Broadway Corridor (Post Office Redevelopment) | Proposed

[Leo]

Originally Posted by hat

I am slightly confused by the design options given here. Perhaps it's my lack of any experience in architecture or urban design. If others can clarify, please do.

As I understand it, the park space and Green Loop route depend entirely on a primarily flat park, as indicated by the "Green Loop Climb" and soccer field in the rendering. The impracticality of this as a cycling route is fairly obvious to anyone who commutes. Is there a reason why the "Connected open space" necessarily needs to be 0 grade? Is it more difficulty to design buildings on a slight slope? Is there a reason why the ROW on Hoyt must be retained? Is a park on a gentle grade not preferred? I have many questions.

Given the switchbacks, I can imagine very few cyclists using the design as intended, opting to take the shared access street instead. Perhaps this is the intention?

Well, it's zero grade today, so you would have to create the grade first. Not technically impossible, but some extra work and cost. And you would pay that extra work and cost entirely for the benefit of bike commuters. For almost every other use, a flat park would work better.

Personally, I don't think that a park should be designed primarily for commuter traffic.

[zilfondel]

As a bike commuter, I agree that the switchback concept is a little... difficult. I think most bike commuters will just proceed up either Lovejoy or Broadway itself.

It seems like an enormous expense to raise the height of the ground some 25+' over several acres. You could do it, but why? Its not very sustainable and will require thousands of dump truck loads of fill.

Then there is the issue that it creates a dark, enclosed pedestrian street immediately to its north. Also, the park should have more uses than a play field, dont you guys think?

I'd like to see better integration with the zig-zag with a building, maybe like the original ramp idea for the James Beard project, or that crazy 8 House by Bjarke Ingels:

https://www.archdaily.com/83307/8-house-big

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q-e9_KFcoY

[maccoinnich]

The Central City Master Plan has been submitted.

[winstonLT5]

Stumbled across the latest renderings of The Spar, PATH Architecture's "world's tallest mass-timber building" concept for the Broadway corridor. This is at least the third revision, trimmed down to 36 floors now, but looking very sleek. Fantasy perhaps, but one can dream...

[urbanlife]

It would be amazing to have the third tallest tower in Portland be a timber tower. Granted, it would be cool if the whole Broadway Corridor site was a timber complex. Having a district in the city that celebrated the use of wood would be an iconic thing for Portland.

[maccoinnich]

Request for Response

[Natural]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

It would be amazing to have the third tallest tower in Portland be a timber tower. Granted, it would be cool if the whole Broadway Corridor site was a timber complex. Having a district in the city that celebrated the use of wood would be an iconic thing for Portland.

Can anybody give an estimation comparing a Timber Tower construction cost versus a conventional steel Tower construction cost? Would this Timber Tower actually pencil out?

[AcmeGreg]

Interesting how Path's design is so similar to that expressed in William Kraven's twin towers. I do like the pattern of arrows within the skin of Path's building, creating a subtle "forest" effect - an obvious metaphor re the "bones" of the structure, of which the viewer would otherwise not be aware.

[Pavlov's Dog]

FWIW here is the current world's tallest wooden building. It's a hotel in rural Norway that opened March, 2019



Image credit - Voll Architects

Project page for Wood Hotel

It's only 80 meters or 260 feet so this proposal is significantly taller and larger

[maccoinnich]

Central City Master Plan Drawings [49 MB].

[astronomer]

Odd that all of the maps on pages 48-53, which exist to illustrate the surrounding traffic flow, have all banished Glisan, with the street grid jumping straight from Flanders to Hoyt.

[eric cantona]

Originally Posted by astronomer

Odd that all of the maps on pages 48-53, which exist to illustrate the surrounding traffic flow, have all banished Glisan, with the street grid jumping straight from Flanders to Hoyt.

alphabetting is hard.

[maccoinnich]

Broadway Corridor update: Activists want to lock in social benefits, including wage standards and diversity

Portland leaders and community organizers are on the back stretch of negotiating an agreement that will underpin efforts to redevelop the Broadway Corridor between the Pearl District and Old Town Chinatown for years to come.

Prosper Portland and the Healthy Communities Coalition are hashing out what’s called a community benefits agreement. By signing the agreement, the coalition — which cuts across environmental, social justice and organized labor interests, according to Prosper Portland — would essentially sign away its rights to protest the project. In return, it would secure certain benefits for the redevelopment.

Healthy Communities wants all workers, including people of color and women, to have equal access to construction jobs for the project, fair benefits and wages for those who construct the buildings and later work inside of them and a labor agreement for the project, among other terms. The redevelopment is expected to generate approximately 6,000 construction jobs.

...continues at the Portland Business Journal.

[maccoinnich]

Portland parks will spend $8 million to extend North Park Blocks as part of Broadway Corridor redevelopment

Portland’s parks department says it plans to use up to $8 million in fees paid by developers to turn a city-owned downtown parking lot into new public green space.

The move to redevelop the lot near the Pacific Northwest College of Art along Northwest Glisan Street would extend the North Park Blocks one square block toward the city’s vacant central post office site, which is also slated for redevelopment.

The money would come from system development charges and it would cover planning, design and construction costs, said Mark Ross, a parks and recreation spokesperson.

“We are optimistic that some funds may remain after the North Park Blocks project,” Ross said. Any remaining money, he said, would likely be put toward a new park planned to be built on the post office site.

...continues at the Oregonian.

[subterranean]

Good news.

[maccoinnich]

Central City Master Plan Staff Report.

New River District Right-of-Way Standards draft and memo.

[pdxsg34]

Demo Permit now under review

OLD USPS VMF DEMOLITION - the abatement and demolition of the facility, and the removal of an underground storage tank and contaminated soil remediation around the tank, facility and in the nw corner of the lot

[maccoinnich]

Design Review #2 Drawings [54 MB].

[maccoinnich]

Staff Report, which recommends approval

[maccoinnich]

On Wednesday the Prosper Portland board approved a Community Benefits Agreement with the Healthy Communities Coalition and a Disposition and Development Agreements with Continuum Partners.

The masterplan went in front of the Design Commission on Thursday, and is likely to be approved next week after some finessing of the conditions of approval.