A New York City investment firm snapped up a Lake Oswego luxury apartment building this month for $66 million.

Sentinel Real Estate purchased the 158-unit Willow Apartments, in the Kruse Way area, in a transaction that values the 2-year-old development at $417,721 per unit — a high-end valuation for the Portland market.

The seller was an entity tied to the original developer, Shorenstein Properties of San Francisco. Deacon Construction built the project, which was designed by GBD Architects.

“Willow Apartments aligns with our strategy of acquiring high-quality rental communities situated in markets characterized by limited supply, strong population growth and positive economic fundamentals,” George Tietjen, Sentinel’s managing director, stated in a news release.

“Lake Oswego is considered one of the most affluent and supply-constrained submarkets in the greater Portland metropolitan area given its high household incomes, desirable schools and limited new multifamily development,” Tietjen added.

Willow Apartments offers units with one, two or three bedrooms, community amenities including a sky lounge, flexible dining and workspaces, private work pods, a fitness center with forest views, an open-air deck and a barbecue patio, covered parking spaces with electric-vehicle charging, multiple storage areas and a pet-grooming spa.

Willow Apartments sits on a 5.16-acre site at 5600 Meadows Road.

This property will “benefit from durable rental income and sustained market demand for upscale living spaces” in Lake Oswego, Tietjen stated.

JLL Capital Markets Senior Managing Director Ira Virden and Managing Director Carrie Kahn represented the seller.

Clackamas County recorded the transaction on July 10.

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A $211 million senior housing development is coming to Issaquah, Washington — about 17 miles southeast of Seattle.

Senior housing developer The Springs Living of Beaverton broke ground June 3 on a five-story, 329,250-square-foot building at 850 Eighth Ave. N.E. in the suburb. The Springs at Issaquah Highlands will hold 225 apartments — 114 for independent living, 84 for assisted living and 27 for memory care. There will be one story of parking partially below grade.

The project is a joint venture of The Springs Living, co-developer PMB of Solana Beach, California, and alternative investment firm Harrison Street Asset Management.

Mackenzie and GBD Architects partnered to design the project; Mackenzie is also the civil engineer. Exxel Pacific of Bellingham, Washington is the general contractor. Other contributions include structural engineering by KPFF, landscape architecture by Lango Hansen, MEP Basis of Design by Interface Engineering, mechanical and plumbing design/build by Ocean Park Mechanical of Tukwila, Washington, lighting design by Biella Lighting Design, and electrical design/build by Bergelectric, which is based in Carlsbad, California.

“With shared values, a strong focus on client needs, and a commitment to the communities our designs serve, Mackenzie and GBD view this partnership as a strategic union of our expertise and local knowledge, designed to meet the project’s specific needs,” Mackenzie architect and principal Steve Rupert stated in an email. “Together, we have intentionally identified key personnel with the correct skill sets to deliver our promise: a fun, engaging design process, clear documentation, and a team that will stay by the client’s side through project completion.”

This is the first collaboration between the two firms, but with hope there will be more, Rupert stated.

Both firms have a commitment to thoughtful design, strong client relationships, and creating places that matter, GBD Architects principal Craig Mendenhall stated in an email.

“By bringing together the strengths of both firms, we’re able to approach the project from multiple perspectives while staying focused on a common goal: delivering a solution that reflects the client’s vision and serves the community well,” he stated.

The development is designed to reflect the character of the Issaquah Highlands neighborhood and its walkable access to parks and trails. The community’s location adjacent to the Swedish Issaquah medical campus reflects The Springs Living’s long-term vision for deeper integration with healthcare systems, creating greater alignment between housing, care, and access to services over time, Rupert stated.

Warm, natural materials will be paired with refined urban elements to create a welcoming residential environment. Building materials will include artisan brick, while natural wood accents introduce warmth and human scale. Board-formed concrete, black metal detailing, and a balanced composition of light and dark fiber-cement panels will add depth, texture and durability, ensuring the building will age gracefully over time, according to GBD Architects. Perforated metal screening will be integrated into the structured parking areas, incorporating artistic expression that reflects the character of the community.

