By Josh Kulla
Special to the 91��Ƶ

The largest ongoing building project in Portland’s South Waterfront District keeps chugging along, despite the ongoing pandemic and over 100 days of protests, some of them at the nearby Immigration and Customs Enforcement building.

The eight-story apartment project is located at 3838 S.W. Macadam Ave., Portland, just two blocks from the ICE building, where protesters have clashed regularly with federal agents. The project has not experienced any significant damage as a result of the protests, and building crews under general contractor Andersen Construction continue going about their work relatively unimpeded.

“At this point, we’ve got all of the main concrete work finished,” said Senior Project Manager Mike Carrigg. “You can see the first level, the second and third level, where we’re doing our first wood framing. They’re just getting going on the first level, and our third level up there is our last transition deck from concrete into wood framing, so, we’re making that move, getting ready to roll joists and start building up.”

Architectural firm Hensley Lamkin Rachel Inc. of Dallas, Texas, designed the 232-unit project, which replaces a single-story, 37,000-square-foot warehouse that formerly served La Grand Industrial Supply Co. on the 1.07-acre site.

The project also includes construction of a public plaza on the Southwest Lane Avenue right-of-way adjacent to the site’s north side.

Block 40 is part of a two-block development from development firm Alamo Manhattan that received Portland Design Commission approval in 2018. A seven-story, 190-unit mixed-use building is still planned for construction on the adjacent property to the north at 3714 S.W. Macadam Ave.

Because of the steep grade of the property, the building will present eight stories fronting Moody Avenue on the east side and seven stories fronting Macadam Avenue on the west side. A single level of below-grade parking will be provided.

Andersen has used a traditional approach to construction.

“Ordinarily we do panelized wood framing projects,” Carrigg said. “But this one is atypical; we’re actually stick building this one. We’re kind of going old school, traditional framing.”

In part, this is because carpenters from Portland-based Time Frame Inc. are using a relatively new type of fire-retardant treated lumber to construct the building’s exterior walls.

“It’s different than what we’ve normally done,” Carrigg said. “With other projects, at least the last five or so that I’ve done, they’ve been conventional wood framing and our exterior wall assemblies keeps its two-hour (fire) rating through brick, a couple of layers of drywall and DensGlass. Here, we have an additional measure of fire-retardant treated lumber, and it’s used on the exterior walls.”

He added that this type of treatment is becoming quite popular. And, while more costly than untreated lumber, the savings realized from eliminating other exterior fireproofing materials results in a net win for a project utilizing the material.

“It has a function of potentially replacing a layer of DensGlass,” he said. “So I think a lot of people are realizing this and looking to that as an option. If you can delete an entire layer that you don’t have to install, I would say that’s a savings overall to the project.”

Other current milestones include the recent completion of foundation work, with masons from Los Angeles-based Superior Gunite finishing the last scheduled shotcrete work on ground floor walls. On the horizon, Carrigg said, work on the main building power vaults is under way along with installation of gas and other utilities.

Other active subcontractors include Delta Drywall, of Tualatin, which is performing metal stud framing; Portland’s Exteriors Design will be installing weather resistant barrier, windows and cement cladding; and Klinger Masonry will be installing brick masonry on the exterior. Current MEP team members include Tapani Plumbing, Porter Electric and Vanport Mechanical.

“Going forward,” Carrigg said, “when the wood framing gets about two more floors up, they’ll start installing windows, a (weather resistant barrier) and waterproofing the building in and getting ready for the winter.”

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When excavation work at Portland’s Block 40 this past fall turned up lead and other soil contaminants, progress slowed to a crawl. Substantial personal protective equipment was required for personnel on site and a decontamination container was installed for workers handling the tainted soil.

“In a weird way, we were kind of preparing for COVID-19,” Andersen Construction project manager Mike Carrigg said.

Andersen Construction is serving as the general contractor for the project to erect an eight-story mixed-use building for developer Alamo Manhattan.

“Like most of Portland, it seems, there’s all this dirt down there from dredging the Willamette (River) back in the 1920s,” Carrigg said. “It ended up having a high concentration of polycarbonates and lead, actually. That was fun, and we ended up having to dig it all out.”

Carrigg estimated that crews needed around a month to complete mitigation. But then it was full steam ahead.

“We were able to get rid of everything and have a clean bill of health,” he said. “The job’s going forward, and as you can see now we’re doing the concrete.”

Hensley Lamkin Rachel Inc. of Dallas, Texas, designed the 232-unit project located at 3838 S.W. Macadam Ave. A single-story, 37,000-square-foot warehouse that formerly served La Grand Industrial Supply Co. was removed from the 1.07-acre site prior to excavation.

