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  #101  
Old Posted Feb 6, 2007, 4:09 AM
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MitchE MitchE is offline
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Mark, have you considered buying an older refurbished condo that's close in? They are usually cheaper than new construction and you might be able to eek out a little more space.

I went thru the same process you did about 2 years ago and finally settled on a 2BR condo in SE that a converted apartment building from the late 60's. It was a little more than I wanted to pay but the 2nd bedroom is my income generator that has been working out really well. Assuming it's rented, the extra income makes my 30yr-fixed mortgage cheaper than if I had bought a 1 bedroom. And being that it's located in a very desirable area in SE has made renting the second room fairly easy and helped out on my bicycle commute.
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  #102  
Old Posted Feb 6, 2007, 9:06 AM
mcbaby mcbaby is offline
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there are some cool refurbished condos on hawthorne

http://www.oregonlive.com/realestate...160.xml&coll=7
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  #103  
Old Posted Feb 6, 2007, 4:35 PM
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great find mcbaby! Thanks! MitchE, I am really close to your position, I just have not had extremely great luck in roommate situations and don't want to depend on them for five years or so while I'm transitioning between careers, and besides, I already have a live in that helps with bills, so I have been looking at two bedrooms, but further out. I probably have been too demanding about how new the space must be, which is why my realy has me looking in the burbs. I might just schedule a weekend to look at closer-in refurbished places...but I have my concerns about them as most 'older' places I looked at early on in inner-Portland were fug 60's apartment buildings 'converted' to condos...it was depressing.
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  #104  
Old Posted Feb 6, 2007, 5:11 PM
Urbanpdx Urbanpdx is offline
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Originally Posted by mcbaby View Post
there are some cool refurbished condos on hawthorne

http://www.oregonlive.com/realestate...160.xml&coll=7
Are you comfortable with the developer?

http://www.oregonlive.com/printer/pr...450.xml&coll=7
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  #105  
Old Posted Feb 8, 2007, 4:16 PM
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Gateway’s a pedestrian district, but one without sidewalks
by Alison Ryan
02/08/2007


Daily Journal of Commerce Photo
The vision laid out in the Gateway Regional Center Design guidelines is grand: "a highly-urbanized, pedestrian-oriented center, with an overall built size and scale second only to Portland's Central City."

But on Northeast 100th Avenue and other unimproved roads in the district, the only place to walk is in the street. And issues surrounding the lack of infrastructure need to be solved, developers say, before the transformation to urban can happen.

"We're in a pedestrian district without sidewalks," said Andrew Kelly, manager at KNR Properties LLC, which has developed – and is in the process of developing more – housing projects in the district.

Interest in developing in Gateway is there, said Byron Estes, a senior development manager with the Portland Development Commission, but in certain areas – especially central Gateway, the former Prunedale area – there are challenges.

"It's lacking a lot of streets and basic infrastructure," he said.

Developers foot the cost of many infrastructure additions. That means a higher cost to build, Kelly said, which means either smaller units or higher prices. And in Gateway, where pricing units under $200,000 is key, the impact on the bottom line makes a big difference.

"Out here, it's all about price point," he said. "I don't want to be building something and trying to sell it for $300,000."

Transportation access is key to a thriving Gateway. The district's 650 acres are bordered by interstates 205 and 84. MAX lines connect to downtown, Gresham and the airport, with a light-rail connection to downtown eventually expected. By 2015, Gateway is expected to be one of the most accessible locations within the Portland metro area.

But within district boundaries, connectivity is a problem. Sidewalks don't exist. Streets dead end. Roads are unimproved. In some areas, Kelly said, streetscape is an issue.

"Conceivably a guy would have to drive through the potholes and unimproved roads before he got home," he said. "And that makes you uncomfortable as a developer."

Gateway streets were developed around larger blocks, said Dan Layden, a Portland Office of Transportation project manager, with few crossings and few places to walk. In some areas, an uneven pattern of previous development is affecting future building.

