Portland’s skyline is changing.

Several high-rises are finishing up and are under construction, including the 460-foot-tall Block 216 that is climbing the Portland skyline and Alamo Manhattan’s Block 41 – a 23-story tower popping up in South Waterfront.

Here are the next nine towers in Portland’s pipeline:

(Click the images for more information on each project)

[1] Pearl Block 24

Developer: Greystar
Architect: GBD Architects

Pearl Block 24 would be a 22-story (about 250 feet tall) tower with roughly 440 units and 3,000 square feet of ground floor retail. The project site is bordered by railroad tracks diagonally to the north, The Fields Park to the east, Northwest Quimby Street to the south, and The Abigail and The Holden of Pearl, a senior living tower under construction to the west.

The high-rise would include slightly more than 450,000 square feet and include a seven-story, angled bar-shaped portion and a three-story podium with about 300 below-grade parking spaces. The project last received design advice from Portland Design Commission on Oct. 20.

[2] The Phillip Apartments

Address: 555 N.W. Park Ave.
Developer: Fields Holdings
Architect: TVA Architects

Three design options are on the table for the eastern half of the historic Honeyman Hardware block in the Pearl District: An 11-story, half-block scheme; a 16-story tower; or a 19-story quarter-block scheme. Initially, a 23-story high-rise was proposed for the site, but after comments from Portland’s Historic Landmarks Commission and the public, plans for the building were significantly scaled down.

The project last received design advice from the Historic Landmarks Commission at the end of September. In the meeting, the preferred option presented was the 11-story, half-block scheme with about 200 residential units. The structure consisted of an eight-story addition that would hover above the two-story Bindery Building on the block. The addition would have a penthouse suite on top.

[3] RiverPlace Phase 1

Address: 150 S. Montgomery St.
Developer: NBP Capital
Architect: GBD Architects

A 30-story, 344-unit tower is set to rise on the southern parcel of Block 1 in the approved RiverPlace master plan area. The development is phase 1 of a more extensive buildout of the 8.03-acre RiverPlace site adjacent to the South Waterfront Park.

The Bureau of Development Services projected the project to cost about $82 million during the land use process. The Portland Design Commission approved its final design in August. Most recently, a demolition permit was issued for the RiverPlace Athletic Club on the site.

[4] Sandy Pine

Address: 900 S.E. Sandy Boulevard
Developer: SolTerra Capital Inc.
Architect: LEVER Architecture

At 125 feet, Sandy Pine is anticipated to be Portland’s tallest mass-timber building. The Portland Design Commission approved the 12-story structure in June. The development will have 276 apartments (including six live/work units), 14,500 square feet of commercial space and bike parking, and 2.5 levels of below-grade parking for 178 vehicles.

The project is LEVER Architecture’s second attempt at a mass-timber tower in Portland. The first, Framework, a 12-story mixed-use building envisioned for the Pearl District, gained approval and even had building permits issued – but financial difficulties halted the project in 2018.

In its design review, Sandy Pine was valued at about $36 million. Framework initially was expected to cost $34 million.

[5] Welby 

Address: 1325 N.W. Kearney St.
Developer: Killian Pacific
Architect: Bora Architecture + Interiors

The Portland Design Commission approved the design of the 21-story, 280-unit multifamily building in May. The tower’s green facades could make it a standout building in the North Pearl District as it will stick out from the gray, black and brown tones of most skyward buildings.

Welby will have 5,500 square feet of retail space at ground level and 4-1/2 levels of underground parking. The Bureau of Development Services projected the project to cost about $106 million during the land use process.

[6] SW Park Apartments

Address 2059 S.W. Park Ave.
Project Owner: Park Avenue PSU LLC
Architect Tahran Architecture & Planning

A 12-story affordable housing development is set for the corner of Southwest Park Avenue and Southwest Clifton Street. The building will have 98 residential units.

Plans for the development initially called for an 11-story, 89-unit building, but in October, the Portland Bureau of Development Services reapproved it as a 12-story development.

Most of the structure will be prefabricated and use modular units with mass plywood panel flooring and ceiling systems. As planned, SW Park Apartments will be the tallest modular structure in the city.

