rules, with 10 percent of the units available to renters at 60% Median Family. Income (MFI) ... parking available in units, and potentially more built in the garage.
Meeting Agenda Planning and Transportation Committee Tuesday, April 17, 2018, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Pacific Northwest College of Art, 511 NW Broadway Hammer Board Room (237)
Committee members: Pete Bowling, Ashley Carson, Jim Chapman, David Dysert (CoChair), Reza Farhoodi (Co-Chair), Alyce Flitcraft, Bob Girsberger, Sara Hoeber, John Hollister, John Kirby, Betty Lou Koffel, Bruce Levy, George McNiel, Jason Naiman, Jerry Pike, Bruce Stephenson, Glenn Traeger
Agenda
6:00 Introductions 6:05 Approval of 4/3 Minutes 6:10 Flanders Greenway 6:35 Fremont Apartments 7:15 Other business 7:30 Adjourn Next meeting is: May 22 - No presentations scheduled
Recent Notices •
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LU 17-277716 DZ - Notice of Type II proposal for a temporary ATM during construction at the plaza in front of Elizabeth Lofts condominiums (April 5) LU 17-266132 DZM MS AS - Notice of Final Findings and Decision by Design Commission to approve U-Store self service storage facility at 1350 NW Savier (April 6)
PDNA Planning and Transportation Committee Meeting Agenda – April 17, 2018
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Meeting Minutes
Planning and Transportation Committee Tuesday, April 3, 2018, 6:00 PM Pacific Northwest College of Art, 511 NW Broadway Hammer Board Room (237) Committee members in attendance: Pete Bowling, Jim Chapman, David Dysert (CoChair), Reza Farhoodi (Co-Chair), Alyce Flitcraft, Bob Girsberger, Sara Hoeber, John Hollister, Betty Lou Koffel, Bruce Levy, Jason Naiman, Jerry Pike, Glenn Traeger Committee members absent: Ashley Carson, John Kirby, George McNiel, Bruce Stephenson Guests: Stephen Goodman (LMC), Stuart Spafford (Ankrom Moisan), Bronson Graff (Ankrom Moisan), Julie Gustafson (PDBA), Marissa Ramirez (NWNW), Larry Mazer (Pearl Resident), Edward Kilgarriff (Pearl Resident), Kurt Sorensen (Pearl Resident), Allen Classen (NW Examiner), Alan Potts (Pearl Resident) 6:00 Introductions 6:05 Approval of 3/20 Minutes MOTION: Pete Bowling, SECONDED: Betty Lou Koffel, ABSTAINED: All absent members Committee voted unanimously to approve March 20 Minutes 6:10 815 W Burnside •
Bronson Graff and Stuart Spafford of Ankrom Moisan and Stephen Goodman of LMC presented on the 815 W Burnside project, proposed for the existing Firestone location between Park and 9th avenues on the north side of Burnside Street, next to the North Park Blocks. This project is seeking Design Advice Request on April 19, as it is early in the design process. They are proposing a 144-unit mixed-use development with apartments on the upper floors and retail on the ground floor, with a proposed height of 85 feet at 6.3 Floor Area Ratio (FAR). It would be the first project built in the Pearl District under the city’s new Inclusionary Housing (IH) rules, with 10 percent of the units available to renters at 60% Median Family Income (MFI) or below, in accordance with IH requirements for new developments in the Central City. The current zoning code allows for 100 feet height at 6:1 FAR,
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with a 3:1 FAR bonus if affordable units are included. The building is a 6-story wood frame building with a concrete base; the developer is not considering a taller building due to construction costs as well as the desire to provide market-rate units at a relatively affordable price point. The 144 units are 650 square feet on average and are a mix of studios, one bedroom, and two bedroom variants, with an equal distribution of room types available as affordable units. David Dysert asked if whether 80% MFI could be considered, noting that the Pearl District lacks workforce housing. Under IH rules, developers in the Central City can choose to offer 20 percent of new units at 80% MFI. One committee member asked the project team to consider additional family-sized units, given the relative lack of affordable 2- and 3-bedroom units in the neighborhood. The primary entrance to the building would be on Park Ave, and the retail spaces would primarily front along Burnside Street. A committee member pointed out that there is no legal crossing available at Burnside/9th, which will impact pedestrian circulation and access to the site, and that the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is considering a new pedestrian signal and/or transit queue jump lane at Burnside/Park as part of ongoing planning work in the Central City that would improve crossing conditions at that location. There would be a 96space communal bicycle parking area on the ground floor, with most bicycle parking available in units, and potentially more built in the garage. There was a concern about the in-unit parking, as they generally require lifting the bicycle onto a vertical rack which some people may have trouble with. Reza Farhoodi