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Metro is continuing to spur an effort to develop a group of properties it owns in Gresham‘s Civic neighborhood.

On top of Civic Northwest 鈥� a mixed-use development on five acres bordered in part by light-rail tracks and Northwest Civic Drive 鈥� a similar and even larger development (Civic Southwest) designed by SERA Architects was presented to the Gresham Design Commission on Wednesday for early assistance.

The proposed 400-unit Civic Drive Apartments project is being developed by Palindrome Communities. Plans call for two mixed-use buildings and one solely residential building on 4.23 acres. The development would be separated from Civic Northwest by only light-rail tracks; the two developments are poised to rise virtually simultaneously.

Preliminary plans for the Civic Drive Apartments presented Wednesday by Gauri Rajbaidya, a SERA Architects associate, show two five-story buildings and one four-story building. A below-grade parking garage would include storage space, building services, back-of-house space serving commercial tenants and approximately 400 parking spaces. Plus, 42 additional surface parking spaces would be built to accommodate visitors and commercial tenants.

Both Civic Northwest and Civic Southwest are being designed with the Civic Drive MAX Station in mind.

鈥淲e are looking to complement the activity that happens on the northwest side to really make the site very active,鈥� Rajbaidya told the Design Commission.

Commissioners, however, asked that designers reconfigure Building C, on the property’s northeast side, to provide better views of the MAX station from both Civic Drive and an interior courtyard.

鈥淚t seems like it’s really blocking off the main driver to this project, turning your back on it and putting a barrier in the way of that MAX stop,鈥� commissioner Pat Lando said.

Building A, on the southeast corner of the site, would be a U-shaped structure and include apartments, retail space, building services, tenant services, a leasing office, a fitness room and an exterior courtyard with seating and landscape amenities. This building would face the back the back of the Gresham Station shopping center, so a brewpub, fitness center or other active space would likely be pursued to energize the streetscape.

鈥淚t’s a shame that code wasn’t better written when Gresham Station went in,鈥� Commission Chairman Rob Cook said. 鈥淎s far as I’m concerned, landscaping and things of that nature are going to be your best friend to try to contain the beauty of your project from what’s across the street. There’s not much you can do with those hard concrete surfaces without any vegetation.鈥�

Building B, on the southwest corner, would be rectangular and have a lobby and apartments on the ground level.

Finally, Building C would dominate the north side of the site. It would be V-shaped, according to preliminary drawings, and have a lobby as well as meeting and lounge space on the ground floor.

Initial plans do not indicate the exact composition of each building (one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments are planned), but 240 market-rate units would be split between buildings A and B, and 160 workforce units would be in Building C.

All three buildings’ exteriors would feature brick and fiber cement panels.

Overall, the commission expressed enthusiasm for the project, which is on track to continue the transformation of central Gresham between Burnside and Division streets.

鈥淲e’re really excited to see this project coming through to complete that Gresham civic core,鈥� Cook said.

A formal pre-application meeting for the project will be scheduled next, prior to submission of a development application.