Veritas_Planning_Final_Design_Poposal_small

HAWTHORNE OVERLOOK

1208 SW 1st AvenuePortland, OR 97204

DESIGN PROPOSAL

Veritas Planning 1

Project Information 2 Site Context 4 Site History 6

Site Analysis 7

Zoning & Process 13

Site Program 16

CONTENTS

Violet Brown

Amanda Davidowitz

Stefan Heisler

Veritas Planning is comprised of a variety of individuals with a wide range of skills and interests. Together, they are driven by the prospect of creating whole neigh-borhoods, which are both sus-tainable and intriguing through urban infill projects.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Amanda spent ten years living in New York City before moving to Portland, OR in September 2013. Living in NYC made her passionate about urban living and inspired her to apply to PSU’s Master of Urban and Regional Planning program, which she plans to complete in June 2015. Amanda is building a career focused on sustainability, with her main interests being green building, climate change mitigation, disaster prepared-ness & recovery, and urban farming. She enjoys working with innovators within the public, private and nonprofit sectors to work on projects aiming to create cities, communities and buildings that are thriving ecosystems equally supporting human life and the natural world.

Originally from Massachusetts, Ashley was drawn to planning when at a young age she watched the downtown in her hometown transform before her eyes. Ashley received a B.S. in Regional Planning from Westfield State University. She relocated to Portland, OR in September of 2013 to pursue a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning at Portland State University. Ashley’s primary interests in the realm of planning include planning for a variety of housing types, historic preservation and neighborhood driven community revital-ization.

Receiving his B.A. in Business Management in 2011 Stefan spent two years in the financial industry as a Loan Officer at a small-town community credit union. With a passion for people and improving the built physical world, he migrated to Portland, OR to become a Master in Urban and Regional Planning through Portland State University. Employing the world’s best New Urbanist principles and the design skills imparted to him by local Zen lords he plans to defeat the unscrupulousness of sprawl wherever it may be found.

Hailing from Montana, Lewis became fascinated at an early age by maps and the complex energy inherent in cities. In 2010, Lewis completed a B.A. in Geography and began work-ing in Missoula, MT for the local planning office helping to establish Missoula as a premier bicycling town. In 2013, he was accepted into the Master’s of Urban and Regional Planning program at Portland State University where he is concentrating on transportation and urban design. Lewis aspires to help spread the gospel of Portland and travel the world, learning urban design lessons from other cultures and how they could be applied for the betterment of American cities.

VERITAS PLANNING

After relocating to Portland from New York City in 2012, Violet decided to pursue a career in planning by enrolling in the MURP Program at Portland State University. As a graduate of NYU School of Law, she was a practicing attorney with the Legal Aid Society’s Brooklyn Office for the Aging for over eight years. Having worked predominantly with low income families facing homelessness within an intensely urban environment, she hopes to use this experience to inform her planning career. Violet is originally from rural South Louisiana and enjoys hiking, cooking, traveling extensively, and LSU football.

Ashley Eaton

Lewis Kelley

2 HAWTHORNE OVERLOOK 1208 SW 1st AvenuePortland, OR 97204

DESIGN PROPOSALJune 2014 VERITAS PLANNING

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Project Info

1208 SW 1st AvenuePortland, OR 97204

Address

Owner

Project Team

Multnomah CountyProperty Management

401 N. Dixon St.Portland, OR 97227

Veritas Planning506 SW Mill Street

Portland, OR 97201

DevelopmentObjectives

The application propos-es to build a mixed-use

high rise tower. The intent is to develop on a majority of the buildable space to accommodate

retail on the ground lev-el, eight to eleven floors

of commercial office space, with residential units in the remainder

of the building. We are proposing an L-shaped

building that will step up in height.

Current LandValue

$ 2,216,720.00

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3HAWTHORNE OVERLOOK 1208 SW 1st AvenuePortland, OR 97204


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Pedestrian access from Naito Drive to the Hawthorne Bridge is narrow and uninvit-ing while the walkway under Hawthorne is dimly lit with little headroom.

The Hawthorne Bridge rep-resents an era of engineering and aesthetic styling that helps to define the character of Portland’s waterfront.

Veritable Quandry is an upscale dining experience on the western corner of the site with outdoor seating facing the well maintained lawn on the site. The lawn helps to define the character of the restaurant.

1st Ave is a busy street with a good amount of vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic with establishments that cater to the surrounding business crowd.

The remnant of the free-way exchange between the Hawthorne Bridge and Harbor Drive sits in front of a historic downtown building that has been repurposed into offices.

Tom McCall Riverfront Park is an important gathering point for Portland with many events. Taking advantage of the park’s energy and access to the Wil-lamette is key.

Thousands of cyclists cross the Hawthorne Bridge into downtown Portland on a daily basis during good weather. This traffic is an asset to the site.

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Vision Statement & Goals

Our vision for the development of the site has multiple components. We first hope to transform this underutilized lot in downtown Portland into an active and vibrant space. The redevelopment will help to enhance the urban fabric and remove another remnant of Harbor Drive, which when present completely disconnected Portlanders from the Willamette River. We hope that in the fu-ture, the City of Portland will make improvements along Naito Parkway to further improve pedestrian connections to the Waterfront Park.

We hope to accommodate residential uses on this site in order to provide housing opportunities in this section of the city. The surrounding area is currently dominated by large office buildings and very little housing. By enhancing the housing stock, this area will have the potential to transform from a neighborhood serving the nine-to-five crowd to a truly twenty-four/seven neighborhood, thus improving economic vitality.

