Portland Infill

[tworivers]

^^^ Oh, I agree. And there's a giant vacant lot right across the street!

[tworivers]

Apartment project reignites tension on North Williams
POSTED: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 02:37 PM PT
BY: Lindsey O'Brien, DJC



North Portland residents are bucking two apartment developments – one under construction and one in early planning – that are raising the community’s skyline.

The Albert, a mixed-use building going up near the corner of North Williams Avenue and Fremont Street, is now one of the neighborhood’s tallest structures – at 53 feet, 4 inches. That project bothered some residents, and now the same development team is planning to add a similar building just four blocks north, between Skidmore and Mason streets.

The tentative plan is to construct a four-story, 76,866-square-foot building with 84 residential units, ground-floor retail space and on-site parking for 66 vehicles. The vacant lot, owned by the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs, abuts the backyards of several homeowners. The building would be significantly taller than the homes on the other side of the lot, and some homeowners are becoming anxious about the proposal.

“It’s invading my privacy and that of the other homeowners,” said Howard Johnson, who said he has lived in his home on Northeast Cleveland Avenue for nearly 40 years. “If they would keep it at about the same height as our houses, I would love that. But whoever lives on the upper floors will be looking right down into my backyard.”

The developer of both projects, Jack Menashe, says the Albert and the other tentatively called the Rachel will fill a void of workforce housing in the city’s core. Eighteen apartments in the Albert – nine one-bedroom units, six two-bedroom units and three studios – will be reserved for people who make 60 percent of the median family income or less. The breakdown of the units in the second project has not been worked out yet, Menashe said.

“We like the potential of the North Williams corridor, and are cautiously optimistic about the reception of the Albert upon completion,” he said via email. “Portland desperately needs affordable rental housing.”

The Rachel would be similar to the Albert, according to Trish Nixon of LRS Architects, the firm that worked on both plans. The modern design features ground-floor, glass storefronts facing North Williams Avenue to reflect the “warehousey” feel of the neighborhood, according to Chris Peterson, also of LRS.

But Menashe acknowledged that the infill is upsetting neighboring residents.

“I had an interaction with one neighbor who lives behind, who approached me when we were on site one day,” Menashe said. “He asked me about the plan for the property and I told him. ‘That sucks’ was all he said. Change is never easy.”

Joy Eberhardt is another Northeast Cleveland Avenue resident concerned about the building’s elevation and the influx of potentially more than 100 new neighbors.

“My initial reaction is concern for my garden,” she said, noting that the four-story building would block some of the direct sunlight her yard receives. Eberhardt has lived on the block for approximately 18 months.

But size, financing and layout details for the building are still preliminary, Menashe said, and the development team plans to engage the community once it finishes the pre-application process.

The design will be up for Type II design review on Jan. 3, 2012, including a request to modify a standard relating to loading vehicles.

Some of the residents expressed mixed feelings about new developments in the neighborhood based on deeper concerns about the ongoing shift in demographics. They welcome higher-density infill, but also see a gentrification trend.

“I’m curious about some of the bigger picture ideas,” Eberhardt said. “I like the diversity of this neighborhood, but things are changing. Portland is very mono-cultural.”

Earlier this year, tension surrounding changes in the North Williams corridor, historically a black community, came to a head when a project to widen the street’s bicycle lane was proposed. Some residents said outreach to the area’s black community was inadequate, so Portland Bureau of Transportation officials slowed their project in order to incorporate a more diverse group of representatives.

PBOT has since added new people to the North Williams Traffic Safety Operations Project committee. The community forums related to the bike lanes, which have drawn interest from hundreds of Portlanders, are expected to culminate in a recommendation to PBOT in March.

But the public process for the proposed apartment complex doesn’t inspire as much confidence from some residents.

“It’s something that keeps you up at night thinking, ‘Well, what am I going to do and how will this be handled?’ ” Johnson said, referring to the Rachel proposal. “But you don’t really know until it’s there.”

[Derek]

“It’s invading my privacy and that of the other homeowners,” said Howard Johnson

lol.



His name is also the name of a hotel chain.



That's all I have to say about that guy. Proposal looks good! Hopefully they'll be able to get that off the ground. It's nice to see these new projects across the river.




Edit: The article states the building is adjacent to people's backyards, however, looking at Google Maps, that doesn't seem to be true.