The project also includes construction of a public plaza on the Southwest Lane Avenue right-of-way adjacent to the site’s north side.

Block 40 is part of a two-block development from Alamo Manhattan that received the Portland Design Commission’s approval in 2018. A seven-story, 190-unit mixed-use building is planned at 3714 S.W. Macadam Ave.

Earlier this month, crews from R2M2 Rebar and Stressing and ASI Structures completed monolithic slab-on-grade concrete pours for the Block 40 building’s foundation and footings, which sit one level below grade. Crews simultaneously assembled the shoring and tables for another post-tensioned concrete deck at ground level.

Because of the property’s steep grade, the building will feature eight stories on the east side and seven stories fronting Macadam Avenue on the west side. Each side will have five stories of wood framing atop the concrete decks.

The pandemic has had less of an impact on materials and workforce than it might have during later scopes of work, Carrigg said.

“We’re kind of in a fortunate time frame in that we’re not dealing with finishes right now,” he said.

Nevertheless, Andersen Construction is taking measures to account for potential delays.

“We did get these table forms early,” Carrigg said. “We’re using rented equipment from PERI, and some of their yards were closing a couple of weeks ago. We were like, ‘Let’s get the material here now so we have control over our own destiny.’ That’s been a big help. We’re saying, ‘Have a storage problem; don’t have a no-supply problem.’”

That’s a relief, he added, after losing another week trying to source adequate supplies of waterproofing materials for the foundation and parking-level walls.

“We’re still OK,” he said. “We’re still tracking schedule, but man, it makes you nervous.”

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A new multistory mixed-use building is due to rise on Block 40, in Portland’s South Waterfront District, but demolition must take place first.

Hensley Lamkin Rachel Inc. of Dallas, Texas, designed the 232-unit project at 3838 S.W. Macadam Ave. for Alamo Manhattan, also of Dallas. Andersen Construction is serving as the general contractor.

Right now, crews are dismantling a single-story, 37,000-square-foot warehouse – formerly the home of La Grand Industrial Supply – built on the 1.07-acre site in 1956. The building was constructed with concrete tilt walls and a wooden post and beam structural framework. Because of its age, there was asbestos insulation and fireproofing material that required extensive abatement.

“We started demolition on Thursday last week, so now we’re pretty far along,” Andersen Construction project manager Mike Carrigg said Wednesday. “We did have asbestos, but all that work took place before we started demolition. It was a very effective product; that’s why they used it on everything. But in the remediation world it’s terrible.”

Westech Construction is working with Staton Companies of Eugene to perform this scope of work.

“That whole process is about a four-week process to demo and remove everything, and then we start on the excavation,” Carrigg said.

On Wednesday a Staton crew was on-site with a team of excavators knocking down concrete walls, roof trusses and other parts of the old warehouse. The building is now mostly demolished except for a storefront section along the Macadam Avenue frontage.

The new building will have seven stories of wood framing above a concrete podium and a parking garage partially below grade. The ground floor will have three separate retail spaces while the rest of the building will feature residential space and a rooftop amenity deck.

Because of the steep grade of the property, the building will present eight stories fronting Moody Avenue on the east side and seven stories fronting Macadam Avenue on the west side, Carrigg said.

The scope of work also includes construction of a public plaza on the Southwest Lane Avenue right-of-way abutting the project site’s northern portion. The of the two-block site with two seven-story buildings. According to Kimberly Lan, a development associate with Alamo Manhattan, the firm currently does not have a construction timeline for the second building: a seven-story, 190-unit structure at 3714 S.W. Macadam Ave.

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Two new mixed-use buildings are coming to the South Waterfront District.

The Portland Design Commission conditionally approved the Block 40 project at 3714 S.W. Macadam Ave. on Thursday.

“It’s going to be a good addition to the neighborhood,” Commissioner Don Vallaster said. “It’s going to be a really positive contributor to the context of this whole area.”

The buildings are bordered by Southwest Macadam Avenue to the west, Southwest Moody Avenue to the east, Southwest Gaines Street to the north and Southwest Abernethy Street to the south.

The Alamo Manhattan Properties project designed by Hensley Lamkin Rachel Architects, both of Dallas, Texas, includes two buildings, both seven stories and 82 feet tall. Both residential lobbies will be accessed from Moody Avenue. The project includes partially below-grade parking with vehicle access from Gaines Street and Abernethy Street.

The north structure will feature white brick with aluminum panel accents. It will include 190 market-rate residential units above 4,373 square feet of ground-floor retail space. There will be 176 vehicle parking stalls and 289 long-term bike parking stalls.