Goals for Hawthorne Overlook include:

• Respect the history on and surrounding the site and work to incorporate that connection into the design of our structure.

• Work to accommodate and enhance, when possible, the existing uses already on our site.

• Incorporate sustainable features on site to minimize the structure’s environmental im-pacts.

• Improve streetscaping on the streets abutting our site and incorporate public art fixtures to create a more pedestrian friendly environment.

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Our site is an L-shaped property located on SW Madison between SW 1st Ave and SW Nai-to Parkway, just south of the entrance to the Hawthorne Bridge. The site is a total of 27,000 square feet and is currently vacant land owned by Multnomah County. The smaller part of the “L” is a 75ft by 100ft lot at the northwest end of the block that currently contains an empty lawn, a large tree and manicured landscaping. The

larger rectangle of land comprising the second half of the “L” is 100ft by 200ft and contains a deserted, paved ramp that used to be an en-trance onto the Hawthorne Bridge. The south-west corner of the block is leased by the county and contains a historic three-story building. The building currently has a few restaurants on the ground level and commercial units above.

Although the site is at a prime location down-town next to the Hawthorne Bridge and across the street from the waterfront, it remains unde-veloped. Currently the northwest portion of the lot is only maintained because the neighboring restaurant, Veritable Quandary, pays for the landscaping, while the east side of the lot with the old ramp remains unattractive and is only used as a hangout for local homeless people.

Our planning firm has decided that development at this location would financially benefit the city and county, and would contribute significantly to the vision that the city has for activating the waterfront and creating a vibrant district along Naito Parkway. We are enthusiastic to begin the development process and share our vision for this space.

The site is located in the south-eastern portion of downtown Portland along Naito Parkway between Tom McCall Park and the heart of downtown’s financial and commercial office space district. Downtown Portland offers numerous amenities and provides the site with ample opportunities for possible development.

Downtown Portland

Tom McCall Park was created after the tearing down of the Harbor Drive Expressway in 1978. Today the park provides beautiful views of down-town, access to the Willamette River and space for festivals of all kinds. In essence, Tom McCall Park is Portland’s living room, a place where people can relax and gather.

Tom McCall Park

Currently the site sits mostly unused; owned by Multnomah County and maintained as a land-scaped green space by a neighboring restaurant, the site is pretty to look at but not large enough nor quiet enough to allow for people to use the space as a functional park.

Site Uses

Because of the site’s location and owner, the site is an underutilized piece of downtown real estate that has been in its current state, more or less, since the construction of the Harbor Drive Expressway.

Forgotten Green

Site Context

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Location:The location of the site is a huge opportunity. Visually it sits in a prime location at the entrance to the city from the Hawthorne Bridge, allowing for a dramatic architectural statement. Also, its proximity to Waterfront Park and the downtown commercial

district allows for active ground floor retail uses.

Topography:Interesting topographical elements provide for an opportunity to think creatively about the architectur-

al design of the building.

Opportunities

Location:Unfortunately due to the current layout of Naito Parkway, there is poor pedestrian access from the site to Waterfront Park, but this is something we will address in our site design. On a clear day there are incredible views over the river, past the bridge, out

to Mt. Hood.

Topography:The current topography of our site may be a chal-lenge. The land is highest at the northeast corner of the site, at the entrance to the bridge, and slopes down towards SW 1st Ave on the west side and down toward Naito Parkway and Jefferson on the southeast. There is also the paved ramp that will need to be removed in order to develop the site.

Constraints

Neighbors:We will need to be mindful of Jefferson Station and the views from it when developing.

Traffic & Parking:Pedestrian access to the site from the waterfront is lacking, and there aren’t any easy spots for cars to pull over and park since no parking is allowed on the streets surrounding the site. While there is a ten-story parking garage located across the street,

on site parking may be a challenge for us.

Neighbors:The Jefferson Station, adjacent to the southwest, houses office space and a restaurant, is a good con-nection to Portland’s past and provides for an op-portunity to acknowledge that in our design. Since most of the commercial and retail uses in neighbor-ing buildings are only active during weekdays, we have an opportunity to create an active space for evenings and weekends as well.

Traffic & Parking:The site is a busy location during morning and evening rush hour, with pedestrians, cyclists, cars and city buses going by. There are active bike lanes on three of the four sides to the block, and a few busy bus stops nearby. The foot traffic and car traffic going by may be useful for our plans for ground floor retail.

The Jefferson Station building is both an opportunity and a constraint.

The topography of the site means taking into account cut-and-fill costs as well as varying entrance levels.

The site is served by excellent transit access and bicycle facilities, however parking will be an issue.

The site is unique along Naito Park-way, providing many interesting op-portunities to take advantage of and challenging constraints to overcome.

NA

ITO

1ST

JEFFERSON

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Sanborn Maps for the site date back to 1898. At this time, a theater, stable and livery, a furniture store and a few other uses were present on the site. It seems as though the block was a bustling place. The 1909 Sanborn Maps, the uses on the block reflect the change from animal-drawn wag-ons to the electric rail. In 1909, the block housed a candy factory, machine shops and the Jefferson Substation which was built that same year to pow-er the surrounding streets and the new electric rail lines. Imagery from 1963 shows the block

similar to how it stands today; all of the building except for the Jefferson Substation are gone and the bridge ramp, which allowed cars to get from Front Street up and over the Hawthorne Bridge, is in place. When Harbor Drive was replaced with the McCall Waterfront Park in 1974, the ramp was taken out of use, but never demolished. Today the ramp and substation are still on the site with the edition of a few trees and some landscaping. The substation is the only one left in existence in downtown Portland, and the building provides a

great example of the “Khan System of Reinforced Concrete” style of construction. Because of its significance, the building was placed on the Na-tional Register of Historic Places in 1980. The ramp and building provide some oppor-tunities and constraints on our site. The ramp and the slope at which it is situated will provide some unique challenges in siting our building. The existing building, which now houses office space and a restaurant is a good connection to

Portland’s past, which we hope to acknowledge in the design of structure. Due to the building’s significance, however, we must be mindful of the structure and the views from it when developing. We believe that by creating a tower that steps up in height, we will be able to preserve the existing uses views and prevent the existing structures from feeling dwarfed by our structure.

