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The Portland Historic Landmarks Commission got its first look Monday at the proposal for construction of an approximately 320,000-square-foot building that would dominate the Jefferson High School modernization project. The meeting followed four design advice hearings for the project in the Piedmont Conservation District, at 5210 N. Kerby Ave.

Jefferson High School has been reclassified as a noncontributing site in the district. The project team now plans to demolish the original, 115-year-old school building and intends to apply for a permit later this month.

The project team includes聽Portland Public Schools, LEVER Architecture, Bora Architecture & Interiors, PLACE, Colloqate Design, and general contractor Andersen Construction.

The new school building is proposed for the north end of the site. It would range from two to four stories and be intended for an average capacity of 1,700 students. Additional space would be included for dance and theater programs, as well as expanded community partner programs supporting the school鈥檚 middle college focus.

A 10-foot minimum setback would apply to two of the four streets surrounding the campus, as part of RICAP 10 鈥� zoning code updates to Portland鈥檚 land use regulations set to take effect Oct. 1. According to staff, the project team can choose between Killingsworth Street, Commercial Avenue, Kerby Avenue, and Alberta Street. The project team indicated it will likely seek a modification to the minimum setback on Commercial Avenue. The commission expressed support for that plan.

The current proposal does not have an entrance on Killingsworth Street. Staff stated in a commission memo that there should be at least one main entrance that faces or is adjacent to the transit-served street. Portland Public Schools has asked that main entries not be on busy streets but on 鈥渟afer鈥� adjacent streets, senior project manager Steve Effros said.

鈥淜illingsworth is a really busy street,鈥� LEVER Architecture principal Chandra Robinson said, adding that it is too busy for school bus drivers to safely drop off students.

The design team is seeking an adjustment to locate the main school entry on Kerby Avenue, Robinson said. The building鈥檚 Killingsworth Street side, which would include arts space including second-floor dance studios, would have windows on both lower and upper floors. The media center would be on the corner of Killingsworth Street and Kerby Avenue and include a lot of glazing.

Commission Chair Andrew Smith said he was surprised to see that there would be no entry on Killingsworth Street. There is an opportunity to add something to that side of the building so that it does not feel like a side wall, he said. Portland Public Schools will work with the design team to enhance that fa莽ade, Effros said.

The commission voiced support for the arrangement of the side of the building on Kerby Avenue as well as the loading space.

Exterior materials are not yet indicated in the design, but the project team is exploring the use of brick on the ground floor and possibly to some extent on the second floor, as well as metal panels in certain areas.

A sixth and final design advice hearing is scheduled for Dec. 2. The project team plans to seek a type II historic resource review in late February 2025 and then a new construction permit for the building in June. Construction would begin in summer 2025 and potentially finish in fall 2028.