91视频

During a design advice hearing on Thursday, the Portland Design Commission said a proposed eight-story building in the Central Eastside lacks聽a specific identity.

The new building designed by Ankrom Moisan Architects would sit on Northeast Davis Street between Northeast Grand Avenue and Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The site is currently occupied by a garage and a surface parking lot.

The 168,845-square-foot, L-shaped structure would be about 84 feet tall. A total of 163 residential units 鈥� including some affordable housing 鈥� are proposed above 6,650 square feet of ground-floor retail space along Martin Luther King Boulevard and Grand Avenue as well as a fitness room also on Grand. An amenity room and deck are proposed at the southwest corner on the top floor.

The development by Fairfield Residential Co. includes 61 parking spaces on the ground floor and basement. The garage door for all vehicle spaces is located along Davis Street. Potential cladding materials include metal panel and metal mesh with purple artistic elements. A floor projection is proposed over the sidewalk along Martin Luther King Boulevard.

The proposed building combines features from both of the sculptural buildings found near the Burnside Bridge and more traditional mixed-use buildings scattered around the Central Eastside.

During the design advice hearing, John Schupp of Ankrom Moisan Architects said design objectives include adding to the newly forming identity in the neighborhood of simple, strong massing. Some buildings have highly sculpted qualities and some have traditional massing with cleanly detailed fa莽ades. The proposed building is located at the gateway to the neighborhood.

The design team also wants to highlight the importance of Grand Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard as the commercial spine of the neighborhood, as well as enhance the pedestrian experience, Schupp said.

Commissioners said they felt the that the current design of the building lacks a specific identity, 聽and suggested picking either the sculptural look or the more traditional look and sticking to it.

鈥淵ou have a lot of buildings in the area that have a very clear identity,鈥� Commissioner Don Vallaster said. 鈥淭he way you鈥檝e started this thing is too complex. It seems like it鈥檚 a little confused. Simplification around one core idea is probably going to be more successful.鈥�

Commission Chair Julie Livingston advised picking one concept going forward.

鈥淎 building that鈥檚 straddling a traditional approach and a sculptural approach is neither here nor there,鈥� she said. 鈥淐hoosing one of those and knocking it out of the park is probably a better response.鈥�

Project designer Schupp said they wanted to create a simpler building, but it got too busy.

Commissioners also said the fitness room on the ground floor along Grand Avenue should be relocated to take advantage of the valuable square footage.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 a deal breaker for me. That鈥檚 got to move,鈥� Commissioner Jessica Molinar said. 鈥淚t can go on any level. There鈥檚 no reason why it should be right there.鈥�

Trevor Boucher of Fairfield Residential Co. said they are looking at having more unique options such as a climbing wall because the ground level along Grand Avenue will have double height for the retail and fitness room, but Livingston said the commission typically advocates for retail in order to have consistent use of the space.

Overall, commissioners agreed the building could be a success with a unique, sculptural concept.

鈥淎ny building in this location at the bridgehead is a huge opportunity to do something fairly significant that is not traditional,鈥� Livingston said.

Schupp said the design team will continue to work on defining the building before Ankrom Moisan Architects returns for a second design advice hearing on May 17.

Also during the Thursday meeting:

• The Design Commission approved a project for three mixed-use buildings of five to seven stories in the Lloyd District. Designed by Holst Architecture, the buildings will be constructed at Northeast Multnomah Street and 16th Avenue. The development will replace the Lloyd Cinemas and a surface parking lot adjacent to the Sears building in the Lloyd Center mall. The buildings will hold 556 residential units, including 20 walk-up units; 34,300 square feet of retail space; nine live-work units; and 252 vehicle parking spaces. The proposal also calls for two public plazas on the ground floor and rooftop decks for residents. The site will provide 34 short-term bike parking spaces and 844 long-term bike parking spaces.

• In a 4-1 vote, the Design Commission approved an application for a seven-story mixed-use building on the southwest corner of Northwest 19th Avenue and Pettygrove Street. Owner DD Pettygrove is planning 107 market-rate residential units above 1,150 square feet of ground-level retail space, 34 vehicle parking spaces and 120 long-term bike parking spaces. YBA Architects鈥� design features ribbed- and flat-metal paneling, black vinyl windows, glass guardrails, steel-plate canopies and planters, concrete piers, black aluminum storefronts, and wood doors and seating accents.

• Commissioners also approved renovations to the east end of Lloyd Center. The project will include the renovation and conversion of the existing four-story Lloyd Center Sears from a single tenant building to a multi-tenant building with a new 14-screen theater to be built on the third level of the former Sears building. The new third-level theater footprint will expand over the existing parking area to the south, and the existing first and second floors will become lease space for multi-tenant retail or office space. The entrance to the theater lobby will be on the third-floor parking deck. The primary cladding above the ground level will be metal panels in a 鈥渃hampagne鈥� color. The renovated floors and the new expanded third-level theater will have a new total of 166,308 total square feet of area, an increase of approximately 20,000 square feet.