The interior design will capture the feel of a modern rustic lodge and include stone and solid materials to anchor spaces. Light, airy spaces will be balanced by rich, warm wood elements. Communal hearth space will include big, comfy chairs where residents can relax, GBD Architects shared. There will also be outdoor-inspired elements like continuous flooring and overhead planes.

The building will be anchored by a signature water feature, a refined porte cochere, and a bright, lodge-style lobby. Neighborhood-inspired layouts were chosen for upper floors. A secure memory care wing will have outdoor areas, including a garden.

Other outdoor areas will include an assisted living courtyard, an independent living courtyard, a rooftop deck offering outdoor activities, and a wine lounge.

Indoor amenities will include an art room, a theater, dining venues, a pool, and a fitness center.

Staff spaces, including break rooms and kitchens, will be located along the building’s perimeter, with access to natural light.

The project team plans to pursue Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold and Fitwel certifications.

The new community is expected to open in late 2028.

Design Beyond Borders is a 91��Ƶ feature offering a look at the projects outside of Oregon and Southwest Washington being tackled by local architecture firms. To have your firm’s projects considered, email the 91��Ƶ news staff at��newsroom@djcOregon.com.

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A 17-story office building is receiving some updates. The first phase of the project will be complete late next year.

The Standard Plaza building, at 1100 SW Sixth Ave., Portland, home to The Standard, is set to undergo a multi-phase renovation. The first phase of construction and remodeling – about 70,000 square feet of remodeling – began in late March.

The project team includes owner Standard Insurance Co., architect GBD Architects, civil and structural engineer KPFF and general contractor Walsh Construction.

The phased project begins with the renovation of floors one through five. The redesign of several floors will enhance collaboration and team engagement through upgrades to meeting rooms, workspaces, common areas and more. There will be updates to finishes, plumbing, electrical and flooring throughout the building, reusing and recycling building materials where possible. Over time, the 17-floor building, including the main entrance, lobby and outdoor courtyard will be completely remodeled, The Standard spokesperson Melissa Wilmot wrote in an email.

“Spaces emphasize community, connection and collaboration and are optimized for hybrid, virtual and on-site work,” Wilmot stated.

There will be gathering areas for employees, customers and brokers. The design supports collaboration, while also accommodating a smaller percentage of daily workers. It will include a fireplace lounge and drink bar, as well as a work lounge.

The redesign will also include historical items from The Standard’s archives, as well as artwork by local artists.

A $6 million alteration permit was issued in June for redesign of the second level. The work will involve demolishing walls and adding new ones to create a north and south gallery, restrooms, a reading area, a library meeting room, a library, a vestibule, a main lobby, a fire command center, a parking lobby, an elevator lobby and storage rooms. The work will also involve ceiling, flooring, finishes, plumbing and electrical.

A $9.7 million addition permit is currently under review for the project. The exterior scope of work would involve removing an existing escalator, removing a storefront at the north and south alcoves, adding a storefront at the east facade to enclose the escalator alcove, removing and replacing the plaza deck surface and waterproofing. The interior scope of work would include building new connecting stairs between floors 1 and 2, and reconfiguring the space to include a vestibule, training rooms, reading and fireplace areas, and new restrooms at the west alcove.

Phase one of construction is scheduled to be complete in late 2026. Construction will take several phases and is expected to take several years to be fully complete.

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After leasing increasing amounts of training space over nearly 15 years, the Portland Timbers are taking a big step.

Last month, the professional soccer club purchased the 13-acre property where its training facility sits, at 6220 S.W. 112th Ave. in Beaverton. Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD), which had been sharing with the Timbers a building on the site, sold it for $25 million.

“This is an exciting moment for THPRD and a win-win for the community,” THPRD Board President Alfredo Moreno stated in a press release. “We are proud to support the Timbers’ efforts to expand their Beaverton training facilities and deepen community connections as they work to bring home another MLS Cup trophy.”

Ashley Highsmith, the Timbers’ chief operating officer, said the site purchase was something that club owner Merritt Paulson had been thinking about for a while.

“Our team is continuing to grow and get bigger,” Highsmith said. “We want to make sure we have a training facility that is available for our club to continue to grow and perform at a high level.”

