The proposed Grand Belmont building at 514 S.E. Belmont St., got approval from the Historic Landmarks Commission, but at a cost. Originally planned in 2015 as a 23-story tower, it now is due to be a seven-story mixed-use structure.

The original design called for 214 residential units, a rooftop common room with an exterior terrace, three ground-floor retail spaces totaling 6,500 square feet and 102 parking spaces in the podium portion. A smaller 14-story version was also presented as an option.

What finally gained the commission’s approval is a seven-story building with 121 residential units and 6,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Parking for 14 cars and 184 bicycles will also be included.

The 81-foot-tall building, however, will stand much shorter than the 240-foot-tall one proposed first. The development will replace a parking lot and Dutch Bros. coffee stand.

The project has been through multiple design iterations and two architects since it was first proposed. Vallaster Corl, the original architect, submitted several proposals for soaring buildings all taller than 10 stories; however, none could get past the landmarks commission.

Design advice requests for the project were submitted to the commission three times, first in August 2015 for a 15-story structure. The building went before the commission again in September 2015 and once more in March 2016.

“It became clear that the commission was most likely not going to support a tower,” said Scott Passman, an architect with Ankrom Moisan Architects.

Facing potential denial for the project, developer Urban Asset Advisors had to choose whether to appeal that likely denial to the Portland City Council or go in an entirely new direction.

“There are a number of factors when determining whether to appeal a project,” said Seth Henderson, Urban Asset Advisors’ vice president of project management. “What is the legal basis for the appeal and the recent history of successful appeals? What are the chances of the appeal being successful based on the individuals sitting on the appellant body? What is the duration of said appeals as well as cost? Who will be paying the cost and will market conditions have improved or declined during the delay? The decision to modify our development approach for this specific property was a culmination of these factors.”

Once the decision was made to change course, the next was to turn the project over to Ankrom Moisan Architects to work on a lower-density design that could pass muster with the Historic Landmarks Commission.

“Ankrom Mosian was originally contracted as the project architect to support Vallaster Corl as the design architect,” Henderson said.

A number of factors led Urban Asset Advisors to turn the project entirely over to Ankrom Moisan, Henderson said. These included the firm’s previous success with the Historic Landmarks Commission as well as experience with a historic overlay of its new headquarters.

“Ankrom Moisan has taken over completely, and we began our design work on the current design beginning in September,” Passman said.

The new design and its 5.73:1 floor area ratio finally got the go-ahead from the commission on Dec. 12.

“It was unanimous, 6-0 (in favor), and the commission could not have been more complimentary,” Passman said. “This is the best we could have gotten.”

The project team will now need to navigate the permitting process before construction can begin. It anticipates a four-month review period and a 16-month construction schedule, with completion targeted for late 2018.

“We will be submitting for a building permit in March and the team hopes to begin construction this summer,” Passman said.

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