The Portland Design Commission last week approved three projects, provided advice for another appearing before the commission for the first time in more than two years, and weighed in on plans for a project at the east end of the Burnside Bridge.

The Framework tower, in the works for 430 N.W. 10th Ave., in the Pearl District, is designed by Lever Architecture. This iteration of the 11-story apartment building received unanimous approval in fewer than five minutes, with no preliminary discussion.

More than an hour, however, was devoted to Holst Architecture’s design for a large mixed-use project in the Lloyd District. Plans call for two six-story apartment buildings with 12 live-work units on the ground floor, close to 40,000 square feet of retail space and structure parking for 536 vehicles.

The superblock, now a parking lot, will be intersected by a diagonal pedestrian driveway, with plazas sprinkled on the site. Eventually, the commission granted approval.

Commissioner Tad Savinar said his only concern about the project is a future decision about a 14-foot-by-30-foot interactive art piece in the main plaza. Its budget is $500,000, and Savinar said he didn’t want to see “rubber balls and a string.”

Consultations with an international artist are in the works, Holst principal Dave Otte said, and assurance has been granted that only top-quality materials will be used.

“We talked about the lifeline of the art,” he said.

Savinar responded that he was concerned with the word “interactive,” and suggested that the request for proposals for the art should stress longevity.

“Interactive doesn’t mean anything,” he said. “Insert the word ‘timeless artwork’ so it’s not just a wall.”

The Design Commission also approved Modera Davis, a market-rate apartment building designed by SERA Architects. The 12-story tower planned at 205 N.W. 10th Ave. will have 204 units and 5,500 square feet of retail space.

City planner Jeff Mitchem said the design team had addressed issues previously raised by the Design Commission. Terraces and glazing were added, elements were infused to better reference the adjoining Deschutes Brewery building, balconies were added on the west elevation and oriel windows were simplified by reducing the number of mullions and adding glass.

“The issues have been resolved to staff’s satisfaction and we are recommending full approval,” he said.

But approval wasn’t unanimous. Savinar voting no, even though he congratulated design team lead Kurt Schultz, a principal at SERA Architects.

“It’s just too much building for this half-block for me and the (verticality) is expressed just too much,” Savinar said. “It’s just squeezing too much into this site and I would have preferred to see something stepped back.”

Also on Thursday, the Jantzen Apartments – designed by SERA Architects – appeared before the Design Commission for the first time since a design advice hearing in 2014. Plans call for a six-story building at 518 N.E. 20th Avenue with 230 market-rate units (21 with stoops), 4,200 square feet of retail space along Northeast Glisan Street, 92 underground motor vehicle parking spaces and 272 long-term bike parking spaces.

Mitchem said the delay was because of a change in ownership. Although the previous design advice meeting had been “directional,” he noted, it hadn’t gone far enough to resolve several issues concerning design exceptions and approvability issues by the Portland Bureau of Transportation and the Bureau of Environmental Services.

“The PBOT and BES issues are mostly resolved,” he said.

The plan for approximately 20 ground-floor units is an issue, Mitchem said. City staff suggested making those creative office or live-work units instead. Other recommendations were to add ground-floor canopies and centering the main residential entry more.

In addition, the Design Commission provided design advice a second time for a Gerding Edlen project at 5 S.E. Martin Luther King Boulevard, at the southeast end of the Burnside Bridge.

City planner Benjamin Nielsen said a continuing staff concern is whether the building is characteristic of Central Eastside development and whether it is “a counterpoint to nearby development at the bridgehead.”

Nielsen said staff questioned whether the L-shaped, 12-story tower atop a five-story plinth building should be given more balconies and if the sloping landscaping should be brought to ground level.

The building is being designed by GREC Architects of Chicago. It will sit across the bridge from the 21-story Yard and the Fair-Haired Dumbbell. Both are under construction.

The post Framework tower, two other projects approved appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

ScanlanKemperBard Cos. may be contemplating development of a massive multifamily complex in the Kerns neighborhood. The Portland-based real estate merchant banking firm recently applied to the city for early assistance with a five- to six-story building containing 180 to 220 units, at 518 N.E. 20th Ave.

The full-block development would replace mostly surface parking and a small commercial building due east of the Jantzen Park office building, according to drawings filed with the city. Those early drawings for the Jantzen Apartments show the building wrapping around the block in a south-facing “U” shape and creating a central courtyard area. The building would be approximately 216,000 square feet, including approximately 3,500 square feet of retail space.

Kurt Schultz, a principal at SERA Architects, filed the application for SKB; the development’s value is listed at $20 million. SKB representatives could not be reached immediately for comment.

The property is owned by SKB in partnership with P7 Jantzen LLC. The principal place of business listed for that company is the World Trade Center/Seaport East tower in Boston, which is home to global real estate investment firm AEW Capital Management. AEW declined to either confirm or deny involvement in the project proposed.

The post Large multifamily project possible in Kerns neighborhood appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.