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A contemporary design for a 10-story mixed-use building in Portland’s Burnside Bridgehead area has gained city approval.

The Portland Design Commission on Thursday voted 4-1 to give the go-ahead to the $24.5 million Block 75 project designed by Works Partnership Architecture. Plans for the development at 111 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. call for ground-floor retail space, offices on the second through fourth floors and 75 apartments on the fifth through 10th floors. A pedestrian path and a courtyard space are in the works to connect Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Third Avenue.

Commissioners reacted positively to the proposed design, which features an undulating facade with window frames that vary in size. They did, however, say that the building’s ground-floor commercial entrance on Northeast Couch Street could be more inviting.

鈥淚t captures the plainer quality that you’re after, but what does it do for the pedestrian?鈥� Commissioner David Wark asked.

In response, the Works Partnership Architecture design team proposed stepping that part of the building back. Most commissioners agreed to this change.

Commission Chairwoman Guenevere Millius voted against approving the proposed design because she felt the team should spend more time improving that commercial entry.

The project’s 鈥渂undle of tubes鈥� design concept stems from an effort to reflect the variety of uses in the building, Works Partnership Architecture principal William Neburka said.

鈥淲e’re equating the nature of the space 鈥� where you work, where you live, where you socialize 鈥� and using that to define the building,鈥� Neburka said. 鈥淥ur goal is to really represent this view of a larger community.鈥�

Commissioner Tad Savinar praised the team’s ability to gain commission approval after one design advice request hearing and one design review hearing.

鈥淚t’s just really great to acknowledge that design review does work and can work,鈥� he said.

The project is being developed by Block 75 LLC. Members include representatives of Urban Development Partners, Beam Development, Neburka and fellow Works Partnership Architecture principal Carrie Strickland.

Yorke and Curtis crews are scheduled to start construction in October and wrap up in time for the building to open in May 2016.