Site History

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1889

Sanborn Maps from 1898 show the site used for animal stables and a furniture store.

Sanborn Maps from 1909 highlight the shift to elec-tric, used both for transportation and lighting. The Jefferson Substation is visible in this map.

1909

1939

This image showing the Marquam Bridge being built, dates to 1966. At this time the site was used for access to the Hawthorne Bridge.

1958

This view of the Hawthorne Bridge in 1939 highlights the urban form of the area before construction of Harbor Drive.

2014The Hawthorne Bridge in 1975 just after the removal of Harbor Drive and before construction of Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

The site in 1958, with the Hawthorne Bridge for context, before construction of the on-ramp that is now abandoned.

1991

Tom McCall Riverfront Park as seen in the early 90s with the site just off to the left of the frame.

1966

The site today; the remnants of past eras still visible marking a noticeable lack of progress on site even as surrounding areas have evolved.

1975



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The predominant use in the surrounding blocks to the site is commercial. These uses create quite a bit of activity around the business hours and concentrate traffic in the morning, at midday and in the afternoon. Due to the high concentra-tion of office workers in the immediate area, sur-rounding ground floor retail space aims to serve this population; this means an abundance of small cafe establishments that cater to the lunch crowd and retail that caters to business services and the quick running of errands. Other forms of retail and food options are not very prevalent in the area and are located approximately half a mile away in Old Town and around Pioneer Place. However, these surroundings might be changing. If the Morrison Bridgehead project is completed in the near future there will be a new abundance of shopping and dining opportuni-ties just ¼ mile north of the site.

There is a great deal of available parking due to the presence of several parking structures nearby. With the surrounding uses predominant-ly commercial office spaces these structures are left largely vacant in the evening hours. Close proximity to the Hawthorne Bridge offers excel-lent access to Portland’s central eastside district and the Oregon Museum of Science and Indus-try. Our site is also conveniently located very close to the Tom McCall Waterfront Park, which offers quieter north and south pedestrian move-ment along the Willamette River waterfront.

Surrounding Uses

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Major traffic flows around the site occur on two sides of the block. Naito Parkway at this location receives heavy volumes of traffic, mostly during the morning and evening commuting hours. Similarly, Madison Ave, as it leads up to the Hawthorne Bridge, is a major thoroughfare for vehicle traffic leaving downtown in the after-noon. This street is also a major bike commut-ing route, which offers opportunities for better serving this segment of the population. Pedes-trian and bicycle access to Tom McCall Park is limited directly adjacent to the site. The nearest safe crossings are one and a half blocks north and south along Naito Parkway. Pedestrians can access the park via the Hawthorne Bridge but the infrastructure is not ideal nor up to ADA standards. Any development of the site will have to carefully consider pedestrian flows and access and potential synergies that can be created by some minor improvements to the street network around the site.

Nearby is a major TriMet bus stop on the corner of Madison and 1st Ave. Eight bus lines are ser-viced at this one stop. Because of this it is com-mon to see a multitude of people congregating on the sidewalk waiting for the bus to arrive. Just 1/5 of a mile to the west of the site is the Transit Mall along 5th and 6th Avenues. The proximi-ty of the site to the Transit Mall is an easy five minute walk and provides access to numerous bus and light rail lines. Serving this population is another opportunity for our site. Traffic flows on Jefferson and 1st Ave are much more quiet in comparison to the other two sides of the block.

Transportation Access

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While this site has uneven topography, the elevated portions leading up to the Hawthorne Bridge could offer an opportunity for creative design features once the concrete ramp has been removed. The site offers access to a sig-nificant portion of the available sun each day in both the summer and the winter. With access to Waterfront Park and a view of the river and Mt. Hood, it has significant natural context that is a real asset to the site. The lack of any adjacent structures to the east of the site allows for winter winds to flow uninterrupted into the southeast corner of the site. These prevailing winds during the winter could pose a challenge to mitigate in the design of the building. Decisions on the placement of decks, plazas, and green roofs should take this into account.

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02 5 50 100 150 200

Nature Context



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91/2’

Drive Lane81/2’

Drive Lane5’

Bike Lane10’

Sidewalk

581/4’

Right-of-Way

33’

Roadway

73/4’

Sidewalk

21/2’ 11/4’

10’

Drive Lane

11/4’ 21/2’

1st AveSW First Avenue is a southbound one way street with three lanes of traffic and a bike lane. This cross section depicts the traffic allocation as SW First ap-proaches SW Jefferson, where the wide right lane becomes an outside turn lane and a bike lane. It is classified a Central City Transit/Pedestrian Street, which are intended to create a strong and visible relationship between pedestrians and transit within the Central City and connect the Central City and other regional and town centers and main streets. It is a Major Transit Priority Street, which is intended to provide for high-quality transit service that con-nects the Central City and other regional and town centers and main streets. Transit-oriented land uses should be encouraged to locate along Major Transit Priority Streets, especially in centers, and auto-oriented development should be discouraged from locating on a Major Transit Priority Street. Portions of SW First (between SW Morrison and SW Yamhill) were recently closed for resurfacing to stabilize the foundation and prevent potholes, but there are no scheduled repairs or upgrades for the portion adjacent to our site.