The Timbers began leasing space in THPRD’s building on the property in 2011, with 6,000 square feet. They increased that amount to 8,600 square feet in 2015 and then 24,000 square feet in 2017. The latter expansion provided a new weight room, a film theater, a full-service kitchen, a media room, improved treatment spaces, and more.

Following the purchase, the club can use the entire 90,000-square-foot building, which will be renamed the Portland Timbers Performance Center.

GBD Architects has been working with the Timbers on a master plan primarily for the building’s interior; an indoor practice area and expanded player facilities are being considered. Both indoor and outdoor training spaces are being designed by GBD.

Currently, full development plans for the 13-acre footprint are being determined. Officials have already decided to increase the number of full-size training fields from two to three.

“The area that was … THPRD (space) will turn into our turf field,” Highsmith said. “Where the turf field is currently, that will be our second grass field.”

Other plans call for adding a viewing deck along one side of the building, expanding office space, and replacing the roof.

The club is in the process of finalizing details for Bernhardt Golf to serve as the general contractor for the exterior renovation; also, subcontractors are being hired. A contractor for the interior work will be selected later in the project.

“Outside is where we’re focusing first in developing this field and really making it a premier place for our team to train on,” Highsmith said.

A phased approach will be used for the field upgrades so the Timbers can maintain their training schedule. The start date for construction is not set yet.

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A 150,000-square-foot tenant improvement is underway in Vancouver, Washington. Tech leader ZoomInfo’s new headquarters will move from its current location at 805 Broadway St. to a four-story office at Terminal 1 along the Columbia River.

The Terminal 1 office building is technically two buildings, Block A and Block C, connected by a skybridge and a street level launch. ZoomInfo has leased both buildings from Lincoln Property Co. and will have the sixth floor in Block C and the 6-9 floors in Block A. The office will include waterfront access and parking.

Floors five and below are for parking with retail space on the first floor. There is also a fitness center and amenity conference training on the second floor.

Robertson & Olson Construction of Camas, Washington, was the contractor for the shell of the building and finished construction late last year. Lease Crutcher Lewis began the $30 million ZoomInfo tenant improvement project in May of last year. The tenant improvement is 150,000 square feet; the entire building is 300,000 square feet.

“We’re nearly crossing the finish line,” Kelly Nelson, senior project manager at Lewis, said.

The tenant improvement will be complete in mid-June. The project had a lot of significance for Lease Crutcher Lewis, as it is the largest tenant improvement project it has completed in the Portland Metro/Vancouver area, Nelson said.

The project team also includes GBD Architects, HVAC and plumbing by McKinstry, fire sprinklers by COSCO Fire Protection of Vancouver, electric and voltage by Christenson Electric and some structural engineering by KPFF.

Nelson said the tenant improvement includes a connecting stair between levels 8 and 9 in Block A. The structure is post-tensioned slab. Robertson & Olson left an opening for the stairs but there were some components Lewis had to add for the staircase itself. KPFF was the engineer for that work.

The tenant improvements will include the fitness center and training center on floor 2, conference areas, huddle rooms, open workstations, some large conference rooms, collaboration areas and break rooms.

“There’s great natural light and there’s great views of the river and the boardwalk,” said Matt Simpson, director and head of global real estate at ZoomInfo. “One of the things we wanted to do was increase the amount of collaboration space and conference rooms but also bring in the natural light, get our employees closer to the glass line and open up the floor plates so people are sitting closer to the glass line.”

Simpson said the building was designed with large floor plates. To increase the amount of collaboration space, GBD Architects designed a spine through the middle of each floor plate where the team has located conference rooms of varying sizes, huddle rooms and breakout spaces. This enabled the team to put open workstations near the glass.

One of the unique aspects of the project is that it is 64 percent female-led, with women on every level, from project executive to project coordinator. On the GBD Architects team, the lead architect is female. Almost the entire JLL team, which serves as owner’s representative for ZoomInfo, is also female.

Nelson and Simpson said this was not intentional for the project but was a bonus. Lewis strives to have diversity on their project teams and support women in the trades, they said. Simpson said it was a discussion point on ZoomInfo’s end but not a specific goal they made for the project.

