Design commissioners have unanimously approved plans for a second phase of the Under Armour construction project taking shape along Barbur Boulevard in Southwest Portland.

Under Armour and InterUrban Development of Seattle won approval to add a third floor and enlarge the second floor of the existing 64,400-square-foot building, completed in 1977, to provide 42,420 additional square feet.

The building is set to be an important outpost for Under Armour, a Baltimore-based shoe and apparel company that has followed Nike and Adidas in setting down stakes in Portland.

The building at 2815 S.W. Barbur Blvd. would now top out at 46 feet, 3 inches, or slightly above the site’s 45-foot limit.

The first phase of construction is under way, with completion expected in January. The second phase is expected to wrap up later in 2017.

The project is designed by Bora Architects. Lease Crutcher Lewis is the general contractor.

Workers have gutted the existing building, originally a YMCA, for use by Under Armour. Duniway Park fronts the building. Improvements to the park, including a new track and synthetic turf field, are wrapping up in a partnership with Portland Parks and Recreation.

The project team is concurrently seeking a zoning change and comprehensive plan amendment because the site already exceeds its maximum zoned use. The proposed zoning change is from CN2d, a neighborhood commercial zoning, to CSd, a commercial storefront zoning.

The zoning change proposal will go before a hearings officer and eventually the City Council.

If the project’s reception by design commissioners is any indication, the project has substantial support.

“I think the building actually is better with this addition,” said Sam Rodriguez, a developer and the newest member of the Design Commission. “The green roof and the way it frames the project, it’s a good addition. It’s a fantastic project.”

Design commissioner Julie Livingston also said adding a third floor will improve the building’s aesthetics.

“It is really lovely,” she said. “The building actually looks completely finished.”

Rob Brewster, president of InterUrban Development and owner of the building, responded to neighborhood concerns that the building would cast too much light onto residences along Terwilliger Boulevard. Architects enlarged and moved the design’s eco-roof and canted skylights to redirect light away from the hill.

Jim Gardner, land use committee chairman of the South Portland Neighborhood Association, testified in support of the project. The association held a hearing on InterUrban Development’s proposal on Nov. 15.

“We’re happy to see it going forward,” Gardner said. “Adding a third story essentially doesn’t have any negative impacts on the neighbors at all and in some perspectives helps the building look more complete.”

As part of the expansion, a second-floor terrace will be brought indoors to create more occupiable space. A new terrace will be built on the third floor.

“We’re kind of carving out these outdoor meeting spaces to further reduce the mass of the addition,” said Brad Demby, a Bora associate principal who presented the project along with Bora’s Leslie Cliffe.

The building would have a floor-to-area ratio of 2.03 to 1.

Dark green glass helps the building blend into the hillside, Demby said. The design also makes extensive use of heavy timber in ceilings, beams and around the edges of the upper levels.

Design commissioner Don Vallaster said the project’s initial phase was shaping up well.

“Phase I came out looking really good, by the way, and similar to your presentation, which doesn’t always happen,” he said.

Also on Thursday:

Multifamily project back to drawing board

Design commissioners turned back a proposal for the Ankeny Apartments – two buildings planned at 1122 S.E. Ankeny St., just south of Burnside Street in the Central Eastside.

The buildings, one six stories and one five stories, would hold 17 apartments in total.

The site is L-shaped, requiring the proposed buildings to wrap around two historic homes, both built in 1904, that are not owned by the applicant. A 113-year-old house on the proposed site that is owned by the applicant would be demolished.

Some design commissioners said the project appears too large for the 5,380-square-foot parcel. The development would nearly reach the edge of the property at all sides, with no setbacks.

“This is overbuilt for its site,” Commissioner Julie Livingston said.

Commissioner Don Vallaster expressed concern about the exterior glaze.

“I wouldn’t want to live on the south side of this thing,” he said. “The glaze would fry me.”

Their critiques echoed criticisms from neighbors. The project has attracted residents’ criticisms for its height, which exceeds 50 feet, and lack of setbacks.

Bureau of Development Services staff recommended denial, citing issues with the proposal’s neighborhood context and external lighting.

The design is by YGH Architecture. The owner is listed as Landon Crowell.

Rather than face an adverse vote, the project team opted to return for another hearing on Jan. 5, 2017. Architects said they would work to minimize the apparent mass of the design.

It will be the project’s third design review hearing; the initial hearing was held Oct. 6.

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Portland design commissioners on Thursday praised designs while giving advice for two projects: the expansion of a Southwest Portland building to suit Under Armour, and construction of an 11-story mixed-use building at 710 E. Burnside St.

Polyphon Architecture and Design is working on the mixed-use project. Plans call for a ground floor with double-height retail space, two floors of office space, seven stories containing 49 residential units and underground parking.

The design was completely redone following the previous design advice hearing last fall, city planner Ben Nielsen said. Instead of flat walls, the new design features terraces and balconies of different sizes on one side of the building, giving it a dramatic look.

“Our concept, our idea was to look at a piece of geology that was all weathered and you could see all the strata,” Polyphon principal Schuyler Smith said.

Another major change was the addition of units on the roof and a reduced green roof.

One issue for commissioners was the treatment of the stairwell, which they felt was out of place compared to the rest of the design.

But overall, commissioners liked the new design, Commissioner David Wark said.

“To summarize our feelings, the effect is extremely well done but with just a few bugaboos in terms of the lease and the PBOT (Portland Bureau of Transportation) requirement for the (Burnside) arcade district,” he said.

After the meeting, Smith explained that the Burnside arcade district is an area on East Burnside Street from Martin Luther King Boulevard to 12th Avenue. The district was created after Burnside Street was widened by absorbing sidewalks. Businesses had to move their storefronts back to accommodate new sidewalks, creating an arcade effect at street level.

