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One of the blocks in the massive Con-way development in northwest Portland is going back to the drawing boards, for the fourth time.

Block 290, at 1417 N.W. 20^th Ave., is proposed to have four buildings around a public plaza. But at Thursday’s Portland Design Commission meeting, project architect YBA Architects was told there were still problems with the development, including the interior plaza feeling too confined.

Alex Yale, a principal with YBA Architects, offered a possible solution that would expand the size of the development’s footprint from 200-by-200 feet to 211-by-230 feet. That could be accomplished by making the buildings narrower and reducing the width of a walking path from 60 feet to 30 feet, he said.

鈥淵ou don’t need a 60-foot access to accommodate pedestrians,鈥� Yale said.

Yale also told commissioners that he didn’t want the square to be like Director Park, open to traffic. He suggested moving access to the underground parking garage from Quimby Street to Pettygrove Street.

Don Genasci of the Northwest District Association said the association supports the project and agreed the development’s footprint should be larger than the current 200-by-200 feet.

Ron Walter, a neighbor of the development, said he also felt the square is 鈥渢oo confining,鈥� and Commission Chair David Wark agreed.

鈥淭he public space鈥�is so boxed in and I don’t see how it (the project) gets there,鈥� he said.

Commissioner Julie Livingston also she doesn’t know the solution to problems with the project, which the commission 鈥渟truggled with鈥� at its June meeting.

鈥淭his proposal is for all intents and purposes the same one we saw last time,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e don’t know how they can do what they need to do.鈥�

Commissioners were also concerned about the design aesthetics of the public square, which Commissioner Tad Savinar described as having a 鈥渂ack of house鈥� feel to it. Savinar said adding to the size of the plaza and reducing the width of walkways would have the potential of reducing open space.

鈥淚 don’t want to send us backward, but every single project that has come to us from Con-way has reduced open space,鈥� he said

While making all the elements of the design for Block 290 may be difficult to design, Livingston said she hopes issues with e project can be resolved.

鈥淚’m relying on you to come back with a great scheme,鈥� she told the project’s designers.

The next time Block 290 goes before the design panel, Wark said, commissioners will vote on whether to approve the design.

鈥淚f they get a 鈥榥o’ vote, they can appeal,鈥� he said.