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A 20-story hotel proposed for downtown Portland was criticized for being 鈥渢oo dark鈥� at a recent Portland Design Commission hearing, drawing comparisons to the Yard, a 21-story building close to completion at the east end of the Burnside Bridge.

It’s not the biggest controversy the project has faced. Designed by Ankrom Moisan Architects, the new hotel drew criticism from preservationists late last year because the project will require demolition of the three-story, 110-year-old Albion Hotel that houses the Lotus Cardroom and Caf茅.

Ankrom Moisan principal Murray Jenkins said at the time that his firm, serving as project architect, tried its best to save the Hotel Albion. However, the challenges were too great because the building had not been maintained. Jenkins said 3-D scans showed both internal and external unreinforced masonry walls in the old building were load-bearing and made reconstruction unfeasible.

The pending demolition was not mentioned at the June 16 design hearing. Instead, discussion referenced the fact that the Yard came under fire for not adhering to the design the commission approved, appearing much darker because of reduced glazing on its upper floors.

As a result, commissioners were hesitant to approve the new hotel until they had further evidence that it would not be a gloomy addition to Portland’s skyline.

Ankrom Moisan Architects’ Michael Great said the design team decided to go from light gray to burgundy for the color of the building’s brick 鈥� a change that drew Commission Chairman David Wark’s objection.

鈥淭he biggest challenge I see is color,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat made you go to the dark side?鈥�

Great said that after walking the neighborhood where the hotel will be located, he observed there were many light-colored buildings, leading him to believe a darker building would be complementary and relate well to the historic Auditorium Building next to the site.

鈥淲e will make sure we get the glass right and then we can avoid the dark monolith buildings people are talking about,鈥� Great said.

But Commissioner Tad Savinar said the building was still 鈥渢oo dark,鈥� and Wark suggested it might be more interesting to have a grouping of light-colored buildings.

鈥淲e have lessons learned from the bridgehead project,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e’re much more reticent to approve dark buildings. The city doesn’t need another 20-story dark building.鈥�

Commissioner Jeff Simpson noted that reflective glass might not add a lot.

鈥淚’m not anti-dark buildings and you might have reflectivity, but we have a lot of gray days,鈥� he said.

Commissioner Julie Livingston said she liked the color of the previous design and suggested the design team come back with a light gray color for the brick, even if the color of bronze accents had to be adjusted.

City planner Hillary Adam also asked Great to come back with more detailed renderings that accurately reflect the color.

鈥淲e want it to be right rather than just making it through the day,鈥� she said.

In addition to new renderings and a lighter color, Savinar asked Great to include surrounding buildings in renderings for the project’s next hearing.

The current design calls for a 20-story, 225-room hotel attached to a three-story building with restaurants and retail space. The three-story building will have a green roof that slopes at an angle to become a green wall extending two floors down to an all-glass primary entrance on Southwest Salmon Street. A secondary entrance on Southwest Second Avenue will lead to a rooftop bar with terraces and a shallow pool.

Wark asked about maintenance of the green wall, which will extend down into the lobby area.

Kurt Lango of Lango Hansen Landscape Architects said the green wall will use a hydroponic felt system that comes in large sheets. He said the green roof will be planted with sedums and other low growing plants and the green wall will be mostly ferns.

Commissioners also discussed the composition of the building. Savinar said the design is 鈥渏ust not there,鈥� but Commissioner Jessica Molinar disagreed.

鈥淭he composition, for me, meets the guidelines,鈥� she said.

Livingston and Simpson also indicated that they would approve the design, and the project appears to be on track to pass when it comes back for review on July 7.

鈥淚t’s a grand improvement from the previous version,鈥� Simpson said.

Two apartment projects approved

Also on Thursday, the Design Commission took only about 20 minutes to approve the design of a 14-story apartment building at 1133 S.W. Market St. designed by SERA Architects and developed by M.A. Mortensen Development.

The 150-foot building will sit on a quarter-block and provide 146 residential units, 21 parking spaces with mechanical stacking, ground-floor office space and a fitness center that can be converted to retail. A rooftop amenity deck will include an eco-roof, fitness and common rooms, two stair enclosures, an elevator overrun and screened enclosure for mechanical units.

Commissioners also approved, with minor conditions, the design for a new four-story mixed-use building on a partial-block site fronting Northwest 23rd Avenue and Savier Street. Four small wood-framed buildings on the site will be demolished.

The project, designed by GBD Architects and developed by C.E. John Co., will have a second-floor roof deck for residents and provide 51 residential units over ground-floor retail with interior mechanical vehicle parking.

During the citizen comment period, Greg Tyson of the Northwest District Association complained about the 鈥渓ack of an attempt鈥� to save an old oak tree on the property that had been cut back for power lines over the years.

After considerable discussion, Simpson, a landscape architect, said since the city arborist rated the tree as only 鈥渇air鈥� and the tree had damaged the sidewalk that it should come down.

鈥淭he problem is that we have a project with a 100-year life with a tree that could come down in 15 years,鈥� he said.