The Portland Historic Landmarks Commission on Monday got its first look at the proposal for a seven-to-eight-story affordable housing development. Flatworks, at 240 S.E. Grand Ave., would have approximately 143 rent-restricted units. The site is in the East Portland/Grand Avenue Historic District.

The project is valued at $25 million, according to Portland Permitting & Development.

TVA Architects‘ design calls for eight-story dark massing clad in masonry on the north third of the block and seven-story light massing clad in high-quality fiber-cement panels on the remaining two-thirds of the block, according to the project’s narrative.

Sturgeon Development Partners is developing the project. The team also includes civil engineer Langan of Clackamas, structural engineer KPFF, landscape architect Shapiro Didway, MEP engineer Interface Engineering, and general contractor LMC Construction.

During a type III historic resource review hearing in 2020, the Historic Landmarks Commission had approved for the site a similar proposal with office space. But that proposal did not advance, and the developer shifted to affordable housing. The plug was pulled because of a lack of demand for office space, said John Jamiel, a TVA Architects senior associate.

The project team expects to seek a permit for the new proposal by April 2026.

At the ground level facing Southeast Grand Avenue, programming would include a lobby, offices, community rooms, a gym and bike parking. Eight parking stalls would be provided inside a ground-level garage with access at mid-block on Pine Street. Ground-floor glazing and active programming would generally be oriented toward Grand Avenue and on the corners, with building services at mid-block facing Ash and Pine streets.

The design team wants to offer some kind of roof deck for residents – on level 8 – and is looking into the cost of such an amenity.

Exterior cladding materials would include brick, composite metal panels, fiber-cement paneling and ribbed metal paneling. There would be five levels of wood framing over three levels of concrete.

The proposed fiber-cement material appeared to be of decent quality, commission Chair Andrew Smith said. Previously, for the office building proposal, only a couple of materials would’ve been used, he added.

“I would encourage the design team, as you move this forward, to take a hard look at that and try to simplify (the material palette),” Smith said.

Commissioner Hugo Hamblin-Agosto suggested the design team look for softer colors for the exterior instead of the dark brick so the building would blend more with the district. Pam Saftler, a TVA Architects principal, said alternatives would be a red or brown brick.

“I don’t find the dark nature of the material that has been chosen to be objectionable at all,” Smith said. “I’ve seen a couple of other buildings of this scale using that type and tone of brick and I’ve seen them be very successful.”

One of the potential modifications is related to required building lines. The space between the building and the street lot line must be designed as an extension of the sidewalks and committed to active uses such as sidewalk cafes, vendor’s stands or developed as “stopping places,” the city’s staff report states. The proposal includes raised planter beds along most of the street frontages between the building setback and the lot lines instead of treating this area as an active space. The commissioners suggested removing the planters to allow for a communal space for residents.

Another potential modification is to the requirement of an eco-roof. Currently, one is planned on level 2.

“We’re looking at providing solar panels in lieu of providing an eco-roof,” Jamiel said, adding that stormwater would have to be managed in a different way.

Commissioners expressed support for eliminating the eco-roof as long as there would be stormwater mitigation. Smith suggested the team seek an equivalent that would provide benefits like those of an eco-roof.

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A 335,000-square-foot redevelopment of Jefferson High School‘s buildings and campus in the Piedmont Conservation District is in the works.

The Portland Historic Landmarks Commission got its third look Monday on a proposal for alterations for the school at 5210 N. Kerby Ave.

The school is an approximately 13.56-acre site. The proposal includes the retention of the 1909 portion of the existing building and redevelopment of the remaining site.

“The proposal is essentially complete demolition and alteration of a number of the amenities on the site, including a number of the sports fields and parking and buildings, plazas and so on,” said Art Graves, a BDS staffer.

The existing track and field are to remain at their current location.

The project team includes Portland Public Schools, LEVER Architecture, Bora Architecture & Interiors, PLACE, and Colloqate Design of New Orleans.

Monday’s meeting was the project’s final design advice hearing meant to provide the project team with guidance. The first design advice hearing was held in November 2022, with a second hearing held in May.