Nelson said female-led projects are becoming more prevalent for Lewis, and over the years the number of women at Lewis has grown. She is also seeing more women in the trades in general. Simpson added that it feels more evenly split among project teams and teams feel more diverse.

The new office will open sometime in July with a ribbon cutting to celebrate the grand opening.

“There’s a lot of excitement from our employees about moving into the new space and being on the Vancouver waterfront,” Simpson said.

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Each year, the 91��Ƶ editorial staff compiles a list of the contractors, engineers and architects that are shaping skylines and redefining the industry through their outstanding work. This year’s Power Lists features 20 companies that are leading the AEC industry into 2023 (in no particular order).

GBD Architects

GBD Architects is behind some of Portland’s most recent mega-projects. Highlights include Block 216, a 35-story giant rising out of the city’s downtown; the eight-acre RiverPlace master plan development near the South Waterfront District; and the 30-story RiverPlace tower. The firm’s most recent large-scale work is a proposed 22-story tower in the Pearl District.

Andersen Construction

Andersen Construction has served as the contractor for several of Portland’s recent tall multifamily developments. Projects include Alta Art Tower, a 21-story, 314-unit mixed-use tower; the Sutton (previously “Fremont Place”), a 17-story apartment building; and the Alamo Manhattan Blocks that include a 23-story mixed-use tower and a six-story mixed-use building.

LEVER Architecture

LEVER Architecture is one of Portland’s leading architecture firms in mass timber with projects such as Albina Yard and Redfox Commons. Now it is turning this early innovation into a maturing excellence. The firm hit a significant milestone in 2022 when Portland’s Design Commission approved Sandy Pine, a planned 12-story mass-timber tower. If built, Sandy Pine will be the city’s tallest timber development.

ZGF Architects

As the largest architecture firm in Portland, ZGF Architects has taken on some of the city’s most high-profile projects. Recent highlights include the ongoing $1.95 billion Portland International Airport Main Terminal Core project that features a nine-acre timber roof as well as the PAE Living Building – poised to be the world’s largest commercial living building.

Carleton Hart Architecture

Carleton Hart Architecture is one of Portland’s most prominent firms for designing affordable housing developments. It is a cornerstone of the firm’s mission-driven focus. Projects in recent years have included Nesika Illahee, Mamook Tokatee and Red Rock Creek Commons. One of the firm’s most recent endeavors consists of the complete renovation of the Joyce Hotel in downtown Portland into permanent supportive housing.

PAE Engineers

PAE Engineers is the “brain” behind the recently completed PAE Living Building, which is slated to be the world’s largest living commercial building. Sustainable systems designed by PAE allow the four-story building in Portland to be primarily independent of any city systems. PAE also provided mechanical, electrical, fire protection and technology system design and engineering for the University of Oregon’s modernized Hayward Field, which recently hosted the World Track and Field Championships.

KPFF

KPFF is the engineering firm behind some of Oregon’s largest commercial projects – and more. Work includes Block 216, Oregon State University’s Gladys Valley Marine Studies Building (91��Ƶ Project of the Year 2021), Portland International Airport’s (PDX) Concourse E extension, and the PAE Living Building.

Howard S. Wright

Howard S. Wright is the general contractor behind the largest building in Portland since the U.S. Bancorp Tower – Block 216. At 844,117 square feet, the project will likely become the largest Portland building of its era. It will house 158,000 square feet of office space, a five-star Ritz-Carlton hotel with 215 rooms, and 138 residences.

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Walsh Construction is the general contractor for many sustainable and complex projects and myriad affordable housing developments. The contractor recently constructed the four-story PAE Living Building, which required that every item be thoroughly researched and approved against a list containing the “worst in class” materials, chemicals and elements concerning human health and the ecosystem. More than 2,700 materials were vetted for the project.

LMC ��DzԲ��ٰ��ܳ��پ��Dz���

Affordable housing has become a cornerstone of the Portland-metro development market. Many general contractors tackle such projects, but LMC Construction is behind most. More than two-thirds of the contractors’ work is building affordable homes. Projects include Red Rock Creek Commons, Nesika Illahee and Cathedral Village Apartments.

