Hyatt at the Oregon Convention Center | 180'-6" | 14 floors | Complete

[tworivers]

...there will be two seven-month development phases.

^^What does this mean exactly? Two phases before construction even begins? Or including construction?

Metro goes forward with HQ hotel study

POSTED: 12:21 PM PST Friday, November 9, 2007
BY TYLER GRAF

Metro Council on Thursday voted to spend more than $600,000 on a feasibility study for the proposed convention center hotel.

Metro will pay developers Garfield Traub and Ashforth Pacific $600,000 for the feasibility study and spend $69,000 on project costs and staffing.

Still, Metro must negotiate with other public entities, including the Portland Development Commission and the city of Portland, to secure more money for the project.

“There’s got to be a deal on this,” Reed Wagner, Metro Council’s staff manager, said. “Metro is not capable of guaranteeing the bonds on this.”

No private entities will be included in funding discussions, Metro policy associate Anthony Andersen said.

And because the bond market “is a mess right now, even if the hotel is (built) and has a bad year, we need to show that we can pay,” Wagner said.

If, after the study, Metro decides to build the convention center hotel, there will be two seven-month development phases.

"We're trying to get everybody more comfortable with this process," Anderson said.

[MarkDaMan]

looks like the hotel is starting the design review...

http://www.portlandonline.com/shared....cfm?id=188853
Thanks sopdx for the heads up!

[pdxtraveler]

Doesn't look like anything exciting, but this is SERIOUSLY needed. The Convention Center just isn't being used to it's potential until this is in place.

[sopdx]

How could you tell from that? There weren't any renderings.

[zilfondel]

Gorgeous design. 21 stories.

[WonderlandPark]

Lobby to roof looks to be 240' and to mech. penthouse 260'

[bvpcvm]

i thought this thing was dead...?!?

[zilfondel]

^ Oh, it might be. This is Metro, after all.

[rsbear]

Originally Posted by zilfondel

^ Oh, it might be. This is Metro, after all.

That comment is such a value add. Thanks much.

[bvpcvm]

oh relax, dude. we're allowed a little sarcasm here. on occasion.

[MarkDaMan]

This is the design. The project isn't dead. Metro is probably going to move forward with it. Since none of the commissioners are now facing serious challengers for the upcoming election, they are a little more free to make the controversial decision of making this happen.


http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...icial%26sa%3DN

[sopdx]

I can't tell if that's the ZGF design or not, but it looks pretty cool. The subtitle states phase 1 @ 400 rooms, however I believe the proposal before design commission is phase 1 @ 600 rooms.

[rsbear]

Originally Posted by bvpcvm

oh relax, dude. we're allowed a little sarcasm here. on occasion.

Relax yourself, "dude", and while you're at it, shove off.

[tworivers]

^^^Totally unnecessary, rsbear.

[MarkDaMan]

^this thread is starting to look like the Clinton-Obama campaign...

Originally Posted by sopdx

I can't tell if that's the ZGF design or not, but it looks pretty cool. The subtitle states phase 1 @ 400 rooms, however I believe the proposal before design commission is phase 1 @ 600 rooms.

I think this was the first proposal to the PDC. Since Metro took over, and time has passed, and as you state, it is for 400 rooms in the rendering, the design should be changed. The documents they submitted though don't look too much different.

Please, dear God, don't let us get something like Phoenix's new Sheraton convention center hotel!




pics by HX_Guy
Phoenix Photo thread: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=147698

[tworivers]

^^^ Whoa! That is amazing. As in amazingly awful. No design review?

What is that building off to the right, though, with the vertical orange/red pattern? Looks intriguing.

I think with the convention center hotel here, we're kind of stuck in a corner. While I worry somewhat about public ownership (and any failure hindering future projects), I think it's an important piece of the Lloyd District puzzle, along with the streetcar, and I hope it gets built asap. At this point I don't trust the "market" to fix the Lloyd, or even begin to, when the biggest landowner didn't even want to take the risk of building residential on its parking lots during a housing boom (remember the Ashforth superblock?). I think we need some publicly-financed catalyst projects first -- fingers crossed.

[rsbear]

Originally Posted by tworivers

^^^Totally unnecessary, rsbear.

You're right, tworivers, and I apologize.

I come here to learn about new projects in Portland and view the great status updates and pictures folks provide.

I guess I've reached the point where the negativity-for-negativity-sake comments frequently evident in this forum are too much for me. I just don't find them enjoyable nor do they add any value. They're just, well, negative.

[MOPIdaho]

Boise's spin




notice the lack of windows on the sides

[MarkDaMan]

^uck! Boise...let's hope our hotel looks a little better...those are horrible!

Originally Posted by tworivers

What is that building off to the right, though, with the vertical orange/red pattern? Looks intriguing.

That's the new ASU downtown Phoenix campus. The unfinished buildings behind it are the dorms.

[sopdx]

If ZGF is the selected architect we are guaranteed it will have much more style than either of those two.