The Block 290 project at 1417 N.W. 20th Ave. finally has a green light from the city of Portland, allowing construction to start. The City Council on Wednesday finalized a previous 4-1 vote denying the Northwest District Association‘s appeal of the Portland Design Commission‘s unanimous approval of the project.

Commissioner Amanda Fritz cast the council’s lone dissenting vote.

“As I have said, I don’t support this and would have rather upheld the appeal,” she said.

The council did add one condition: the developers must consult with the Regional Arts and Culture Council regarding inclusion of art at both the private development and an adjacent park.

Development of Guardian Real Estate Services‘ project has now dragged on for more than two years.

LRS Architects’ design calls for a mix of luxury and market-rate residential units on top of ground-floor retail space. The development will also include below-grade parking, a public square and a roof terrace.

The plans call for a horseshoe design with elevations ranging from 57 to 70 feet.

The neighborhood association has contended that the project didn’t meet requirements set forth in the Con-way master plan. Of particular concern was a public square that designers claim will measure 16,008 square feet and be able to comfortably hold 50 to 100 people at once.

The neighborhood association believes the size of the square is exaggerated and doesn’t meet requirements set forth in the master plan.

Much of the debate during the City Council’s original hearing on Oct. 12 centered on the need for housing and whether mostly market-rate and luxury units would significantly help alleviate the lack of housing in the city.

Ultimately, the majority of the council deferred to the judgment of the Design Commission, which decided that the project met city guidelines and master plan requirements.

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Developers of the Block 290 project at 1417 N.W. 20th Ave. will have to wait at least one more week to gain final approval. The Portland City Council on Wednesday delayed finalizing a tentative 4-1 vote denying the Northwest District Association‘s appeal of the Portland Design Commission‘s 5-0 vote to approve the project.

A revised report by city staff was not ready for a formal vote by the City Council, Mayor Ted Wheeler said. The project will return before the council on Nov. 8 at 11 a.m.

LRS Architects‘ design calls for a mix of luxury and market-rate residential units on top of ground-floor retail space. The building will also include below-grade parking, a public square and a roof terrace. Guardian Real Estate Services‘ project spent nearly two years winding its way through the city’s design review process.

Plans are for a horseshoe-shape building with two seven-story elevations and one four-story elevation. The elevations would range from 57 to 79 feet.

The neighborhood association contends that the planned public square wouldn’t meet the requirement set forth in the Con-way master plan. The design team claims the current layout would provide a 16,008-square-foot space able to comfortably hold 50 to 100 people at once. The neighborhood group believes those numbers are inflated because they include space under canopies.

The City Council’s key concern during a hearing Oct. 12 centered on the housing that the project would provide: mostly market-rate and luxury units. Commissioners questioned how much those units would help ease Portland’s housing crisis.

“We have a glut of market- and luxury-rate apartments,” Commissioner Chloe Eudaly said during the Oct. 12 hearing. “That being said, I can’t find significant enough problems, and defer to the Design Commission (decision).”

Commissioner Amanda Fritz cast the council’s lone dissenting vote.

“We are told that we need the housing,” she said. “The affordable housing isn’t the crux of the issue here. Does it abide by the master plan and provide the open space?”

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