South Waterfront News

[eric cantona]

Originally Posted by PDX City-State

Plus, imagine the brain trust--the best minds in athletics adjacent to the best minds in medicine.

Dr. Scholls?

[pylon]

Originally Posted by eric cantona

Dr. Scholls?

LOL.
The growing and aging boomer population may be a good target market for a line of footwear designed just for them-
for those (wanna be) sporty older folks who still want to just do it; even if the it is shuffleboard.
A well-researched product (especially for marketing/product-differentiating purposes) geared for an older foot could be a new niche for Nike.

[philopdx]

OHSU Life Sciences Center:





SOWA Apartments:

[stan]

Great shots, thanks. The way the Life Sciences blding is coming together is really impressing me.

[zilfondel]

Its interesting. The picture doesn't really do it justice - the thing is MASSIVE. I was down there a week or so ago and took photos, but even being across the street, my phone camera couldn't fit the entire building in the photo.

Its kind of like a giant spaceship. Kind of fitting for the site, as the MAX will curve around the corner. Hopefully we will see some equally interesting architecture build up around it.

Another thing about the area, if you haven't been down there in awhile, is the sheer number of people who walk between downtown and SOWA. Its probably the majority of commuters! Hundreds of people per hour...

[nevernude]

Damn it.

http://www.wweek.com/portland/blog-3...expansion.html

Officials at the city of learned today that Nike will not expand its operations to the city’s South Waterfront.

Portland had been in the running for the major project, which promises to create as many as 6,000 new jobs in the coming decades. Instead, that project will happen on property Nike already owns, adjacent to its headquarters in Washington County.

“The city, the Portland Development Commission and Multnomah County presented Nike and its representatives with a comprehensive and compelling proposal,” said Portland Mayor Charlie Hales. “I’m proud of the effort our team put together. And I’m thrilled that the project, and the jobs, are staying in the metropolitan area.”

The city and county had entered a non-disclosure agreement with Nike, in which the development was code-named Project Impact.

In the summer and fall of 2012, consultants from Nike approached the PDC about potentially moving into the city. Leaders from Portland, the PDC, Multnomah County and Greater Portland Inc. responded jointly. Discussions hovered around an estimated 30 acres on the South Waterfront owned by the Zidell family.

Hales said the Zidell property likely will be developed even without Nike’s involvement.

“The site offers a unique opportunity for Portland to create an urban corporate campus,” Hales said. “It’s a 30-plus-acre site, on the riverfront, connected to a public transportation system and – hey, it’s got a view of Mount Hood! If there’s a better urban site for redevelopment in America: Show me.”

Hales said Nike’s expansion in the metro area confirms the region’s position as a leader for athletic and outdoor companies. The expansion will benefit the region’s cluster of more than 200 companies and service providers in the athletic and outdoor sector.

“We would have been pleased to see Nike expand in Portland. But I’m gratified that the expansion of this home-grown company will happen right here at home,” Hales said. “This expansion will have a huge impact on the regional economy.”

[cab]

Surround this building with a new Nike campus! Place will be sick. The sports medicine connection between Nike and OHSU is very much something that should be explored. This area has SO much potential.

[pdxdave]

I know most were excited about the prospects of Nike in SoWa and are bummed with their decision to expand in WashCo., but I think there might be a silver lining. When you think about the Collaborative Life Sciences Building and the research that is going to take place in that building and other buildings in the new Schnitzer campus there will inevitably be a bunch of spin-off companies. I can see a need for private office and research space and believe that the adjacent Zidell property would be quite attractive. So maybe SoWa will be more biotech dominated. Just a thought.

[maccoinnich]

On the one hand, I think it's a shame that Oregon's largest private employers are all in the suburbs. On the other hand, I don't think it's worth spending a huge amount of tax payer money to encourage Nike to grow in Portland rather than Beaverton.

[2oh1]

maccoinnich summed up my thoughts as well. Was it really worth THAT much investment money to bring Nike to South Waterfront? I think there are so many other sites more deserving of the investment, especially given the fact that they're already in the metro? It'd be different if we were recruiting them to move here from San Jose or Sacramento... but they're already more or less here. I'm just not sure the investment money would really be worth it. Sure, it would have sped up the process of linking SOWA with downtown, but that ball is already rolling, and the new bridge and light rail will give it momentum anyway.

It would have been nice, yes, but it's failure is no great tragedy.

[philopdx]

I knew they were far too insular to dare venture "beyond the berm".

[65MAX]

It was a nice idea, but it doesn't make a lot of sense to split up their World HQ. They own plenty of land in Washington County to keep expanding for the next 100 years. Why lease land 10 miles away from somebody else?

The fact that they even considered SoWa proves the value, marketability and attractiveness of the Zidell site as a corporate headquarters, maybe even several HQs. Maybe even companies from outside the Portland area. That's the REAL opportunity for this site.

[Derek]

So I may be getting an apartment in the South Waterfront and my unit would be facing south, which is unfortunately a huge dirt lot. I tried to dig up some info in here, but there's way too much to look over.


Does anybody know if the empty lots at SW Bond and River Parkway (north of The Old Spaghetti Factory) have anything planned or in the works? I'm just curious. Thanks in advance.

[MarkDaMan]

Those blocks are still owned by Prometheus Real Estate Group from California under the name THE LANDING AT MACADAM LLC. Back in 2008 they proposed a 20+ story high rise on one block, but after the market collapse, there's been no activity or permitting that I can find.

I do believe I read somewhere that the residents with the little community garden down there have been told this is the last summer they will be allowed to garden on that empty block. I think that's a Williams and Dame block though.

[Mr. Walch]

Or maybe downsized to 6 stories? At least for part of it. See it here. Kind of shame, such a small building on such a prime site.

[Derek]

Ok cool, thanks for the info.


I was checking out that garden yesterday, I thought it was cool! It would be really cool if a future developer could actually redevelop it into something more permanent (like The Fields park in The Pearl) and build around it.

[2oh1]

Just make sure you're prepared if a developer turns that plot into condos or apartments. I guess that only matters if you're looking at this move as a long term thing rather than short term. Construction noise can be brutal.

[Derek]

I won't mind. I can stand some construction noise.



I'd rather listen to construction noises than stare at an empty, brown, puddle filled lot.

[bvpcvm]

Seattle-based Harbor Urban is considering a plan to develop a six-story, 280-unit multifamily building at 3700 S.W. River Parkway.

Read more: http://djcoregon.com/news/2013/04/25...#ixzz2RjlquwzT

This is directly south of The Atwater.

[Derek]

So this:

Originally Posted by bvpcvm

Seattle-based Harbor Urban is considering a plan to develop a six-story, 280-unit multifamily building at 3700 S.W. River Parkway.

Read more: http://djcoregon.com/news/2013/04/25...#ixzz2RjlquwzT

This is directly south of The Atwater.

Corresponds with this, kind of:

Originally Posted by MarkDaMan

I do believe I read somewhere that the residents with the little community garden down there have been told this is the last summer they will be allowed to garden on that empty block. I think that's a Williams and Dame block though.