The proposed restoration of the 1909 building has been scaled back from what was shown in previous design advice hearings due to project pricing issues and damaged historic materials that are not reparable, a commission memo states. The new building has been reduced to two stories and is shrunk on the south side, giving more space to athletic fields. The new building will relate to the 1909 building through material use with red brick, associated datums, window groupings and additional building symmetry.

Previously, the project was proposing a phased construction. The design has been reduced to be completed in one phase. Tennis courts have been added to the site, taking the place of some surface parking. A berm in front of the 1909 building will be removed to create a new public plaza.

Priorities for the 1909 renovation include seismic upgrades; replacing windows; repairing brick and mortar; repairing the roof; removing berms around the site; removing stairs on the north, east and west entries; establishing the main entry at the front entrance; and recreating a central hipped roof. Options for renovation include refurbishment only, adding a central hipped roof or adding a central hipped roof and articulation, depending on the budget.

The project team is proposing to demolish the 1928 gym, which sits in the middle of the school, as it conflicts with the new theater and gymnasium. The floor levels of the building do not match with the planned theater or new gymnasium, creating accessibility issues.

“It also needs to be seismically upgraded,” said Chandra Robinson, principal at LEVER Architecture, adding that it would be a big cost.

The new building will include the theater and gymnasium. The updated design includes more glazing with window groupings that relate better to the 1909 building, the addition of canopies and material changes at the entries with brick and metal panels, and activating the streetscape with landscape.

The east and west ground-level frontages of the new building include additional pedestrian treatments when compared to previous DAR schemes: landscaping, clear glazing and extended canopies. However, due to interior programming, large blank walls at the street level persist. Commissioners agreed that the ground level could use more fine tuning. Moreland suggested adding some greenery or artwork, such as a mural. Commission Chair Andrew Smith asked about other ways to create transparency on the ground floor other than more windows, such as a bay with a storefront advertising the shows happenings in the theater. The design team said they are looking into this.

“Keep pursuing those other ways to break up a little bit of the monotony of the façades,” Smith said. “With that said, I think the current design direction of the addition, I find it to be incredibly compatible with the 1909 building.”

Modifications and adjustments include exceeding the height requirement of 75 feet to 82 feet for the 1909 building, exceeding the minimum setback requirement of a 1-foot setback for each 2 feet of building height across from the adjacent residential on the North Kerby and North Commercial frontages (changing from 23 feet to 29 feet, 8 inches on North Kerby Avenue and from 28 feet to 32 feet on North Commercial Avenue), to raise the fence height from 8 feet to 10 feet for the athletic fields, an adjustment to reduce bike stalls from 355 to 200, and a superblock modification to provide the required plaza area but exceed the 3-to-1 ratio for the plaza area to allow connectivity from North Kerby Avenue to North Commercial Avenue.

The Portland Bureau of Development Services values the project at $21 million.

The team plans to submit a Type II Historic Resource Review application in January.

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A project team proposing to convert an existing three-story historic building in Northwest Portland into a private club and construct a five-story, mixed-use building on a surface parking lot on the property received design advice from the Historic Landmarks Commission on Monday.

The 29,997-square-foot site includes an existing building on the southern parcel and a parking lot on the northern parcel. The building, at 1819 N.W. Everett St., was constructed in 1909 as the First Church of Christ, Scientist. In 1978, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Most recently it was a theater.

The new five-story building, which would include a hotel, a restaurant and retail spaces, would be located at 1880 N.W. Flanders St.

The total project valuation is $30 million, according to a Bureau of Development Services memo.

An apartment complex next to the historic building would remain.

“The proposed hotel is set back 10 feet from that existing property line from the apartment building,” staff planner Hannah Bryant said during Monday’s hearing.

The project owner is Gaia Ventures II LLC of Las Vegas. The architect is Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture LLC (HPA) of Chicago.

The project team, led by Founders Developments, is aiming to replace parking with an active use as well as ensure the historic building’s longevity and its standing on the national register.

“We intend to convert this property into an exceptional boutique hotel, while restoring and preserving the facades of the historic building,” Founders Developments Managing Partner Tanya Toby said.

