Couch 9 | 126'-8" | 11 floors | Complete

[pdxtraveler]

Interesting.. NW 9th and Couch. Was waffling between putting it in Pearl or Old Town.

http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bds/article/498496

[eric cantona]

Originally Posted by pdxtraveler

Interesting.. NW 9th and Couch. Was waffling between putting it in Pearl or Old Town.

http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bds/article/498496

I think that having no elevator service on floors 2-8 may hinder the rental of the units.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by eric cantona

I think that having no elevator service on floors 2-8 may hinder the rental of the units.

Isn't the elevator where the boxes with "X"s in them are?

[maccoinnich]

Originally Posted by pdxtraveler

Interesting.. NW 9th and Couch. Was waffling between putting it in Pearl or Old Town.

http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bds/article/498496

The boundary of Pearl/Old Town is NW Broadway, so I think you made the right decision.

I've been past this site so many times, wondering when it would be redeveloped. It's a really prime site. It's a shame the U-Park is in separate ownership. It's hard to see the remaining 50' of the NW 9th Ave block face ever been built on.

[zilfondel]

Originally Posted by Derek

Isn't the elevator where the boxes with "X"s in them are?

Yes.

[eric cantona]

Originally Posted by Derek

Isn't the elevator where the boxes with "X"s in them are?

sorry, obscure humor. yes those are elevators, and yes I assume they will service the upper floors. they just forgot to show the openings for the elevators on the sheet for floors 2-8. which makes me curious how they'll access the 9th floor. two-story units? or another drafting mistake?

[maccoinnich]

Originally Posted by eric cantona

sorry, obscure humor. yes those are elevators, and yes I assume they will service the upper floors. they just forgot to show the openings for the elevators on the sheet for floors 2-8.

I've seen worse. The Design Review drawings for Park Avenue west showed a different core layout on almost every floor. As this is just a drawing for Early Assistance it's not of huge consequence.

Originally Posted by eric cantona

which makes me curious how they'll access the 9th floor. two-story units? or another drafting mistake?

I don't do a lot of commercial work, so I'm not sure on this, but I don't think the building codes allows a single exit stair from a floor. So... maybe double height units?

[2oh1]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

I don't do a lot of commercial work, so I'm not sure on this, but I don't think the building codes allows a single exit stair from a floor. So... maybe double height units?

Isn't that what the 2 story units in the Mosaic Lofts have (downtown, at SW 11th & Columbia)? It's an 8 story building. The first four floors are single story units, and the upper 4 floors are 2 story units. Each 2 story unit only has one entrance, which is on the top story. In the elevator, there are no buttons for floors 5 and 7 since those floors are the downstairs halves of the 2 story lofts on floors 6 and 8.

[maccoinnich]

Don't go to the Bureau of Development Services quoting me on this, but I think it's OK to have a single exit from a single dwelling unit, even if it has two stories, as you describe. But once you reach the egress route beyond the front door of the unit, there has to be (at least) 2 means of egress (i.e., stairs).

Therefore this would suggest to me that the 9th floor of this building is the upper level of 2 storey units, and not another level of single story units. Because there wouldn't be the required 2nd means of egress.

[65MAX]

I think an easier explanation is that the 9th floor is supposed to have a large terrace, which was different from the original proposal. So the 9th floor will be nothing like floors 2-8. It's possible (likely) the 9th floor plan is still very much in flux and it just wasn't included in this presentation.

[maccoinnich]

Drawings for the Couch 9 project [PDF, 200MB].

ADDRESS: Northwest corner of NW 9th and Couch (R140578, R140579 & R140580) APPLICANT: Don Vallaster, Vallaster Corl Architects A Design Advice Request for a potential 9-story, mixed-use building in the River District. The project would contain approximately 116 residential units and 7,000 SF of commercial space. Two levels of below-grade parking accessed from NW 9th Avenue will provide approximately 80 spaces. An ecoroof is proposed atop the 2nd floor at the northwest corner and a rooftop deck would occupy a portion of the lower roof at the north end. Modifications to parking space width, loading dimensions and ground floor active use standards are anticipated.

Will try to post images up here later.

[maccoinnich]

[Sioux612]

I like this! Chances PDC approves this? 937's little brother.

[MarkDaMan]

Are the height limits pretty low in this area? Why the tall towers past Lovejoy, but only these 100 footers or less nearer to downtown?

[maccoinnich]

There are no height limits north of Lovejoy, although heights are effectively limited by FAR limits. South of Lovejoy the heights are generally 75'/100', although various bonuses exist that allow for heights of up to 150'/200'.

The 2035 plan is likely to change that, so that the Pearl has a uniform 250' height limit south of Lovejoy, except for along NW 13th Ave. The neighborhood association is very keen to preserve the existing character of that street.

[maccoinnich]

This had a Design Advice hearing yesterday, and was received very positively. Seems to have gained a couple floors since I posted images in the Pearl thread. Full drawings here [PDF, 6MB].

145 residential units:
10 – three bedroom
18 – two bedroom
84 – one bedroom
34 – studios

6,500 square feet of commercial space

Two levels underground parking – 80 spaces

Rooftop clubroom and roof terrace

11 stories tall

9:1 FAR (133,554 gross square feet)

[PDXDENSITY]

This I like! I hope it goes up quick. This is the kind of stuff that should start going up in the Lloyd and central east side all the way down to Powell... There's a very disused fire training spot on the corner of powell and 13th... It would be great redeveloped.

Anyway, i love the use of color in this design. I hope it gets built like that!

[maccoinnich]

[maccoinnich]

GRADIENT LIVING



Rendering of the proposed Couch 9 project, view from the SE (Vallaster Corl Architects)


In a move that will expand the highly successful Brewery Blocks one block to the East, a new mixed-use project is being proposed from Vallaster Corl Architects on the corner of 9th Avenue and Couch Street. At first glance the project looks like a Lower Burnside Lofts‘ larger, more complex sibling mixed with the nearby 937 Condominiums from Holst/ Ankrom Moisan. Looking deeper the project is quite different in its use of colorful loggias and perforated metal sliding panels.

The project is proposed to have 84 one-bedroom, 18 two-bedroom, 10 three-bedroom, and 34 studios all mixed together in an 11-story tower above two floors of underground parking. A nice array of varying residential sizes, which has been unheard of in the past few years of apartment construction. At 125′ to the roof, this project will be quite prominent only because of its immediate lowrise surroundings, but will be shorter than most newer towers in the area. The project is also on a 3/8ths block parcel with two party walls facing existing parking lots and single-story buildings from the turn of the last century, which gives the design team fewer options for the West and North sides of the proposal.

...continues at Places over Time.

[NESteve]

...Lower Burnside Lofts mixed with the 937 building about sums it up.

I don't know why, but I just don't love it. Vallaster Corl was doing really cool things a few years ago but now everything they do looks the same.