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Plans to expand a Portland rock climbing gym recently gained city design review approval.

Crews from general contractor Rainier Pacific are scheduled to start construction in early October on a 10,610-square-foot expansion to the Portland Rock Gym at 21 N.E. 12th Ave.

The project was designed by COLAB Architecture and will more than double the size of the existing 8,600-square-foot building, Portland Rock Gym owner Gary Rall said.

Construction is expected to last seven months.

Rall said he’s been planning the expansion for several years, and in 2011 participated in the Portland Development Commission’s Development Opportunity Services Program to study the project’s feasibility. The expansion plans stalled during the recession when he couldn’t secure a loan to finance the project.

“I didn’t have the numbers to impress the bank,” Rall said.

The expansion will have an eco-roof and be built where the rock gym’s 11-spot parking lot is now located. Plans for the space include a yoga studio, lounge, a rock climbing wall for beginners, a bouldering area, offices, and a conference room that will host birthday parties and corporate meetings.

“The key is to make it an athletic club for climbers,” Rall said.

The beginners’ climbing area will be visible to drivers and passersby on Northeast Couch Street.

“There is going to be a big wall of glass and you’ll be able to see climbers,” Rall said.

The new bouldering area, where climbers won’t need ropes, will include a recessed floor with 18 inches of padding to cushion falls. When climbers reach the top of the bouldering walls, they will be able to use a slide to return to the ground.

Rall designed the rock climbing walls himself.

“I just want to make sure it’s really spectacular,” he said. “I’ve been climbing most my life, so I have a good understanding of … what type of shapes people want to climb on.”