Space in the historic building would be transformed to accommodate events, food and beverage storage, wellness services, a spa, and other uses. A café is planned for the east section of the basement. The building’s interior would be retrofitted for new elevators. The first floor would include a restaurant, a coworking area and more. The second floor, currently an auditorium, would have club/event space.

A glass guardrail is proposed for the roof. The east chimney has been partially removed to accommodate a stairway. The team proposes removing the northeast chimney and replacing it with another stairway.

Many windows have been covered with acrylic plastic or wood. Part of the restoration would involve repair and refurbishment of windows. To let additional light to enter the building, a clear glass is proposed for all street-facing facades.

A concern expressed by commissioners was potential replacement of the original windows. Commissioners recommended that a thorough analysis of the windows be performed.

Some modifications in the proposal include removing the existing elevator, adding glass parapets around the roof, creating an outdoor seating area, and adding adjacent walls or other landscaping to accommodate the newly widened sidewalk.

Between the historic building and the new one, HPA is proposing installation of a covered canopy.

“We anticipate this to be a fabric awning structure, something that is temporary and not constructed or attached to the existing building,” HPA principal Andrew Becker said.

The new building would have a rooftop penthouse. The pedestrian-focused ground floor would include food and beverage use as well as three primary storefront bays. Floors two through five would have approximately 80 hotel rooms, and balconies on upper floors would have Juliet railings. A full basement would feature amenity and back-of-house uses.

Modifications for the hotel call for a corner entrance as well as multiple styles and sizes of windows. The project team believes a corner entry would be best for the hotel, Becker said, because there would be retail spaces on the ground floor. An open lobby would connect the hotel to those retail spaces.

The commissioners indicated favor for the proposed corner entrance, which would be apart from the proposed loading dock location. They also expressed interest in learning how the building would relate to the surrounding district, and not just the historic building itself.

The hotel design presented to the Historic Landmarks Commission on Monday was different than one previously shown to the Northwest District Association Planning Committee. Commissioners expressed that they preferred elements of that previous iteration. For instance, Commission Chair Kristen Minor said a light-colored brick would be better than stucco for a portion of the exterior. Also, multiple commissioners stated that arched windows included in the latest design were not necessary.

Type III design review approval is required for the project. A land use application will be reviewed when it is submitted. The next step for HPA will be to either schedule a second design advice hearing before the Historic Landmarks Commission or continue in the land use process.

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A smaller footprint is likely for an initially proposed 23-story high-rise in Portland’s Pearl District. Plans presented Monday to the Historic Landmarks Commission were significantly downscaled.

Fields Holdings‘ development for 555 N.W. Park Ave., the Philip Apartments, would be an addition to the eastern half of the historic Honeyman Hardware block that consists of the Bindery Building, the Metro Building and the Cotter Building. In all schematics proposed, the entire quarter-block Metro Building and a portion of the Bindery Building would be demolished.

Monday marked the project team’s second design advice hearing before the Historic Landmarks Commission. In February, commissioners called the 23-story tower design “overwhelming,” and its glass curtain façade “not contextual.”

The team returned with three new design options. The preferred one would be an eight-story, half-block addition with a metal and brick exterior that would hover above the two-story Bindery Building. The addition would have a penthouse suite on top.

The other two consisted of a 19-story quarter-block scheme and a 16-story version of the original design presented.

“Clearly,” Bob Thompson, applicant and TVA Architects principal said, “we were shooting for the sky on the first go around.”

The difference in the two proposals is immense; the new preferred proposal is 46 percent shorter and has 33 percent less floor area ratio and 32 percent less leasable space. Also, the number of residential units was dropped from 337 to about 200.

Public comment favored this option. However, commissioners jumped back and forth between elements in the preferred option and the quarter-block scheme, which wouldn’t have a base; instead, that 204-foot-tall structure would rise from the ground.

Yet after three and a half hours of discussion on Monday, little consensus was reached among commissioners on a direction forward for the design.

The project’s developer, Eran Fields, stated that the team will not return for a third design advice hearing. If the project is to advance, clarity is needed from the commissioners, he said.

“We took an enormous amount of time and effort to get to this point,” Fields said. “Maybe that doesn’t mean much. But for us it means a lot, and we try to come back with a building that you can’t possibly tell me that if someone bikes by, walks by, drives by, this building once built, they’re not going to be impressed.”

