Portland Infill | Northwest Portland

[Dougall5505]

here are some pictures of H45 from their website

[zilfondel]

H45's design is really flat. I guess it reflects the fact they built it using tilt-up concrete construction, but it really doesn't fit very well on Hawthorne. A pity, really...

[MarkDaMan]

City Council thwarts Northwest parking garage
Daily Journal of Commerce
by Kennedy Smith
02/23/2007


After hours of testimony that stretched late into the evening, city commissioners Sam Adams and Eric Sten and Mayor Tom Potter on Wednesday voted to uphold a neighborhood association’s appeal of the Historical Landmarks Commission’s approval of a parking garage proposed for Northwest Portland. Commissioners Dan Saltzman and Randy Leonard issued the opposing votes.

It’s been one of the Alphabet District’s most contentious issues: The Historical Landmarks Commission had approved a parking structure at 2311-2317 N.W. Irving St., but neighbors protested strongly, with 36 residents signing up to testify Wednesday against the development.

City Council must now collect its findings on specifically why it voted to uphold the neighborhood association’s appeal. Those findings are expected to be issued March 21.

The neighborhood association in its appeal argued that the Portland Design Commission and the Historical Landmarks Commission – which must approve new development in historic districts – were wrong to approve the proposed structure because it wouldn’t, they said, meet all of the requirements of the Northwest District Plan, a land-use planning document adopted in 2003 by City Council.

“I’m not here out of a sense of the inevitable,” John Bradley, chairman of land-use planning for the Northwest District Neighborhood Association, told the mayor and commissioners, “but the project doesn’t meet the area’s characteristics and traditions.”

Part of the Northwest District Plan states that any new development must conform to the Alphabet District’s historic “sense of place,” Bradley said. Residents who spoke out against the proposed garage said the design of the structure doesn’t take into consideration children’s safety, the pedestrian-friendly atmosphere of the neighborhood or decreased air quality.

Kim Carlson of the neighborhood association said the structure would “invite vagrants.”

Jeff Joslin of the Historical Landmarks Commission said the decision could have gone either way.

“In this case, part of the message (City Council) was delivering was that in this location the guidelines pertaining to safety had higher value than other guidelines pertaining specifically to design quality,” he said.

The Historical Landmarks Commission is part of the city’s Bureau of Development Services. Joslin, a land-use manager, administers urban design, design review and historic landmarks programs for the city.

The proposed 105-stall garage was planned by Richard Singer, a Portland developer. Holst Architecture designed the proposed structure. Joslin said Singer and his development team would take their case to the state Land Use Board of Appeals, which has the power to overturn City Council’s decision or return the appeal to council for yet another vote.

http://www.djc-or.com/viewStory.cfm?...28956&userID=1

[Drmyeyes]

Kill it. Make them do underground or forget about increased retail specific parking entirely. Problem solved.

[anp]

Originally Posted by Drmyeyes

Kill it. Make them do underground or forget about increased retail specific parking entirely. Problem solved.

A large part of this area is already developed or occupied by historic buildings. Since underground parking could only be built as part of a new, large development, would it really address the parking and congestion issues being discussed? (Disclaimer: I'm not in favor of the Irving Street garage).

[Drmyeyes]

anp, what parking and congestion issues being discussed are you referring to? The parking issues the neighborhood is having are directly related to the intensified retail activity on 23rd. Who, other than the car driving retail customers, could the planned Irving St parking facility be intended to serve?

Congestion on 23rd? I've never found that to be a problem on foot. Doesn't seem like bike riders or streetcar riders have a problem with congestion either.

Let the neighborhood business boosters build parking facilities big enough for their retail trade, with the least possible intrusion upon the residents of the neighborhood. I understand the lot where the garage is going has a decent old house sitting on it. If they want the garage, let them move it temporarily, build, then move it back.

More stuff is coming in, more structures are planned. Below ground would work as well as any parking structure can to solve parking and congestion issues, it's just harder to make projects using it pencil out.

[Drmyeyes]

anp, what parking and congestion issues being discussed are you referring to? The parking issues the neighborhood is having are directly related to the intensified retail activity on 23rd. Who, other than the car driving retail customers, could the planned Irving St parking facility be intended to serve?

Congestion on 23rd? I've never found that to be a problem on foot. Doesn't seem like bike riders or streetcar riders have a problem with congestion either.

Let the neighborhood business boosters build parking facilities big enough for their retail trade, with the least possible intrusion upon the residents of the neighborhood. I understand the lot where the garage is going has a decent old house sitting on it. If they want the garage, let them move it temporarily, build, then move it back.

More stuff is coming in, more structures are planned. Below ground would work as well as any parking structure can to solve parking and congestion issues, it's just harder to make projects using it pencil out.

