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The Parker, a 177-unit high-rise apartment complex that will open Monday in Portland’s Pearl District, is living up to its name by providing its tenants ample parking in an area where it’s scarce.

Developer and owner Robert Ball said he was able to nearly double parking capacity at The Parker via a . Tenants can park their vehicles in an underground garage, exit them, and, with the push of a button, watch them descend beneath the floor of the parking garage.

鈥淧ortland is having an issue of so many neighborhoods getting clogged with too many cars,鈥� Ball said. 鈥淭he stacked parking means we have 92 percent of our tenants parked.鈥�

The underground parking garage offers 165 spaces; that’s one for nearly every unit in the building.

鈥淚n a lot of buildings architects recommend providing enough parking spaces for 60 to 70 percent of the unit count because so many people ride bikes in Portland,鈥� Ball said. 鈥淏ut we wanted to do something different.鈥�

Ed Underwood, who works for Portland-based Lorentz Bruun Construction, was the project superintendent for The Parker. He said this is the first site he’s worked on where stacked parking is used to increase capacity.

鈥淭he parking in the Pearl District is terrible and getting worse as the amount of construction increases,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is a great way to increase capacity.鈥�

Underwood explained that cars are lowered about seven feet into a recessed pit underneath the main floor of the parking garage using a hydraulic car lift.

鈥淚t’s the same type of car lift as when you take your car to the shop or to get new tires,鈥� he said.

Erik Bruun of Lorentz Bruun Construction said in an interview with the 91视频 earlier this month that the firm has installed other stacked parking systems in Portland apartment buildings, but that most hold about 20 or 30 cars. He thinks The Parker’s stacked parking garage is the largest in the Pacific Northwest.

鈥淥bviously neighbors aren’t excited about projects without parking,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is a cost-effective way without having to do standard parking.鈥�

Ball said earlier this week that approximately 40 units were rented. He thinks the stacked parking feature has drawn tenants.

鈥淚t’s been great because it’s been a construction zone down here,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople haven’t even been able to see what the lobby will look like.鈥�

Monday’s opening party for The Parker, at 1447 N.W. 12th Ave., is set for 5 to 9 p.m. At 7:29 p.m., the exact moment of the autumn equinox, fires will be lit in the lobby fireplace and the courtyard’s fire pit, Ball said.

In addition to being the first day of fall, Monday also is the one-year anniversary of the homecoming of Ball’s son, Parker, who spent 80 days in the hospital following his premature birth. Parker’s twin brother, Wyatt, died about six weeks after his birth. Embedded in the facade of The Parker are letters representing several members of Ball’s family. The letter 鈥榳’ is one, placed as a tribute to Wyatt.

鈥淲hen you ask about challenges during this project, going through that was a big part of it,鈥� Ball said. 鈥淚t’s been a growing experience that’s taught us that we can suffer through difficult times and still find something positive in it.鈥�

In addition to naming the new building after his son, Ball said he added other personal touches. For example, LED lights placed high on the building turn on at night.

鈥淭hey’ll usually be white,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut they can change colors for holidays 颅鈥� say green and red for Christmas, blue for Hanukkah, or pink at Easter 鈥� or on important game days.鈥