Thompson added that the project team is not in the business of gambling.

“There’s a lot of money that(‘s) spent in advancing these ideas,” he said. “So, the clarity is critical.”

At the end of the meeting, in round-robin style, commissioners offered their views. Commissioner Andrew Smith said all three buildings on the block should be treated like they are all different. Commissioner Peggy Moretti strongly disagreed with that, stating that the preferred option is a good path forward. Commissioner Kimberly Moreland said the preferred option works well.

However, Commissioner Matthew Roman said there are preferred option aspects that he could not support. The quarter-block schematic – although taller – is more successful, he said. Commission Chair Kristen Minor said there should be more of a mix between the quarter-block design and the preferred option.

Next up for the development team is a land use review hearing.

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A mixed-use development that will top out at eight stories won approval from the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission on Monday.

ARCOA Partners‘ project is planned for 1006 S.E. Grand Ave., within the East Portland/Grand Avenue Historic District.

Commissioners said the design had improved from earlier iterations, providing a path to approval.

“You heard and understood the comments and concerns of the commission and from my standpoint really addressed all of them,” Commissioner Andrew Smith said.

The project will add an eight-story, 75,932-square-foot mixed-use building to the existing U.S. Laundry Building (also known as the Arcoa Building). A two-story “sidecar” building will also be constructed, and a non-original, one-story building will be removed. The three-story U.S. Laundry Building was built in 1907.

Ink:Built Architecture was able to ease concerns about the planned 85-foot height and imposing size. The use of three separate forms helped reduce the apparent mass, commissioners said.

“We’re so often told larger buildings can never get approved, but you came in here and really worked with us,” Commissioner Matthew Roman said.

Vice Chairwoman Maya Foty likewise praised the project’s “elegant, thoughtful design that relates to the historical without being literal.”

ARCOA’s program calls for a mix of market-rate and affordable housing units on the upper floors and ground-floor retail space, residential amenities and mechanized parking.

The owner is ARCOA Partners, a limited liability company. Serving as owner’s representative is Eric Myers of Portland’s Arcoa Opportunity Funds LLC.

The commission approved the project 4-0, with votes from Chairwoman Kristen Minor, Foty, Roman and Smith.  Ernestina Fuenmayor was not present, and the commission has two vacancies.

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A proposal for an eight-story mixed-use building in Portland’s Central Eastside drew skeptical responses from members of the Historic Landmarks Commission this week.

An 85-foot-tall structure would rise at 1006 S.E. Grand Ave., and incorporate the U.S. Laundry Building – a contributing historic resource constructed in 1907. The project, valued at $9.8 million, is being pitched by ARCOA Partners, a limited liability company. Ink:Built Design of Portland is providing design services.

The project team received design advice from the Historic Landmarks Commission on Monday. Commissioners raised a number of issues with the scale, boldness and materiality of the proposal.

“I’m not against something more modern – and we have voted for more modern expressions – but not this large,” Commissioner Matthew Roman said. “It seems like it’s well out of scale with the adjoining context.”

Difficulties have arisen for heavily residential proposals in historic districts, where a need for more housing often clashes with stakeholders’ desire to maintain existing character. The Central Eastside is increasingly being targeted by developers looking to build relatively close to downtown.

Commissioners referred to precedents, including Grand + Belmont – a 131-unit apartment building nearby.

“We supported Grand + Belmont at about this height, and that was a bridgehead project, and I came around to voting for that because the applicant really sought a more compatible building,” Roman said.

Commissioner Maya Foty also said the building, as proposed, would clash with the context of the neighborhood.

“I feel like this is trying to be a statement building when it needs to be more of a background building,” she said.

The proposed height would be within the 100-foot limit for the property, but not necessarily suitable, according to Foty.

“The height, to me, it’s very large,” she said. “It’s very tall in this location.”

The building would offer studios and apartments with one or two bedrooms on upper floors. (The number of units was not included in project materials). The ground floor would have retail space, amenity spaces for residents, and mechanized, stacked parking.

Neighbors requested the building include as much parking as possible, Ink:Built Design principal architect Nate Ember said.

