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Design commissioners have unanimously approved plans for a second phase of the Under Armour construction project taking shape along Barbur Boulevard in Southwest Portland.

Under Armour and InterUrban Development of Seattle won approval to add a third floor and enlarge the second floor of the existing 64,400-square-foot building, completed in 1977, to provide 42,420 additional square feet.

The building is set to be an important outpost for Under Armour, a Baltimore-based shoe and apparel company that has followed Nike and Adidas in setting down stakes in Portland.

The building at 2815 S.W. Barbur Blvd. would now top out at 46 feet, 3 inches, or slightly above the site’s 45-foot limit.

The first phase of construction is under way, with completion expected in January. The second phase is expected to wrap up later in 2017.

The project is designed by Bora Architects. Lease Crutcher Lewis is the general contractor.

Workers have gutted the existing building, originally a YMCA, for use by Under Armour. Duniway Park fronts the building. Improvements to the park, including a new track and synthetic turf field, are wrapping up in a partnership with Portland Parks and Recreation.

The project team is concurrently seeking a zoning change and comprehensive plan amendment because the site already exceeds its maximum zoned use. The proposed zoning change is from CN2d, a neighborhood commercial zoning, to CSd, a commercial storefront zoning.

The zoning change proposal will go before a hearings officer and eventually the City Council.

If the project’s reception by design commissioners is any indication, the project has substantial support.

鈥淚 think the building actually is better with this addition,鈥� said Sam Rodriguez, a developer and the newest member of the Design Commission. 鈥淭he green roof and the way it frames the project, it’s a good addition. It’s a fantastic project.鈥�

Design commissioner Julie Livingston also said adding a third floor will improve the building’s aesthetics.

鈥淚t is really lovely,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he building actually looks completely finished.鈥�

Rob Brewster, president of InterUrban Development and owner of the building, responded to neighborhood concerns that the building would cast too much light onto residences along Terwilliger Boulevard. Architects enlarged and moved the design’s eco-roof and canted skylights to redirect light away from the hill.

Jim Gardner, land use committee chairman of the South Portland Neighborhood Association, testified in support of the project. The association held a hearing on InterUrban Development’s proposal on Nov. 15.

鈥淲e’re happy to see it going forward,鈥� Gardner said. 鈥淎dding a third story essentially doesn’t have any negative impacts on the neighbors at all and in some perspectives helps the building look more complete.鈥�

As part of the expansion, a second-floor terrace will be brought indoors to create more occupiable space. A new terrace will be built on the third floor.

鈥淲e’re kind of carving out these outdoor meeting spaces to further reduce the mass of the addition,鈥� said Brad Demby, a Bora associate principal who presented the project along with Bora’s Leslie Cliffe.

The building would have a floor-to-area ratio of 2.03 to 1.

Dark green glass helps the building blend into the hillside, Demby said. The design also makes extensive use of heavy timber in ceilings, beams and around the edges of the upper levels.

Design commissioner Don Vallaster said the project’s initial phase was shaping up well.

鈥淧hase I came out looking really good, by the way, and similar to your presentation, which doesn’t always happen,鈥� he said.

Also on Thursday:

Multifamily project back to drawing board

Design commissioners turned back a proposal for the Ankeny Apartments 鈥� two buildings planned at 1122 S.E. Ankeny St., just south of Burnside Street in the Central Eastside.

The buildings, one six stories and one five stories, would hold 17 apartments in total.

The site is L-shaped, requiring the proposed buildings to wrap around two historic homes, both built in 1904, that are not owned by the applicant. A 113-year-old house on the proposed site that is owned by the applicant would be demolished.

Some design commissioners said the project appears too large for the 5,380-square-foot parcel. The development would nearly reach the edge of the property at all sides, with no setbacks.

鈥淭his is overbuilt for its site,鈥� Commissioner Julie Livingston said.

Commissioner Don Vallaster expressed concern about the exterior glaze.

鈥淚 wouldn’t want to live on the south side of this thing,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he glaze would fry me.鈥�

Their critiques echoed criticisms from neighbors. The project has attracted residents’ criticisms for its height, which exceeds 50 feet, and lack of setbacks.

Bureau of Development Services staff recommended denial, citing issues with the proposal’s neighborhood context and external lighting.

The design is by YGH Architecture. The owner is listed as Landon Crowell.

Rather than face an adverse vote, the project team opted to return for another hearing on Jan. 5, 2017. Architects said they would work to minimize the apparent mass of the design.

It will be the project’s third design review hearing; the initial hearing was held Oct. 6.