[tworivers]

^^^ It's the block on the southeast corner of Williams and Skidmore. It does indeed abut the backyards of a row of houses -- I just can't imagine what residents there expect to happen to that vacant lot. What would they want there? Surely they don't want the vacant lot to remain.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by tworivers

^^^ It's the block on the southeast corner of Williams and Skidmore. It does indeed abut the backyards of a row of houses -- I just can't imagine what residents there expect to happen to that vacant lot. What would they want there? Surely they don't want the vacant lot to remain.

Oh, that's the site of the Albert. My bad.



But exactly, what do they expect?

[tworivers]

Weren't some of you concerned about the future of Besaws?

The buzz about Besaw’s
Joe Streckert, DJC blog
December 22nd, 2011


Fans of Besaw’s can relax. The venerable restaurant is staying put.

Some time ago the property was acquired by the Vancouver-based C.E. John Properties, and there was some uncertainty as to what exactly was going on with the place. Was it going to be moved? Redeveloped? Closed?

When I contacted Besaw’s, the host who spoke to me on the phone only said, “As far as I know, we’re here for another four years.”

Yesterday, though, I heard from Tom DiChiara, the vice president of development at C.E. John. He went into a bit more detail.

“We have no immediate plans to make any changes,” DiChiara wrote in an email. “In the future, if we decide to redevelop portions of the site, the historic Besaw’s restaurant will remain at its corner location as it has for many decades. It will be an anchor to any redevelopment that may occur around it. We value its historical contribution to the north end, and it was a significant reason we acquired the overall property. Besaw’s will remain an operating restaurant for decades to come.”

This is great news for any kind of local history buff or preservation enthusiast. Besaw’s, after all, had the first ever post-prohibition liquor license in Oregon, and with an open date of 1903, it’s one of the oldest operating dining establishments in the city. Only Huber’s, Jakes, and Kelly’s Olympian (yes, the biker bar — it’s from 1902, believe it or not) are older.

The decision to keep Besaw’s a part of Northwest Portland shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows the area. In an interview with the DJC back in August, DiChiara called Northwest Portland a “great” place to live.

“It’s where I lived for a while when I first moved to town,” DiChara said. “I think the active streets and the walkable neighborhood and the streetcar – all of those factor into it.”

He went on to add: “I think we’re always focused on the close-in neighborhoods where ‘there’ is already there. You know, where the retail is always thriving and people want to live (and) where we can infill and build housing where it’s desired.”

The historic Besaw’s is definitely a “there,” and most certainly contributes to the neighborhood life of the district. Any further development on Northwest Savier will go hand-in-hand with the old restaurant, not roughshod over it.

[PacificNW]

Excellent!

[2oh1]

That's great news. I wonder what the status of the New Old Lompoc is? I had an excellent holiday beer there today. I won't be sad to see the futon shop go. I have yet to ever see anyone shopping there. EVER. But I love the New Old Lompoc.

If the New Old Lompoc has to move, I wonder if we'll be lucky enough to get a New New Old Lompoc nearby. Or, even better, move it back downtown!!!

[bvpcvm]

20 New Townhomes in Sellwood

[tworivers]

^^^ Not sure what the timeline is on this update in Willamette Week, but I think there are a number of hurdles before it happens -- beginning with the question of whether the developers can get financing and whether they can move the old funeral home that currently houses The Woods.

[MarkDaMan]

The building housing The Woods is staying, however The Woods may not be staying, having some financial difficulties. The townhouses will be built behind the building, replacing a duplex and craftsman home. Bank of Oswego has provided the funding.

http://djcoregon.com/news/2011/12/28...wood-moreland/

[tworivers]

New Seasons has applied to build a new store -- one-story single use, with a parking lot in back -- on Fremont between Williams and Vancouver.

Story scooped by bikeportland

[cab]

Seems pretty close to the interstate one.

[tworivers]

Great news for what is now a vacant eyesore right next to the Prescott MAX stop. Design looks above-decent. Underground parking, even!

The article also mentions the south half of the New Seasons block between Williams and Vancouver, which the same developers also own.



Financing set for 155-unit apartment building in North Portland
POSTED: Monday, January 9, 2012 at 03:33 PM PT
BY: Lindsey O'Brien, DJC

Like many developers these days, those working on the Prescott Apartments have encountered twists and turns in their search for financing. But construction of the $26 million, 155-unit mixed-use building may finally begin in March, and contribute to a boom in North Portland.

In 2008, Prescott Partners, a development entity affiliated with Sierra Construction Co., purchased the lot on the corner of North Interstate Avenue and Skidmore Street. After holding the property through the worst of the economic downturn, the Woodinville, Wash.-based group has come up with a new financing plan, so that ground can be broken by early spring.

