Centennial Mills Renovation | x | x | Unknown

[CouvScott]

http://www.pdc.us/pdf/about/commissi...ork%20Plan.pdf

[MarkDaMan]

what a lost opportunity to not incorporate all existing buildings that can be rehabbed. I love the old mill on the Willamette and am afraid it will be cheaper and easier to demolish most of the existing site.

[PacificNW]

Since the Fire Station #1 deal fell through what do you guys think of the Public Market (Farmers) being located at this site? Maybe even move the Saturday Market there. Incorporate housing. Just a thought.

[tworivers]

Yeah, none of those plans seem to be incorporating the old wharf buildings, the last of their kind in the city. Seems like a huge opportunity wasted.

Keep in mind, though, that I think those options are very preliminary. I thought they were sending out a call for creative proposals from interested parties this winter. This could be an opportunity for both preserving notable architecture and possibly incorporating modern design into the mix. Works, hello??

Not so long ago, the waterfront looked like this:

[bvpcvm]

Originally Posted by PacificNW

Since the Fire Station #1 deal fell through what do you guys think of the Public Market (Farmers) being located at this site? Maybe even move the Saturday Market there. Incorporate housing. Just a thought.

I think it's a bad idea. The market has to be on the MAX line as far as I'm concerned, or it'll be a huge disappoinment. I think probably the best site is under the Burnside bridge. What would be awesome is if they could take out the MAX turnaround and put it there. Or if a spot could be found somewhere near Civic Stadium. But wherever it is, there's got to be a train close by so people can take their groceries home.

[PacificNW]

Good points.....

[PDX City-State]

I agree. In a town like Portland, the market will likely become one of the most--if not the most--treasured places in the city. It needs to be central and close to other amenities--namely MAX...

[cab]

I still think under the marquam Bridge over by OMSI would be perfect. The model would be Grandview Is. in BC. You could have water Taxis and the east side streetcar. The hawthorne Bridge is a good walking bridge, safe and friendly with great views. The area under the bridge has that raw feel. Perfect for that controlled chaos or markets. Saturday Market can stay under the burnside Bridge and have a watertaxi stop as well.

[PDX City-State]

Supposedly, the future MAX line to Milwaukee will stop at OMSI as well.

[pdxstreetcar]

Originally Posted by CouvScott

Gotta love how #4. Festival Marketplace preserves more of the existing buildings than #2. Restoration & Preservation.

I'd like to see #5 Destination/Attraction. I think that part of town could use something that draws people.

[MarkDaMan]

this seems like a recurring story...

PDC seeks ideas for Centennial Mills
Portland Business Journal - 2:14 PM PDT Tuesday, April 3, 2007

The Portland Development Commission wants ideas for redeveloping Centennial Mills.

The building occupies a 4.5-acre site on the banks of the Willamette River and is considered a prime downtown redevelopment opportunity. The commission is asking developers to submit their qualifications and ideas for the site.

The deadline to answer is May 23.

The commission will ask three finalists to submit actual proposals. A final selection will be made later this year.

For information, visit centennialmills.org and pdc.us.
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/...=et75&hbx=e_du

[sirsimon]

^ Wow - that *does* sound familiar. It seems like we've already gone done this path, but maybe I am confused.

Why don't they just turn it into my house?

[CouvScott]

TRIB TOWN: Three teams will develop ideas for buildings along Pearl District’s north end
By Jim Redden

The Portland Tribune, Apr 10, 2007

Plans to redevelop the mostly vacant Centennial Mills grain complex are finally moving forward.

Seven years after it bought the 4.5-acre site along the west bank of the Willamette River between the Broadway and Fremont bridges, the Portland Development Commission will soon select three development teams to submit plans for renovating the property.

The final proposal – expected to include a mix of housing, retail and public space – is scheduled to be selected late this year after an extensive public review process.

“There’s going to be a lot of public involvement,” said Joleen Jensen-Classen, PDC public affairs coordinator. “This is a pretty big project, and there’s already been a lot of community interest in it.”

The site is one of the last remaining large parcels along the river. The complex, at the northern end of the still-growing Pearl District, represents an opportunity to develop a public open space that connects the city to waterfront.

The PDC will not announce how much money is available for the project until it sees what the public wants and how the teams respond, agency project manager Steven Shain said.

The site also represents a rare opportunity to preserve a historic part of the city’s past – the complex of 12 industrial structures built between 1910 and 1940.

The PDC bought the parcel in 2000 with $7.7 million in urban renewal funds and money from the Bureau of Environmental Services.

It currently houses the Portland Police Bureau’s Mounted Patrol Unit and the Tanner Creek outfall, the large pipe where the long-buried southwest waterway flows into the river.

The Request for Qualifications was issued earlier this month. Submissions are due May 23. Each team chosen to proceed will receive a $40,000 stipend to develop its proposals, which must comply with the Centennial Mills Framework Plan.

The plan was drafted over the past year and included guidance from a citizen advisory group that included residents, designers, developers and representatives of local businesses and neighborhood associations.

The plan does not prescribe a specific design for the site. Rather, it describes five principles to guide the proposals: provide open space, capture history, define community focal points, strengthen connections and embrace sustainability.

Achieving all these goals will not be easy. Many of the buildings are seriously deteriorated and will be difficult to preserve, if they can be saved at all. Even those that can be rehabilitated will require extensive work.

The numerous options will make the public review process especially important. Jensen-Classen said a public participation plan for the project calls for the involvement of the existing advisory committee, a number of open houses and presentations to area neighborhood associations.

[tworivers]

http://www.centennialmills.org/

[tworivers]

Centennial Mills moves along
Posted by Ryan Frank June 01, 2007 16:23PM
(Oregonian City Hall blog)

The PDC's redevelopment plans for the Centennial Mills is churning along. Nine developers filed a preliminary notice to say they're interested in the project. Here's what we got from the PDC on the list: OliverMcMillian, Nitze-Stagen, Beam Development, Focus Equities, Pemcor Development Corporation, Lorig, Venerable Group and The Lab. The PDC won't name the ninth developer yet because they say they aren't sure yet if that one meets the minimum qualifications.

I recognize only two of eight named firms: Beam and Venerable. Beam is Brad Malsin, who did the Eastbank Commerce Center and now the B&O Warehouse. He also lost out to Opus for the Burnside Bridgehead deal. Venerable is Art DeMuro. He does mostly historic renovations. He's doing the White Stag for UO in Old Town, the Telegram building on SW 11th and that gelato shop building on NE 15 that is so busy it mints money.

-- Ryan

[zilfondel]

Pemcor - Waterfront Pearl
Nitze-Stagen - Starbucks HQ & Union Station in Seattle
Lorig - Uwajamiya Seattle, mixed use projects in Seattle & Eugene

the rest of the names are pretty much ungooglable, since they are so damn generic.

[GreenCity]

They misspelled OliverMcMillan in the posting, its a lifestyle center/town center style developer that's worked mainly around the Chicago area. Very run of the mill big box/cineplex anchored mixed use sort of thing.

[mcbaby]

speaking of beam and opus, when will the burnside bridgehead project take off?

[GreenCity]

Originally Posted by mcbaby

speaking of beam and opus, when will the burnside bridgehead project take off?

From what I can see (from the PDC site Here), right now they're just finishing up renegotiating leases and vacating the Convention Center and getting all of the funding in place. The demolition will begin in Spring of '08 and the construction will go from Summer of '08 to '10. I don't know exactly how accurate that actually is, I just pulled from the PDC site, but it was updated in February.

[PacificNW]

I understand there may be an additional hold up because of the Burnside Couplet plans not being finalized.