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The Portland Design Commission on Thursday unanimously approved a two-building multifamily proposal to add 363 apartments to the Slabtown neighborhood.

Greystar‘s development, designed by SERA Architects, includes a five-story, 149-unit building and a six- and seven-story, 214-unit building. The two structures will be split by Northwest Savier Street between Northwest 19th and 20th avenues.

The project, known as Slabtown Savier, on blocks 261 and 262, will neighbor U.S. Route 30 to the north and St. Patrick Catholic Church to the east.

Commissioners had seen the project in two previous design advice meetings and had few quibbles with the final design.

鈥淭he building’s looking great,鈥� Commissioner Sam Rodriguez said. 鈥淔rom a public realm perspective, they nailed it. It’s a great infill building with very thoughtful articulation.鈥�

Slabtown Savier is subject to the Con-way master plan, which was enacted in 2012. As such, the development is not required to provide rent-restricted inclusionary housing units.

Greystar and SERA worked with St. Patrick Catholic Church officials to ensure the development would not loom over the 130-year-old church, a landmark on the National Register of Historic Places and the oldest structure in the neighborhood. SERA did a 鈥渞adical re-massing of the site to give St. Patrick Church more space and more breathing room,鈥� principal Kurt Schultz said.

Slabtown Savier will be marked by a pocket park between Block 262 and the church, ground-level live-work units and front stoops. The brick exteriors will feature Juliet balconies on each side.

Some neighborhood residents had pushed for a taller building that would block views and noise from U.S. Route 30. But Chairwoman Julie Livingston said there’s nothing in guidelines to require that type of development. She called the project a 鈥済igantic win for the neighborhood.鈥�

鈥淭his development looks as if it really does have the potential to take back this street (Savier) and take back this neighborhood and restore some of the church’s dignity,鈥� she said.

Greystar, based in Charleston, South Carolina, scooped up the property from Lennar Multifamily Communities, going under contract in March. Greystar’s Portland office most recently completed the Sawbuck Apartments next to Providence Park.

Slabtown Savier won exemptions from the Design Commission for building height, parking space widths and bicycle parking. Commissioners granted a modification for Block 262 to ascend to 83 feet, above the limit of 67 feet.

The project previously was the subject of two design advice hearings, in February and July.

Design commissioners praised the team of SERA’s Schultz and Lango Hansen Landscape Architects principal Kurt Lango.

鈥淚 would say Kurt and Kurt are the dream team,鈥� Commissioner Zari Santner said.

Santner lauded the project team for 鈥渘ot just following, but listening and coming up with their own options to really respond to the core of the commission’s concerns.鈥�

Doug Burges, Greystar’s director of development in Portland, said the firm wanted to honor the city’s process.

鈥淲e took the process seriously and used the process to better our design and get feedback along the way,鈥� he said in an interview.

Greystar plans to break ground in October 2022, likely using its in-house construction arm, Burges said.