Portland design commissioners are girding for battle as they begin to confront a push to suspend the city’s mandatory design review process for two years.

The procedure is advancing quickly, and city staff anticipate the City Council will consider legislation to suspend design review as soon as December.

The Portland Planning Commission will weigh a suspension of design review on Aug. 25 as a prelude to council action. Design commissioners said Thursday they plan to write letters and perhaps testify in person at that meeting.

The time has come for design commissioners to make their case, said Tim Heron, a senior city planner who works with the Design Commission.

“So, it’s go time,” he said after laying out the calendar during a brief Design Commission work session on Thursday.

Two bureau directors, Eric Engstrom of Planning and Sustainability and Eric Kutch of Permitting and Development, sent councilors Angelita Morillo and Eric Zimmerman a letter May 7 outlining a potential two-year suspension of design review. That was prompted by councilors ordering a report on design review this past December.

Design review has attracted criticism for adding delays and expense while elected officials — including Gov. Tina Kotek and Mayor Keith Wilson — have made housing production a priority, to little effect. Other cities, including Seattle, have suspended design review.

Policy efforts have shown little progress to date. In 2025, the city of Portland approved only 22 new construction permits for multifamily projects.

The proposed suspension would affect only mandatory design review. Developers still could opt in if they prefer design review to a standards-based approval process.

Several Permitting and Development staffers who work on design review would be reassigned and integrated into a Planning and Sustainability project team, according to the directors’ memo. The directors also requested additional funding for the staffing during the two-year period to make up for reduced design review revenue.

The two bureaus, prompted by the December directive from the City Council, published a joint report on design review in April. The 119-page report painted a picture of a broad economic pullback. “… Development activity has steadily declined and, in 2025, experienced an even more precipitous decline. This multiyear decline has not been limited to projects in the Design and Historic Resource Overlay Zones but has been reflected citywide for almost all types of housing and commercial development.”

Design review proponents say the process benefits projects, often making buildings better and giving the public a voice.

“Design review is a time when the public is able to come provide testimony,” Design Commission Chairwoman Chandra Robinson said in February. “It’s the time when they’re able to get their voices on the record, and I think it’s an important part of the process that they’re able to share their thoughts on proposals in their neighborhood.”

They also say design review unfairly takes flack when national and regional macroeconomic conditions — interest rates, development cycles, construction costs — matter far more. The April joint bureau report also cast blame on larger factors.

“Development within the city remains at historic lows due to various factors including high interest rates, high apartment vacancy combined with stagnating rents and an aversion by institutional capital to investing in Portland due to real and perceived safety, taxation, regulation and market factors,” the report states.

On Thursday, Robinson said she would draft a letter to the City Council, either on behalf of the Design Commission or individually.

Commissioner Joe Swank said the Design Commission may want to write a different type of letter than one with typical dry, technical language, as it’s fighting for its life.

“I agree with a different approach,” he said.

The Historic Landmarks Commission is also expected to weigh in with its own concerns.

Design commissioners are expected to consider their response during an Aug. 6 meeting before transmitting it to the Planning Commission and City Council.

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The Portland Design Commission has approved design review of plans to replace the existing Ida B. Wells High School with a new 289,500-square-foot building on the south edge of the 35-acre site. The school is located at 1151 SW Vermont St., Portland.

The design review was approved last week with a conditional of approval that requires four public access easements, two press box options (a one-story and two-story alternative) and two options of either a textured or smooth thin brick for the building’s exterior.

Bora Architecture & Interiors designed the project for Portland Public Schools. The project team also includes Access Architecture of Vancouver, Washington (associate architect, Walker Macy (landscape architect), KPFF (civil and structural engineering), PAE Engineers (MEP), and general contractor Hoffman Construction.

There were three design advice request hearings on the proposal since 2024, with the last held last February.

The new high school building is proposed to be three stories with a fourth level on the west side, as the building form steps down the sloping site, the staff report states.

The new building will be built on the south edge of the site along Vermont Street. It will be constructed while the existing building remains open for students. The project will be developed in phases and some of the features of the site, such as a practice field, baseball field and tennis courts, will be relocated. A new track and field will be developed in the same space as the existing field.

