A tall mixed-use building is due to rise in the heart of downtown Portland, now that its design has been approved by the Portland Design Commission.

Commissioners approved the city staff report on the Broadway Tower with conditions as presented by city planner Hillary Adam. Those conditions included trying to salvage materials from demolition of a three-story building on the site, increasing glazing and using a finish plaster coating for the ground-floor sidewall.

To qualify for a greater floor area ratio, the developer, Generations Columbia Property, will give the Portland Parks Foundation $325,000 to help pay for development of a master plan for the South Parks Blocks. In addition, the developer will later build a 60-unit apartment building with 33 percent of the units renting at 80 percent of the median family income for the next 40 years.

Designed by GBD Architects, the Broadway Tower will be 19 stories with 11 floors of office space and 180 hotel rooms; the ground floor will hold a lobby, a restaurant and retail space. Below-grade parking accessible from Southwest Columbia Street will provide spaces for 210 vehicles and 132 bicycles. The loading dock will be accessible from Southwest Clay Street.

Plans also call for improvements to Block 11 in the South Park Blocks, a step still to be finalized with Portland Parks & Recreation.

Brett Horner, planning and design manager for the parks bureau, said previously that all 12 of the South Park Blocks should be planned at the same time – an effort that could take up to two years.

At Thursday’s meeting, Horner announced that park system development charges could not be used by the developer for Park Block improvements. That surprised GBD architect Phil Beyl, but he indicated that the anticipated wait for the parks master plan is too long for the developer. He also said those improvements should specifically be for Block 11.

“The momentum of the project leaves no other path,” he said. “The fact that we cannot use SDCs is new information, but we hope to work with the parks bureau.”

The property occupies a quarter-block bounded by Southwest Broadway and Park Avenue, and Southwest Columbia and Clay streets. The South Park Blocks are just west of the property across Park Avenue.

At the beginning of the meeting, Beyl said he hoped for quick approval and believed his design team had taken all of the commissioners’ previous suggestions to heart.

“I think we listened pretty well, and we’ve got construction guys ready to go,” he said.

GBD architect Michael Marcus said the new design met commissioners’ request that spandrel glass be decreased and the use of terra cotta at the ground level be reduced.

Marcus added that the building’s entry was enhanced by removing a planter on Southwest Broadway and adding a wide stair entrance.

“We made it more welcoming,” he said. “So now we have two 16-foot-wide stair entrances and with seating elements it creates a nice active space out front.”

Approval of the design was unanimous and received high praise from commissioners.

“I think the massing of the building is beautiful – a super addition to downtown Portland,” Commissioner Julie Livingston said.

“This is a model process for the city with the public benefits,” Commissioner Tad Savinar said. “You met all of our conditions. There is a lot of chatter about how difficult design review is, but this has been an easy one and we appreciate your cooperation.”

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