works for N.E. Broadway
Sullivan's Gulch - The long process for the Albina Fuel site yields a plan for five buildings
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
FRED LEESON
The Oregonian
A vacant five-acre parcel at a major Northeast Portland intersection will become, at long last, the home to 319 housing units and storefront retail space.
After nearly seven years of planning, the Portland Design Commission approved plans last week for a five-building, low-rise development on the old Albina Fuel site, bounded by Northeast Broadway, 33rd Avenue and Interstate 84.
The final plan is a far cry from an earlier proposal that included as many as three towers of eight to 10 stories, which drew heavy opposition from the Sullivan's Gulch Neighborhood Association. The Canada-based tower developer subsequently dropped out.
Lynne Coward, a neighborhood representative, said nearby residents accepted the "broad brush" of the new plan with buildings of three to five stories. But she objected to some design details, such as vinyl windows and the galvanized metal screens for residential decks.
The plan includes 40,000 square feet of retail space, primarily along 600 feet of Northeast Broadway.
"Broadway hasn't seen a significant amount of new development since Fred Meyer went in," said Lloyd Lindley, design commission chairman. "This could set a benchmark for future development there." The triangular site abuts the Hollywood Fred Meyer store, completed in 1989.
"This will be a great addition to the neighborhood," said Jeffrey Stuhr, a design commission member. "It will help repair a much-blighted corner on Broadway."
Family-owned Albina Fuel moved its operations to Clark County several years ago. The Arntson family planned to sell the site to the Canadian developer, but after that plan dissolved, the family created a joint venture with a Spokane developer for the current plan.
Exterior building materials will include brick at the street level, with stucco and lap siding above. A round building at the corner of Broadway and 33rd Avenue will be fitted with aluminum-framed windows.
The developer agreed to upgrade some materials during several meetings with the design commission, but Brian Runberg, a Seattle architect, said the budget couldn't include aluminum windows on all buildings.
The City Council approved a zone change from industrial to residential and commercial but set a limit of 319 housing units in view of neighborhood concerns about traffic and density. Without that limit, city zoning and building rules might have allowed roughly 500 units.
Most of the new residences will be studios or one-bedroom units. Approximately 35 units will have two bedrooms.
Brad Perkins, an Irvington resident, said he wished three-bedroom units could have been included to attract more families, rather than singles and couples. He said families are needed to feed the area's four schools, but many families can't afford house prices in nearby neighborhoods.
Fred Leeson: 503-294-5946;
fredleeson@news.oregonian.com
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