An existing community swimming pool, operated by Portland Parks & Recreation, will remain open on the site. Becca Cavell, associate principal at Bora Architecture & Interiors, said the project will provide a new pool support building because facilities, such as locker rooms and showers, are currently in the existing Ida B. Wells High School. Portland Public Schools plans to coordinate with Portland Parks & Recreation for athletes to use the facilities when the pool is not open.

The final design of the new high school includes a thin brick combined with glass fiber reinforced concrete with both textured and non-textured options. The design team is pursuing the textured brick and keeping the smooth brick as a backup option.

“I think I’ve been convinced about the rough textured brick,” Commissioner Brian McCarter said. “It looks really, really promising in the renderings.”

Chelsea McCann, Walker Macy’s managing principal, said there will be two main outdoor spaces: at the main entry and a student courtyard and terrace on the west side.

“I think the part of the building with the main entry connecting visually and physically to the student terrace beyond is really compelling,” Commissioner Sarah Vaz said.

Pedestrian connections across the site will be improved and will include three north/south connections, including a sidewalk on the east side of the west parking lot between Rieke Elementary and the high school, a mid-campus connection between the football field and the pool facility and a third connection at the far eastern side of the campus.

There will be two crosswalks south of the main entry on each side of the intersection.

On the Rieke side, the design has provided some community access for bicyclists and pedestrians, while keeping safety in mind. Vehicles will not be able to use the Rieke driveway as a cut-through during school hours. For bicycles, there is a bike route around Rieke Elementary School. Outside of school hours, cyclists can either continue to use that route or share the roadway.

“I really appreciate the attention to public realm,” Vice chair Joe Swank said. “And I think the design team’s done a really good job of solving for Rieke Road in particular.”

On the north campus entry, there will be a raised, widened pedestrian crosswalk. There will also be some improvements to the back of the stadium, such as adding seating and signage.

Cavell said the design does not include a cover to the grandstands, due to cost, but is planning for a possible future roof, which would be part of a future land use review process.

There was some concern from Commissioner Sarah Vaz regarding screening of mechanical equipment on the roof and that the equipment might be visible in faraway views. Commissioners Swank and Chair Chandra Robinson felt that the equipment would not be visible.

Up next for the project is a Type III conditional use hearing that is for July 22 by the city’s hearings officer, as the project requires both design review and conditional use review.

Construction is estimated to start in December, with the new building being complete in summer 2029 and the athletic fields in fall 2030, according to Portland Public Schools’ website.

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The Portland Design Commission on Thursday got its first look at plans to develop Broadway Corridor‘s Parcel 6 with a 13-story mixed-use tower. The property is located at the northeast corner on Northwest Ninth Avenue and Johnson Street.

This is the second development within the Broadway Corridor Master Plan area to advance. The first, Block 4A, was presented to the commission for design advice last year and recently was approved by city staff, Portland Permitting & Development staffer Staci Monroe said.

The Parcel 6 project is valued at $95 million, according to Portland Permitting & Development.

Mithun is the project’s designer. The team also includes lead developer Related Northwest, co-developer Melvin Mark, and public partner/owner Prosper Portland.

The 140-foot-tall building would be an L-shaped concrete tower atop a three-story podium. The proposal is for 200-plus middle-income residential units for people earning 50 to 120 percent of the area median income. The building would include 4,000 square feet of retail/commercial space on the ground floor, structured parking for 100 vehicles, on-site loading space, and 100 bicycle parking spaces. Plans include the full design and partial development of the Park Avenue alley along the eastern frontage.

A net zero goal is proposed for the project. The southwest-facing L-shaped massing would reduce glazing costs and provide both sunny and shady areas for residents, according to the design team.

Exterior building materials would include metal cladding on the upper tower and brick below. Commissioner Brian McCarter said the differentiation in materials between the tower and the podium is strong and reads as a very simple material palette.

Vice chair Joe Swank said he believes the design of the tower and podium is strong on Ninth Avenue and Johnson Street but along the Park Avenue alley and Kearney Street, the brick and metal do not read as much like a podium. Team members believe the design is working so far on a conceptual level, Mithun partner Heidi Oien said, but they will explore it further. McCarter added that he believes there is good direction and as the design is refined, it will improve.

Active use is required on the ground floor along Johnson Street, where there will be widened sidewalks.

“The ground floor consists of commercial space, lobby, leasing office and back-of-house elements,” Monroe said of the proposal.