suggested having the primary bicycle access on Park Avenue since that will be a principal bicycle route in the future. The architect suggested that they could provide bicycle runnels wherever there are stairs located on the ground floor to help with access to elevators or the communal parking area. The project will widen the existing 8-foot sidewalk on Burnside to 12 feet as required in the Right of Way Design Guidelines. Several existing trees would need to be cut down along Burnside, but new ones would be planted. There is a singlelevel parking garage proposed with 48 stalls, although access restrictions on Burnside and Park mean that the garage entrance and loading zones will be located on 9th Ave. The proposal includes two smaller loading zones to serve the needs of residential and retail businesses at the site. The Bureau of Development Services (BDS) has requested a smaller loading zone (using only one space), although Reza Farhoodi noted that PBOT might have a different opinion on this matter due to the difficulty of securing curb space for loading with other projects. The project includes a distinctive design feature on the east facade to take advantage of its high visibility: Burnside widens considerably just east of Park Ave. Because the AT&T building across the street is taller than the proposed building, the project team is proposing an articulated facade with vertical bands and projecting oriel windows to create views along Burnside, as well as extruded massing at the building corners. The facade would primarily be made of brick with PDNA Planning and Transportation Committee Meeting Minutes – April 3, 2018
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a mix of metal/fiber panels. There would be canopies along the street frontage, generally at 12-foot height, although the site rises from east to west so there may be variation. There would be enough entryways to support smaller retail locations, but the spaces could be consolidated to suit the needs of particular tenants. A 750 square foot roof deck is also proposed, which is somewhat set back from the building edges. Bronson Graff noted that there are currently two proposed modifications to the code: the first is a slight reduction in window coverage along 9th Ave from 50 to 44 percent, due to the loading spaces and garage acess. The second modification is an exception to the oriel window standard to increase the maximum width of individual windows to 24 feet (from the existing standard of 12 feet) to allow for the design feature on the east facade. Bronson added that the project complies with all other standards related to oriel windows. The project has also received early feedback from BDS to make the height of the first floor taller and more prominent in the design. Committee members had substantial feedback on the proposed design, with the common theme being that the various design elements lacked cohesion, and its derivative appearance was not befitting of its prominent location. David Dysert felt that the site deserved better materiality and design, but was constrained by the development program and budget. Specific feedback included giving special consideration to the frontage along Park Avenue, with a civic-minded treatment that appropriately reflects the park’s status as an urban amenity. One committee member felt that there was an overabundance of vertical bands and oriel windows, and suggested using horizontal bands or different materials to make the design more visually interesting. Another member suggested using irregular-sized vertical bands and wrapping the design feature around the corner to acknowledge the southeast corner more effectively and create a better visual gateway. Moving the roof deck closer to Park Avenue and using guardrails can also help with creating the vertical presence at the southeast corner. Security was a major concern with committee members given the location of the site on the Park Blocks, which has seen issues in the past with vandalism and other criminal behavior. While the lobby will be attended during leasing hours, it will not be staffed overnight. Suggestions from the committee included securing all entrances into the building with key fob access, installing several cameras, incorporating sufficient lighting toward the Park Blocks, and hiring after hours security. With a considerable cost going to inclusionary housing and given the site’s extremely proximate location to downtown Portland, several committee members asked if the proposed garage could be reduced or eliminated to provide more housing, especially affordable units, and allow more investment in the building design. Because the region is struggling with housing affordability, it was felt that the rental market could support a building with no parking at this site. Bronson noted that the most expensive part of the development was the underground PDNA Planning and Transportation Committee Meeting Minutes – April 3, 2018
