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The Portland City Council has denied an appeal questioning city approval of a proposed Pearl District development.

City commissioners unanimously voted last week to deny an appeal filed by Preserve the Pearl LLC against the Portland Design Commission’s approval in January of Security Properties‘ Block 136 development, at 1241 N.W. Johnson St.

Plans for the full-block development call for a five-story office and retail building facing 13th Avenue and a 15-story residential tower on 12th Avenue separated by a public courtyard connecting Johnson and Kearney streets.

Preserve the Pearl in February filed an appeal, questioning the design commission’s unanimous approval of the Block 136 design by Seattle-based architecture firm Mithun. Group members claimed that the city’s public process to gather feedback on the design was flawed, including insufficient communication with the Pearl District Neighborhood Association. They also questioned whether additional height should have been granted for the residential building.

Despite the concerns raised in the Preserve the Pearl appeal, Mayor Charlie Halespraised the Mithun design team for conceiving a project that would be an asset to the neighborhood.

鈥淭he team that designed this project did a very good job of following our design goals and that’s why the design commission upheld it as well,鈥� he said before voting to deny the appeal. 鈥淚 think it is not appropriate for the council to reverse their decision.鈥�

Burton Francis, a Portland attorney representing Preserve the Pearl, said Monday the group may appeal the council’s decision to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals.

鈥淲e’re seriously considering that,鈥� he said. 鈥淥bviously, everybody in our group is disappointed with the decision.鈥�

The council’s vote last week to deny the appeal came after hearing testimony for and against the proposed Block 136 project during a lengthy hearing earlier this month. Following that hearing, commissioners agreed to hold off on a vote to give Preserve the Pearl members additional time to respond to a 51-page document Seattle-based Security Properties filed as evidence in support of the Block 136 project.

A council vote to adopt a written opinion officially denying the appeal is scheduled for May 20. Preserve the Pearl members will then have 21 days to file an appeal with LUBA.