131/2’

Bus Lane81/2’

Sidewalk

60’

Right-of-Way

331/2’

Roadway

10’

Sidewalk4’ 10’

Drive Lane4’10’

Drive Lane

Jefferson StJefferson Street, which is located on the southern edge of our site, is currently split into three lanes. Two of them allow for through traffic heading west. While the other lane is a dedicated bus stop and temporary metered parking on the eastern half of the block. That small segment of parking is the only on-street parking on either side of the street. The sidewalk on our side of the block lacks any aesthetic qualities at all. There are only a few street signs, trash cans, large lamp posts and a bus stop pole on the sidewalk. We believe that this is a missed opportunity, because the existing sidewalk is 14 feet wide. The sidewalk across the street has many street trees, which help to make the location a bit more welcoming. Overall, the street layout is advantageous, but the environment could be en-hanced by additional streetscaping features.



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1’

14’

Drive Lane12’

Drive Lane10’

Bike Lane6’

Sidewalk

60’Right-of-Way

36’

Roadway

24’

Landscaping

Madison StSW Madison Street has two eastbound lanes and a bike lane immediately adjacent to our site. While the Hawthorne Bridge traffic is both east and westbound, the street splits east of our site and is separated by a substantial green space such that it functions as a one way all along our site, with westbound route identified as SW Hawthorne Bridge becoming SW Main Street as it crosses SW First Avenue. SW Madison Street is classified as a Traffic Access Street, intended to provide access to the Central City, distribute traffic within a Central City district, provide connections between Central City districts, and distribute traffic from Regional Trafficways and Major City Traffic Streets. There is a bus stop located on SW Madison, just west of SW First Avenue, that services 8 bus lines traveling east over the Hawthorne Bridge. There are no bus stops immediately adjacent to our site.

5’

Bike Lane13’

Drive Lane

102’

Right-of-Way

82’

Roadway

15’

Sidewalk5’ 14’

Drive Lane9’

Drive Lane10’

Drive Lane15’

Median16’

Drive Lane

Naito ParkwayNaito Parkway is a major roadway located on the western edge of our site. The Parkway has five lanes of traffic: two delivering traffic south, two delivering traffic north and one leading traffic up and over the Hawthorne

Bridge. There is also a bike lane on the west-ern side of the Parkway, which allows bikes to travel south. On the direct edge of our site there is sidewalk, which spans along the site until you reach the stairwell leading up

to the Hawthorne Bridge. On the opposite side of the street, there is neither a bike lane nor sidewalks. It is assumed that pedestrians and cyclists on that side of the street would prefer to walk along the river and not the

Parkway. There is also a median present on Naito Parkway, which houses some street trees. Overall, Naito Parkway does not pres-ent a pedestrian friendly environment.



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Street Treatments

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We are proposing that glass aw-ning be out along the frontage of our building to help enhance the pedestrian experience on our street. The awning will help to make the space feel more hu-man scaled, despite our building being so tall. They will us help to protect pedestrians from the rain, but will allow sunlight to still reach the sidewalk.

We are recommending that artis-tic bike racks be installed on the street which celebrate the histo-ry of the area or city. The Pearl District has helped to further its identity by using artistic bike racks that are mini-replicas of the Fremont Bridge and we believe the idea could be employed to help the waterfront created a unified identity.

The blank wall on Jefferson providing freight and parking access to the building can also provide a blank canvas for street artists to create something visu-ally stunning while activating a normally dead and uninteresting portion of the ground floor fa-cade.

We believe that the addition of a raised median would benefit Naito Parkway. This would pro-vide space for trees and other plantings. It would also provide shelter for pedestrians that do not make it all the way across Naito signal cycle.

We believe there is the oppor-tunity to install bioswales in the sidewalk space on the direct edge of our site on Jefferson Street. This would allow for the treatment of stormwater and by incorporating trees and a variety of plants will help to make the streetscape on this street more appealing.

There is a staircase that leads pedestrians up onto the Haw-thorne Bridge along Naito Park-way and our site. It is currently an eyesore, but also an oppor-tunity. We believe working with the city and county to get art installed on the staircase would be beneficial for this area.

Naito underpassing Madison creates limited transportation ac-cess and a barrier to Tom McCall Riverfront Park. In order to elim-inate such barriers, we encour-age Multnomah County to take out the on-ramp from Naito to eastbound Madison while simul-taneously raising the elevation of Naito and lowering Madison to create a traditional four way intersection at Naito Parkway and Madison.

Creating a four-way intersection at Naito Parkway and Madison would increase local access not only for vehicle but for pedes-trians and cyclists and open up the site to the Willamette River. Such a configuration would also create an additional developable parcel adjacent to the site al-lowing for the stitching together of the immediate area into the urban fabric to be complete.

Modern design amenities could be applied to the reconfigured intersection such as improved crosswalks across Naito Parkway leading to the riverfront and protected bicycle lanes on both Naito Parkway and Madison

Pedestrian Environment Street & Frontage Details Naito & Madison Four-Way Intersection

According to the Portland Bureau of Transporta-tion, there are proposed projects slated, which may impact the streets surrounding our site. There is a proposed streetscaping and street re-

construction project proposed for Naito Parkway just south of our site to I-405. Details for what this might entail, however, were unavailable. Jefferson Street has been identified by PBOT as a street

in need of maintenance. It is projected that this project will be undertaken in 2015. Improvements will include grinding the existing pavement, upgrading utility manholes and valves, and laying

new asphalt. It is important to note that once these improvements are made, there will be a five year street opening moratorium on the street.



