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A 23-story multifamily project proposed for a parking lot near the Morrison Bridge’s east end is a little closer to city approval.

Urban Asset Advisors is the developer of the Grand Belmont tower at 514 S.E. Belmont Street, and Vallaster Corl Architects is the designer. Portland’s Historic Landmarks Commission 鈥� and not the Portland Design Commission 鈥� is charged with approving the design because the building is located in the East Portland Grand Avenue Historic District.

The only other high-rise in the district is the 12-story, 1920s-era Weatherly Building on Southeast Morrison Street. The proposed height for the Grand Belmont previously was identified by the Historic Landmarks Commission as a problem. But Chris Jones, project designer with Vallaster Corl, said that at the Grand Belmont’s third design advice hearing March 7 commissioners seemed to be more concerned about the building’s appearance than its height.

Jones said the commission was shown a preferred design for a 23-story tower with 214 residential units, a rooftop common room with an exterior terrace, three ground-floor retail spaces totaling 6,500 square feet and 102 parking spaces in the podium portion. Commissioners were also presented a second option for a 14-story building, he said, but seemed to prefer the taller building.

鈥淢ost commissioners expressed support for the taller, more slender scheme,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut there was much discussion on the exterior skin and how to complement the historic district.鈥�

Jones said commissioners may offer some trade-offs to allow the higher building, but nothing is guaranteed until the design is approved in a formal review.

鈥淭hey made concessions in terms of height, but said it will be contingent on the level and quality of materials, fenestration patterns, types of windows and how it all works with neighboring resources,鈥� he said.

Jones added that his firm was pleased overall with the advice hearing. He believes the commissioners’ consensus was to allow a floor area ratio (FAR) of 12:1.

鈥淭hey, by and large, were not pushing back on the big issues of height and FAR,鈥� he said.

Jones said this is the first major project proposed for the East Portland Grand Avenue Historic District since it was established in the 1990s.

鈥淭he whole area started to boom in the 1920s as an alternative city, a separate city (from Portland),鈥� he said. 鈥淭he construction of the Weatherly Building, the landmark our design is responding to, was the last great hurrah of development on the east side before the Great Depression.鈥�

No date has been set for a formal design review before the landmarks commission, Jones said.