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The Block 290 project at 1417 N.W. 20th Ave. finally has a green light from the city of Portland, allowing construction to start. The City Council on Wednesday finalized a previous 4-1 vote denying the Northwest District Association‘s appeal of the Portland Design Commission‘s unanimous approval of the project.

Commissioner Amanda Fritz cast the council’s lone dissenting vote.

鈥淎s I have said, I don’t support this and would have rather upheld the appeal,鈥� she said.

The council did add one condition: the developers must consult with the Regional Arts and Culture Council regarding inclusion of art at both the private development and an adjacent park.

Development of Guardian Real Estate Services‘ project has now dragged on for more than two years.

LRS Architects’ design calls for a mix of luxury and market-rate residential units on top of ground-floor retail space. The development will also include below-grade parking, a public square and a roof terrace.

The plans call for a horseshoe design with elevations ranging from 57 to 70 feet.

The neighborhood association has contended that the project didn’t meet requirements set forth in the Con-way master plan. Of particular concern was a public square that designers claim will measure 16,008 square feet and be able to comfortably hold 50 to 100 people at once.

The neighborhood association believes the size of the square is exaggerated and doesn’t meet requirements set forth in the master plan.

Much of the debate during the City Council’s original hearing on Oct. 12 centered on the need for housing and whether mostly market-rate and luxury units would significantly help alleviate the lack of housing in the city.

Ultimately, the majority of the council deferred to the judgment of the Design Commission, which decided that the project met city guidelines and master plan requirements.