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The developers of The Janey – a high-end, six-story apartment building that opened in the Pearl District last year – are preparing to double down.

On Thursday, Columbia Investments Ltd. and GBD Architects presented to design commissioners plans for an eight-story, 62-unit apartment building on the corner of Northwest Everett Street and 11th Avenue, directly east of the first one. The new development will replace a vacant 107-year-old warehouse that designers say is not historically significant, and will seek to continue The Janey’s modern, industrial motif with a different exterior facade.

“It’s very clear they belong together and are part of the same family, but are not necessarily the same building,” said Marcus Lima, an architect at GBD and one of the project’s designers.

The second phase of The Janey will continue the look of the ground-floor commercial space, as well as the use of light brick, dark metal Cor-Ten, earthy colors and wood on the window canopies. The upper floors, however, will be broken up by various raised and recessed wall sections.

Like the first phase, the second will feature studios and one-bedroom spaces – though slightly larger ones ranging from 450 to 790 square feet. The building also will introduce one-bedroom-plus-den apartments, and have a rooftop deck, two second-floor decks with green space, and indoor mechanized parking for 43 vehicles.

Lima said the first building achieved a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum rating, and the owners’ intent is to pursue the same in the second via amenities like a green roof, recycled materials and on-site stormwater treatment.

“It was again to get back to that idea of making it a unique product,” he said. “It was important for the owners in terms of making sure that we’re being good for the environment and pushing the envelope and trying to make the best product that we can … You’re almost kind of taking this plot of land back to a more natural state when you do that.”

Lima presented those plans to neighbors late last month. Representatives of the Pearl District Neighborhood Association did not return calls seeking comment.

In the design review application, the owners requested two minor modifications to design requirements related to the length of ground-floor windows and active-use area along Northwest 11th Avenue. While the overall project generally was received well, the ground-floor design of that elevation was a source of concern for commissioners and staff. Commissioner Tad Savinar also took issue with the uniformity between the two buildings.

“I’m still very confused about the relationship of Janey 1 versus Janey 2,” he said. “And actually I think Janey 1 devalues Janey 2 because Janey 1 was fine … I’m not sure that two of them on the street works … From a commercial standpoint, why do they have to be the same thing?”

Lima pointed out that the owners were pursuing a similar model because the first phase of The Janey had been so successful. The other commissioners did not share Savinar’s concern.

“I don’t have a problem with the marriage of the two buildings, and that’s because they are actually connected,” Commission Chairwoman Guenevere Millius said. “They are essentially becoming one building and to a certain extent that necessitates some knitting … When you have a half-block building I think the approach is totally acceptable.”

The project will go back before design commissioners on Aug. 15. Lima said the hope is to begin demolition in September; the project’s general contractor is Lorentz Bruun Construction.

Lanier Brugh Corp., a trucking company that delivers mail for the U.S. Postal Service, formerly owned the 10,000-square-foot warehouse that sits on the site now. Columbia Investments is the owners’ representative for 315 NW 11th LLC and HFTB LLC, which acquired the property this past December for $3.25 million, according to records obtained from First American Title Insurance.

Columbia Investments is a local investment company that partners with private equity firms on a variety of fronts. It was one of the original outside investors of Gerding Edlen, and was the majority investor in that company’s $300 million Brewery Blocks development in the Pearl District. Columbia also is an investor in Riverlake Partners – a Portland-based company that acquires and grows industrial products manufacturers – as well as a handful of other businesses.

“The owners see it as a good long-term redevelopment and investment project in a great location, complementary to the Pearl District,” said Bill Maris, Columbia Investments’ chief financial officer.