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The Central City 2035 Plan, which is still being drafted by the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, places a large emphasis on rede-veloping underutilized parcels along Waterfront Park and calls for the reconfiguration of the Morrison and Hawthorne Bridgeheads in order to make those areas more developable. The City has also placed a high level of importance on commercial uses on the lots adjacent to the wa-terfront in this and other plans. The City also has expressed through this plan an intention to make the bridgehead and waterfront sites in downtown more residential. We believe that our site propos-al helps to achieve the City’s goals in developing commercial and residential units on underutilized parcels along the waterfront.

We have consulted Portland’s zoning code to ensure that our initial development ideas com-ply with what is possible for this site. Our site is zoned CXd – which means it is located in the Central Commercial (CX) zone with a Design Overlay (d). The site is also located in the “Down-town” area designated by the Central City Plan District. This allows for great flexibility and mixed use for the development of our site, which is pre-cisely what we were hoping for.

The central commercial zone is intended to pro-vide for commercial development within Port-land’s most urban and intense areas. This means high building coverage, large buildings, and buildings placed close together. It is intended to create a pedestrian-oriented environment with a strong emphasis on safe and attractive street-scapes. Offices, retail sales and services, and residential living are all allowed uses in the CXd zone.

The design overlay means that our site must go through the design review process. The design review process is used to judge how well the building’s design fits with the Central City Plan’s Fundamental Design Guidelines. These guide-lines are intended to foster high quality and innovative designs while meeting all of the design and character goals of the Central City Plan and general Zoning Code.

Because our site is composed of multiple rem-nant lots and is a parcel that technically still con-tains public ROW, we may need to go through a lot confirmation process to confirm that we can in fact develop on this land. Analysis of the zoning code has confirmed that our proposed develop-ment will in fact work, upon lot confirmation and lot consolidation, but that some minor details in the layout of our site will need to be rethought to adhere to zoning standards. In short, further research confirmed that our initial programming for the site will adhere to zoning standards and fit within the City’s vision for the area.

Planning Context



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Development Standards

Our maximum height allowed is 200ft, but the current draft of the Central City 2035 Plan allows for up to 325ft on this site. We are not located in any special height bonus areas.

Maximum Heights:Although there are no minimum setbacks on the site, we do have a maximum setback of 10ft be-cause of being in a Pedestrian District. Addition-ally, 1st Ave is designated as a “Required Building Line” by the Central City Plan District. This means that on the 1st Ave side of our site, the building must extend to the street lot line for at least 75% of the lot line we are developing.

Building Setbacks:

Our site has a FAR maximum of 9:1. Depending on our building design, we may be eligible for additional FAR bonuses for including elements such as rooftop gardens, Eco-roofs, or water fea-tures. It is also important to note that residential uses are not calculated as part of the FAR limit in a mixed use / commercial building. This may allow us to build to a greater height than would initially be allowed by the 9:1 FAR.

Floor to Area Ratio:



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Development Standards

Submit Application(Type III Review)

Sta� Decision

Final Decision

Pre-Application Conference

Design Advice Request

Day 1:After you go through the

optional design advice request and the mandatory Pre-Aplication Process, you can submit your application along with a carboard model

of the site.

Day 21: Sta� has 21 days to

review your application. If it is incomplete you

have 180 days to �x the errors. If it is complete,

you move forward in the process.

Appeal Period

Public Hearing

Comment Period

Day 21-62During this time period,

notices are mailed to surrounding agencies and neighbors, a public notice

must be posted 20 days before the hearing and 10

days before the sta� report must be published.

Day 72A decision can be made at

the public hearing. If it is not, the decision must be mailed

to the applicant within 17 days of the hearing.

Day 73-87:If there is contention about

the decision, the applicant or other parties have 14 days to appeal the decision. Depend-ing on who makes the initial decision, appeals can go all

the way to the State Land Use Board of Appeals.

Day 103:In this process, a decision

should be made by the 103rd day after the applica-

tion is submitted. This adheres to the state’s

requirement that a decision be made with 120 days of

submittal

Design Review Process:

Because our site is in a CXd zone, it is required to go through the Design Review Process.The estimated value of improve-ments on the site, require it to go through a Type III Review, which entails a public hear-ing. Before starting the Design Review Process, our site needs to go through the lot consolidation process which can take anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks.

We have the option to go through an optional Design Advice Request meeting with the Design Com-mision. This isn’t mandatory and has additional fees, but can be useful if the design is complicated or might be considered contentious. A Pre-Application Hearing, however, is required before the applica-tion can be submitted. Three weeks after the conference, a summary will be

prepared and mailed to the appli-cant. At this point, an application can be submitted. Because of the site’s location, a cardboard model of the proposed building must be submitted. Before the building per-mits are issued, a wooden modelmust be submitted to be includedin the city’s wooden 3-D model collection.


Final Decision





of the site.

Appeal Period

Public Hearing

Comment Period











submittal


� Because our site is in a CXd zone, it is required to go through the Design Review Process.The estimated value of improve-ments on the site, require it to go through a Type III Review, which entails a public hear-ing. Before starting the Design Review Process, our site needs to go through the lot consolidation process which can take anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks.

� We have the option to go through an optional Design Advice Request meeting with the Design Com-mision. This isn’t mandatory and has additional fees, but can be useful if the design is complicated or might be considered contentious. � A Pre-Application Hearing, however, is required before the applica-tion can be submitted. Three weeks after the conference, a summary will be



Final Decision





of the site.