[7] Modera Main Street

Address: 1155 SW 19th Ave.
Developer: Mill Creek Residential
Architect: Ankrom Moisan
Contractor: MCRT PNW Construction

The 17-story building set for Goose Hollow will be one of Portland’s largest multifamily developments. At nearly 435,000 square feet, the development will fill a full-city block and hold 337 apartments.

The building will wrap around a large-scale parking structure with 403 stalls that residents will share with Multnomah Athletic Club members.

The project is under building permit review with the Portland Bureau of Development Services.

[8] Press Block’s Full-Block Development

Address: 1621 S.W. Taylor St.
Developers: Security Properties and Urban Renaissance Grou
Architect: Mithun

The second phase of the Press Blocks development is underway in Portland’s Goose Hollow neighborhood. The entire development comprises one-and-a-half city blocks at 1621 S.W. Taylor St., on the old Oregonian printing press site near Providence Park. Construction wrapped in summer 2020 on the eight-story, half-block, Canvas office building.

Now, it is the full block’s turn. The site will include a 24-story high-rise with 341 apartments as well as a three-story, 30,000-square-foot commercial building with retail space, live/work units and creative office space. The developments will be linked by an underground parking structure that will hold 473 vehicle parking stalls and secured bike storage.

Demolition began in September on the old Oregonian printing press building and will last roughly six months, according to a representative for Security Properties. The final Press Blocks buildout will take about three years to complete.

[9] Hollywood HUB Housing

Project Owner: TriMet
Developer: BRIDGE Housing
Architect: Holst Architecture

Hollywood HUB Housing would be TriMet’s first transit-oriented development under its new Transit-Oriented Development Guidelines. Plans call for a 12-story, 120-foot building capable of supporting 234 affordable units. The project, in part, is a reimagining of the Hollywood Transit Center.

The goal for the site is to create a seamless transit connection from the Hollywood MAX station across the Interstate 84 pedestrian bridge to the three bus lines that run down Halsey Street. The project’s scope includes a new pedestrian and cyclist connection to the end of the pedestrian bridge.

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Get the green just right.

The Portland Design Commission on Thursday approved the design of Welby, a 21-story, 280-unit multifamily building planned in the Pearl District. Commissioners did so with trust that the project team will deliver on a bold set of colors.

The developer, Killian Pacific, is going green. Welby’s façade is colored by two shades of green similar to oxidized copper – think the St. Johns Bridge – meant to evoke Northwest Portland’s industrial past. Once built, Welby could become a landmark for the North Pearl District, as it will stick out from the gray, black and brown tones of most towers.

Design commissioners universally praised Bora Architecture & Interiors‘ design for the mixed-use building.

“It’s a wonderful project,” Design Commission Chairman Sam Rodriguez said. “It’s going to be unique.”

He added jokingly: “Get the color right – I mean, we know where you live.”

The Design Commission has been burned before by exterior colors turning out different in reality than as proposed. Most notably Yard, the Burnside bridgehead tower, ended up a darker shade than expected.

Design commissioners admitted they were relying a bit on faith. Killian Pacific has ordered a color mock-up, but it has been delayed by supply chain issues, said Hannah Bryant, a Bureau of Development Services planner. Design commissioners were left to rely for guidance on architectural renderings and samples glimpsed via Zoom.

“If they get it off a little bit, it’s going to be a little uncomfortable,” Commissioner Don Vallaster said. “But I bet they’re going to study it in all lighting conditions.”

The green shades are meant to evoke Welby’s surroundings, Bora principal Brad Demby said. The site is a half-block property at Northwest 13th and 14th avenues and Kearney and Lovejoy streets.

“The color green is meant to conceptually tie to the area and its past, not only with the bridges and the surrounding hill colors but also the industrial nature of the railroad tracks and machinery,” Demby said.

Killian Pacific has pursued development on the property since acquiring it in 2016 for $19.75 million. An earlier development scheme, known as Lovejoy Square, was approved by the Design Commission in January 2018, but it was not built and its entitlements expired.