In keeping with that history, new construction must create the arcade effect at street level or mitigate it with elements such as terraces and balconies. In this case, the design features both.

“We have a post-tension concrete structure and can take 12 feet off the building,” Smith said.

But because these elements or balconies would extend over city property, the developer would have to sign a 30-year lease with the city.

Cost is not an issue, Smith said, but the developer would prefer to have a 100-year lease. Smith said he hopes the lease issue gets resolved and won’t hold up the project. He later said he was informed that the city was considering lease terms of only $1 per year.

Under Armour Portland office

The approval process for the addition of a third floor to a building at 2815 S.W. Barbur Blvd. won’t be a quick one. The building is being renovated by sportswear company Under Armour, but the addition requires the Portland City Council‘s OK, Nielsen said.

“Current zoning won’t allow a third floor,” he said. “In order to add that they would go through design review and comprehensive plan and zoning change review, which the City Council will have to approve.”

Nielsen said expansion of the building’s second floor and the addition of a third will add 41,420 square feet. The total floor area will then be 151,182 square feet.

Commissioners discussed whether adding a third floor would obstruct the view to the mountains from a hiking trail above, but Commissioner Jeff Simpson said he had visited the site and didn’t see a problem.

“I’ve been to the viewpoint and it actually improves the view,” he said.

Architect Leslie Cliffe of Bora Architects, the building’s designer, said she doesn’t expect a speedy process because of the zoning challenges; many would become moot once the city adopts its 2035 Comprehensive Plan.

Cliffe said the design of the third floor will incorporate glulam roof columns and beams, as well as a 17,000-square-foot eco-roof on the west side along with a skylight.

The building is being reskinned with large amounts of new glass, Nielsen said.

Overall, commissioners seemed pleased with the design.

“I love the materials and like the direction you’re taking it,” Commissioner Andrew Clarke said.

Wark agreed.

“You are taking the essence of the building and improving on it,” he said. “I really admire the work you’ve done on this.”

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• Early assistance is sought for a proposed six-story, 58-unit residential building with ground-floor parking at 304 N.E. 99th Ave. The applicant is Eric Rystadt of Main Street Development, and the owner is 244 and 304 NE 99th LLC.

• Early assistance is pending for a proposed three-story enclosed mini-storage facility with drive-thru access at 2922 S.E. 82nd Ave. The applicant is Tom Jones of NW Storage 82nd Ave LLC, and the owner is 2922 SE 82nd LLC.

• A pre-application conference is requested to discuss a Type III Comprehensive Plan map amendment, zoning map amendment, and design review for the second phase of renovations to the former YMCA building at 2815 S.W. Barbur Blvd. being remodeled for Under Armour. The applicant is Tim Brooks of Winterbrook Planning, and the owner is Seattle-based Run Our Dream LLC.

• A Type II adjustment review is sought to remove the loading zone requirement for a five-story, 50-unit apartment building proposed at 233 N.W. 16th Ave. The applicant is Gene Bolante of Studio 3 Architecture, and the owner is Redwood PDX LLC, which is registered to developer Mark Madden of WDC Properties.

• A Type II design review is sought for exterior improvements to the building at 808 S.W. Alder St. Proposed work includes a new storefront and façade finishes on the first floor, new windows on the upper floors, and a new paint scheme for the entire building. The applicant is Steven Varblow of LRS Architects, and the owner is Alder Park Investments LLC.

• A Type II design review is requested for a four-over-one apartment building with one level of parking on a St. Johns block bounded by North Crawford and Decatur streets and John and Charleston avenues. The project includes 101 units and 40 parking spaces. The applicants are requesting two modifications – one for ground-floor window standards, and one to increase the building’s height. The applicant is Chris Spurgin of Stack Architecture, and the owner is North Crawford Partners LLC.

• A Type II design review is sought for a new 10-story creative office building with ground-floor retail space, bicycle parking and rooftop amenities at 912 S.W. Third Ave. The project is part of Third & Taylor Development’s redevelopment that also calls for a 20-story hotel tower. The applicant is Jack Onder of Third & Taylor Development LLC, and the owner is Third & Taylor Office Owner LLC.

• A Type II environmental review is requested for the replacement of a bridge crossing Crystal Springs Creek at Oregon Route 99E. The applicants are Tom McConnell and Nicole Peirce of ODOT, and the owners are Matt Kaiel of TriMet and Brian Sweeney of Westmoreland Union Manor One LP.

Source: Portland Bureau of Development Services

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Under Armour‘s ambitions in Portland are growing.

The Baltimore-based athletic apparel and accessories company is moving its Portland corporate office into an existing building that it plans to enlarge by 40,000 square feet, according to a news release from George Smith Partners of Los Angeles. The investment banking firm secured $19.9 million in bridge/rehab financing for the build-to-suit project that will expand the former YMCA building to 108,698 square feet.

Under Armour currently occupies space in the General Automotive Building, at 411 N.W. Park Ave. But it has signed a 15-year lease for the building at 2815 S.W. Barbur Blvd. The building, constructed in 1977, overlooks Duniway Park, south of downtown, and is owned by Run Our Dream LLC, an entity associated with Robert Brewster of Seattle’s Interurban Development.

Finding comparable properties for lenders’ consideration was a challenge, and the scope of the work to convert the asset added risk to the deal, according to George Smith Partners principal Malcolm Davies. Nevertheless, a lender recognized the loan’s value, he said.

Under Armour and George Smith Partners declined interview requests.

Under Armour is looking to grow its presence in Nike‘s backyard. Under Armour has aggressively entered the ranks of college and professional athletics, most notably inking NBA star Stephen Curry to a long-term endorsement deal.

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