The south building will feature red brick with cement panel accents. There will be 213 residential units and 1,925 square feet of retail space, 177 vehicle parking stalls and 324 long-term bike parking stalls.

Overall, commissioners were satisfied with design changes made since the previous hearing.

“This is probably one of the strongest responses to an industrial neighborhood like South Waterfront,” Commissioner Sam Rodriguez said.

However, most said they wanted the public plaza between the buildings to be redesigned to make use of the green space.

“I think this swath has a huge opportunity not only for the buildings immediate to it, but also even for the district,” Vice Chairman Tad Savinar said. “I’m wondering what that landscape might really be as a destination.”

Other commissioners agreed, saying they would like a way for people to access the upper area of green space from the lower plaza.

“It seems as though this is an opportunity to reconsider the potential of that space,” Chairwoman Julie Livingston said.

Commissioners approved the proposal with the condition that the upper and lower plaza between the buildings be redesigned, including the addition of seating and lighting.

“I think it’s a great pair of buildings that really have a fascinating conversation joined at the hip through this public space,” Savinar said. “I think it’s really going to be a very strong addition to this neighborhood that has been, up to now, kind of made up of boxes.”

Also on Thursday:

Mixed-use project still awaiting approval

Although city staff recommended approving plans for a Northwest Portland mixed-use building, the Design Commission did not hold a vote on the project.

Instead, after hearing public testimony, commissioners decided to hold the record open for several weeks to allow time for arguments for or against the project to come forward and for the applicant to submit a rebuttal.

If approved, the seven-story building would be constructed on the southwest corner of Northwest 19th Avenue and Pettygrove Street. Owner DD Pettygrove is planning 107 market-rate residential units above 1,150 square feet of ground-level retail space, 34 vehicle parking spaces and 120 long-term bike parking spaces.

YBA Architects‘ design features ribbed and flat metal paneling, black vinyl windows, glass guardrails, steel plate canopies and planters, concrete piers, black aluminum storefronts and wood doors and seating accents.

Jennifer Bragar, representing Pearlman Properties, owner of the adjacent Muse building, told commissioners that the proposed building’s southern wall facing the Muse would be mostly blank and unappealing. Neighbors are unhappy that the structure would be built close to the property line.

“You see the concern of staring out at a blank wall,” Bragar said. “We request that more be done here. This should take into account the massing for the people who live right next door.”

Pearlman Properties also wants the building to provide more off-street parking.

“Just because something is allowed doesn’t mean it should be endorsed by this commission,” Bragar said.

However, Grace Jeffreys with the Bureau of Development Services said the Design Commission does not have the authority to require more off-street parking; that lies with the Planning and Sustainability Commission.

As for the building’s proximity to the Muse, Jeffreys said the structure is allowed to be up to the property line, and is set 18 inches back.

Alex Yale of YBA Architects said the design team took surrounding buildings into consideration when it designed the building.

Commissioners discussed several issues they had with the design. All agreed they wanted to see samples of shades of gray proposed for the concrete. Commissioner Jessica Molinar took issue with the metal paneling featured on the building’s exterior, saying it wouldn’t fit in the context of the neighborhood.

Discussion also focused on an issue brought up at a hearing on Feb. 15: plans for some of the windows. As designed, they would face directly into the parking area, and some commissioners are concerned that views into a parking structure are unattractive.

Because Bragar requested the record be left open, the city will accept new evidence and arguments on the proposal. After responses to the new evidence are submitted, the applicant may submit a rebuttal in support of the application.

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A major multifamily project with a large parking component is planned for a former gas station lot along Southwest Macadam Avenue.

The developer, Alamo Manhattan of Dallas, is proposing two midrise buildings with approximately 200 residential units in each building. The project also calls for a significant complement of parking – 240 spots at each building. The program also includes an unspecified commercial use, according to a Portland Design Commission agenda.

The project is scheduled for a design advice meeting with the Portland Design Commission on July 13.

The property at 3714 and 3838 S.W. Macadam Ave. overlooks the South Waterfront just east of Interstate 5.

Parking is an outsized element of the proposal to date. Most new multifamily developments have 0.5 to 0.8 parking spaces per residential unit. Alamo Manhattan is proposing 1.2 spaces per unit.

The two blocks are owned by Douglas Bean, a local real estate investor.

An application for the project was submitted June 9, and it appears the development will be subject to Portland’s inclusionary zoning rules.

Kimberly Lan, a development associate with Alamo Manhattan, said it was too early to discuss the project. Bean also declined to comment.

Alamo Manhattan previously developed the Ella, a 199-unit apartment building at 3833 S.W. Bond Ave. in the South Waterfront.

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