Killian Pacific returned last year with a different design. The Portland-based developer traded office space for residential, and mass timber for glass and steel.

Welby’s massing scheme is essentially stacked boxes, with setbacks from the property line. Besides the unique façade, the building will also feature a carbonized wood door with brass fixtures at the front entry set into the surrounding glass façade. Roof decks will give residents outdoor access on levels seven and 21.

Welby’s 234-foot height comes in under the property’s 250-foot height limit, and the building will contain 371,265 square feet. Apartments will range from studios to three bedrooms, Michi Slick, Killian Pacific’s development director, said in an interview in advance of Thursday’s meeting.

Welby will have 5,500 square feet of retail space at ground level. Parking will be provided in 4.5 levels underground. No office space is planned.

The idea for a green façade came from Bora, Slick said.

“We’ve worked with them, and we wanted to find a way to differentiate this building but not in a way that was garish,” she said. “We explored some different ways, and color was one of them.”

Killian Pacific altered the building’s program as the pandemic, remote work and economic troubles dented the office market.

“It had a lot to do with the economics of the deal,” Slick said.

Meanwhile, the multifamily market has shown signs of improvement, she said.

“I would say that starting in the second half of last year, the market started improving for multifamily,” she said. “I don’t want to say that it’s now soaring, but it’s certainly shifted the tides in the direction of multifamily.”

With housing demand outpacing supply, investors are looking to the multifamily sector, she said.

“The investors have capital they need to place, and they’re putting it there,” she said.

The project will comply with inclusionary housing rules for providing affordable housing, Slick said. Killian Pacific has not decided whether it will opt to provide 20 percent of units at 80 percent of median family income, or 10 percent of units at 60 percent of income, likely with the bedroom reconfiguration option, she said. Killian Pacific plans to provide affordable apartments in all of Welby’s unit sizes, she added.

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The Portland Design Commission on Thursday got its first look at Welby, proposed as a 15-story, mixed-use building in the Pearl District. Mass timber would be used.

The project at 1325 N.W. Kearney St. comes from developer Killian Pacific, with a design by Bora Architects. It’s the latest iteration of a redevelopment proposal for a half-block site. In January 2018, the Design Commission approved a project known as Lovejoy Square for the same location, but it did not move forward to construction.

The new design calls for 12 floors of residential space above two floors of offices and ground-floor retail space. The Bureau of Development Services valued the project at $85 million.

Welby will meet its inclusionary housing obligations on site, said Michi Slick, director of development at Killian Pacific. Plans call for a mix of residences, including two- and three-bedroom units.

As proposed, the tower would stand 180 feet high, within the 250-foot height limit with bonuses, according to BDS. It would be Portland’s tallest mass-timber building.

Design commissioners and a representative of the Pearl District Neighborhood Association criticized the proposal during Thursday’s design advice hearing, saying it doesn’t fully fit the neighborhood.

“We don’t feel it’s very contextual,” said David Dysert, co-chairman of the PDNA’s Planning and Transportation Committee. “We just don’t feel it’s really fitting the site with the articulation of the facade.”

Dysert urged Bora to look to precedents in the Pearl District, namely Pearl West and Heartline. Those buildings, he said, were contextual “without pretending to be old buildings.”

The proposed facade facing Kearney Street would be “out of context,” Commissioner Zari Santner said.

Dysert and commissioners also raised concerns about Bora’s proposed use of cement panels.

The project has an 80-foot right of way, a vestige of its former use as a rail yard. The applicant proposes a 6.5-foot vacation of Northwest 14th Avenue in the 900 block. A raised bike lane would be built.

The PDNA stated in a letter to the Design Commission that it supports the street vacation as long as the project team pays for the improvements.

Welby’s residential entrance should be better articulated, commissioners said. They also urged Bora to consider extending canopies on all sides to provide weather protection.

“We expect there to be a lot of pedestrians on 14th and Kearney, and I don’t know why we wouldn’t want to see more continuous awnings on bays,” Commissioner Brian McCarter said. “This really warrants considering more continuous rain protection.”

McCarter also urged designers to include more trees along Kearney Street.

The project team could decide to return for another design advice hearing, or seek design review.

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