"It's hard to assemble property to do a big development," he said, "and in some cases it's hard to put those streets through."

Solutions are in the works. The redevelopment of Northeast 102nd Avenue, the district's main artery, is scheduled to begin in September. Improvements largely focus on the pedestrian scale, with wider sidewalks, street trees and lights, pedestrian median crossings, and a bike lane in place of existing on-street parking planned.

"The eventual plan for the Gateway district is a more pedestrian-oriented district that has more businesses along that street that are pedestrian-oriented," Layden said. "What this provides is the basic infrastructure for that."

A super local improvement district (LID), under investigation as part of the in-the-works Central Gateway Redevelopment Plan, could help defer infrastructure costs of new projects as well.

"It has been somewhat of a barrier to development," Estes said. "And I definitely think, if we do it right, that a super LID could provide a lot of incentive for developers right there."

The plan is almost to draft stage, Estes said, and is expected to go before the PDC sometime in April for review. Details of how the LID might function haven't been established. But an outside funding source, whether it be PDC funds or city support, would fill part of the cost gap for owners and developers.

Kelly said he'd like to see the street and infrastructure improvements paid for in a way that's equitable – and shared among the landowner, the PDC, the city and other stakeholders. Right now, he said, not knowing what might be required on KNR projects – The Annex on Northeast 97th Avenue and Hazelwood on Northeast 99th – is the big problem.

"Number one is the uncertainty," he said. "If you look at The Annex, transportation now wants an 8-foot pedestrian corridor the length of the lot. And it's like, where did that come from?"

Despite challenges, activity is already going on in the district. The Portland Design Commission will offer design advice on two proposals during a hearing at 1:30 p.m. today. One of the projects is a proposed six-story, 58-unit residential project on Northeast 99th Avenue. The other is a KNR development, proposed to include two five-story mixed-use retail and residential buildings on a site at 206 N.E. 102nd Ave., that's before the commission for a second round of design advice.

And although the process is tougher in Gateway, Kelly said, it shouldn't be a barrier.

"Let's hope not," he said. "I'd like to see the area grow."
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  #106  
Old Posted Feb 8, 2007, 4:20 PM
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This should be fun to watch!

City seeks admin, promotion for courtyard competition

by Alison Ryan
02/08/2007


Plans for the "Living Spaces" courtyard housing competition are moving forward as the city of Portland seeks proposals for administration and promotion of the competition.

The winner of the city's request for proposals, which was issued Monday, will be involved deeply both in refining the competition program and with promotion. Promotion, said Bill Cunningham, a city planner, is one of the biggest goals.

"We ultimately want this competition to get beyond the design community," he said. "We want it to get the general public thinking about how higher-density housing forms may actually serve as an attractive option for families with children."

Families with children are the competition's main target. "Living Spaces: A Design Competition for Family-Friendly Courtyard Housing" is the full title. The whole idea, Cunningham said, is to explore how close-in courtyard housing could be designed to attract families who would otherwise leave the city.

The current timeline puts the competition opening for submittals in early May and closing in July, with judging sometime in August.

The deadline for proposals is Feb. 26. A shortlist will be announced March 2, with selection projected for the following week. A contract is expected to be executed by March 21, with work to begin by March 22.

Although proposals from firms that specialize in design competition management are expected, Cunningham said, the city is also hoping to get proposals from teams that can push Living Spaces into the public eye.

"We are equally interested in people who have expertise in promotion or publicity," he said. "Teams may be the way to go."