[oregone]

I know this is just a trifle, but please don't forget about us wealth-deficient people that work at Starbucks or Anna Bananas or Three Monkeys or City Market or Wildwood or Kitchen Fricking Kaboodle that can't afford to live within bus distance of NW and have to drive our crappy '89 Subaru Justy from the lowly Kenton or Portsmouth neighborhood. The #4 just doesn't work with our schedule because--and I'm sure we all have experienced this--it doesn't get us back to our second job on time.

[mcbaby]

http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/...18484541152300

Council backs garage appeal
Mayor, worried about safety, sides with foes of Northwest parking lot
By peter korn

The Portland Tribune, Feb 23, 2007

In a surprise decision Wednesday night, the Portland City Council voted in support of an appeal by the Northwest Portland neighborhood association that could defeat plans for a parking garage behind Papa Haydn restaurant on Northwest 23rd Avenue.

The decision came in the form of a 3-2 vote agreeing with the appeal, which was based on the premise that the design of the proposed garage did not fit into the neighborhood both because of its appearance and its impact on pedestrians.

The proposed garage has long been a point of contention between Northwest developer Richard Singer and members of the Northwest District Association.

Singer and supporters in the Nob Hill Business Association say the garage is needed for the ever-increasing number of shoppers in the Northwest business district.

City commissioners Sam Adams and Erik Sten voted in support of the appeal, and Randy Leonard and Dan Saltzman voted against.

John Doussard, Mayor Tom Potter’s spokesman, said the mayor was concerned about safety issues if the garage is built.

The vote does not necessarily seal the fate of the proposed two-level, 103-stall garage. The still-unanswered question is whether Potter might yet vote for a garage design at the proposed location near 23rd Avenue and Irving Street if a new design mitigated the impact on pedestrians.

Veronica Valenzuela, the mayor’s liaison with the bureau of planning, said developers have two options for keeping the garage alive as a result of the Wednesday night decision. They can appeal the City Council decision to the state Land Use Board of Appeals, or they can submit a new application with a new garage design to the city’s landmarks commission.

Kim Carlson, co-chair of the neighborhood association transportation committee, was among those who testified Wednesday. Carlson said that it was her impression that even a redesign of the garage might not sway the mayor.

“What I was hearing (from the mayor) was this location was not the right location,” she said.

Data was presented at Wednesday’s meeting that showed the Northwest 23rd Avenue and Irving Street corner — where cars would access the proposed garage — is among the city’s busiest pedestrian locations. The survey counted 829 pedestrians at the corner in an hour.

peterkorn@portlandtribune.com

[Drmyeyes]

That's a good point oregone, and consideration ought to be given wealth deficient service employees that can only get to their job in their hooptees. Somehow though, I'm just not convinced that Richard Singer and all the others in the business community in that neighborhood want to build the parking structure for a bunch of low-wage employee vehicles.

[MitchE]

There is a big hole w/ a crane at the corner of N. Russell and Mississippi. Does anybody know what this is going to be? Portland Maps has no information.

[sirsimon]

That isn't for the Widmer Brewery expansion is it?

[MOPIdaho]

It is going to be part of the Widmer compound.

[der Reisender]

what exactly are they putting in for their expansion?

[EastPDX]

I believe there was a doubling of capacity and storage annoucement six months ago(?).

My thoughts on the North Albina Triangle down the road is to narrow all the streets to create an "Old World Feel" for a entertainment area North of the Blanchard property (hoped for MLB Stadium site/refer to oregonstadiumcampaign.com for this concept). Make it a non-auto district as much as possible (only have some restrictive freight/emergency routes. Pubs/Hostels/Resturants and Apartments could easily keep investors very pleased down the road and be next to a MLB Stadium/Rose Quarter. It would be a district for young adults that wish to be close to the action (shopping/jobs/events/central location) but can't afford condos.

Ray Whitford

[mcbaby]

they should run the streetcar on nw 23rd. if they do decide to place it on burnside then they should run it up to 23rd and have it connect with the existing line. that should help curb the need for employee parking.

[bvpcvm]

ideally, it should go up to thurman and then over to montgomery park!

[tworivers]

ideally, it should go up to thurman and then over to montgomery park!

Hmmm... now that would be convenient, wouldn't it?

[Drmyeyes]

Hey! Why why aren't you guys working for the city or Tri-met? Them's there now can't seem to figure those obvious parking solutions out.

[65MAX]

With a Burnside streetcar, you'd have a stop at 23rd & Burnside, plus a stop at 23rd and Marshall. Why would you need to run the streetcar up 23rd? People WALK that street, so stops at either end would be perfect. I would like to see the current alignment extended to Montgomery Park though.