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Overturning its previous tentative decision to uphold an appeal and deny Lincoln Property Company‘s proposed 17-story Fremont Apartments project between Northwest Naito Parkway and the Willamette River, the Portland City Council on Wednesday voted to reconsider the application.

As designed by TVA Architects, the proposed structure at 1650 N.W. Naito Parkway would be 306,000 square feet. It would have 275 residential units above 6,600 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurant space. A parking garage would have 152 spaces.

The project had received the Portland Design Commission‘s approval in December, but the Pearl District Neighborhood Association appealed that decision and presented its arguments at a public hearing in February. In a tentative vote last month, the City Council upheld that appeal, effectively rejecting the project.

The council’s latest vote will continue the hearing until May 10 and reopen the record. The applicant will have until April 11 to submit revisions to its application. City staff will mail notice of the continued hearing and the opportunity to submit testimony in response to revisions. Participants may submit written testimony on the revised plans, and the council will accept oral testimonies on May 10 at 2 p.m.

Mayor Ted Wheeler, who voted in favor of reconsidering the project, said he’s not concerned about the building’s height or its impact on views of the Fremont Bridge. Instead, the main issue he wants to see addressed is the width of the greenway.

Commissioner Chloe Eudaly agreed.

鈥淢y primary concern is the greenway and how this building is going to affect our built environment and integrate or not integrate into the community,鈥� she said.

However, Commissioners Amanda Fritz and Dan Saltzman voted against the motion to reconsider, arguing that allowing the applicant to submit revisions will set up the city council to act as the city’s Design Commission. Fritz said she doesn’t think the changes requested are minor and would rather see a new application submitted from scratch.

Ultimately, the motion to reconsider and allow TVA Architects to submit revisions passed with a 3-2 vote.

鈥淚 believe that, in this instance, giving the applicant the opportunity to address the concerns we raised and redesign the project and come back to council is in the public interest,鈥� Commissioner Nick Fish said.