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Two significant projects planned in Portland, vastly different in scale, are on track to move forward soon.

The Portland Design Commission on Thursday spent about an hour discussing plans for the 11-story Framework tower, which is expected to be the tallest building in the country constructed with cross-laminated timber 鈥� a product popular in Europe, but relatively new as a building material in the U.S.

Then for the next several hours, commissioners discussed design details for the long-awaited Hyatt Regency hotel near the Oregon Convention Center. The two-block development will include a 600-room hotel next to a seven-story parking garage.

Framework tower

Although a few citizens on Thursday objected that the Framework tower planned at 430 N.W. 10th Ave. will not reflect the Pearl District’s industrial past, commissioners unanimously praised its design and assured approval at its next review set for Sept. 8.

During the public comment period, Pearl District resident Curt Jennewine said he had 78 signatures on a petition complaining that the building would not meet design guidelines for the former historic warehouse district.

鈥淚t will set precedence and erode the character,鈥� he said.

But Kate Washington and Nolan Lienhart of the Pearl District Neighborhood Association praised the project because it will include affordable housing and increase neighborhood diversity.

Washington said the association’s planning committee voted to support the design, and she doesn’t believe that all new buildings in the Pearl District must reflect the history of the neighborhood. Lienhart agreed.

鈥淚 don’t agree with the notion that all buildings should reflect the warehouse design, which can be pretty dark and heavy,鈥� he said.

This was the second design review for the Framework tower, and only a few issues remained to be resolved, city planner Grace Jeffreys said. They included location and depth of canopies, a lighting change on the second-floor terrace, covering of the generator exhaust and the design of the service area on Northwest Glisan Street.

After brief discussions about each issue, all were resolved and commissioners indicated that final approval would be granted at the next hearing.

Although CLT is relatively new to the building industry in the U.S. and called unsafe by the concrete industry, design commissioners have praised it as a welcome building product.

鈥淚 think it’s an extraordinary design and I could care less that it’s timber,鈥� Commissioner Tad Savinar said. 鈥淭he structure is exposed with a wonderful feeling of modern and old-timeyness and is a fantastic addition to the neighborhood.鈥�

The Framework tower, designed by a Lever Architecture team led by Thomas Robinson, won a competition to receive half of a $3 million prize from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to use CLT 鈥渢o construct lighter-weight, more energy-efficient, tall buildings.鈥�

The developer is Project^ and the building will include street-level retail space, office space, workforce housing and community space.

Hyatt Regency hotel

The commission’s discussion of problem areas with for the Hyatt Regency hotel near the Oregon Convention Center was more lengthy and in-depth.

Prior to Thursday, the project had received three design advice hearings dating back to September 2014. The first application was submitted in December 2015 and a revised application was submitted in June.

The project site, immediately north of the Oregon Convention Center, is bounded by Northeast Holladay Street, First Avenue, Multnomah Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

The hotel will be 14 stories with 600 rooms atop a three-story podium with a 32,000-square-foot ballroom and meeting space, a 24-hour market and a fitness center.

The parking garage will house 419 spaces for guests and 25 for retail use. The building will also hold bike parking 鈥� including rental, storage and repair space. Plans call for future development of the garage to include adding floors for office space.

Located in the Central City commercial district with design overlay designation, the hotel will be 180 feet, six inches tall with a floor area ratio of 12:1 with a 3:1 bonus allowed. Mortenson Construction’s Portland office is working with Hyatt Hotels Corp. as developer for the Metro-owned project. ESG Architects of Minneapolis is designing the hotel and garage.

City planner Tim Heron initially outlined 13 different issues that city staff identified for the hotel and garage within three areas where design guidelines had not yet been met: architectural coherency and contextual response to the Lloyd District, active floor use on Northeast Holladay Street and corner activation at Northeast Second Avenue.

Scott Cruickshank, executive director of the Oregon Convention Center, told commissioners the $240 million project is being funded by between $165 million and $170 million from the Hyatt Regency Corp., $60 million from Metro bonds, $10 million from the Oregon Lottery and $4 million in Metro grants.

Ideally, construction should start in early 2017, Cruickshank said, with Design Commission approval being granted before the end of the year.

鈥淭he only thing that could stop (the project) now is delays,鈥� he said.

After a lengthy discussion of all the issues by commissioners, Heron suggested that the project come back for a 鈥渟oft鈥� hearing on Sept. 29 to accelerate the process.

鈥淚t would be more of a work session,鈥� he said, suggesting that Design Commission approval come in the following design review meeting.

鈥淥ne more hearing and we’re done,鈥� he said.

Although every month that approval is delayed costs about $1 million, said Trace Jacques, vice president and design principal at ESG Architects, he agreed with the timeline.

鈥淚 think that’s a wise course,鈥� he said. 鈥淭ime is of the essence, but we want to make the best use of it we can.鈥