However, the construction timeline hinges on approval of a Department of Housing and Urban Development loan guarantee, expected to be issued this week. And while 31 units are planned to be affordable housing, changes to Portland’s tax abatement programs could impact that number.

“We are in the final throes of a complicated and time-consuming process,” said Brendan Lawrence, development manager at Prescott Partners. “We battled through the downturn (and) could’ve been ready to go in ’09, but there were no financing sources then or in 2010. We’ve been working on this for quite some time.”

Financing struggles didn’t impact the original design, however. The C-shaped building will offer 9,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space and underground parking for 111 vehicles. The Prescott will be six stories on its tallest side, facing Interstate Avenue.

“Going north, our building has a nice leading edge as you’re approaching it; it’s designed to fit in with your light-rail experience in that corridor,” said Allen Tsai, project manager at Myhre Group Architects.

The apartments will be built near the Prescott Street station that serves TriMet’s MAX yellow line.

“The other side of the building has a more residential character,” Tsai said. “Not only does it get shorter, but the massing is more conducive for the residential portion of the neighborhood.”

The street-level apartments will feature porches and planters, and the building will include an exercise room as well as a courtyard with bocce ball and pickle ball courts. Lawrence hopes that the amenities offered at the Prescott will complement other new apartment buildings in the neighborhood, such as Killingsworth Station and The Albert.

“There seems to be enough job growth and population growth in the Portland market to justify all of these projects,” Lawrence said. “We are pretty excited about the North Portland neighborhood – there’s quite a bit of opportunity there. We can attract downtown professionals who don’t want to pay the rates for downtown apartments, and will have only a 10-minute commute downtown.”

Whether the Prescott will offer some units at income-adjusted, affordable housing rates will depend on a review of tax abatement programs being conducted by the city and Multnomah County.

Prescott Partners applied for transit-oriented development tax abatements, which require that part of the project be affordable housing. If approved, the Prescott would be exempt from taxes on the property improvements for 10 years. But Multnomah County has not yet extended its authorization of the program, which Lawrence said is “unfortunate.”

“If you remove a component of the tax credit, affordable rents would in effect create a negative valuation on the project,” he said.

County officials are expected to vote on extensions of the transit-oriented development program and other tax exemption programs in March or April, according to Marissa Madrigal, chief of staff for Multnomah County Chairman Jeff Cogen.

“In these tough budgetary times, all governments are looking at everything they’re doing, and by having these abatements we’re foregoing revenues that could otherwise be used for services,” Madrigal said. “But I think with the long-term nature of the (transit-oriented development) program, there’s a good case to be made that we should continue.”

A few blocks east of the Prescott, Sierra Construction and another of its development entities own a nearly three-acre site known as the Bakery Blocks. Last week, New Seasons Market announced plans to open its 13th store on the north portion of the vacant site. The 30,000-square-foot store will be built by Sierra Construction. R&H Construction, which has a long-standing partnership with New Seasons, will complete the interior.

Lisa Sedlar, president and CEO of New Seasons, estimates that the project will cost between $5 million and $7 million.

Plans for the south side of the lot are still preliminary, although Lawrence said that New Seasons’ investment could make another mixed-use, residential project a likely candidate.

“The Prescott is less than two miles away so we’ll have to look at our overall portfolio to see what the market can support for the south block,” he said. “But an anchor like New Seasons is an important component in helping us revitalize that site and rejuvenate the area.”

[tworivers]

New Seasons comes in and everyone wants to build...

Pre-app conference for this here.

Another vacant North Williams Avenue lot to be filled?
POSTED: Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 02:40 PM PT
BY: Lindsey O'Brien, DJC

On the heels of the announcement that grocer New Seasons Market will open its 13th location on North Williams Avenue, early plans came out today for a new residential project across the street from the store.

The grassy, half-acre lot on the corner of North Williams Avenue and Fremont Streets has seen several proposed developments come and go over the past few years. The latest plans from Kaiser Group, which owns the land, include a 15,305-square-foot, 45-foot-tall building with 14 on-site parking spaces on the southern portion of the lot, as well as a 52,272-square-foot, 65-foot-tall building with 20 on-site parking spaces to the north. The conceptual plans for both buildings include a mix of residential units and retail space.

A pre-application conference will be held on Jan. 31.

Earlier this year, the Portland Development Commission was considering the lot as an option for the proposed Green Innovation Park. Prior to that, a plan for condominiums fell through, according to Kaiser Group’s co-founder Ben Kaiser.

The developers of the North Portland New Seasons are also thinking about building more residential units on the south side of the lot where the market is to be built. And developer Jack Menashe, whose 84-unit, mixed-use building is nearing completion on the north corner of Fremont Street and Williams Avenue, has also proposed another, similar project just a few blocks away.

