91视频

The Portland City Council on Wednesday heard nothing but support for plans to double the height of the proposed Multnomah County Health Department building.

A half dozen people, including Multnomah County Chairwoman Deborah Kafoury, told City Council that original plans for a new 75-foot building would not provide enough space and that a 150-foot building is needed.

The first reading of an ordinance that would allow the height increase took place Wednesday. The height allowance would apply only to the new building’s site, Block U of the Couch Addition.

鈥淲e will see you in a week for the second reading, (when) I think City Council will approve,鈥� Mayor Charlie Hales said.

The health department needs a new home, Kafoury said, because its present one 鈥� the McCoy Building on Southwest Stark Street 鈥� was built in 1923 to suit a department store and not to house medical professionals.

鈥淭his is the largest department in Multnomah County and touches the lives of everyone who lives in or visits Multnomah County,鈥� she said.

Consolidating many offices scattered throughout the county will bring hundreds of health care professionals to work in the new building planned for a vacant lot bounded by Northwest Hoyt and Irving streets, Sixth Avenue and Broadway. The lot is next to Bud Clark Commons, a transitional shelter and day center for people experiencing homelessness.

鈥淭hose 350 health care professionals will add to the Old Town Chinatown economic vitality,鈥� Kafoury said.

Douglas Obletz, consultant for the county and president of Portland-based Shiels Obletz Johnsen Inc., said the new building is a 鈥渢echnically challenging鈥� project and that the original proposal for a six-story building was insufficient.

Plans previously called for the building to have 105,000 square feet, according to the proposed ordinance, but the county has determined it needs between 120,000 and 150,000 square feet.

The ordinance would increase the base height of the building to 105 feet and make Block U eligible for up to 45 additional feet in height bonuses. Detailed information on the draft ordinance is available at www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/mchdhq.

City planner Nicholas Starin said floor area ratio (FAR) allowances could be used to add building height by incorporating features like day care, rooftop gardens and eco-roof features, housing, historic features and other elements.

鈥淚t would still be subject to design review,鈥� Starin said of the project. 鈥淭he building would be quite near Union Station, which is historic.鈥�

One point of contention in the past has been the view corridor to the iconic clock tower at Union Station, but Starin showed several slides indicating that the view corridor would be open from four different locations, including the Steel Bridge and the Broadway Bridge.

The city has also been working with the Old Town Chinatown Community Association, the Pearl District Neighborhood Association and Transition Projects, which operates Bud Clark Commons, to meet their concerns.

鈥淲e’re working on a good neighbor agreement between stakeholders that will be in place before design review,鈥� Starin said.

In addition to the McCoy Building, the health department also leases space in the Lincoln Building on Southwest Oak Street, where most administrative functions take place, according to the draft ordinance.

鈥淚nitially, the county considered dispersing some functions into various other facilities,鈥� it reads. 鈥淗owever, as the estimates of construction costs have risen, in part due to the upswing in the economy, the rationale for a single facility to centralize its activities has become increasingly apparent. The growing cost of continued occupation of the largely obsolete McCoy Building has especially contributed to a sense of urgency to relocate MCHD (Multnomah County Health Department) into a more energy-efficient facility built to contemporary seismic and safety standards.鈥�

The draft ordinance states that the new building will allow the health department to consolidate most of its administrative functions and provide three direct-service clinics.