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Plans for a 23-story hotel and apartment tower in the heart of the Pearl District drew strong opposition from neighbors who filled the Portland Design Commission‘s meeting room on Thursday.

The proposed building from developer Vibrant Cities of Seattle would replace a quarter-block surface parking lot at Northwest 12th Avenue and Flanders Street. The structure would ascend to 250 feet 鈥� the maximum allowed by Central City 2035 zoning adopted by the Portland City Council in June 2018.

The proposed height would allow inclusion of affordable units, said Brian Fleener, vice president and director of architecture at Otak Inc., the Portland-based firm designing the building.

A Hyatt Place hotel would occupy 11 floors of the building, with 173 hotel rooms. Apartments on 11 floors would total about 110 units, including a to-be-determined number of affordable units to meet inclusionary housing rules. A restaurant and caf茅 are planned for the ground floor.

The developer is considering the inclusionary housing option that would provide 8 percent of the units at 60 percent of area median income, Fleener said. That would yield approximately eight or nine affordable units.

Several dozen neighbors filled the hearing room for the project’s second design advice meeting. Those who testified said the tower would cause congestion of the surrounding streets, the loading area would interfere with pedestrians and the building would loom over the surrounding low-slung condos enjoyed by residents.

鈥淣o other building in the Pearl has this intense vertical sprawl with two distinct uses,鈥� said Patricia Cliff, a retired New York real estate agent who has lived in a nearby condo for 12 years.

Neighbors also decried the planned removal of a century-old silver maple tree that occupies the corner of Northwest 12th Avenue and Flanders Street. At one point, the residents paraded in front of the Design Commission with hand-painted portraits of the tree. Preliminary designs for the building show smaller, newer trees would be planted on both frontages.

Commissioners and city staffers said they had no authority to limit the size or use of the building if it falls within zoning parameters.

鈥淲e can’t require a less intensive use,鈥� Commissioner Jessica Molinar said.

Commissioner Samuel Rodriguez, a developer who has performed projects in the Pearl District, said the neighborhood context is flexible.

鈥淚 truly believe that the Pearl District is a truly eclectic neighborhood,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he context is very diverse.鈥�

The project faces design challenges related to the scale on a small footprint.

In response to earlier comments from commissioners, loading was moved to Northwest 12th Avenue from Flanders Street. Entrances for the residents and hotel guests are on the same side of the building, but they must be separate 鈥� a common requirement of hotel brands.

The project is part of a trend of developers combining hotel and residential programs, much like the recently approved 35-story Block 216 project in downtown Portland and the Hotel Indigo and Kirkland Tower condominiums at The Waterfront in Vancouver, Washington.

For the Pearl District project, UEB Builders will serve as general contractor. DCI Engineers is also on the project team.

Preliminary designs show large concrete structural columns and extensive glass. Metal panels climb the building. Exterior balconies are designed with a simple extended slab topped by clear glass railings.

More specific information regarding materials must be provided by the applicant, said Arthur Graves, a Bureau of Development Services planner.

After the meeting, Fleener said the design team will work to enliven the corner fa莽ade and differentiate the hotel and apartment entrances, perhaps with a fountain between them.

Thursday’s meeting was the first for the commission’s newest member, Brian McCarter of ZGF Architects. The landscape architect and urban planner replaces Tad Savinar, who was not reappointed by Mayor Ted Wheeler.

Chairwoman Julie Livingston recused herself from the Hyatt Place project discussion because of a potential conflict of interest that she did not specify. Molinar filled in as acting chairwoman during the meeting.

Also on Thursday:

Grand Avenue project approved

The Portland Design Commission approved designs for an eight-story mixed-use building near the intersection of Northeast Grand Avenue and Davis Street.

The 151,600-square-foot project from San Diego developer Fairfield Residential will bring 170 apartment units to the fast-developing area near the Burnside Bridge’s east end.聽The project will provide affordable units subject to the city’s inclusionary housing requirements.

Ground-floor retail spaces will be on the Grand Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard frontages.

Ankrom Moisan Architects is the project’s designer.

The project was subject to three design review hearings that yielded numerous revisions as commissioners expressed concerns about design coherency and quality of materials. The design had been significantly simplified to improve coherency, according to a staff report.

Commissioners voted 6-0 to approve the project.