The Portland Design Commission unanimously approved plans for a six-story mixed-use building in North Portland after an earlier staff denial.

Commissioners voted 6-0 to approve the project at 3217 N. Williams Ave. on Thursday. Commissioner Jessica Molinar did not participate in the vote.

The project consists of 73 residential units with approximately 2,740 square feet of ground-level retail space and 19 parking spaces in partially below-grade structured parking. The building also features a raised internal courtyard.

The original application called for two buildings, but property owner Deborah Parker opted to go forward with only one. The property is an L-shaped collection of three parcels bounded by North Williams and Vancouver avenues and North Cook and Fargo streets. Currently, The People’s Pig, a barbecue restaurant, occupies the property; however, that structure will be demolished.

Thursday’s hearing was the third appeal hearing for the project. Bureau of Development Services staff denied modifications requested for project approval in an April 9 decision letter.

Parker and the project’s architects have since changed the project in several ways. The applicant agreed to work with the Regional Arts and Culture Council to install a public art piece on a blank wall facing Cook Street that will reflect the history of the site and surrounding area. The applicant also agreed to build a secondary lobby along Cook Street to help activate the frontage.

Commissioner Tad Savinar urged Parker to allocate an appropriate amount of money toward the artwork.

“I think it’s critical for this to work – there has to be a certain budget allotted for this that is conducive to a respectful work of art,” he said.

Commissioner Zari Santner said RACC is optimistic the project team will “work with an artist to create something that is worthy of the heritage of that neighborhood.”

“I want to commend the applicants for being patient to work with the commission,” she said. “As a result, your project is a far better project when it’s built.”

The appeal also included more information about landscaping, lighting and other details that were not included in the original application.

The project team exchanged some vehicle parking for additional bike parking. The building will have 108 long-term bicycle parking spaces.

Parker’s architect of record was Jennifer Nye of William Wilson Architects. Local architect Ken Moholt-Siebert designed earlier iterations of the project. Parker was also represented by attorney E. Michael Connors of Portland firm Hathaway Larson.

Parker, who currently resides in Los Angeles but formerly was a longtime North Portland resident, has been planning the project since at least 2013. At that time, draft plans called for four live-work units.

Parker also owns the property at 33 N. Fargo St. Some design work has been done for a project there, but Parker opted not to go forward with it at this time, Nye said.

The neighborhood has seen an explosion of new development, particularly multifamily projects. The Century, a five-story, 104-unit apartment building, has been completed on the northwest corner of the block. Cook Street Apartments, a six-story, 206-unit mixed-use building, has been completed a block to the north. A New Seasons grocery store was built two blocks to the north.

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An elaborate, decorative mural created to beautify the Multnomah County Courthouse job site may wind up finding a permanent home when the job is complete a couple of years from now.

The mural, spearheaded by Portland artist Ralph Pugay and students from the King School Museum of Contemporary Art, currently adorns a temporary pedestrian shelter on the north side of the job site along Southwest Madison Street between Southwest First Avenue and the Hawthorne Bridge‘s west end. The artwork depicts a jury box filled with people representing the concept of a “jury of your peers.”

It was, Pugay said, an educational experience for students and teachers alike. The art community, the judicial branch and the construction industry converged for one project.

“It seemed really interesting for us to create a project that is courthouse-related,” Pugay said last week following a short dedication ceremony for the mural. “So what we ended up doing is creating a mural that is about us thinking about what … a non-partial jury (looks) like.”

Viewers now see 86 artistic portraits – figures created by students and superimposed into a courthouse environment. It relates to the new 17-story Multnomah County Courthouse building that is rising floor by floor on the adjacent site under the direction of general contractor Hoffman Construction.

“I think the students got to learn a lot about the process of construction but also about the judicial process,” Pugay said. “And me too.”

Overseeing the work, and helping connect all the moving parts, was the Regional Arts and Culture Council. It worked with the King School Museum of Contemporary Art and its staff to organize the initial art and its eventual installation by Hoffman Construction on the pedestrian walkway.

It all came together last week, when everyone involved gathered at the Hawthorne Bridge‘s west end to dedicate the mural. The event was attended by Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Nan Waller, Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith and numerous others from both the public and private sectors.

“Part of our initial experience was to talk to and have a conversation with Judge Waller around what she does as a judge, but also what the new courthouse is for,” said Pugay, who has taught art classes at the King School for the past year.

Waller was all smiles at the dedication as she surveyed the mural and spoke with students and other visitors.

