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An estimated $4.5 million contract with Northwest Infrastructure LLC to demolish O鈥橞ryant Square received the Portland City Council鈥檚 approval on Wednesday. The total project cost is slightly more than $5 million, which includes $500,000 in required contingency.

The city has also waived the 120-day demolition delay for the project.

O鈥橞ryant Square, a city-owned property, is located between Southwest Park and Ninth avenues, and Washington and Harvey Milk streets. It consists of a public plaza operated by Portland Parks and Recreation and an underground parking garage operated by the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT).

An ordinance passed by Portland City Council authorizes demolition of the surface plaza and underground parking structure and backfill of the property to match the grade of surrounding streets. The plaza and parking structure were constructed in the early 1970s.

Due to concerns over the parking garage鈥檚 structural integrity, PBOT commissioned an engineering study in 2018. The results led to closure of the parking garage, the plaza and portions of the roadway closest to the property due to the potential risk of structural failure.

In December 2022, emergency procurement authority was invoked by the city to expedite the contractor selection process. Engineering plans and specifications have since been finalized for the project.

PBOT selected Northwest Infrastructure LLC to handle demolition. The company will perform 96.8 percent of the demolition and is finalizing the subcontractor utilization plan, PBOT public information officer Dylan Rivera stated in an email.

Last month, PBOT applied for a building permit. With the delay waived, demolition can begin as soon as the Bureau of Development Services issues the permit 鈥� possibly in the next few weeks.

Money secured for the demolition includes $2.2 million from Portland Parks and Recreation, $670,000 from the city鈥檚 general fund, and $670,000 from the city鈥檚 parking facilities fund. The City Council is expected to vote next week on a proposal to allocate $1.5 million more from the general fund via policy set-asides, according to Rivera.

The property鈥檚 long-term future isn鈥檛 set yet. In March, the Portland Parks Foundation worked with Portland Parks and Recreation and Portland State University鈥檚 Center for Public Interest Design to: host six webinars; issue a survey that received more than 400 responses; meet with focus groups featuring retailers, residents and property owners; and hold two open houses.

鈥淲orking with five leading public space experts from around the country, we winnowed all the feedback down and handed it over to a dozen local design teams to develop concepts: what might a future new park look like and what part of that vision could be realized as an interim activation as soon as demo is complete,鈥� Randy Gragg, executive director of Portland Parks Foundation, stated in an email.