Vehicle access will be available on all frontages except for the eastern. There, the Park Avenue alley will be a 40-foot-wide public, pedestrian-only space spanning the length of Parcel 6 (Block 6) and Block 7. A creative space is planned for this area to draw people in, Monroe said; elements could include public art, plants, lighting, and materiality. Mithun is proposing an open, paved space. The design team envisions clusters of trees for shade, Mithun partner Dorothy Faris said.

Plans call for a two-way cycle track on the south side of Johnson Street and a shared bike lane on Ninth Avenue. Vehicle and bike parking would be along the frontages and in a parking garage. The garage and loading area would be accessed off Kearney Street.

The project team is proposing a modification to ground-floor window coverage along Kearney Street, because more than half of this frontage would be garage access, loading space, mechanical space and back-of-house space. The requirement is for 40 percent coverage by ground-floor windows, and Mithun is seeking a 15 percent reduction.

One portion of this frontage would be the bicycle room. The design team should seek a way to include glazing for the room but still ensure it’s private and secure for residents, McCarter said.

For public art, the master plan identifies six potential locations, two of which are adjacent to Parcel 6 – one at the northeast corner of Johnson Street and Ninth Avenue and one in the Park Avenue alley along the parcel’s eastern frontage. Public art is not identified on the proposed site plan; however, the project team plans to begin discussions with the city’s Office of Arts & Culture.

Weather protection is not yet identified in the proposal, but Oien said the team intends to provide something overhead along Johnson Street and could explore other areas if necessary. The commissioners suggested making sure canopies are adequate along Johnson Street and the Park Avenue alley.

If funded, ground is expected to be broken in late 2027.

The team will likely pursue a Type IX design review by staff, Monroe said. However, Type II or Type III are also options.

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Each year, the Portland Design Commission produces a report that details development in the city and highlights major projects.

This year’s State of the City report does that and a little more: It defends the design review process itself.

The report, prepared by commissioners led by Chairwoman Chandra Robinson, an architect, was adopted by the commission on March 19. It comes as the City Council has requested a separate report on design review with an eye toward reform — including a possible temporary suspension of design review requirements.

The report to the City Council, by staff of Portland Permitting and Development as well as Planning and Sustainability, is due on April 9.

Robinson emphasized the Design Commission’s flexibility, in presenting the State of the City on March 19. In recent years, the commission has adjusted to design overlay zone amendments in 2021, revamped historic resource codes in 2022, streamlined design review and neighborhood contact procedures in 2024, and implemented code changes to design and development standards in 2025.

“These are all intended to improve outcomes for development, right?” Robinson said. “We want to encourage it, and we want to make things simpler when we can.”

Robinson backed discretionary review, whereby commissioners are guided by design review standards but not limited to them.

“When we have discretionary review, we’re able to allow modifications that are not strictly allowed by the zoning code and by standards,” Robinson said. “So, it is helpful to come through the Design Commission if there are things in your project that do not fit standards.”

Commissioners pointed to their approvals of major projects including Hollywood HUB, a 222-unit affordable housing building under construction on Northeast Halsey Street; the Lloyd Center concert venue, and Portland State University’s 80,000-square-foot Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design.

Production of market-rate housing has plunged in recent years, and design review has come under fire for adding costly delays. Other cities have curtailed design review; in September 2025, the Seattle City Council suspended design review requirements.

But Portland design commissioners laid the blame for declining construction on market forces and not regulatory obstacles.

“Because of economic conditions and the cost of borrowing money, the cost of construction has been a real difficult obstacle over the last few years, and we’re seeing diminishing projects coming through and not very many cranes on the skyline,” Commissioner Brian McCarter said during the March 19 meeting.

“However, I think Design Commission always remembers that we are that body who is approving real projects that are going to be built out there, and they’re going to be basically the implementation of our vision of the city we want to be,” McCarter added.

In previous years, design commissioners have presented the report to the City Council in person during a public council meeting. No such presentation is scheduled this year amid the reform push.

“We don’t have dates scheduled for a presentation of the State of the Cities reports (for both the Design Commission and the Historic Landmarks Commission) to the City Council or one of its committees,” Permitting & Development spokesman Ken Ray stated in an email. “I do not know if a presentation will be scheduled or if the reports will be provided to the City Council by other means.”

Elliott Kozuch, spokesman for the city’s Community and Economic Development departments, noted that the State of the City report is not finalized.

