Where's the action in the Pearl?
Major development in the Pearl District has stalled or stopped.
Two of the most active Pearl District Neighborhood Association groups, Planning and Transportation, have scaled back their meetings to once a month because of the slowdown. But neighborhood leaders are taking advantage of the lull to do some housekeeping chores. And they're bracing for a brisk fall even amid news that developers Gerding & Edlen won't have the financing to refurbish the old Meier & Frank warehouse on the corner of Northwest Everett Street and 14th Avenue.
"In the fall we'll revisit how the streets are used," says Pearl Planning Chair Patricia Gardner, "and the second big project is the park."
The Fields Park process will start up again in September, says Gardner. "It was supposed to start in August, but Parks is doing its due diligence," she adds. "We're all waiting for it to restart. There were already a few public sessions, so it's not like we're starting over again from scratch."
During those earlier sessions neighbors, Parks representatives, and landscape design firm Office of Cheryl Barton envisioned a utopia with space for kids, dogs, and athletics. One thing is for sure: great expectations have been placed upon The Fields Park.
"We had about a year's pause, but things are picking up again," says Gardner. "Simply getting plans in place for when the big buildings start being built again is another thing we're working on."
A new building, in fact, is proposed for the north half of the block between Northwest 14th, and 15th Avenues, and Overton and Pettygrove Streets, in the north end of the Pearl District. Fosler Architects seeks design approval for three four-story mixed-use residential buildings, according to a design review application on file with the City of Portland's Bureau of Development Services. The complex of studio apartments has been named Freedom Center I by the developer. The south half of the block is a proposed five-story office/retail building called The Overton. This building, says principal and architect Steve Fosler, has all the necessary land-use approvals and permits and awaits leases.
Freedom Center I
Fosler Architects also designed the new digs for Magnum Opus hair salon, currently under construction down the street from the proposed mixed-use building site. The large salon, one of Portland's oldest at thirty years, will occupy a former auto garage most recently used to sell old European cars. It's located just under the freeway tresses on Northwest 14th and Savier Streets and is expected to open in October.
Other projects on the horizon will have a significant positive impact on the neighborhood. The Pearl District Neighborhood Association (PDNA) has submitted plans for the Pettygrove green street. Such a street would extend from the east end of The Fields Park at Northwest 11th Avenue all the way to Wallace Park by Chapman Elementary in Northwest Portland. Plans call for a cross section of 20-foot sidewalk on either side and two travel lanes for bicycles.
Transportation
Besides land use, "we have a little space right now to address other things," Gardener says, like how to slow down zooming cars on Northwest Everett Street.
"The Transportation Study is funded and we're waiting for the City to get going on it," Gardner adds. "We can plan until we're blue in the face, but the city needs to get on board for anything to happen." Meanwhile, the Portland Streetcar extension is underway and construction of the new line has begun on the east side.
The bike lane on Northwest Lovejoy—which leads bikers behind a streetcar stop and dangerously close to pedestrians at a crosswalk by Safeway—will move over to Northwest Marshall Street. The addition of a bike lane on Marshall means that the historic Belgian brick cobblestone will be sacrificed. But the cobblestones that were recently removed for work on Kearney Street will be replaced once the work there is done.
Livability
"We're also cleaning up the sign debacle," Gardner reports, referring to the neighborhood's newest "sign of the times."
Recently Irving Street Loft's homeowner board leased space on the south side of its building for advertisements, causing a bit of a dust-up. Board representatives told Neighborhood Notes in earlier interviews that finances dictated their decision, and that they wanted to avoid a special assessment of homeowners. So a banner ad for Hawaiian Air covered up the former "Irving Street Lofts" sign. The Hawaiian Air ad is now gone, replaced by an ad for wireless Internet service Clear. Such alterations are allowable under the present city sign code, so it's unlikely they'll be removed despite complaints from neighbors that they diminish the historic character of the Pearl District. But Gardner says that the PDNA hopes to pressure City Commissioner Randy Leonard to revise the code so that no similar ads are placed over the historic signs that lend so much atmosphere to the neighborhood.
And last of all there are less sexy topics like day-to-day livability to address during the dog days of summer.
Pearl District foot patrols have been increased to twice a week and are intended to keep an eye on graffiti and crime, which increase in summer months.
Livability chair Jan Valentine has added a Polish the Pearl neighborhood clean-up event for fall. This second event is in addition to spring's annual event held on May 6. She has also arranged for a second Emergency Preparedness Training class from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on September 12 at Pacific Northwest College of Art. There is no need to register, just show up.
"In a high rise community like this, it's important that people know what to do in an emergency," says Valentine. About thirty people attended the first training event, she reports.
Catch up on this and other neighborhood news with your friends and neighbors at the Pearl District's Annual Block Party on Friday, September 11 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. This year there will be added family activities and kid-friendly food. The party will be held on Northwest 13th Avenue between Hoyt and Irving Streets.