“The neighborhood really needs it,” he said, “especially if we have the Green Loop – we won’t have as much on-street parking.”

The building would adjoin the planned Green Loop on Southeast Sixth Avenue. That may pose an obstacle for alignment of the parking entrance; proposed access would be from Sixth Avenue. The Portland Bureau of Transportation is discouraging construction of new curb cuts along the Green Loop, said Teresa Montalvo, the bureau’s land-use review development supervisor.

“Because of the Green Loop, because we don’t have the standards yet – but we know fragmenting it all along the loop with driveways and creating conflicts is not going to give us what we have envisioned for this great park-like facility through the city,” she said. “So we’re starting to say if you’re on that frontage, and if you have another frontage you can go on, then we’re not going to permit off the top that driveway along the Green Loop alignment.”

A return for the project team before the Historic Landmarks Commission for a design review hearing has not been scheduled yet.

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Plans for a six-story mixed-use building in Portland’s Buckman neighborhood are on the right track but need some refinement so that it will more cohesively relate to an adjacent historic structure, according to the Historic Landmarks Commission.

In a design advice meeting last week, designers with Chicago-based Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture presented concepts for a nearly 150,000-square-foot structure at 1010 S.E. Ash St. The building would occupy the northern half of a block bounded by Southeast 10th and 11th avenues and Pine and Ash streets, and hold 135 residential units over ground-floor retail space and residential amenity space and two stories of below-grade parking.

The new structure would abut the Troy Laundry Building, which was constructed in 1913 as a commercial laundry facility and was designed by Ellis Lawrence, founder and longtime dean of the University of Oregon’s School of Architecture and Allied Arts. The entire block falls within a landmark boundary due to the Troy Laundry Building’s presence on the National Register of Historic Places.

AJ Capital Partners, also based in Chicago, purchased the full-block property this past summer from Intrinsic Ventures for $15.65 million. In addition to the new residential structure, the developer is planning adaptive reuse of the Troy Laundry Building, including a rooftop addition.

Designers took cues from the architecture of the Troy Laundry Building to create a concept for the adjacent structure. The new building would be clad in a dark charcoal brick in order to complement, rather than compete with, the red brick of its neighbor.

“The goal for 1010 S.E. Ash is not to be a historic building, but to bring a sophisticated level of detail to the urban fabric inspired by the historic context,” said Beth Nowicke, a project architect with Hartshorne Plunkard.

While commissioners and Bureau of Development Services staffers were generally complimentary of the building’s design – including its height, massing and materials – one major sticking point was the relationship between the buildings as they meet mid-block. A stepped-down portion of the new building, at five stories in height, would overwhelm the existing two-story structure at their adjoining point, commissioners said.

“The step-down bay is modest at best, and I think is awkward,” Commissioner Andrew Smith said. “The way it’s designed is, I think, a big problem.”

Though the buildings will not be connected, commissioners agreed that the new structure should be treated as an addition because it falls within the landmark area. Commissioners suggested decreasing the massing of, or eliminating entirely, the stepped-down portion of the new building to soften the transition to the Troy Laundry Building. To make up for the square footage lost in doing so, some commissioners floated the idea of increasing the building height by one floor – an uncommon suggestion from the Historic Landmarks Commission.

“We’re all talking about density and trying to bring more density into the city,” Commissioner Derek Spears said. “I would definitely be OK with another floor going in if we’re going to take out some additional residents at (the step-down).”

At six stories, the building is maxed out at allowable height for Type III-A construction, so adding a story would be a challenge, Nowicke noted.

During the hearing, commissioners also provided positive early feedback on plans for the nearly 6,000-square-foot rooftop addition – including terrace space and a swimming pool – to the Troy Laundry Building. The scope of the planned building renovation is forthcoming, but will include a full window and façade restoration, seismic upgrades, and fire/life safety requirements. Upgrades to the historic building will eventually go before the commission in a separate design review hearing.

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A proposal for an eight-story, 134,000-square-foot office building in the East Portland Grand Avenue Historic District drew criticism from the Historic Landmarks Commission on Monday for overall excessive size and scale.