“It is within council’s purview to determine whether they would like the information presented at an upcoming council or committee meeting,” Kozuch wrote in an email.

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The Portland City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a resolution to study the city’s design review process, including possible reforms and a moratorium.

The resolution struck a compromise between the status quo and some critics who urged the council to suspend design review immediately.

“The time of stopping your neighbor’s housing development from going forward because you don’t like the color of the glass that they’re using — I think that should be over,” said Eric Zimmerman, a District 4 councilor and co-sponsor of the resolution alongside Angelita Morillo.

City Administrator Raymond C. Lee III now has 120 days to prepare a report with recommendations for the City Council.

Lee was confirmed by the City Council on Wednesday to serve as the city’s first administrator, the city government’s top nonelected position. He most recently served as city manager of Greeley, Colorado.

Zimmerman said it’s important to distinguish between design review and zoning, as he sought to quell fears of tall buildings in residential neighborhoods. He added that reform of design review will be more successful after engaging with city staff and other stakeholders.

“I think we get to win this message better if we do it in this collaborative, staff-supported way,” he said.

Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney thanked Zimmerman and Morillo for not seeking to immediately dismantle design review.

“I want us to be able to have a comprehensive discussion about design review that moves beyond a binary choice between the status quo and abolishing the system completely, and what you’ve brought us today gives us that opportunity,” Pirtle-Guiney said.

Others, however, urged the council to move faster. Councilor Jamie Dunphy said he “would have brought a resolution forward and just suspended it, personally.”

“I personally want to live in a city that is filled with interesting, vibrant buildings that are not dated by the time they are open,” he said.

Robert Pile, principal at Oakleaf reDevelopment in Portland, urged the council to consider a design review moratorium.

“This is a key opportunity to help expedite entitlements and lower production costs — two things we need to stimulate more housing supply,” he said.

The design review study, which will be due in April, is intended to complement other measures that seek to spur development, including a three-year system development charge waiver that was approved in July.

The push comes amid state and local goals to build more housing.

“We really do have to change the way that we build in Portland, and this is our opportunity to get that information so that we can make those tough choices,” Morillo said.

Councilor Dan Ryan encouraged the study to shine a light on the Historic Landmarks Commission, which he said practices a “de facto override of zoning review processes.”

Councilor Sameer Kanal said the study should consider a design review exemption for conversions of offices to housing units.

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Two Portland city councilors are pushing a resolution to reform the city’s design review process and perhaps provide a temporary exemption for housing proposals.

The effort represents a serious challenge to design review, which is overseen by Portland Permitting & Development. Developers have long blamed the process for delaying construction and adding costs, but supporters say it improves the design of proposed buildings that go through review and allows the public to weigh in on what’s built in the city.

Councilors Angelita Morillo and Eric Zimmerman are sponsoring the resolution, which will be discussed during Wednesday’s meeting. It directs the city administrator to deliver a report to the council within 120 days. The report would:

• include an overview of the types of design review, along with design overlay zones, design districts and historic districts to which design guidelines apply, and
• offer an economic impact analysis of design review on commercial and residential development timelines during the past five years, and projections for the next five years.

The city administrator would then provide options for a temporary exemption from design review and propose potential changes to the city code that underpins the design review process.

Design review “gets talked a lot about as a barrier, but what is the barrier gets a little fuzzy,” Zimmerman said Monday.

The report will “allow us to cut to the chase,” he added. “I would like to hear from the staff – what do they think are the most attackable problems?”

The design review study dovetails with other efforts to facilitate development in Portland. In July, the City Council approved a three-year waiver on system development charges for housing projects.

It’s still an “open question” whether a moratorium on design review would affect commercial projects as well as housing proposals, Zimmerman said.

He expressed concern that design review could deter unique proposals.

Local developers “know what gets through design review,” he said. “That worries me a little bit, because I want to see someone push the envelope a bit as far as awesomeness or uniqueness or density.”

Permitting & Development is open to discussing design review reform, according to agency spokesman Ken Ray.

“We look forward to working with the City Council on ways to bring more flexibility into design review to ensure the process supports thoughtful growth and investment in Portland’s buildings that meets the needs of the people who live, work and do business in them,” Ray stated in an email on Monday.

Design review has come under fire in other cities, including Seattle, where the process has become a roadblock to development.

