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In 1989, a 10-block area in Portland鈥檚 Pearl District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and the Chinatown/Japantown Historic District was born.

Now, officials are finally close to finalizing some for the district. A draft 鈥渃oncept report鈥� of the new design rules was released this week at a meeting of the district鈥檚 stakeholder committee. The next step will be a series of public hearings starting May 3. The report could be ready for review by the Historic Landmarks Commission in September.

The stakeholders鈥� committee met this week at the Portland Development Commission office, where some of the definitions and terminology in the draft report were discussed at length.

Committee member Jackie Peterson of the Old Town Chinatown Community Association said the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the guidelines in detail.

鈥淭hese buildings built between 1890 and 1943 need to be protected,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a general discussion; this is very specific.鈥�

But some design aspects for new construction, such as height limits and floor-to-area square footage, will be guided by the Central City 2035 Plan, said Brandon Spencer-Hartle, project manager for the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability.

鈥淭hey will probably have the draft (of the 2035 plan) out in May, and that planning process will set the bar,鈥� he said.

Members of the stakeholders committee include Peterson; Joren Bass of Urban Development+Partners; Katherine Schultz of Guardian Real Estate Services; Will Naito of Naito Development; Brian Kimura of the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center; Neil Lee of the Oregon Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association; Hermann Colas of Colas Construction; Hillary Adam of the Bureau of Development Services; Peggy Moretti of Restore Oregon; and Matthew Roman of the Historic Landmarks Commission.

Guidelines for the new historic district will be influenced by design guidelines for the Skidmore/Old Town Historic District, Spencer-Hartle said. Those guidelines will be heard by City Council on May 4 at 2 p.m.

鈥淭hey are so well vetted and are a template for Chinatown/Japantown and will help provide a structure,鈥� he said.

But the Skidmore/Old Town plans will be different, Moretti said, because that district is significant for its architecture while the Chinatown/Japantown Historic District is considered more culturally significant.

鈥淗ere it鈥檚 about cultural history and stories, and it will be very interesting to see how we can put this into design guidelines,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have any preconceived notions, but it is a district so ripe for attention.鈥�

Very few structures in Chinatown/Japantown were built by people of Asian descent, Peterson said, but buildings often were embellished with Oriental accents, such as putting a shrine on a third floor balcony.

鈥淭here are very few Asian-style buildings (in the district),鈥� Moretti said. 鈥淏ut whatever comes forward should be true to itself.鈥�

The concept report, only six pages long, divides guidelines into four sections: alterations, additions, new construction and general guidelines.

The report states that alterations should 鈥渞etain original character-defining or significant features of the building,鈥� and that if previous changes have historic significance, 鈥渢hose changes should be retained.鈥�

Additions should be compatible with the original style, form and massing of the existing building, the report states, and should be 鈥渧isually secondary鈥� to the primary building.

New construction, according to the report, should be inspired by and compatible with one of the neighborhood鈥檚 historic styles and massing should reflect scale similar to neighboring buildings.

General guidelines state that lighting should focus on the pedestrian experience and seismic upgrades, and security features should be 鈥渃arefully integrated into the building.鈥�

The report also recommends placing plaques for historically significant buildings that are demolished, hiding rooftop mechanical equipment and encouraging open balconies.

Now that the concept report is on track to gain approval from the Historic Landmarks Commission, Moretti said Chinatown/Japantown may finally get some long-needed attention. New design guidelines could help the Wong Laundry Building on Northwest Third Avenue 鈥� the district鈥檚 most at-risk building, she said.

鈥淭hat building has been dormant for a long time and very much needs attention and preservation,鈥� she said.

But more than buildings, Moretti said the new guidelines, once adopted, will help preserve the historic district鈥檚 past.

鈥淭he whole purpose (of the design guidelines) is to give direction and clarity for infill that will complement the district,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he goal is to tell the story of the district.鈥�

More information about development of design guidelines for the Chinatown/Japantown Historic District are available .