“Hopefully we can find a place for it in the new courthouse,” Waller told the assembled group of King students. “Since I’ll be in the new courthouse, maybe I can figure out a way of getting it in my new courtroom.”

Each of the 86 figures was originally drawn by one of the 13 students in Pugay’s class. And because of time constraints, the project was carried out over a span of hours, not days or weeks. In fact, when it came down to the drawing itself, each figure received just seven minutes worth of work. Pugay ensured that by timing each drawing session.

“We only had about two class sessions to work on it,” he said. “Because the class happens at one in the afternoon, and at that time everyone is kind of (sleepy), so it seemed like a good idea to keep time. I think that in that way if we had seven minutes for each drawing there’s not a lot of time for overthinking.”

Once the initial 11-inch-by-14-inch drawings were complete, they were scanned into digital files and enlarged for printing. The resulting prints were placed on panels in the pedestrian shelter and laminated to protect against ultraviolet light and other dangers.

King School teacher Kiera Asay oversees the school’s leadership class, which provided the artists for the mural. The students experienced a lot of growth during the project, both artistically and personally, she said.

“We had to just be comfortable with discomfort and getting away with our mistakes,” she said. “The students, I really appreciate how they’re owning every part of it; they’re definitely owning the good and the bad. … It’s really exciting to see them get so excited about their work.”

There were smiles all around as the students toured the site and saw the sheer size of their work and how thousands of passersby, both on foot and in vehicles, were going to be viewing the mural each day.

“It has turned out to be really informative and something that I think that is very impactful, especially after today,” Asay said. “Coming and seeing it through, I think has been very impactful for them.”

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The Portland Design Commission has a major and lasting impact on development. That has led the city to set up a process to ensure the group is balanced and effective.

“The folks we have now know their business,” Design Commission Chairwoman Julie Livingston said. “We have some nice diversity.”

More is on the way. The commission’s former chairman, David Wark, finished his second and final term in October, and the city is now preparing to add a new design commissioner for the first time since last year. All of the existing six are in their first term.

The selection process involves applicants submitting letters of interest to the Bureau of Development Services (BDS). Candidates are vetted and interviewed to determine whether they would be suitable design commissioners.

Once BDS staffers identify the candidate they believe is most qualified, the bureau’s director passes the name to the mayor. Following an official nomination, the candidate appears before the City Council for approval.

One complicating factor in replacing Wark is that his position also serves as a representative of the Regional Arts and Culture Commission (RACC), so it must approve any applicant. The person also must agree to serve on the public arts committee, which meets once per month.

“This appointment is different than the others,” said Kara Fioravanti, supervising planner at BDS. “The appointment is nominated by RACC, (City) Commissioner (Nick) Fish and then approved by the mayor.”

In addition to a RACC representative, the Design Commission includes one person representing the public at-large. The remaining five members must be experienced in design, engineering, financing, construction or building management, and land development. No more than two members may represent any one of these areas.

A successful applicant needs to know the basics of the city’s complex design guidelines. He or she also needs to generally understand architecture and land development.

However, the person also can’t have too many financial ties to projects that will come before the Design Commission.

“We do talk about this,” Livingston said. “There are people who, based on the work they have done and who their clients are, would not be a good applicant for the commission. They would have to constantly recuse themselves because of their financial interests.”

Currently, the commission has a mix of people with both architecture and development backgrounds. Livingston has worked as an architect for Bora Architects and her own firm. Now she is an owner’s representative for affordable housing projects involving Home Forward.

“Right now I think everyone does have some real estate background as well as design,” Livingston said. “Everybody has that kind of common grounding.”

Usually, many candidates are ready to serve on the Design Commission, Fioravanti said.

“We get plenty of interest,” she said. “I guess you could call it a waiting list. There aren’t a lot of openings.”

Plus, the requirements aren’t so restrictive that they preclude many people from serving on the commission.

“Basically anyone who doesn’t have (a) bracelet on their ankle is eligible,” Livingston said.

Finding the right person can be a time-consuming process. It generally takes three to four months, according to Fioravanti.

“We allow about a month (for applicants) to submit interest forms,” she said. “We have to get together a lot of paperwork, go through the applications and vet it internally. The most difficult (position to fill) is (this) one, where we are asking someone to volunteer on two boards.”

Wark served for nearly 10 years – nearly two years of Mike McCulloch’s remaining time – and the maximum two four-year terms. But not everyone stays so long. They are volunteers, with other commitments.

“People have lives,” Livingston said. “Some people serve two terms, others one. You have no control over when someone leaves.”

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