“We can all agree that nice-looking buildings are a good thing and probably make it more popular to build stuff, but we can’t agree on what nice looking means,” said Michael Andersen, who studies cities for the nonprofit Sightline Institute. “It’s not something you can achieve from regulation.”

Portland’s design review process isn’t as dysfunctional as Seattle’s was before the Seattle City Council suspended design review requirements in September, Andersen said.

“F�ǰ��ٳܲԲ��ٱ����, Portland Design Commission hasn’t been utterly ridiculous,” he said. “But anytime you introduce discretion, you introduce risk.”

Bruce Studer, president of the Pearl District Neighborhood Association, said there’s an appetite to streamline design review in Portland.

“I think people would want a little bit smarter way to go through design review,” he said. “I don’t think just being able to block things by stalling it out is something we want to have. You want developers to be able to build things that are smart, sustainable and create lasting growth.”

The Design Commission is composed of seven members who serve staggered four-year terms for up to eight years. Members hail from architecture, development, landscape architecture, arts and related fields, along with a member representing the public at large.

Zimmerman and Morillo’s resolution passed the council’s Climate, Resilience and Land Use Committee on Nov. 13 by a 4-0 vote.

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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 – including 31 inclusionary housing units for individuals and families with incomes no greater than 60 percent of the median family income (MFI) – 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.

“This 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,” Commissioner Jessica Molinar said. “While 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.”

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 “add so much character to just that side of the building,” 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.

“We’re trying to build housing here … but it’s not that we’re trying to be cheap,” he said. “It’s just every penny counts.”

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.

“I get it – costs are not a concern,” Burges said. “I just wanted to put that on the record, so you guys know because – 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.”

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.

“I have a whole list of all the conditions that (were) met very well and beyond my expectation,” Santner said. “So, kudos to the design team and to the developer.”

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A proposal to construct a new classroom building on the Portland State University campus is moving through the city’s design review process.

The School of Art + Design Building would be four or five stories tall and potentially hold 102,673 square feet. A mass-timber structure is planned.

The project site, at 1914 S.W. Park Ave., would also see development of a section of the Green Loop multimodal path along the vacated portion of Southwest College Street between Southwest Park Avenue and Southwest Broadway. The site is within the Central City Plan District.

The project team includes owner Portland State University, architect LEVER Architecture, general contractor Swinerton, structural engineer KPFF, mechanical engineer PAE, plumbing engineer Burman Design of Federal Way, Washington, electrical engineer Samata Engineers, civil engineer Vega Civil Engineering, and geotechnical engineer GRI.

This project presents a great opportunity for PSU‘s School of Art + Design to come together under one roof, LEVER Architecture associate Nate Lambdin told the Portland Design Commission during a hearing on Thursday. Currently, the school operates at various campus sites.

Classrooms and studios would make up the bulk of the building. On the ground floor, art and design galleries would welcome students and community members. On the building’s north side, daylight would illuminate classrooms and studios.

A courtyard, called “The Work Yard” is included in the proposal. LEVER Architecture is trying to figure out how to secure the space. There is a desire to have it open to the public for events but closed to the public during certain hours to allow students to work on projects.

A modification requested by the project team calls for loading access via Southwest Jackson Street. According to the commissioners’ report, Jackson Street between Park Avenue and Broadway is classified as a major city bikeway, and vehicle access to a loading area is not allowed from a major city bikeway. Code prohibits access to a loading space from Park Avenue and Broadway frontages; therefore, Jackson Street is the only viable option for accessing the code-required loading, the report states.

The vacated portion of Southwest College Street near the project site may become the first constructed portion of the Green Loop in the area. City staffers have encouraged the design team to consider a user access and maintenance perspective and to propose a design and material palette that can continue to be used throughout the area.

Commissioners also discussed location plans for utilities in the building. They asked the design team to explore reducing the amount of utilities along the frontage.

The 2021 Oregon Legislature approved $50 million for the project, according to PSU. Officials are seeking an additional $27 million in 2023. State funds are to be complemented with more than $5 million in donations. To date, $1.84 million in philanthropic support has been committed to the project.

The project team is at the end of the schematic design phase. The team will seek design review approval at a date to be determined.

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The Forest Grove Planning Commission on Monday approved site development and design plans for a proposed 45-unit apartment complex. The project team includes Creekwood Homes, Suntel Design, and AKS Engineering.