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parking, with construction costs approaching $50,000 for each space. One committee member stated that there are few places in the Portland region more suitable for car-free living than this location. Reza Farhoodi added that this is possible because all of downtown is in a meter district; any individual that wanted to move in and owned a car would be responsible for securing an off-street space to store their vehicle. In response, Stephen Goodman noted that the 0.35 ratio was lower than average for the neighborhood (0.6-0.7) and stated that lenders can be cautious about financing buildings without off-street parking, even in markets like Portland where there is greater preference for walking, biking, and transit. The project team intended to the return to the committee in the coming months following the DAR to provide an update. 7:00 Other business •
David Dysert provided a recap of the Broadway Corridor public forum, and noted that a preferred master developer would be announced on April 9. An informal straw poll of steering committee members found near unanimous support for Continuum Partners. The Prosper Portland board will take a formal vote to select a developer on April 11, and will then begin negotiating a Memorandum of Understanding to clarify project roles and responsibilities.
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David Dysert announced that Prosper Portland plans to enter sale negotiations with Lynd Opportunity Partners for the right to develop Centennial Mills. The advisory committee responsible for selecting a preferred developer felt that Lynd had a more compelling vision for the site, although there was some concern that their development program was not economically feasible. There will be an informational presentation at the April 11 Prosper Portland board meeting.
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David Dysert informed the committee that the U-Store project proposal was approved at Design Commission. While the commission did not heed PDNA’s request to replicate the distinct corner window treatment on the southeast corner (in fact, they requested that the original treatment on the northwest corner also be removed), the project team was able to modify the plaza space to incorporate a curbless sidewalk treatment with retractable bollards.
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David Dysert also informed the committee that City Council would be taking a final vote on Fremont Apartments the next morning, April 4, at 11am. The council had previously voted unanimously to overturn the Design Commission’s approval of the project, citing the lack of sufficient building setback from the Willamette Greenway. However, there had been news reports that Mayor Wheeler was considering reopening the record if the developer was willing to return with a revised design that resolved the council’s concerns.
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Reza Farhoodi announced that PBOT would present an update on the Flanders Greenway at the next committee meeting on April 17. In addition, he reminded the
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committee that the May 1 and May 15 meetings would be canceled, and a special meeting would be held on May 22. •
Reza Farhoodi provided an update on the Parking Management Manual that was discussed at the March 20 meeting and relayed answers to questions that committee members raised. He also received word at the final Stakeholder Advisory Committee meeting that Commissioner Saltzman would issue a directive to PBOT staff to study the potential of a meter revenue sharing agreement in the downtown meter district (which includes the Pearl District). This process would occur subsequent to the adoption of the parking manual by City Council and would need to consider how to mitigate the potential impact to PBOT’s budget. PBOT is scheduled to present the manual to council on June 13.
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Reza Farhoodi also informed the committee that he, along with Stan Penkin and Stephen Kafoury, recently met with PBOT as individuals to discuss ongoing issues with the pedestrian scramble signal at 11th and Couch. There are several concerns: long signal cycles causing traffic congestion and impacts to streetcar operations, the high rate of pedestrian noncompliance, and general lack of intuitiveness with the signal phasing. The group suggested that PBOT could remove the scramble phase and/or consider the 10th and Burnside intersection as a potential alternative. Reza felt that the latter location was more suitable given the higher traffic speeds and volumes on Burnside, and the fact that it was a wider intersection where noncompliance was less likely. PBOT did not make any commitments at the meeting, but promised to look at the signal timing at 11th and Couch to see if wait times can be reduced.
7:15 Adjourn Next Committee Meeting is: May 22, 2018
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