Appeal Period

Public Hearing

Comment Period











submittal


� Because our site is in a CXd zone, it is required to go through the Design Review Process.The estimated value of improve-ments on the site, require it to go through a Type III Review, which entails a public hear-ing. Before starting the Design Review Process, our site needs to go through the lot consolidation process which can take anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks.

� We have the option to go through an optional Design Advice Request meeting with the Design Com-mision. This isn’t mandatory and has additional fees, but can be useful if the design is complicated or might be considered contentious. � A Pre-Application Hearing, however, is required before the applica-tion can be submitted. Three weeks after the conference, a summary will be


Public Process:We do not expect there to be much push back from the community regarding development of our site. We are not proposing development in a residential neighborhood, so we believe it will be less controversial. The site is located in the Downtown Clean and Safe District. This Business Improvement District has a strong focus on mak-ing sure that ground floor retail is occupied and that the streetscape designs help to foster activ-ity. They may have an interest in the site because of its location and proposed uses. Our site is also located in the Downtown Neighborhood Associ-ation. In past meetings, they have cited providing affordable housing and housing that can accom-modate families within the neighborhood asso-ciation’s boundaries as an issue. Because we are proposing residential uses on our site, they may have an interest in the project. If we meet early in the process with the Business Improvement District and the Neighborhood Association, there is the potential for strong community support moving through the process.

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m Program Alternatives - Alternative 1: Low Density Commercial Building & Open Space

Although our site is zoned CXd, which pro-motes high density development, and is located in the Downtown district designated by the Central City Plan, high density devel-opment may not be logistically or financially feasible on this site. If we are unable to get a lot confirmation from the city determining that the old Hawthorne Bridge ramp located on the west side of our site is developable land, we may not be able to build there. Additional-ly, we have a few large trees on the site, which may also hinder development possibilities. This alternative is the most conservative and low impact of the three, and would be a viable option if we find that the site has too many regulatory roadblocks that need to be over-come.

This alternative would involve a ten story com-mercial building on the 75 ft x 100 ft north-west portion of the lot. This height is within the maximum 9:1 FAR available to us without the addition of residential units. The ground floor would be retail and a café, with a small courtyard to be shared with Veritable Quan-dary next door. The remaining floors would

be open floor plan office spaces. The top floor could be a restaurant with a rooftop bar, featuring spectacular views of the river, Haw-thorne Bridge, and Mt. Hood. This building would not have on-site parking, as the desig-nation of both 1st Ave and Madison as “transit streets” make it so that there is no feasible parking garage entrance. Instead we would partner with the large above ground garage located across the street to provide parking for the tenants.

The 100 ft by 200 ft east portion of the lot containing the old ramp designated as ROW, would be re-landscaped and transformed into a vibrant open space, helping to connect people from the commercial district to the Waterfront Park across Naito. The paved ramp could even be updated for the lot to be used as a skate park as part of Portland’s Skatepark System Plan.

In order for this plan to be financially feasible we would need to partner with PDC and the City.

Pros: Cons:

• Rehabilitates unused vacant lot

• Saves significant trees on site

• Connects commercial district to Water front Park

• Creates usable open space on this lot, in align-ment with proposed 2035 Central City Plan

• Small, low density building may not be financially beneficial to developers

• Does not include any residential units

• Does not provide on site parking

10 stories

A green roof can provide additional usable space as well as provide sustainable elements.

A low to mid rise office building showing how the site could eventually look

An urban skatepark could activate an other-wise unused space.

Mixed yet clean architectural elements can create an interesting aesthetic.

A low rise office on a sloped site for perspective.Jefferson

Nai

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Madison

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ramProgram Alternatives - Alternative 2: Two Multi-Use Towers on Site with Internal Courtyard

Pros: Cons:

• Very high density, aligning with City goals for the neighborhood

• Residential units downtown, activating nearby retails

• Green connection from commercial district to Waterfront Park

• Very expensive construction

• May not be enough demand for all commercial and residential units

• Would need to remove two significant trees from site

The second alternative would be to build two, independent multi-use buildings on the site. The north lot would be 75 ft by 200 ft and the south lot would be 100 ft by 125 ft. In this al-ternative we would use the maximum 9:1 FAR, as well as the 325 ft height limit envisioned by the 2035 Central City plan to create the high-est density possible on the site.

Each building would have about nine stories of commercial, with retail on the ground level, with additional floors of residential above. The north tower would be the tallest, and would step up with more height on the 1st Ave side of the building. The south tower would be the same height as the lower (east side) portion of

the north tower. There would be a landscaped greenway between the two towers from 1st Ave to Naito, connecting the commercial dis-trict to Waterfront Park.

These towers would create more commercial and retail opportunities in the downtown dis-trict, and would also introduce needed resi-dential units to the neighborhood as well. Af-fordable housing units would also be provided on the lower levels of the residential portion of the tower(s). The downtown area is lacking in housing, and these residential units would activate and serve nearby retail. This develop-ment would also feature underground parking, with an entrance located on Jefferson.

325’

220’

Jefferson

1ST

Green pedestrian connection between two buildings.

Vision of what a two high-rise residential towers, over commercial space looks like and how such a development might look on the site.

For our preferred alternative, we are proposing a single, mixed-use building on the site that would have retail on the ground level, to activate and engage the adjacent streets, followed by seven levels of commercial office space, with residen-tial units in the remaining eighteen floors of the building. We are proposing an L-shaped building that will step up in height, with the tallest part of the tower on the northeast corner of the site, facing Hawthorne Bridge. The inspiration for this type of building came from the towers that have been built in Vancouver, British Columbia. This step-up design would continue to allow light into the site and preserve the views from the existing buildings around the site. This design would also provide the opportunity to create rooftop patios and gardens, either for the residents living in the tower or for a restaurant or commercial unit that could occupy the lower levels.

