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More details of the highly anticipated redevelopment of Centennial Mills emerged during a Portland Design Commission design advice hearing on Thursday.

MLR Ventures plans to revitalize the iconic property, which has sat vacant along the Willamette River, at 1362 N.W. Naito Parkway, for nearly two decades. The firm seeks to construct three five-story buildings holding approximately 277 residential units, 244 parking stalls in a shared underground garage, and 4,100 square feet of retail space. The latter is a substantial increase from the 400 square feet initially proposed.

Plans for the 4.5-acre site also include a greenway trail adjacent to the river, public plazas, a river overlook, and potentially water access for people with kayaks or paddleboards via a small ramp. However, approval for water access is still being sought, SERA Architects principal Kurt Schultz said.

The most significant change to the redevelopment proposal since the team鈥檚 previous design advice meeting in September involve relocating the water tower from the public plaza to atop one of the buildings, akin to where the iconic Portland feature sits today. Additionally, an overlook tower has been added to one of the public plazas as a marker for a city-planned pedestrian bridge over Naito Parkway from Fields Park. The tower is conceptual at this point.

Varied heights of the buildings, along with the water tower placement, now create 鈥渁 more dynamic 鈥� river skyline,鈥� Commissioner Tina Bue said.

The proposal boasts a 2:1 floor area ratio (FAR). Previously, commissioners expressed disappointment with the lack of density for a potential neighborhood destination. However due to an underground easement requirement from PacifiCorp, the development is restricted in building height since the foundations are not able to be dug that deep.

Overall commissioners were impressed by the alterations on Thursday. Although, they expressed a desire for more water access since that is limited in the Central City.

鈥淚 think 鈥� the changes that they made are really, really, really good,鈥� Commissioner Sam Rodriguez said.

The approximately 193,000-square-foot site faces a lot of constraints with four different design and planning overlays, and underground easement requirements that affect building heights. It is a unique site that is nearly impossible to develop, Rodriguez added.

The team will return before the Design Commission next year for a design review hearing, Schultz said.

During the hearing, public comments were given by 12 people, including seven construction workers 鈥� all carpenters 鈥� who advocated for wage protection.

鈥淲e must do better for the state and the states we represent and advocate for the community agreements, community labor, more opportunities for local builders of our Oregon communities to be able to afford to shop, enjoy, and live in the same dwellings they build,鈥� said Nickeia Hunter, a member of the Carpenters Local 146 chapter.

Editor’s Note, this story was updated on Nov. 20, 2023, to reflect the proposed floor area ratio (FAR).