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A planning application has landed for a skyscraping tower on a downtown Portland block that is home to dozens of food carts.

The 33-story tower would comprise 750,000 square feet above ground, and four and a half stories of underground parking. The full-block tower would have a mix of uses, including office, hotel and residential functions.

The application is for the full block bounded by Southwest Ninth and 10th avenues, and Washington and Alder streets.

According to an early assistance application filed with the Bureau of Development Services, the project may include condominiums. If so, the project would be a major test of the city’s inclusionary housing regulations that pertain to condos. The city promulgated condo regulations before pulling them back after developers responded that the rules would make condo projects unworkable.

City officials are writing revised draft rules for inclusionary housing condo units, and they will be released in coming months, said Kyle Chisek, director of bureau relations and policy for Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office.

The building would rise to 410 feet 鈥� the maximum allowed height following the impending passage of the Central City 2035 plan. Under current rules, the height limit is 325 feet.

The building’s largest portion would be taken up by the hotel, according to the early assistance application. Plans call for 294,000 square feet of hotel space, 260,000 square feet of condos, 186,000 square feet of offices and 10,000 square feet of retail space.

GBD Architects is listed as the applicant (a GBD representative did not promptly return a message seeking comment). Public documents do not list a developer.

The block is owned by the Goodman family’s Downtown Development Group through limited liability companies. Downtown Development Group co-President Greg Goodman declined to comment. He referred questions to a public relations representative, Pat Walsh, who would not answer questions.
鈥淒ue to confidentiality agreements, we cannot comment about whether or not a project is under consideration,鈥� Walsh stated in an email message. 鈥淲e discuss a project when all involved are ready to do so.鈥�

The project represents a big bet that Portland’s run of economic expansion will continue into 2019 and beyond.

To Vanessa Sturgeon, whose TMT Development built the 30-story Park Avenue West and the 27-story Fox Tower in downtown Portland, the market remains ripe for big projects.

鈥淎t this point with construction costs, projects need to be very big to pencil out,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t makes a lot of sense. Knowing what the Goodmans do, it will be of very high quality, so I’m very excited about another addition to the skyline.鈥�

Architecturally, the building’s lower levels would have a 鈥渢erraced massing鈥� that appears to erode, according to the early assistance application. The upper floors would have a crystalline quality designed to catch light as it tapers upward.

The Goodmans previously partnered with developers on projects including Twelve West 鈥� a mixed-use tower in the West End. Downtown Development Group and its affiliates have an ownership interest in more than 1.5 million square feet of developed space and 28 parcels in central Portland.

The Goodmans are seeking financing for Eleven West 鈥� a planned mixed-used tower in the West End. The family has developed some projects itself, but often partners with developers such as Gerding Edlen.

At Southwest Ninth Avenue and Washington Street, the full-block parcel 鈥� also known as Block 216 鈥� hosts the largest collection of food carts in the Portland area. Carts come and go, but some stay for years. On Monday, the block had 52 carts, including a few that were closed.

Altengartz, a bratwurst vendor, was the first cart on the block in 2000. The block took off as a food destination around the time of the 2008-09 recession, when many restaurants downsized to carts, said George Wittkopp, Altengartz’s manager.

Wittkopp was philosophical about the potential loss of the food-cart block. The company has a second location in Beaverton; a replacement will be sought for the downtown location, he said.

鈥淲e’ll stay alive and we’ll just have to look for another spot,鈥� he said.

The cart block has evolved into a tourist destination, with visitors coming from as far as Manila, Philippines, after seeing the block featured on TV programs, Wittkopp said.

鈥淚 suppose some change is inevitable,鈥� he said.

The early assistance application makes no mention of incorporating food carts into the proposed development.

Block 216 is near O’Bryant Square 鈥� a city park now closed because of structural issues related to an underground parking garage. Some online commenters raised the possibility of moving carts to O’Bryant Square. Even if that were feasible, the square is only half the size of Block 216.