Pearl District News

[cailes]

Something that doesn't get tossed around much in the conversation about the north Pearl area is that these new buildings close to the 405 are subjected to a lot of highway noise.

My wife and I toured the Abigail and even with patio doors closed, you could still hear the traffic sailing by.

Interesting that Overton 15 is taking steps to mitigate. It makes the u-store not as hard to swallow IMO when compared to subjecting more people to loud road noise.

[maccoinnich]

This article contains numerous inaccuracies, so take it with a grain of salt:

Historical heights



The lone citizen taking a stand against a proposed development “in his backyard” may be an American icon.

In the dense urban core of Portland, few lone wolves achieve their aims. They may write letters, testify at hearings, get on the news—even hire a lawyer—but the weight of public policy, zoning codes, bureaucracy and politicians aligned in favor of development prevails in the end.

Without the backing of even their own neighborhood associations, they are often brushed off by City Hall as NIMBYs not representing the will of the community.

John Hollister, who lives in a condominium next to the proposed seven-story Pearl East at Northwest 13th and Glisan streets, was given all the usual warnings about the futility of his mission. He couldn’t even get to first base with the Pearl District Neighborhood Association, which informally supported of the 96-foot-tall building before Hollister had a chance to present his concerns.

But Hollister, a former high-tech and banking professional, was undeterred, attending all the city design review hearings on the project, reading technical documents and engaging with city planners to better understand the rules.

...continues at the NW Examiner.

[DMH]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

This article contains numerous inaccuracies, so take it with a grain of salt:



...continues at the NW Examiner.

We are all dying to know what the inaccuracies in the NW Examiner article are. Please tell.

Frankly I think the proposed 1/4 block building would be a welcome development, replacing a parking lot. It may be a bit tall, but the top floor is set back from the parapet, which helps. My main complaint has been the NW Glisan elevation where I feel the retail show windows should step down to follow the downward sloping grade on Glisan. I wanted each window sill to be closer to grade.

[maccoinnich]

At a preapplication conference in 2015, the Bureau of Development Services informed the developer of a 75-foot height limit in the NW 13th Avenue Historic District.

Why would they have done that? The height limit is 175'.

In an April 2016 Design Advice Review session, Hollister learned that the height limit would instead be 100 feet.

Again, why would that have happened? The height limit is 175'. These aren't numbers that are made up on a whim.

The issue boils down to height. Pearl East was approved at 96 feet, just under the 100-foot limit.

To hammer this point home, the height limit is 175'.

The five-story Wieden+Kennedy building was listed as 122 feet though it is only 58 feet according to highrises.com.

It's very unlikely that a 5 story office building, converted from a warehouse, is only 58' tall.

The seven-story Irving Street Lofts is 89 feet tall according

The Irving Streets Lofts are also a warehouse conversion. Given that the units have ceilings ranging from 11' to14', the building is almost certainly taller than 89'.

The bigger problem with allowing substantially greater building heights in a historic district is creating market pressures that encourage demolitions. If a one-story structure can be replaced by a tower, property owners may realize a huge gain in value.

This isn't how the process works. The demolition of a contributing resource in the 13th Avenue Historic District, or any other district in the city, requires City Council approval. The chances of getting it are slim to none.

As for the absence of board review of a letter she wrote in support of Pearl East

She didn't draft the letter; another committee member did (though not a member of PDNA, I happened to be at the meeting where the committee discussed Pearl East). And in general the article's insinuations about Patricia Gardner are slimy in the extreme.

[eric cantona]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Why would they have done that? The height limit is 175'.

Again, why would that have happened? The height limit is 175'. These aren't numbers that are made up on a whim.

To hammer this point home, the height limit is 175'.

It's very unlikely that a 5 story office building, converted from a warehouse, is only 58' tall.

The Irving Streets Lofts are also a warehouse conversion. Given that the units have ceilings ranging from 11' to14', the building is almost certainly taller than 89'.

This isn't how the process works. The demolition of a contributing resource in the 13th Avenue Historic District, or any other district in the city, requires City Council approval. The chances of getting it are slim to none.

She didn't draft the letter; another committee member did (though not a member of PDNA, I happened to be at the meeting where the committee discussed Pearl East). And in general the article's insinuations about Patricia Gardner are slimy in the extreme.

all this, plus: what about getting ALL sides of the story? where's the input from BDS on this issue? what about the developer? understanding that the Examiner is not exactly The Gray Lady, some sense of balance needs to occur or they're just a local version of Breitbart.

[Leo]

Originally Posted by eric cantona

all this, plus: what about getting ALL sides of the story? where's the input from BDS on this issue? what about the developer? understanding that the Examiner is not exactly The Gray Lady, some sense of balance needs to occur or they're just a local version of Breitbart.

LOL, are you unfamiliar with the NW Examiner? They invariably publish only the “other” side of the story. I’ve never seen them publish comments favoring change relating to anything even remotely “historic”

[maccoinnich]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Pearl East has indeed been appealed.

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Notice of Appeal for Pearl East

Unanimous vote by City Council to deny the appeal and uphold decision of Landmarks Commission.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Unanimous vote by City Council to deny the appeal and uphold decision of Landmarks Commission.

Lol

[2oh1]

Good news!

[maccoinnich]

Notice of a Public Hearing for NW 13th & Johnson.

[maccoinnich]

Drawings [35MB] for NW 13th & Johnson and letter from PDNA.

[maccoinnich]

[maccoinnich]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Drawings [35MB] for NW 13th & Johnson and letter from PDNA.

Staff Report, which recommends approval.

[maccoinnich]

Final Findings of the City Council on Pearl East.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Final Findings of the City Council on Pearl East.

Their dismantling of the appeal was brutal.

[RainDog]

[maccoinnich]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Drawings [35MB] for NW 13th & Johnson and letter from PDNA.

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Staff Report, which recommends approval.

Approved by Design Commission today.

[maccoinnich]

David Machado’s Tanner Creek Tavern Sets a September 12 Opening Date

As Eater reported earlier this week, next month restaurateur David Machado will open Tanner Creek Tavern at 875 NW Everett in the Pearl District, making it his fourth operational restaurant and his sixth over all. He owns Nel Centro downtown and Altabira and Citizen Baker in the Lloyd District. Prior to that he owned and operated Vindahlo and Lauro Kitchen.

Machado has deputized Trevor Payne to run the burners as his executive chef. Prior to teaming up with Machado, Payne has put in time at Clyde Common, Olympia Provisions, Little Bird Bistro and Taylor Railworks.

"I'm very bullish on the Pearl," Machado days. "After several starts and stops, it's ripe for its next inception as a fully-realized neighborhood for locals and tourists alike."

...continues at the Portland Mercury.

[zilfondel]

I work with the project architect for the Pearl East project, its been real fun listening to him vent about it.

[maccoinnich]

Latest drawings [6 MB] for the U Store