Hoffman Skanska JV

Hoffman-Skanska is the joint venture contractor formed to partly undertake the $2 billion modernization of Portland International Airport. At the heart of this endeavor is the $1.95 billion main terminal project that involves a new nine-acre, mostly cross-laminated-timber roof structure. The entire roof will weigh about 18 million pounds. A self-propelled modular transporter capable of carrying a submarine is being used to move each section into position. Officials anticipate the roof being fully installed soon and the entire terminal updated in 2025.

Kiewit

Kiewit Corp. is known for tackling projects that would be described as large, massive, and complex. All three terms represent the general contractor’s current undertaking with the Abernethy Bridge project that spans the Willamette River. The venture involves drilling more than 200 feet into the earth below the water to place new bridge foundations capable of withstanding a significant seismic event. It is the first major interstate freeway construction project in Oregon in nearly 45 years.

TVA Architects

TVA Architects is one of Oregon’s most high-profile firms, and few others have placed as large a stamp on the state. Projects include Park Avenue West, Fox Tower, and the University of Oregon’s basketball palace – Matthew Knight Arena. Most recently, the firm designed the Sutton (previously called “Fremont Tower”) – a 17-story residential tower under construction on the banks of the Willamette River.

R&H Construction

R&H Construction is building some of Portland’s largest multifamily developments. Projects include Freewell, Saltwood South and Tiller Terrace – a six-story, a 214-unit development in the Goose Hollow neighborhood. Recently, R&H broke ground on Splash Apartments – the first phase of the five-acre Pop Blocks development.

David Evans Enterprises

Oregon’s largest engineering firm, David Evans and Associates, has worked on a wide range of notable projects in the state. Recent highlights include the Newberg-Dundee Bypass, in which the firm designed two new bridges and seven support structures. DEA’s work on the Oneonta Tunnel rehabilitation project also earned . The 2017 Eagle Creek Fire severely damaged the tunnel and rendered it unusable until DEA’s work allowed it to reopen in spring 2021.

Harper Houf Peterson Righellis

Regarding transportation infrastructure improvements in Oregon, Harper Houf Peterson Righellis is one of the key players. The firm is behind the Clackamas Regional Center improvements, which involved widening a bridge that spans Interstate 205 at Sunnyside Road, as well as the Willamette Falls Drive streetscape improvements project that topped the transportation category for the 2022 ACEC Oregon Engineering Excellence Awards.

��Mortenson��

Mortenson is a general contractor with a long reputation in Oregon for building challenging and unique projects. Recently, the contractor has undertaken a significant renovation of the Multnomah County Behavioral Health Resource Center – a 116-year-old building in downtown Portland.

SERA Architects

SERA Architects has worked on some of Portland’s largest multifamily developments in recent years. Projects include Freewell, the Saltwoods, Tiller Terrace and more. Most recently, SERA drew up Slabtown Savier, a two-building multifamily project under construction in Northwest Portland.

BORA Architects

BORA Architects is behind several notable projects in Oregon, including the Cosmopolitan – a 28-story residential tower in Portland’s Pearl District and the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact on the University of Oregon’s Eugene campus. One of the firm’s most recent undertakings is the modernization of Lincoln High School in Portland; It is one of the first high-rise schools west of the Mississippi River.

Swinerton��

Swinerton is a leading general contractor for mass-timber innovation in Oregon. Recent projects include the Wingspan Event and Conference Center in Hillsboro, Steeplejack Brewing in Portland, and Oregon State University-Cascades’ Edward J. Ray Hall in Bend.

Clarification: An earlier version of this story implied an incorrect association for Swinerton to the Beaverton Public Safety Center project. Swinerton was the mass-timber subcontractor for the project.

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A 30-story tower is in the making for Portland’s South Waterfront District.

The Portland Design Commission weighed in on plans for the high-rise for the first time on Thursday, during a design advice hearing. The development is anticipated to be the first within the newly approved RiverPlace Central City Master Plan.

The NBP Capital project’s value is $160 million, according to the Bureau of Development Services.

