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A mixed-use building proposed for Portland’s Central Eastside will return for a second design review meeting after Bureau of Development Services staff identified needed changes.

The project is one of three that San Diego-based Fairfield Residential is working on in Portland. The eight-story, 151,600-square-foot building is proposed for a busy stretch of Northeast Grand Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Ankrom Moisan Architects‘ design calls for 170 apartments and ground-floor retail space.

Ankrom Moisan went with an aperture approach modeled on existing modern buildings, including Slate nearby. The aperture design has been a popular signature of Works Progress Architecture (formerly Works Partnership Architecture).

The Portland Design Commission took up the Fairfield Residential proposal on Thursday. Commissioners, and BDS staff, said the design has come a long way but still needs improvements.

Ankrom Moisan’s Ryan Miyahira was the applicant. Trevor Boucher represented the developer.

Much of the discussion centered on the location of white box-like apertures on the building’s fa莽ade. Unlike Slate, where the fa莽ade is a series of stacked apertures, the apertures on the Grand Avenue building appear sporadically.

The aperture approach is 鈥減inwheeling around the building,鈥� Commission Chairwoman Julie Livingston said.

鈥淚t’s a very strong concept,鈥� Commissioner Sam Rodriguez said. 鈥淭he problem with a strong concept is when you start deviating from the concept, it falls apart.鈥�

The proposal was discussed during three previous design advice request meetings.

鈥淭he project has made a lot of progress,鈥� Rodriguez said. 鈥淪implification is working for it.鈥�

The building is subject to inclusionary zoning rules, meaning the developer must include rent-restricted affordable units or pay a hefty fee-in-lieu to the Portland Housing Bureau. The building would offer a mix of unit sizes, from studios to three-bedroom apartments.

The Grand Avenue apartments would take two lots, at 203 N.E. Grand Ave and 206 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The parcels currently have a small auto shop and a surface parking lot, respectively.

Commissioners also questioned some of the proposed materials. Most problematic was ground-floor metal paneling. Commissioners said concrete should be used in place of the paneling.

鈥淚t cannot have the feel of an industrial building,鈥� Commissioner Jessica Molinar said.

Commissioner Don Vallaster said the metal paneling may not hold up.

鈥淪kateboarders are going to beat the crap out of it,鈥� he said.

The ground floor would include a fitness room. Several commissioners indicated they would accept the gym as a ground-floor use.

The applicant is also seeking a modification to allow a ground-floor height in the retail space of 11 feet, 2 inches. City rules require 12 feet. Rodriguez said he would be willing to accept the 10-inch departure from the design guidelines.

The building would have a floor-area ratio of 6.9-to-1, well below the allowed limit of 9-to-1.

The project will return for a second design review hearing on Nov. 15. Livingston said the designers would do well to think through the aperture concept.

鈥淔ocus your comments on the consistency of the big idea that’s driving the design decisions,鈥� she said.