The structure would be built on a half-block parcel fronting Southeast Grand Avenue between Ash and Pine streets. But with many of the surrounding buildings in the historic district rising only three or four stories, commissioners expressed concern at a design advice hearing that the new building would simply overwhelm everything around it.

“My understanding of this district is certainly some degree of differentiation is OK,” Historic Landmarks Commission Chairwoman Kristen Minor said. “But right now this scheme is too much; it feels like too much mass. And when you look at all the examples, the buildings that are contributing to the district are generally one to four stories.”

TVA Architects is designing the project for Sturgeon Development Partners. As submitted, the building would feature glulam columns and beams and cross-laminated timber panels on the interior. Precast concrete panels would clad the exterior in a similar manner as the Weatherly Building and other contributing historic buildings in the district.

Bob Thompson, a principal with TVA Architects, told commissioners that when it comes to context, the most important thing to consider is what will happen in the district in years ahead.

“You’re going to see development in this area over the next 15 years like you’ve never seen before,” he said. “We’re looking at it beyond what it is today. If we can work within the framework we’re talking about, I think you’ll be happy with how we incorporate this constructive feedback we’ve gotten today.”

On top of the building’s massing and scale, however, concerns also were raised about the so-called wedding cake architectural style that calls for a distinct base, midsection and top. While this is a common way buildings in this district are delineated, commissioners noted that the proposal for the new building could go further.

“I do think the idea of having a two-story base has been done in this building,” Minor said. “The Weatherly (Building) has a really explicit two-story base to it and the thing that building does is that there is a very clear distinction between the pattern of openings and the entire fenestration pattern at the base at the Weatherly.”

Commissioners expressed strong support for the use of CLT and exposed glulam beams and columns, as well as a generally open feel with large window openings to provide transparency and show off the natural wood finishes.

But that same aesthetic interest also contrasts with the historic aspects of the surrounding buildings and the district as a whole.

“I don’t mind concrete as a material, and look at the Weatherly Building – it is one that has painted concrete,” Minor said. “But there are so many fine details that really add to that building that need to be brought into this building. I’m with you, Commissioner (Maya) Foty, in that I do want to see the CLT construction here; I think it’s inherently beautiful. But also I think it’s going to be tough to have a building that has this degree of openness all the way up. It makes it hard to fit in.”

The project proposal is expected to change before it is submitted for design review.

“I think most commissioners might be amenable to seeing this building at this scale,” Minor said. “But I just think that the response to how this building must shift must change volumetrically.”

Foty agreed.

“It would be easier if it was a little shorter to blend in,” she said. “For me, personally, I really need conviction that it will fit in this neighborhood. But I’d be willing to review it at the same height.”

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The team proposing a core-and-shell renovation of the historic Multnomah County Courthouse still has hurdles to cross before it can gain the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission‘s approval.

Historic landmarks commissioners and city staff discussed the project at a three-hour hearing on Monday. They related concerns with transportation impacts and loading on Southwest Salmon Street, removal of some historic materials from the building and changes to lighting, and the placement and size of doors and windows.

GBD Architects is charged with designing a conversion of the full-block brick masonry building completed in 1914 into a modern office space for Portland-based NBP Capital. The 300,000-square-foot courthouse, at 1021 S.W. Fourth Ave., once housed prisoners and is familiar to many Portlanders who have paid traffic tickets and settled legal matters there for generations.

The building on the downtown Park Blocks is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, so proposed changes must also win approval from the National Park Service and State Historic Preservation Office to secure needed tax credits.

NBP Capital purchased the courthouse from the county in November 2018 for $28 million. After considering a hotel use, NBP has opted to bet on Portland’s rapidly expanding office market as tech firms jockey to lease attractive urban workplaces.

Traffic impacts loom large for the proposal. GBD is engaged in ongoing discussions with the Portland Bureau of Transportation regarding loading from Salmon Street and related issues.

“We were hoping we’d be able to come in here with the transportation things resolved,” said Agustin Enriquez, a GBD design director. “We’re not quite there yet.”

A PBOT representative said the agency needs more information from the project team.

“We don’t know much about the proposal yet,” PBOT’s Tammy Borden-King said.

As designed, trucks would back into the building’s single loading area, at times blocking both traffic lanes on Salmon Street. PBOT requested the applicant consider moving the loading to Southwest Main Street on the building’s south elevation.