As designed by GBD Architects, the building would have approximately 329 residential units and rise on the southern parcel of Block 1, at 150 S. Montgomery St. The former RiverPlace Athletic Club located on the property is to be demolished, but The Douglas (apartments and townhomes) on the northern portion is to stay – for now.

No parking or retail space is planned for the development. Instead, residents would use 385 unused parking stalls nearby in The Douglas’ garage.

The eight acres between South Harbor Way, South Harbor Drive, South Montgomery Street and South Harbor Place are designated for the RiverPlace master plan. This initial tower, RiverPlace Phase 1, is poised to become the first of six potential high-rises on the site – along with thousands of new residential units, substantial office space, a new park plaza, and possibly a new regional attraction.

GBD’s design shown Thursday indicates what the new district could look like.

“Our big idea here was to reintroduce the layout, the river and the beautiful landscape of the Northwest, which is a big part of all of our everyday lives,” GBD Architects Associate Principal Michael Marcus said.

Plans call for an exterior with a “rippling” water effect, in a slender frame, with protruding balconies.

The project team intends to take full advantage of 200 feet in bonus height to construct a 325-foot-tall building. The bonus comes from the “Height Opportunity Area” requirement written into the master plan, which also limits floor plates to 10,000 square feet.

However, the team is seeking a modification to allow 12,500-square-foot floor plates. That would allow the exterior to be sculpted and 75-80 additional apartments included, GBD Architects Design Director Agustin Enriquez said. That request could gain approval, commissioners said, if the team is able to better present how the public would benefit from the change.

Three other modifications are being sought: one to the code language on what constitutes “north-south,” a second to move the eco-roof to the second-floor podium and a third to reduce the percentage of ground-floor windows required.

One expert said during Thursday’s hearing that green roof elements wouldn’t survive at 325 feet high. Plus, currently, mechanical equipment would occupy much of the roof, according to the project team. Design commissioners responded that they need to see more evidence that plantings wouldn’t survive at that height before they allow such a change.

Also, the project team stated that 75 percent of the ground floor would not be conducive to windows because of the site’s slope. Design commissioners said they would like to see either lush greenery or a wall be included to improve activation at ground level.

Overall, commissioners praised the sculpted design. Commissioner Don Vallaster said it has the potential to be “a really outstanding building for Portland.”

In addition to the 30-story tower on the southern parcel, Block 1 of the master-planned area is due to gain 6,600 square feet of pedestrian access as well as another development on the northern parcel. The latter is expected to enter the design phase immediately after building permit applications are submitted for the first tower, according to the project team.

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After two years of work, the RiverPlace Central City Master Plan received the Portland Design Commission‘s unanimous approval on Thursday.

NBP Capital‘s grand plan is to redevelop the 8-acre site adjacent to the South Waterfront Park into a new mixed-use neighborhood. At full build-out, the site could accommodate thousands of new residential units, substantial office space, as many as six high-rise buildings, and 70,000 square feet of new open space – as well as a possible ­­hotel. A new park with a plaza will also front South Waterfront Park.

Commissioners had seen RiverPlace plans in two previous design advice meetings, two prior land use hearings and a three-and-a-half-hour special session on Feb. 10. In the special session, several conditions of approval were written and refined; one was the requirement that each building proposed for the site be submitted for Type III design advice.

Some of the conditions required some rewriting to gain favor with design commissioners, city planners, and applicant GBD Architects – and others not so much.

For instance, parking was a snare. In the language presented during Thursday’s hearing, no parking areas would be allowed within 25 feet of frontages facing a sidewalk, plazas or publicly accessible open area. That meant no above-grade parking would be allowed.

The project team could not accept the condition as written, GBD Architects design director Agustin Enriquez said, because it doesn’t exist for any other master plan in the city. “It’s extremely restrictive,” he said, adding that the team has had success hiding above-grade parking on blocks in Portland. He also cited the Henry Condominiums as an example.

However, this was a point the commissioners did not budge on. Unlike the Broadway Corridor, near the Broadway Bridge, for example, Commissioner Zari Santner noted that RiverPlace is next to a significant natural resource – the Willamette River – and thus the context changes. Commissioner Chandra Robinson echoed that sentiment.

