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The Pearl District skyline is set to gain an addition after the Portland Design Commission on Thursday unanimously approved plans for a development poised to ascend to approximately 265 feet.

The 521,000-square-foot development, designed by GBD Architects for Greystar, will include a 23-story tower, a seven-story portion, and a shared three-story podium. The six-sided project site is bordered by railroad tracks diagonally to the north, The Fields Park to the east, Northwest Quimby Street to the south, and The Abigail and Holden of Pearl (under construction) to the west. It’s one of the last undeveloped lots identified in the 1999 revision to the Hoyt Street Yards Master Plan.

There will be 381 apartments 鈥� including 31 inclusionary housing units for individuals and families with incomes no greater than 60 percent of the median family income (MFI) 鈥� with one, two or three bedrooms. Amenity decks are planned for the fourth floor. Also, the top floor will have a pool and courtyard areas including a sports court. Ground-floor retail space is planned for the development’s southeast corner.

The project is valued at $83.3 million by the Bureau of Development Services.

The project team received design advice from the Portland Design Commission this past fall. One of the key design considerations for the project is the integration of a 25-foot-wide pedestrian and bicyclist pathway along 12th Avenue, as required by the master plan. It’ll eventually connect to Holden of Pearl.

Due to long-standing railway operations on the site, parking arrangements proved challenging during the planning process. Initially, the proposal included 300 spaces of below-grade parking. However, due to soil pollution concerns, the team opted for three levels of above-grade parking wrapped by residential units and a half level of below-grade parking.

Overall, the commissioners remarked on several ways this development met and exceeded the guidelines. However, plans to keep the building’s north face blank nearly blocked approval.

鈥淭his would be the only building along this stretch of the railroad and really Naito (Parkway) as well that has a three-story-high blank facade and parking that you can see into,鈥� Commissioner Jessica Molinar said. 鈥淲hile that might not seem like a big deal for people on the train, you are really going to see it from the Fremont Bridge, and you’re really going to see it from Naito.鈥�

However, this strip of the building site is in a no-build zone designated by the Bureau of Environmental Services due to a sewage line requiring a 10-foot easement on either side. Also, trees are not allowed in the area due to their deep roots.

Commissioners suggested vines as an alternative. A vertical plant such as the Virginia creeper would 鈥渁dd so much character to just that side of the building,鈥� Commission Chairman Brian McCarter said. However, any plantings in this area require approval by BES. Without them, commissioners were unsure if the project would meet specific public realm guidelines.

To tie a bow around the issue, the team agreed to a condition of approval that if BES were to reject the climbing vines, other treatment of the blank facade would be evaluated through type II design review.

Another point of contention arose during the hearing. To meet weather protection guidelines, a condition of approval calls for adding canopies or awnings extending at least five feet over the public sidewalk along Northwest Quimby Street.

Greystar Senior Director of Development Doug Burges disagreed with the validity of this condition, saying that it is unnecessary for this project because buildings in the Pearl District are inconsistent in whether they include protections. Adding canopies would cost around $200,000, he said.

鈥淲e’re trying to build housing here 鈥� but it’s not that we’re trying to be cheap,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t’s just every penny counts.鈥�

Commissioners did not budge on the weather protection condition. Everyone should contribute something to the public realm and cost is not a guideline, Molinar said. The protection wouldn’t be only from rain but also from sun in the summertime and create a comfortable area to pass through, Commissioner Zari Santner added.

鈥淚 get it 鈥� costs are not a concern,鈥� Burges said. 鈥淚 just wanted to put that on the record, so you guys know because 鈥� it’s just another thing on top. So, somebody is going to pay for that. Unfortunately, it’s gonna make things more expensive for renters.鈥�

Two other conditions attached to approval stipulated that the Regional Arts and Culture Council approve a sculpture design for the 12th Avenue pedestrian corridor and that plantings adjacent to the private residential patios reach approximately 3 feet to 4 feet in height.

Two requests for modifications were approved. One allows the building to not fully extend to the street lot line due to existing planters in this area, and the other allows widths of six proposed parking spaces to be reduced from 8 feet, 6 inches to 8 feet.

鈥淚 have a whole list of all the conditions that (were) met very well and beyond my expectation,鈥� Santner said. 鈥淪o, kudos to the design team and to the developer.鈥