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A Japanese hotel chain’s early foray into the United States was met with mixed feelings by the Portland Design Commission on Thursday. While commissioners dismissed early designs as being far from ideal, they expressed a sense of hope for what the project could achieve.

Toyoko Inn, a Japanese company specializing in three-star economy hotels, has nearly 300 buildings domestically and across South Korea, the Philippines, Germany and France. The firm recently initiated plans to build hotels in three U.S. cities: New York City, Chicago and Portland. All building designs are done in-house.

The Portland hotel is planned at a corner of Southwest Oak Street and Third Avenue, where a 10,000-square-foot vacant lot abuts an existing building. Toyoko plans to pack 610 hotel rooms into 180,409 total square feet, in a tower rising 32 stories (357 feet tall).

As planned, the hotel would have no restaurants or shops, both to keep prices down and encourage guests to visit existing local businesses. The hotel would occupy only the lot’s western portion, while a courtyard or sort of public plaza would occupy the eastern portion.

A polished granite finish would be used near ground level, while the residential levels would be clad in aluminum. Each room would feature a PVC window able to tilt and turn away from the building.

The Toyoko design team provided a minimalist line rendering of the hotel, which lacked color or much detail, but otherwise mostly resembles their previous offerings in Japan. In images showing the building’s place among the city skyline, renderings displayed only a blank rectangle sprouting from the ground.

While the idea of a typical Toyoko Inn in Portland generated disapproval from commissioners, the simplicity of the design team’s presentation left it flexibility to respond to city guidelines and adjust where necessary.

Much of the criticism was directed at the building’s fit in the neighborhood. The area has several historic buildings, including the Portland Outdoor Store across Oak Street. To commissioners, this made the design extra sensitive to scrutiny.

鈥淚t’s not responding to the context at all,鈥� Commissioner Chandra Robinson said. 鈥淧roportions don’t seem to match what’s in the rest of the neighborhood.鈥�

One neighborhood resident, Robin White, showed up to testify in opposition to the project. She cited concerns about the proposed materials and height.

鈥淢y biggest concern is the historic area,鈥� she said. 鈥淎 32-story building, right in the middle of that historic area, just seems like it’s being forced.鈥�

There was also a lot of conversation about the public plaza. While commissioners said they usually like to see more ground-level activation, they felt the building should take up the entire lot.

鈥淚t’s a nonstarter,鈥� Commissioner Samuel Rodriguez said about the courtyard idea. 鈥淚t’s too small a block to leave it open.鈥�

However, the project is in preliminary stages, with the design far from finalized. Commissioners acknowledged they were impressed with the number of hotel rooms being included in a tower of its proposed size.

Commissioner Don Vallaster said the Toyoko Inn, being so tall and in a historic neighborhood, should be an iconic presence in the city.

鈥淲hat we’re really looking for is some design excellence; that isn’t happening right now,鈥� he said. 鈥淚’m kind of looking at this as though it’s really the start of the conversation.鈥�

The Portland Design Commission is in the process of scheduling a second design advice hearing for the Toyoko Inn project.