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The Portland City Council is backing the Portland Design Commission‘s decision to approve a Northwest Portland residential project, despite a neighborhood association’s appeal claiming that the development would be incompatible with surrounding shorter structures.

City commissioners said the Tess O’Brien Apartments, as designed for construction at 1950 N.W. Pettygrove St. and 1953 N.W. Overton St., would fit into the neighborhood. They voted unanimously on Wednesday to tentatively deny the Northwest District Association‘s appeal questioning Design Commission approval in January of the Kehoe Northwest Properties‘ project. A final City Council vote on the appeal is scheduled for March 25.

NWDA members claimed in the appeal that the height and massing of the two proposed six-story apartment buildings, designed by FFA Architecture and Interiors, did not meet a city design guideline to blend into the neighborhood. They also raised concerns about potential procedural errors during the design review process.

鈥淲e feel that the proposed Tess O’Brien Apartments is incompatible development with the surrounding buildings,鈥� NWDA Board President Gustavo Cruz told the City Council during a hearing on Wednesday. 鈥淭he building on the Overton Street side towers over its neighbors.鈥�

Mayor Charlie Hales said he interpreted differently the design guideline to reduce the impact of new development on established neighborhoods that was cited in the appeal. He commended the FFA team and developer Marty Kehoe of Kehoe Northwest Properties, for considering how the 125-unit Tess O’Brien Apartments would fit in with nearby existing buildings. The Design Commission’s feedback given during four design review hearings for the development also made a difference, he said.

鈥淭he process seems like it was long and expensive, but I think it resulted in a better design,鈥� Hales said. 鈥淚 don’t read that (design guideline) as a mandate for stepping down scale. I read that as looking at the neighborhood and incorporating elements architecturally. I think this building is designed thoughtfully for the context that it’s in.鈥�

Kehoe told the council that he and the project architects revised the design in consideration of concerns brought up by neighbors and design commissioners.

鈥淚 wanted this building to look like a building that when you drive by it you can’t tell if it was built 10 years ago or 40 years ago,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e met with everybody, we listened and I think we came up with a project that’s the best it can be.鈥�

FFA principal Troy Ainsworth pointed out that the Tess O’Brien Apartments would soon be joined by other residential buildings of similar size. The Design Commission in January unanimously approved GBD Architects’ design for Gerding Edlen‘s The Muse, a six-story, 58-unit apartment complex planned at 1313 N.W. 19th Ave. That is about a block away from the Tess O’Brien Apartments.

鈥淚t’s a transition area, and there are a number of different building types in the neighborhood,鈥� Ainsworth said. 鈥淥ur goal was to create a respectful infill development.鈥�

Hales agreed, noting that the Tess O’Brien Apartments site is close to the Con-way Master Plan site where YBA Architects is designing a seven-story mixed-use building at 1417 N.W. 20th Ave.

鈥淭he Con-way development is one block away,鈥� he said. 鈥淲ouldn’t a six-story building be compatible with the pattern of development in the neighborhood?鈥�

Ron Walters, who lives near the Tess O’Brien Apartments site, testified before the council that his concerns extended beyond the height of the planned buildings.

鈥淚 wholeheartedly agree with NWDA’s concerns about massing,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y greater concern is the design review process is flawed.鈥�

During the first design review hearing for the Tess O’Brien Apartments in November, the Design Commission voted against accepting a city planner report recommending approval. Walters said he was under the impression that this meant the commission had denied the proposed project and shouldn’t have continued to hold design review hearings for it.

鈥淔rom a layperson’s perspective, the design commission did not grant a continuance at that hearing,鈥� Walters said. 鈥淚f (the) design commission denies an application, BDS should not interfere to grant a continuance.鈥�

City planner Tim Heron responded that the Nov. 6 vote was nonbinding and that the project team requested that the record be held open to revise the design to meet the design commission’s feedback.

鈥淭hat was unfortunate that the neighborhood felt confused by the process,鈥� Heron said. 鈥淚t was a tentative decision and the hearing was continued 鈥� The design commission has an ethos of getting to a 鈥榶es.’ I disagree with the assertion that BDS told the design commission what to do.鈥�

City Commissioner Amanda Fritz said she appreciated that the design commission made sure the Tess O’Brien Apartments met a high standard before approving the project.

鈥淭he design did improve,鈥� she said. 鈥淚’m willing to accept the design commission’s decision.鈥�

The design of the buildings appears appropriate to their context, Commissioner Dan Saltzman said.

鈥淭hese buildings 鈥� they look like they’ve been here a long time,鈥� he said.