A development firm based in Lake Oswego is planning to build a pair of connected, 10-story laboratory buildings on a full block in Southeast Portland.

Summit Development Group‘s New Industrial Revolution (NIR) campus, will have approximately 347,000 gross square feet of space designed by Hennebery Eddy Architects to accommodate lab, research, office and retail use.

The project will be built by general contractor R&H Construction on property comprised of four separate parcels on the block between Southeast Stark and Washington streets and Ninth and 10th avenues. The parcels were jointly purchased by NIR OP LLC, on March 6, for $5.79 million, according to public records.

“We are creating a very innovative building using cross-laminated timber supported by steel core,” Summit Development Group President and Chief Operating Officer Eric Saunders stated in a press release.

The two buildings will be joined in an ‘H’ shape and feature a common courtyard, several small restaurants or coffee shops or other commercial tenants.

Specific features planned for the NIR include: complete HEPA filtration; a modular layout designed for research and development; BioSafety Level 2 laboratory space; segregated laboratory plumbing and independent HVAC systems; backup power; underground vehicle parking; and extensive bicycle parking with locker rooms.

The campus will rise near Summit Development Group’s Eastside Innovation Hub, at 808 S.E. Alder St. The two projects are the first ones to be built in the Central Eastside specifically for emerging and growing bioscience firms, according to the developer. It’s part of the Portland Innovation Quadrant initiative – a priority within the city’s 2035 Comprehensive Plan. The first project to come out of that was the Collaborative Life Sciences Building in the South Waterfront District. The Knight Cancer Research Building came next, and then the 40,000-square-foot Eastside Innovation Hub was announced last year.

“We consider this project, the NIR Center, to be at the heart of the Innovation Quadrant’s intent,” Summit Development Chief Development Officer Eric Myers stated in the press release. “The project repurposes an industrial-zoned site for innovative research and development.”

Development will grow with the arrivals of additional tenants, according to Myers, with Phase I (approximately 163,000 square feet) expected to be ready by summer 2021.

Two letters of intent have been signed by life science tenants for space in NIR, according to Summit. Leasing is being handled by Real Estate Investment Group.

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Guardian Real Estate Services has tried for two years to find a financially viable plan for a mixed-use project on Block 290. The Portland Design Commission on Thursday told the developer and its new architect, LRS Architects, they still had some work to do.

“The challenge is, is there a sweet spot between the neighborhood and the development that is economically rewarding and feasible?” Design Commission Vice Chairman Tad Savinar said. “I keep racking my brain … Where is that sweet spot?”

The Design Commission decided to form a subcommittee to meet with neighbors and developers in two weeks to try to iron out some of the challenges.

Those development challenges are considerable. The site, at 1417 N.W. 20th Ave., is governed by the Con-way Master Plan as well as design guidelines. The current project would require amendments to the master plan, which envisioned a large public square. The Northwest District Association and multiple neighbors spoke against the project.

Development began in 2015, when three design advice hearings took place. It was scheduled for a formal review in May 2016, but was withdrawn a day beforehand.

The developers put the project on hold, and LRS Architects was brought in to find a viable design that former designer YBA Architects couldn’t. The development team said that the delays and multiple design iterations have cost the company more than $2 million.

“We just couldn’t find a financially viable solution before,” said Briana Murtaugh, development project manager for Guardian Real Estate Services.

LRS Architects Senior Associate Greg Mitchell presented a design that drew many of the same objections directed toward earlier versions.

As proposed, three sides of the building would wrap around an open square, with public access portals on Northwest 21st Avenue and Pettygrove Street. Also, a pedestrian walkway would offer portals to the square and large park east of the complex.

The biggest problem stems from the definition of a public square. Neighbors claim the design more closely fits the definition of a private courtyard than a public square. They claim it would be devoid of sunlight and closed off from the rest of the neighborhood.

The designers disagree, claiming the design meets the all the requirements in terms of open space. They argued that the commission should judge the design they presented.

“In terms of the sweet spot, we found it,” said Thomas Brenneke, president of Guardian Real Estate Services.

Commissioners debated a variety of changes that might add open space and sunlight to the square. The most likely solution they came up with was to reduce the height on some elevations of the structure and add height to the other elevations.

That would present its own challenges, according to the development team. The current design calls for a maximum height of 57 feet. Structures taller 77 feet must have more advanced fire suppression systems and faster elevators; structures taller than 125 feet must have even more advanced and faster ones. That would add to the project cost, requiring the addition of residential units. Adding units would mean also increasing parking garage capacity – possibly via more floors.

Developers were unsure if such a design could be financially viable.

Other smaller issues – such as how the position of power lines might affect the entire development’s location – also exist.

“It’s a Rubik’s Cube,” Mitchell said.

The Design Commission’s ultimate decision was to create a subcommittee consisting of Chairman David Wark, and commissioners Don Vallaster and Andrew Clarke. The subcommittee in two weeks will meet with the design team and neighbors to see if a revised design can meet the goals of both the developer and neighbors.

The results of that meeting will be reviewed at a hearing on June 1.

Also on Thursday:

Press Blocks

The Design Commission unanimously approved revisions for the Press Blocks project, which will sit on lots at 817 S.W. 17th Ave. and 1621 S.W. Taylor St.

The Goose Hollow project, spearheaded by Urban Renaissance Group and Security Properties, had support from many of the business and neighborhood groups in the area. Mithun, from Seattle, and GBD Architects came up with the design for the three-building complex.

Many of the issued raised by commissioners previously revolved around the proposed office building at Southwest 18th Avenue and Yamhill Street. The design did not reflect the prominence of the location, they said.

Revisions submitted on Thursday included lightening the building’s color, making the corner of the building less oppressive and including a more prominent balcony feature.

For the mid-block office building, the design team focused on creating more area for pedestrians.

Also, the residential tower’s north and south elevations were altered to blend better with the rest of the building. Colors were changed to more earth tones to make the building appear warmer and more residential in nature. The team also enlarged the entry to make it more prominent.

The changes received widespread praise from the commissioners.

“I think this is a really sophisticated addition to the Goose Hollow – all three buildings,” Commissioner Julie Livingston said. “This is a really good response to the guidelines.”

The new structure will sit east of Providence Park.

“The refinements are all positive and much appreciated,” Wark said. “It gives it that extra level of excellence that we want. Overall, it’s extremely successful.”

5615 S.W. Hood Ave.

A proposal for a cross-laminated timber, four-story office building with ground-floor retail space was approved by the Portland Design Commission via a 6-0 vote. The commission added three conditions: 1, expanding an elevator lobby; 2, adding a canopy to the lobby entry; and 3, moving the canopy up so it’s closer to the second floor’s underside.

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