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Work is under way to erect a mixed-use high-rise that will be one of the tallest buildings in the Pearl District. Holland Partner Group earlier this month held a ceremonial ground-breaking event at the construction site at Northwest 14th Avenue and Glisan Street. Currently, crews are excavating to create space for a three-story underground parking garage with space for 206 motor vehicles.

鈥淲e are kind of lucky with weather,鈥� said Doug Burges, development manager for Holland Partner Group. 鈥淚t’s kind of perfect. We will be in concrete right before the rainy season. (Rain) could cause all kinds of issues.鈥�

The development team is still trying to come up with a name for the building. What is certain is that it will include ground-floor retail space, residential units and a roof-top community room and terrace.

Holland Partner Group will take advantage of Portland’s Multiple-Unit Limited Tax Exemption (MULTE) program. It provides developers a 10-year property tax exemption for projects’ housing units that are affordable for people at 80 percent of median family income.

鈥淲e are excited to deliver these units to the Pearl,鈥� Burges said.

According to project plans, 46 of the building’s 244 residential units will qualify for participation in the MULTE program. The tower will provide some of the few affordable units in one of Portland’s trendiest and most expensive areas.

鈥淲e wanted to try to do our part (to address the affordable housing issue in Portland),鈥� Burges said. 鈥淲e talked to our investors and wanted to do it if it made sense.鈥�

The project has changed significantly during navigation of Portland’s permitting and design processes.

Originally, developers had hoped to retain a food cart pod near the site; however, the plan was scrapped in favor of a small park. That elicited concern from design commissioners, including Julie Livingston; she said the park could become聽鈥渁 great place to sleep, camp and shoot up,鈥� the 91视频 reported in August 2016.

Planners took steps to attenuate sound emanating from the park. The green space won’t be a problem for the neighborhood, Burges said.

鈥淚t’s more of like a pocket park,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here will be more plantings and benches. It will be a nice amenity.鈥�

Another change was the elimination of a bike share station that had been considered. The Portland Bureau of Transportation 鈥渄idn’t want to do the bike share there,鈥� Burges said.

So far, the project is on schedule. The development team expects to open the $80 million building in the first quarter of 2019, after 21 months of construction.

鈥淪o far, we haven’t run into any surprises,鈥� Burges said. 鈥淲ith our timing, it’s kind of perfect.鈥