Comments on: Downtown Portland student housing project resurrected

By: Dwaine Dibbly

Dwaine Dibbly — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 22:57:48 +0000

There is already a great deal of affordable housing in that part of downtown. Better to let this building take the space. Lower income people need housing in other areas of town, too.

By: Ed Johnstone

Ed Johnstone — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 20:05:58 +0000

Wow! Thanks for the response, Mark. I’d love to see updates here to follow the new projects this money pays for (hopefully downtown!).

By: Mark Larabee

Mark Larabee — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 16:26:07 +0000

RE: Ed Johnsotne

The city is not pitching in to build student housing for PSU. There is no public subsidy for this project. The 91��Ƶ reporter got it wrong and has corrected the mistake. Note the paragraph you cite has been removed.

The truth is that the old PDC cut this deal years ago and Portland Housing Bureau inherited the property and the development agreement when the city and PDC merged housing functions. PHB is now simply completing an old deal under contract. It is not a deal the city would have made today.

The Portland Housing Bureau is selling the land under an old contract — not giving it away — and will use the money to build homes that are affordable for people of low and modest income in Portland.

Mark Larabee
Public Information Officer
Portland Housing Bureau

By: Bob L.

Bob L. — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 03:27:16 +0000

“The unit prices would be on the high end of the student housing scale, which means most of the students living in the building would be upper classmen or graduate students, Owendoff said….”

More like most of the residents will be wealthy out-of-state and foreign students. Heaven forbid greedy investors come up with something at the lower end of the housing scale, where the greatest need lies. Yet another example of a college education slipping out of the hands of the American middle class.

By: Sharon francis

Sharon francis — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 02:09:13 +0000

As a nearby condo owner, i must ask, where is the parking? The planssent to nearby property owners do not indicate any parking in the building. Whie we welcome an influx of students, the plan should not be approved without parking.

I agree the current design will easily create a canyon like feeling on Jefferson . Surely creativite design could and should be utilized.

Sharon

By: Ed Johnstone

Ed Johnstone — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 15:53:37 +0000

“The project’s site is currently owned by the Portland Housing Bureau. Earlier this year, Commissioner Nick Fish said the PHB would negotiate with developers of student housing projects within the URA to potentially add affordable housing units to their projects. However, even though Capacity Commercial will be acquiring the site from the housing bureau, there have been no talks about adding affordable housing units, Owendoff said.”

This is the real story. Even after the O ran its huge series on affordable housing, you have the Housing Bureau commissioner just giving away a site without any conditions that it serve the bureau’s mission. Is this even legal?

By: poncho

poncho — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 03:42:16 +0000

I agree the biggest challenge ahead will be the design commission with a proposed monolithic building mass and mind numbingly repetitive facade making the tower look massive.