“We asked them to study both,” Borden-King said. “They declined to do that; they only studied Salmon.”

The loading is needed to supply a ground-floor restaurant, and to provide trash and recycling services, Enriquez said.

GBD has abandoned plans for parking at the building.

The building’s central courtyard – sort of a donut hole in the center of the square exterior – will enable a contractor to perform a seismic upgrade with minimal disturbance to the structure, Enriquez said.

“We don’t have to remove a lot of material in the center of the building to seismically upgrade a very heavy masonry building,” he said. “That allows the building to be upgraded without really having to gut the inside.”

GBD proposes to convert old jail cells on the penthouse level into transparent office space with substantial window coverage. That portion of the existing structure is made of hollow clay tile. That material is not historically important, commissioners said, adding they were open to granting more leeway at the penthouse level.

Chairwoman Kristen Minor said the height of the penthouse level could be an issue for pedestrians and observers from other downtown buildings.

“I have a little concern that now we’re creating a wedding cake,” she said.

The project previously came before the Historic Landmarks Commission for a design advice hearing on Sept. 9, 2019, and a land use review hearing on Oct. 25, 2019. The project is tentatively scheduled to return on March 23.

Enriquez said the project team should be able to satisfy the commission’s objections.

“I think we could solve all these things,” he said.

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Developer Kevin Cavenaugh’s latest brainstorm – a proposal for a 14-unit residential project in the Nob Hill neighborhood – got a hearty go-ahead from Portland’s Historic Landmarks Commission on Monday.

DAO Architecture designed the Unicorn Bed Apartments, two three-story buildings, for Cavenaugh’s Guerrilla Development. The complex will occupy a 5,000-square-foot lot at 2171 N.W. Glisan St., and drawings suggest it will strongly resemble the type of wood-clad walk-up commonly found a century ago.

“I like the simplicity of the design and I like the more modern interpretation of a historic design, including the iron railings,” Commissioner Matthew Roman said just prior to the unanimous vote to approve the proposal. “It’s putting a modern building together that still has the warmth and human scale; it just feels like it’s not just a machine-made monster unpacked from someplace else.”

An existing triplex is set back from the street on the lot, with a small surface parking lot in front. The building will be demolished to make way for the new development, which will feature 13 two-bedroom units approximately 600 square feet each. The 14th unit is intended to provide residents with a day care space, but it could be converted into another residence.

At least one of the ground-floor apartments will be fully accessible for persons with disabilities as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Exterior materials will include a concrete foundation, wood lap siding, aluminum-clad windows, standing-seam metal roofing, and ornate, laser-cut metal railings.

Commissioners approved requested modifications to building height, side setbacks, landscaped areas and pedestrian path width.

The proposal calls for bicycle storage in the building’s basement, but no motor vehicle parking.

The building is geared to serve single mothers with young children, and the on-site day care space is intended to attract such tenants. The plan is for rents to be “affordable.”

“Existing zoning would allow a much larger structure here, but our client and landowner have prioritized a different direction to fit a special population of tenants,” DAO Architecture principal David Horsley said. “We believe it’s this program and the architectural features of the project that have garnered such positive feedback from the neighborhood association.”

Guerrilla Development has gained much attention for its colorful, bold projects such as the Fair-Haired Dumbbell and Tree Farm. But the Unicorn Bed Apartments, at a glance, does not follow suit. The neutral color palette, siding and metal railings all hark back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when multifamily buildings came in many more shapes and sizes than typically are found in Portland now. The surrounding neighborhood features a mix of historic single-family and multifamily structures.

“We wanted to create a modest, welcoming, dignified project for families that blends into the neighborhood context,” DAO Architecture principal Joanne Le said.

The commission did not spend a long time deliberating. Instead, the jovial discussion ended up in laughter.

“It fits in so well,” Commissioner Derek Spears said. “I can see that the building in that spot fits in perfectly. One thing, and humor me here, but I don’t see any unicorns on the side though.”

Roman quickly answered.

“Some,” he said with a chuckle, “argue affordable housing in a historic district is a unicorn.”

But maybe not.

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