The full RFP is available online on the city's bid information Web site at cityofportland.ebidsystems.com/public/solicitations.asp.

http://www.djc-or.com/viewStory.cfm?...28871&userID=1
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  #107  
Old Posted Feb 8, 2007, 8:57 PM
mcbaby mcbaby is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Urbanpdx View Post
Are you comfortable with the developer?

http://www.oregonlive.com/printer/pr...450.xml&coll=7
i fail to see the relationship between this article and the listing for refurbished condos on hawthorne. am i missing something?
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  #108  
Old Posted Feb 8, 2007, 9:46 PM
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"77 complaints have been filed against Kehoe's companies, more than any other contractor in the past 10 years. "
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  #109  
Old Posted Feb 8, 2007, 9:53 PM
mcbaby mcbaby is offline
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is mk development one of kehoe's companies?
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  #110  
Old Posted Feb 9, 2007, 12:18 AM
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I believe so, MK stands for Martie Kehoe
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  #111  
Old Posted Feb 9, 2007, 12:30 AM
zilfondel zilfondel is offline
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This is just pathetic. Our city can't even figure out how to build sidewalks in existing areas, yet they are planning on spending $6-8 billion on a new I-5 bridge, expanding the freeway system, etc. Somebody's got to pay up, and it's the lazy-ass bums of landowners who never put in the concrete in the first place. Everybody's pointing the finger to the other guy...

Portland: the city where you don't have to take responsibility of your own fuck-ups!
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  #112  
Old Posted Feb 9, 2007, 1:34 AM
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WonderlandPark WonderlandPark is offline
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Originally Posted by zilfondel View Post
This is just pathetic. Our city can't even figure out how to build sidewalks in existing areas, yet they are planning on spending $6-8 billion on a new I-5 bridge, expanding the freeway system, etc. Somebody's got to pay up, and it's the lazy-ass bums of landowners who never put in the concrete in the first place. Everybody's pointing the finger to the other guy...

Portland: the city where you don't have to take responsibility of your own fuck-ups!
Umm, the price is quoted at 1.6-1.8 Billion with "real" estimates at the higher range of 2 billion.
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  #113  
Old Posted Feb 9, 2007, 2:39 AM
zilfondel zilfondel is offline
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Umm, the price is quoted at 1.6-1.8 Billion with "real" estimates at the higher range of 2 billion.
You should read portlandtransport.com sometime. The word is out with the Oregonian that altogether, the plan will cost much, much more money - they will have to reconstruct all the bridge approaches, onramps, etc in the corridor in addition to the bridge. Last estimate was between $6-8 billion. I'm not going to go dig up the exact quote right now since I don't have enough time.
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  #114  
Old Posted Feb 9, 2007, 12:06 PM
mcbaby mcbaby is offline
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lordy..
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  #115  
Old Posted Feb 9, 2007, 4:12 PM
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zilfondel, The bridge is NOT a city of Portland project. Chill out.
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  #116  
Old Posted Feb 13, 2007, 12:52 AM
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how about this one:

Tracking towards Platinum LEED certification, the Mississippi Garden Lofts are a one-of-a-kind development in the Mississippi conservation district of Portland, Oregon. Aside from the stunning, floor-to-ceiling glass and ipe-wood façades designed by the heralded local architects Holst, the Mississippi Garden Lofts will attempt to use more than 50% less energy than a baseline by using a ground-source, closed loop system, high-efficiency lighting, solar-hot water heating panels, and exhaust air heat recovery. A healing garden and pond in the ‘backyard’ of the site, designed by internationally-renowned landscape architect Kurisu, will be irrigated with rainwater and landscaped with native plants.
http://www.brightworks.net/pages.php?id=projects
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  #117  
Old Posted Feb 13, 2007, 6:11 AM
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Nice.
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  #118  
Old Posted Feb 13, 2007, 8:57 AM
sirsimon sirsimon is offline
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Dougall - Isn't that project still being contested by the people who live in Mississippi?

I like the design and hope that it goes in.
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  #119  
Old Posted Feb 13, 2007, 4:13 PM
kvalk kvalk is offline
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Actually that project has been approved by the Historic Design Review Commision, but the design is quite different from what is seen there.
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  #120  
Old Posted Feb 13, 2007, 4:21 PM
sirsimon sirsimon is offline
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^ Cool, thanks for the update. Anyone know where we can see some updated renderings?
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