West Grove Apartments is to be constructed at 2230 and 2320 26th Ave., near the Pacific University campus. The site includes two tax lots in the Curtis subdivision. Each lot currently has a single-family residence; both would be demolished. Properties abutting the site mostly have single-unit residences. A vacant property to the southeast is owned by Pacific University.

Plans call for construction of four three-story buildings. Combined, they would hold two one-bedroom units, 41 two-bedroom units, and two three-bedroom units. An additional management office would be in one of the buildings. Site improvements would include 72 motor vehicle parking spaces and 20 bicycle parking spaces. Parking would be in the site’s east, south and west portions.

Open space around the buildings would be landscaped with trees, shrubs and ground cover.

One of the project team’s goals is to achieve compatibility with single-family detached homes in the area. During Monday’s meeting, AKS Engineering consultant Tony Mills said the team accounted for neighboring residences as much as possible by doubling the required setback for most buildings.

Building 1, adjacent to 26th Avenue, would be set back 20 feet from the front property line. Buildings 2, 3 and 4, in the site’s interior, would be set back at least 10 feet from property lines, a city staff report states.

Creekwood Homes “has committed to building a six-foot cedar fence around the exterior of the property,” Mills said.

The fence would help screen the buildings from neighboring properties.

The commission’s approval came with conditions. Some include: providing frontage improvements in accordance with code requirements and in coordination with the city’s 26th Avenue improvement project, providing striping and signage designating the western access drive aisle as a one-way exit-only lane, ensuring pathways are separated from dwellings by at least 10 feet (with small reductions allowed in certain areas), and providing a children’s play area.

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The Portland Design Commission on Thursday voted 6-0 to approve a 166-unit mixed-use development in the Lents neighborhood.

Palindrone Communities‘ project, designed by YBA Architects, calls for a five-story, 159-unit apartment building and a two-story row house building with seven units. The two structures will form a U-shaped development on a 2.1-acre site, at 9330 S.E. Harold St.

The site formerly was a home of the Belmont goats – a popular herd that has lived in many parts of the city. Now it is a vacant field near the Wattles Boys and Girls Club and Zoiglhaus Brewing Company‘s space with its rebranded Zed food hall.

The five-story building’s ground floor will have two commercial spaces at each corner along Southeast 92nd Avenue as well as a lobby and five residential units. An outdoor open area for residents will have ample seating, green space and a pet area.

Overall, commissioners praised the project’s design, particularly regarding its courtyard details, ground-floor programming, and townhome-style row house. However, its context within the neighborhood left them stumped.

“The real strength of this project has been in doing the little things extraordinarily well,” Commissioner Don Vallaster said. “But I think it came at the cost of maybe the overall architectural concept for the building itself, which may be a little unfortunate.”

The project is one of the first in the city subject to the new Portland Citywide Design Guidelines that were adopted in 2021. In many ways, Commissioner Julie Livingston said, this development meets the guidelines but nevertheless lacks distinctness.

“The big motivator behind these guidelines was the fact that Portland is losing the unique character of all of its neighborhoods,” she added. “Portland is just becoming very much the same from neighborhood to neighborhood. This building could be anywhere in the city of Portland.”

Commissioners recognized, however, the transitional nature of the Lents neighborhood, which was essentially cut in half in the late 1970s when Interstate 205 was built. Now the area is starting to see a flourish of activity.

Livingston noted there may not just be a whole lot to contextually respond to yet.

In addition to the courtyard, the project site will have 60 motor vehicle parking spaces (included voluntarily) and 249 long-term bicycle parking stalls. Half of the bike parking will be within the units; the other half will be in a shed east of the courtyard. The shed will be draped in vines, leading Commissioner Brian McCarter to call it a “nice, landscaped building.” Its placement is meant to ensure the courtyard has a more private feel as well as block the view of I-205.

Photovoltaic arrays are planned for rooftops, and slightly fewer than 80 trees are planned on the site. The project team is seeking a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold rating.

The two buildings are phase one of a larger build-out of the block. Plans call for a development between this project parcel and the I-205 multiuse path that abuts the site.

“I believe that some buildings are background buildings,” Commissioner Sam Rodriguez said. “This one does a background building with a phenomenal response to the immediate context and the public realm.”

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