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A plan to construct a seven-story, 82-foot-tall mixed-use building at the corner of Northwest 17th Avenue and Pettygrove Street is on the verge of moving forward.

Three of the five Portland Design Commission members present at a hearing on Thursday appeared to be willing to approve the design submitted for the project at 1331 N.W. 17th Ave. The other two commissioners indicated that they could approve it with some changes.

鈥淲e hoped we addressed the commission’s comments,鈥� said Agustin Enriquez, an architect with GBD Architects. 鈥淲e feel this version made the building more interesting.鈥�

The problem was that the version presented to the Design Commission wasn’t the version that city staff recommended be denied. The design team submitted the final version too late for city staff to revise its report, so a new one will have to be created. That will require the team to make another trip before the commission.

鈥淲e are highly motivated to resolve the project and move forward and get into construction,鈥� Enriquez said.

The project will have 196 residential units and take up three-quarters of a block. It will have a floor area ratio of 6:1. The developer, Holland Partner Group, will take advantage of the Multiple-Unit Limited Tax Exemption (MULTE) program, meaning 20 percent of units will be affordable for people making 80 percent of the median family income. MULTE projects receive a 10-year property tax exemption on structural improvements as long as program requirements are met.

Plans call for 97 underground parking spaces, 22 surface parking spaces and 180 bicycle parking spaces.

Commissioners complimented the color scheme intended to brighten a building that was deemed too dark during a Feb. 2 hearing. Designers also accentuated ground-floor amenities and changed the kind of brick to one with a shimmering quality when hit by sunlight.

鈥淚 really like the front porch element,鈥� Commissioner Andrew Clarke said. 鈥淚 like the contrast between the white and dark brick, especially if the dark brick has some more personality with the way the light hits it. I think it meets the guidelines better.鈥�

Two commissioners, however, took issue with the center part of the building’s bay window design, the projections at the periphery of the building, and garage areas and art panels proposed for the building. However, one of them, Vice Chairman Tad Savinar, praised the design moves that the designers made.

鈥淭he building is moving toward a much more contemporary building,鈥� he said.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Don Vallaster said he believes the ground level is improved, but upper floors need more work.

鈥淭hey changed materials, but they haven’t changed the composition,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he composition was a little clumsy in some places with and it is still a little clumsy. There is activity without a real sense of meaning to it.鈥�

The designers are hoping to make some quick modifications and return before the council on March 16.

鈥淲e are going to look at some things they mentioned,鈥� Enriquez said. 鈥淚f they are better, we will use them and if not we will tell them we tried it and it didn’t work.鈥