Potential scenic views of the Willamette, the Haw-thorne Bridge, and Mt. Hood would make high-rise residential units even more desirable. This development could help to provide a customer base for local businesses after 5:00 pm and on the weekends. With a larger base of consumers, retail located in the building could be important in fulfilling the needs of those living in the area. The residential units towards the top of the tower with private terraces and the best views would be high-end market rate apartments, and we would incorporate affordable housing units as well.

We are hoping to preserve the tree closest to Veritable Quandary to use as the centerpiece of a courtyard entrance to the devel opment, but further research must be undertaken to under-stand the coverage of the root system on the site.

If the tree can be preserved it would create a nice natural texture for the court yard, provide refuge from the sun in the summer, and act as a focal point for possible seating from a café or restau-rant. The courtyard design would mesh with the aesthetics that Veritable Quandary has created. By designing a plaza or courtyard adja cent to the patio that is currently there, we are hoping to cre-ate a common shared space between the existing restaurant and any new uses that could make use of the courtyard.

We intend to develop on a majority of the build-able space avail able on the site. In order to do this, the old highway ramp and the tree closest to Naito Parkway must be removed. This would be possible after getting a lot confirmation and we would need to work with the city to determine an agreement to make this feasible. We would also create an underground parking garage beneath our building, with an entrance on Jefferson. This garage would not provide all the parking need-ed for the site so in addition we would create an agreement with the parking garage across the street to provide additional spaces for our ten-ants. The cost of leveling out the sloped ground on the site, in addition to excavating for the underground parking garage, will add additional cost to the development’s construction budget.

Preferred Alternative



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Mad

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AveNaito Parkway

Residential Units18 Floors

Commercial Office7 Floors

Ground Floor Retail

Preferred Alternative - Design Process

The initial thinking for the preferred alter-native was to build out to the maximum height allowable under the proposed 2035 Central City Plan. The market favors residential development at the moment so

the majority of the floors will be residen-tial. Commercial office space is planned for the 2nd through the 8th floor while re-tail space is reserved for the ground floor.

The diagram shows layout of the site as well as the relation to underground utilities. The site is 200 ft along Madison, 200 ft along Naito Parkway, 100 ft along Jefferson and 75 ft along 1st. The inside L shape is 100 ft along the southern face and 125 ft along its eastern face.

The site is crisscrossed by the combined sewer main flowing toward Naito Parkway. The High Pressure Water Main follows Jefferson Street while Water Service Boxes are located on the adjacent parcel within the block.

325’

Building Footprint & Public Utilities: Initial Building Envelope:



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Madiso

n AveNaito Parkway

325’ Total height26 Stories

Rooftop Terrace

Multi-use building with stepping up heights. Multi-use building with a mixture of heights and architectural styles be-tween the pedestal and the tower.

Initial stepped design after modifying the point tower concept from Van-couver, British Columbia to the L shaped context of the site.

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mPreferred Alternative - Design Process



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75’ 100’LV 1

LV 2

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Retail

Residential

Penthouse

LV 1

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Freight & ParkingAccess

Residential

Penthouse

Three Levels of Underground Parking

Cross Section A: Cross Section B:

Cross Section A

Cross Section B

Cross Section C



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200’

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Retail

Residential

Penthouse

Cross Section C:

Model as seen from Tom McCall Waterfront Park looking northwest.

Model as seen from Tom McCall Waterfront Park looking southwest.



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Preferred Alternative - Pro Forma Financial Analysis

The multi-family residential market in Portland is expected to continue being strong for the fore-seeable future. With the key trends being low vacancies and increasing rents, downtown apart-ment condominiums are a hot market our project seeks to capitalize on.

We assume that after 5 years we will be able to sell the building at a cap rate of 4.50 percent. This is slightly above the lowest cap rate seen in downtown, but still on the low side to reflect the value of this new building. An IRR of 9.00 percent leaves a healthy margin of profitability in case the market begins to decline by 2020.

We assume our office tenants will accept Triple Net Leases and pay a small premium to have Class A office space with great views of the Wil-lamette River and Mt. Hood. For the residential units, the rough expected monthly rent for an 800 sq. ft. apartment will be around $1,600. Located at the top of the building, we expect the pent-house units to lease for around $3,000 per month.

While we assume that the affordable units will be able to make the total market rate rent through housing vouchers, a good deal of flexibility can be allowed here as our current ROE of 23.66 percent is likely above what investors will require. Rents for these units could be lowered by 50 percent and the venture would still be profitable. This program assumes a 60/40 ratio of market rate to affordable units. This could be reduced to an 80/20 ratio pending further market analyses.

With the close proximity to major transit options, the Tom McCall Waterfront Park, all of Downtown Portland, the nearby Hawthorne neighborhood, and easy interstate highway access via Naito Park-way, we believe this location is perfectly placed to begin rebuilding housing along the Willamette waterfront.

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Rendering as seen from the East Bank Esplanade



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Preferred Alternative - Design & Architectural Vision

The building will stand at the foot of the stunning Hawthorne Bridge, an important historical land-mark to Portland with its iconic steel construction. The existing building on our site also represents a different time in the city, with its concrete and brick exterior and the remains of the old Jefferson Sub-station in its basement. We want to be sure that the design of our building incorporates these elements.

