Portland Land Use (4/19): Apartment-palooza, NW Fred Meyer Expansion, Marysville Elementary Rebuild/Expansion, Gibbs Pedestrian Bridge

Fred Meyer planning to renovate its northwest store. Rendering: Group Mackenzie

Public Hearings

Mixed-Use Development

Kerns

Proposed apartment building at NE 6th Avenue and NE Couch Street.
Rendering: Vallaster Corl Architects

A public hearing has been scheduled for Kerns neighbors to discuss the pros and cons of demolishing two apartment buildings on NE 6th Avenue between Couch and Davis streets to make room for a proposed five-story, 61,000 square-foot development that will include space for 11 retailers, 70 apartments and 23 parking spaces. The public hearing is scheduled for the afternoon of April 21 at the Bureau of Development Services's (BDS) offices at 1900 SW 4th Avenue. (LU 11-108266 DZM AD)

Mixed-Use Development

Pearl District

The City's Design Commission has called a public hearing to review a proposed 6-story, 45,000 square-foot residential building that could rise on a quarter-block at NW 12th Avenue and Everett Street. If approved, the building could contain as many as 50 apartments and 2,600 square feet of ground-floor retail space. The hearing is scheduled for the afternoon of May 5 at BDS. (LU 11-119645 DZM)

Fred Meyer's Northwest Store

Northwest District

Fred Meyer Stores seeks design advice about a planned proposal to expand their Stadium store on NW 20th Avenue and Burnside. To expand, Fred Meyer would need permission to demolish the nearby and abandoned Hollywood Video store—which could be built up into a retail space—as well as permission to redesign the site's parking structure. If approved, shoppers with cars would be redirected to enter the structure at NW 20th Avenue, so Fred Meyer seeks approval to allow eastbound motorists to make left turns off of Burnside. Fred Meyer also proposes to improve sidewalks around the building, install skylights in the existing building and to top the proposed 1,600 square-foot expansion with a green roof. The hearing is scheduled for the afternoon of May 5 at BDS. (11-112110 DA)

Marysville Elementary School Rebuild and Expansion

Foster-Powell

Portland Public Schools seeks to rebuild and expand by 15,000 square feet the fire-damaged Marysville Elementary School, located at the 7700 block of SE Raymond Street. The proposed expansion will include extra space for classrooms and cafeteria and gym expansions. The conference is scheduled for the morning of April 26 at BDS. (EA 11-124400)

Eighteen-Story High Rise

South Portland

SERA Architects is petitioning the city to build an 18-story apartment tower at SW Abernethy Street and Bond, which, if approved, could include 200 residential units, four stories of self-storage, a 230-space parking structure and ground-floor retail. The conference is scheduled for the morning of April 26 at BDS. (EA 11-125306)

Pre-Application Conferences

Pre-application conferences are the first formal steps in the long process of bringing projects to fruition, during which applicants and the BDS discuss overall plans in order to determine and solve potential problems that may arise when considering a project's details.

Pedestrian Bridge Planned Near I-5

South Portland


The City of Portland plans to build a 700-foot pedestrian and bicycling bridge to span I-5 near the OHSU's tram tower. The city proposes to build a 60-foot elevator tower on SW Gibbs Street between Moody and Macadam—which is to be flanked by a set stairs—as well as to landscape the land nearby with a plaza and a vertical garden. Written comments regarding this proposal must be submitted to BDS by April 26. (LU 11-117753 DZ)

Domino's Does Green

Downtown

Representatives from environmental planners Soltera Systems are requesting design review approval to install an array of solar panels and a living landscape wall atop and attached to the façade of the Domino's Pizza building on the 1900 block of SW 4th Avenue. Representatives say it's good news for drivers of electric cars, because plans are in place to install near the wall an electric car charging port, which will store electricity from the solar panels. Written comments regarding this proposal must be submitted to BDS by April 26. (LU 11-107113 DZ)

River View Cemetery to Shrink

Representatives from River View Cemetery, located between SW Taylors Ferry Road and Macadam Avenue, seek BDS approval to change the cemetery's property line, effectively shrinking the site by half, from 293.7 to 148.5 acres. The representatives say cemetery officials no longer want to own the southern half of the property. Because of its terrain, that portion, they say, is "virtually undevelopable" and will most likely be turned over to an as-yet-unnamed municipal agency. They also say no one has been interred on that portion of the site. Written comments regarding this proposal must be submitted to BDS by April 25. (LU 11-117306 CU)

State and City Officials Say Tryon Creek Needs Better Protection

Tryon Creek State Natural Area

The State of Oregon and the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) seek an environmental review to bolster, at two locations, a 30-inch sanitary sewer pipe running through the Tryon Creek State Natural Area. Currently, the pipe carries southwest Portland's untreated sewage through the park to a treatment facility in Lake Oswego. BES, having determined two potentially vulnerable locations where the pipe is exposed in the park, wants to "stabilize" the areas in order to prevent any possible sewage leaks into the creek. Potential leaks, they worry, could endanger the park's environs, the creek's steelhead and even the city's residents. Written comments regarding this proposal must be submitted to BDS by May 3. (LU 11-117903 EN)

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