[zilfondel]

I'm pretty sure the Kaiser Group has had plans for that site for several years now - see here:

http://www.kaisergroupinc.com/future.projects.3.html

That "future project" page has been online for at least a couple of years.

And - its about damned time!

[MarkDaMan]

Apartment project reignites tension on North Williams
POSTED: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 02:37 PM PT
Daily Journal of Commerce
BY: Lindsey O'Brien

North Portland residents are bucking two apartment developments – one under construction and one in early planning – that are raising the community’s skyline.

The Albert, a mixed-use building going up near the corner of North Williams Avenue and Fremont Street, is now one of the neighborhood’s tallest structures – at 53 feet, 4 inches. That project bothered some residents, and now the same development team is planning to add a similar building just four blocks north, between Skidmore and Mason streets.

The tentative plan is to construct a four-story, 76,866-square-foot building with 84 residential units, ground-floor retail space and on-site parking for 66 vehicles. The vacant lot, owned by the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs, abuts the backyards of several homeowners. The building would be significantly taller than the homes on the other side of the lot, and some homeowners are becoming anxious about the proposal.

“It’s invading my privacy and that of the other homeowners,” said Howard Johnson, who said he has lived in his home on Northeast Cleveland Avenue for nearly 40 years. “If they would keep it at about the same height as our houses, I would love that. But whoever lives on the upper floors will be looking right down into my backyard.”

The developer of both projects, Jack Menashe, says the Albert and the other tentatively called the Rachel will fill a void of workforce housing in the city’s core. Eighteen apartments in the Albert – nine one-bedroom units, six two-bedroom units and three studios – will be reserved for people who make 60 percent of the median family income or less. The breakdown of the units in the second project has not been worked out yet, Menashe said.

“We like the potential of the North Williams corridor, and are cautiously optimistic about the reception of the Albert upon completion,” he said via email. “Portland desperately needs affordable rental housing.”

The Rachel would be similar to the Albert, according to Trish Nixon of LRS Architects, the firm that worked on both plans. The modern design features ground-floor, glass storefronts facing North Williams Avenue to reflect the “warehousey” feel of the neighborhood, according to Chris Peterson, also of LRS.

But Menashe acknowledged that the infill is upsetting neighboring residents.

“I had an interaction with one neighbor who lives behind, who approached me when we were on site one day,” Menashe said. “He asked me about the plan for the property and I told him. ‘That sucks’ was all he said. Change is never easy.”

Joy Eberhardt is another Northeast Cleveland Avenue resident concerned about the building’s elevation and the influx of potentially more than 100 new neighbors.

“My initial reaction is concern for my garden,” she said, noting that the four-story building would block some of the direct sunlight her yard receives. Eberhardt has lived on the block for approximately 18 months.

But size, financing and layout details for the building are still preliminary, Menashe said, and the development team plans to engage the community once it finishes the pre-application process.

The design will be up for Type II design review on Jan. 3, 2012, including a request to modify a standard relating to loading vehicles.

Some of the residents expressed mixed feelings about new developments in the neighborhood based on deeper concerns about the ongoing shift in demographics. They welcome higher-density infill, but also see a gentrification trend.

“I’m curious about some of the bigger picture ideas,” Eberhardt said. “I like the diversity of this neighborhood, but things are changing. Portland is very mono-cultural.”

Earlier this year, tension surrounding changes in the North Williams corridor, historically a black community, came to a head when a project to widen the street’s bicycle lane was proposed. Some residents said outreach to the area’s black community was inadequate, so Portland Bureau of Transportation officials slowed their project in order to incorporate a more diverse group of representatives.

PBOT has since added new people to the North Williams Traffic Safety Operations Project committee. The community forums related to the bike lanes, which have drawn interest from hundreds of Portlanders, are expected to culminate in a recommendation to PBOT in March.

But the public process for the proposed apartment complex doesn’t inspire as much confidence from some residents.

“It’s something that keeps you up at night thinking, ‘Well, what am I going to do and how will this be handled?’ ” Johnson said, referring to the Rachel proposal. “But you don’t really know until it’s there.”

http://djcoregon.com/news/2011/12/21...orth-williams/

[MarkDaMan]

My immature side finds this incredibly funny.

Mr. Koch and Mr. Nutt are proposing a new development!

http://www.portlandonline.com/bds/in...42259&a=379782

[PacificNW]

LOL...

[llamaorama]

They should partner with Peña & Colada enterprises