We envision the building with a clean modern feel that still incorporates the steel, brick and concrete elements, creating a balance between historical inspiration and sustainable and modern design. Heavier materials like steel and concrete at the base of the building will connect pedestrians to the historical context of the waterfront, while glass and modern materials in the residential tower incor-porate sustainable elements and make our own design statement.

We have found inspiration from highrise buildings in cities like Vancouver, Miami and Tokyo, that use a tiered, step-up height design. The step-up design adds visual interest, in addition to allowing more light into the building and site, and creating spaces for multiples levels of balconies and roof decks for use by both the tenants and green infrastructure elements like Ecoroofs.

Local Inspiration Light & Heavy Elements Mixed Heights

Steel elements will catch the eye and relate the building to the surrounding historical context.

Concrete will create a grounding that lighter elements can stand out from.

Mixing materials intelligently will create lines and flourishes that are aesthetically pleasing.

A heavier pedestal will establish pleasing proportions for the lighter materials used towards the tower’s top.

Different heights will create interesting angles while allowing a more open feel at the base.

Stepped heights allow for a mixture of uses at the differ-ent heights.

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Material & Texture Inspirations

Reflective Glass Slate

Concrete Awning

Rusted Steel Stainless Steel

Rough Faced Brick Exposed Rebar



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Preferred Alternative - Sustainable Elements

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We will be working with our architects and de-signers to plan for highly sustainable develop-ment, aiming to achieve LEED Platinum Certifica-tion. Wherever possible we will use local, healthy and sustainable building materials. We will also incorporate our own rain collection system and on-site wastewater management for the building. We may also be able to create green walls on our site, particularly on Jefferson and in the courtyard facing 1st Avenue.

The “step-up” design of our building will allow for multiple different rooftop gardens and/or Eco-roofs. These green roofs will create healthy out-door spaces for tenants, will reduce stormwater impacts and will incorporate the building’s rain-water collection equipment. The green roofs will benefit tenants by providing the above services but also the greater Portland public by reducing the urban heat island effect, providing habitat for native plants, birds and insects, improving the city’s air quality and simply by beautifying the building to create a “greener” more vibrant city.

Our green roofs will positively impact the city by managing some stormwater on site. They will re-tain rainwater and reduce the amount of rainwa-ter that runs off the building into the city’s sewer systems. We will also work with the city to incor-porate bioswales and street trees on the side-walks around the building wherever possible and to incorporate more greenery into the median in the middle of Naito Parkway. These landscaping elements will collect rainwater and also filter the water to break down pollutants.

The building will be designed to be as energy efficient as possible. We will be working with the architects to make sure that the layout and design for the building works with the sun to create natural day lighting where possible and to effi-ciently heat and cool the building. The building will creatively be fitted with solar panels wherever possible; taking advantage of surfaces with the most sun exposure. We will also install the most energy efficient lighting possible and incorporate energy use monitoring systems for our tenants so that they can be in control of energy use and help to reduce their energy bills.

Sustainable Design: Green Roofs: Stormwater Management: Energy Efficiency:

High-density development does not have to be at odds with the environment. By creating a high-rise building in downtown Portland with both commercial and residential tenants, we are con-tributing to the City of Portland’s vision and plan

for a high-density, walkable city. This location pro-vides residential tenants connection to a variety of public transit options just steps from the front door of the building and is within walking dis-tance to hundreds of stores and restaurants. Our

development will also contribute to Portland’s “Healthy Connected City” vision by taking part in the following sustainable development practices:



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Preferred Alternative - Thirty Year Vision

We believe that in 30 years, the area surround-ing our site and much of Downtown and Old Town-Chinatown will be a thriving commercial and residential district. At this point, the city’s efforts to catalyze development in the area will have taken root and many of the surface parking lots you see today will be a thing of the past. In their place will be new mixed-use buildings that will add new retail opportunities and a much needed variety of housing to the area. The pres-ence of people in this space at all hours of the day, will activate retail far beyond the hours that

cater to the office crowd now. Our site will help contribute to this, by providing residential units and new retail space into the neighborhood. Currently one of the city’s best attractions, Tom McCall Waterfront Park, is obstructed by Naito Parkway. Over the next 30 years we believe that the city will begin to undertake the endeavor of connecting the waterfront to the downtown. This endeavor includes removing all of the unneces-sary on-ramps to bridges. Our site will help to set precedence in this area, because it will show that

these sites are, in fact, attractive development opportunities. Additionally, Naito Parkway north of SW Clay will be transformed into a beautiful pedestrian boulevard with adequate bike facilities to promote active transportation in and around the area. Playgrounds, skate parks, performance venues, plazas and food cart hubs will be scat-tered along the waterfront and the new pedestri-an boulevard. This will help to further Waterfront Park as an integral urban amenity, but ensure that it is connected to the rest of Downtown Portland.

Our development will sit in a prominent location, just at the entrance to Hawthorne Bridge, wel-coming people into the bustling new downtown. Retail stores and cafes on the ground level of our building will entice people from Waterfront Park onto our site to shop or sit and enjoy the views of the Hawthorne Bridge and river. Our site, a once vacant eyesore, will now significantly contrib-ute to the transformation of the east portion of downtown into a vibrant tourist destination and a thriving Portland residential community.

Development in the area, will help to fill the gaps in frontage along Naito Parkway. Necessary street upgrades and changes will make Naito more appealing and safe for pedestrians, while still handling traffic flow.

With an improved Naito Parkway, we expect businesses to take advantage of the views of the park by creating sidewalk cafes and active store frontages.



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Violet BrownAmanda Davidowitz

Ashley EatonStefan Heisler

Lewis Kelley

Documents

Veritas_Planning_Final_Design_Poposal_small