The condition of approval was changed to read: “No above-grade parking areas shall be allowed within 25 feet of frontages facing a street lot line, sidewalk, plaza or other publicly accessible open area or right‐of‐way.”

The previous special session ended with the record staying open as requested during public comment. When the Design Commission reconvened on Thursday, the record was closed and the final staff report was accepted with one addition stating that B Street, a new public street, be designed to be closed off periodically for events.

Currently, development plans for the site include two phases: Block 1 and the “conceptual” build-out of the remaining site.

As part of the first land use review submitted for Block 1, all spaces identified as “open area” within that phase, which might include circulation paths or easements, must be designed and constructed.

“The result of this project up to this point has been just tremendous,” Commissioner Jessica Molinar said, “because of the suggestions and ideas that came from both the neighborhood and the applicant’s responsiveness and cooperation and collaboration with us. So, I think this is (a) much, much better master plan.”

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More work must still be done on the RiverPlace Central City master plan; however, most of that work involves final details.

The master plan, proposed by GBD Architects on behalf of site owner NBP Capital, calls for redevelopment of the 8-acre site in Portland between South Montgomery Street, River Parkway, Harbor Way and River Drive. During a review hearing on Thursday, Portland Design Commission members, city staffers and GBD Architects designers continued to discuss details and lingering issues.

At full build-out, the site could accommodate thousands of new residential units, substantial office space, a possible hotel, as many as six high-rise buildings, and 70,000 square feet of new open space. And a future regional destination – potentially a grocery store, food hall or entertainment venue – also is in the plan, GBD Architects principal Agustin Enriquez said.

Allowable building heights for the site range from 150 to 325 feet.

The plan is to build out the development in two phases, starting with Block 1 (70,763 square feet), Enriquez said. Then development of the other blocks would follow with the hope that Block 6 (the future park) could meet one of the blocks’ development requirements.

Many lingering issues brought up Thursday involved the building code language. A near snafu occurred when city planner Grace Jeffreys pointed out that shadow studies would not be required for individual buildings’ future design review hearings based on the current code language. This meant that the building massing conceptualized by GBD Architects for the shadow study would have to stay.

“I don’t think it’s practical to say that the massing that is shown at this stage is the massing that will be there in the future,” Enriquez said.

The Bureau of Development Services agreed to pause the conversation for GBD Architects to come up with stricter language on the shadow study requirements for developments within the master plan.

Another code language issue involved the Block 1 development and open space requirements. As proposed Thursday, the percentage of bicycle and pedestrian pathway allowed was too high. Concerns were raised by design commissioners and city staffers that if phase one is the beginning and the end to the RiverPlace master plan, then it wouldn’t meet code.

Design commissioners opted to allow the proposed design to stay in hope that the full master plan’s vision could come to fruition.

Since more details are still needed, a second hearing has been scheduled for the RiverPlace master plan in three weeks.

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A proposal for a seven-story mixed-use building in Portland’s Central Eastside won unanimous approval from the Design Commission on Thursday after changes were made to assuage commissioners’ concerns that the building would not fit within the neighborhood context.

The fourth Design Commission hearing for the project at 550 S.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. turned out to be the successful one. Commissioners voted 6-0 to approve GBD Architects‘ design (one commissioner, Jessica Molinar, was absent).

“The building looks really good,” Commission Chairwoman Julie Livingston said after the vote. “Thank you for your forbearance and the revisions that you made to kind of bring it more fully into the context of the Central Eastside.”

The five-over-two project, with 132 apartments, is from Urban Development + Partners. The ground floor will have retail space, residential amenities and approximately 60 parking spaces.

The latest design eliminated dark metal panels, regularized the windows and simplified the façade, said Marcus Lima, a GBD associate principal.

Commissioner Zari Santner urged the project team to get the details right.

“Some of us were not quite convinced this is the right setting for this building,” she said. “But if it really comes through the way it’s shown, it will be a great precedent-setting context. So as a citizen, not just as a design commissioner, I want to plea to you to pay attention to execution.”

In October, the Design Commission bounced back an earlier iteration of the design, largely because of neighborhood context concerns.

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