ZRZ Realty Company has chosen the first architectural team to work on its 33-acre Zidell Yards development in Portland’s South Waterfront District. The San Francisco office of Chicago-based SCB will design the Block 8 towers, with GBD Architects serving as the architect of record.

The towers, planned between the Barge Building and the Ross Island Bridge, could be as tall as 325 feet. The mixed-use structures will feature ground-floor retail space and residential units.

“We were certainly looking for team members that had high-rise experience,” ZRZ Realty Chief Operating Officer Thomas Henneberry said. “It really is a collaboration when you do buildings this large.”

SCB will serve as the design architect, while GBD Architects will handle local business such as construction documents.

The development team was looking for a complementary group of designers, Henneberry said.

“It has always been our plan to bring (on board) some national presence and … people from Portland that understand land use and the local process,” he said.

GBD Architects previously worked with landscape architect Place Studio on development of the master plan for the site. National firms Sasaki Associates and West 8 Urban Design & Landscape Architecture also helped develop that plan, which was released in 2016.

The master plan for the site calls for 15 to 20 buildings. They’re expected to provide 1.5 million square feet of office space and 250,000 square feet of retail, grocery and dining space. Also, 2,600 residential units, 200 hotel rooms, 5,500 parking stalls and several parks and other public spaces are planned.

The Block 8 towers represent the first phase of that development.

“We’re thrilled that we’ve been given an opportunity to further our work in the South Waterfront,” GBD Architects Director Phil Beyl stated in a press release. “Zidell Yards is not only the new chapter of South Waterfront; it’s a chance to connect this neighborhood to the city as a whole.”

Block 8 will be the first large-scale residential project proposal since inclusionary housing rules – requiring inclusion of affordable units or payment of a fee – took effect in February 2017. It’s unclear at this point how the rules will impact the project, according to Henneberry, because design is in an early stage – currently, massing is the focus. The exact timing of delivery for the first building has yet to be determined.

“We don’t intend to build both (towers) at once,” Henneberry said. “The westerly tower will be first and easterly in a second phase.”

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