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A vacant lot at 1010 N.E. Grand Ave. is on its way to gaining a 12-story mixed-use building with 240 residential units. Plans call for five floors of market-rate units and three floors of affordable units.

The facility will include approximately 7,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space and 254 bicycle parking spots. No parking for motor vehicles is planned.

The Portland Design Commission approved the project with a unanimous 4-0 vote on Thursday.

鈥淚 think we made some great development since the design advice request in October,鈥� said Doug Sheets, associate architect at Lever Architecture.

Lever Architecture is teaming with LRS Architects on the project. The developer, Home Forward, is working with the Portland Housing Bureau and O’Neill/Walsh Community Builders on construction. A federal grant is helping pay for it.

Overall, the commission was complimentary of the building design and its stated purpose. One issue of concern was that a planned screen might not adequately conceal the building’s piping from pedestrians. Commission Chairman David Wark also expressed concern about the edges of the bricks on the corners.

Brian Haug, a neighbor of the site, questioned how a wall of the building might change the view from his patio.

鈥淚s the wall going to go right up against my patio?鈥� he asked. 鈥淭here are only two of us that are impacted by that. If they are going to put a wall up against my patio, maybe they could put a creeper vine up on it. It would be better to look at a creeper vine than a wall.鈥�

Designers hoped to address issues as the project progresses.

鈥淲e are more than willing to work through, while we are in construction, to make sure they can do any rendition they need to do to their building,鈥� said Calista Fitzgerald, a senior associate at LRS Architects. 鈥淭here will be a 20-foot wall but, due to the orientation, it should bounce light into (his) area. We can certainly talk further to see if there is a better resolution.鈥�

Most of the commissioners spoke well of designers’ efforts.

鈥淚t’s a good proposal and a well-designed building,鈥� Commissioner Don Vallaster said. 鈥淚 can’t think of any reason not to approve this one. And normally I can find quite a few reasons. It is well designed and going to be a real asset to the community.鈥�

The design was approved with only two conditions concerning the brick on the corners of the building and the screen used to cover the piping.

鈥淭his is just such a smart project from every angle that I look at it from,鈥� Wark said. 鈥淭he partnership, the massing of the building, the floor plan 鈥� all of it is just exceptional. Well done.鈥�

Also on Thursday:

1331 N.W. 17th Ave.

The Design Commission approved the design of a seven-story building by a 3-1 vote, with Wark abstaining. The project had received generally favorable comments from the commission a week earlier; a vote was held up because of the need of a revised staff report.

5 MLK

The commission sent GREC Architects’ design for a 17-story mixed-use building back for further revisions. The project team is hoping to return with changes on May 18.