Portland Design Commission

[maccoinnich]

City gears up to streamline development process

The City of Portland contracted with Seattle-based Walker Macy to complete its Design Overlay Zone Assessment (DOZA), a project intended to research the direction the City should take to improve its design process, to prepare for the proposed design overlay zone expansion.

The city is under pressure to streamline development approval policy and zoning in large part because of the building boom — and growing queue of architects and developers waiting for their projects to be heard and approved.

“It’s definitely partially that (boom): the design commission is completely overloaded,” said Sandra Wood, supervising planner at the city’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability.

“They’re meeting several times a month now for six-hour meetings, and of course they’re volunteers so we’re sensitive to that,” said Wood. “We’re hoping when the design overlay gets expanded, the development that results from design review won’t be hindered and the process adds value to the buildings that are subjected to the design review.”

...continues at the Business Tribune.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

...continues at the Business Tribune.

I think this is great that we are streamlining the process to make development easier to do, I just wish we were also strengthening our historic landmark status as well. A building that is listed as historic should be near impossible to remove from historic status, and should require a public announcement of tear down over a period of time to allow anyone who wishes to save a building to buy it and renovate it.

I think it is important for Portland to be doing both to encourage new development to happen throughout the city while also protecting the city's heritage.

[maccoinnich]

Public invited to share feedback on how well the design overlay zone works and what they’d like to see improved

Portland’s Zoning Code includes several overlay zones to address specific issues, such as historic resource preservation and environmental protection. The design overlay zone promotes the conservation, enhancement and continued vitality of areas with special scenic, architectural or cultural value.

As part of the Design Overlay Zone Assessment (DOZA) project, the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability is assessing the tools and processes that carry out the d-overlay.

Tell City planners what you think
The DOZA project team is seeking input from stakeholders, including neighborhood residents, architects, developers, affordable housing advocates and other interested groups. Please take a few minutes to complete the online questionnaire and tell us how the d-overlay affects new building design and how you feel engaged in the process.

Share the questionnaire
Share the link to the questionnaire, which will be available until September 9th, 2016, at 5 p.m., with your friends, colleagues, neighbors and others interested in the city’s d-overlay. Questionnaire results will be used to inform recommendations for improving the d-overlay and incorporated into the consultant team’s final report.

Design Review
Design review involves a two-track system, which offers architects and developers a choice to ensure that certain types of development will enhance the recognized special design values of a site or area:

1. Discretionary design review by staff or the Design Commission.
2. Compliance with the non-discretionary Community Design Standards.

The deliverable for this project is a set of recommendations to improve the standards and tools used for d-overlay zones as well as how the d-overlay is administered. Seattle-based Walker Macy is leading the consultant team in an independent, comprehensive assessment of the process, guidelines and standards, and results of the d-overlay zone.

For more information about the Design Overlay Zone Assessment visit our website at www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/DOZA or contact Lora Lillard at 503-823-7721 or lora.lillard@portlandoregon.gov.

...from City of Portland website.

[maccoinnich]

I'm strangely excited about this.

Bright Lights: Fixing Portland Design Review

The biggest building boom in Portland history has produced a lot of new buildings that everybody has opinions about.

But, the only opinions that matter (beyond the architects and developers who build them) are those of the six members of Portland's Design Review Commission and the city staff who review new buildings.

Architects, developers, and the public all have opinions about how well design review is working. Seldom are they favorable. The commission is too picky. The process takes too long. The buildings are still ugly. The list goes on. Meantime, the commissioners themselves-all citizen volunteers-and city staff are swamped by the boom.

To get a clear-eyed picture of the problems and suggestions for how to fix them, the City turned to consultant Mark Hinshaw, a Seattle-based urban designer and writer. He's compared Portland to the best practices in places like Austin, Denver, and Seattle. Now he's about to unveil his recommendations.

Join Hinshaw, former Design Review Commission chairman Mike McCulloch, and Yeon Center director Randy Gragg for an evening discussion about the good, bad, and ugly of current Portland architecture and what the role of government should be in making it better.

6 pm, Monday November 7 (doors open at 5:30)
Jimmy Mak's Jazz Club
221 NW 10th Ave
Suggested contribution: $10 (students welcomed for free)

To reserve a seat, register here.

Mark Hinshaw has devoted his career to helping cities and towns in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana create clear design standards review processes for new buildings. He chaired the first Downtown Design Review Board for the City of Seattle helping to establish that city's processes. He has written and lectured widely on the best practices of design review. His a fellow of both the American Institute of Architects and the American Institute of Certified Planners - a dual honor that is held by only a few dozen people in the country.

Michael McCulloch is an award-winning Portland-based architect and urban design consultant who has advised the cities of Tualatin, Milwaukie, Gresham, and other regional centers on major urban redevelopments. He is the former chairman of Portland's Design Review Commission.

[Mr. Walch]

Don't go down the road of Seattle! I live in Seattle and I am a designer at an architecture firm. The entire city is included in design review. It adds time and money to every project and leads to results that are not as good as Portland. There are different boards throughout the city and they have different expectations which makes the process unpredictable and painful. It also empowers planners to play architect. Stick with the limited system that you have.

[maccoinnich]

On City Council agenda for next week:

1212 Appoint Samuel Rodriguez to the Portland Design Commission for a term to expire November 1, 2020 (Report)

Rodriguez is a Senior Managing Director at developer Mill Creek Residential Trust (of the Modera projects).

[The ATX]

Don't go the way of Austin either. Austin's zoning and approval process is more like San Francisco than the rest of Texas.

[maccoinnich]

Interim Report: Design Overlay Zone Assessment [PDF - 4MB]

[maccoinnich]

Walker Macy presents City with preliminary DOZA findings

While there is overall support for Portland’s valued design review process, developments inside the design overlay that go through added review aren’t necessarily producing satisfactory or extraordinary buildings.

That’s one of the preliminary findings of the Design Overlay Zone Assessment (DOZA), a project intended to research the direction the City should take to improve its design process, to prepare for the proposed design overlay zone expansion.

The preliminary findings of DOZA were presented by Walker Macy — the independent consultant assessing the project — to Portland’s Design Commission last week, outlining potential solutions to the volunteer commission’s overloaded plate.

Lora Lillard, DOZA project manager and urban designer with the City of Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS), said the DOZA project is meant to look at the city’s zones affected by the design overlay (including Central City and Gateway) and how to improve the process.

...continues at the Business Tribune.

[maccoinnich]

Posting this here for lack of a better place: Chloe Eudaly is now the Commissioner in charge of the Bureau of Development Services.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Posting this here for lack of a better place: Chloe Eudaly is now the Commissioner in charge of the Bureau of Development Services.

I am really excited for what Wheeler can do as mayor. I am really hopeful that he can become a great long term mayor for the city.

[maccoinnich]

Design Overlay Zoning Assessment Preview Draft [PDF - 1MB] and memo.

[maccoinnich]

State of the City Design Report 2017

[ebetsure]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

State of the City Design Report 2017

This report is quite interesting. Looking over pages 10-14, where the design commission highlights some significant upcoming and ongoing projects, I can't help but notice how little variety there seems to be.

I think the most visually interesting overall is the top left rendering on page 11, the Lloyd Cinemas residential redevelopment (?). The new PSU building (?) bottom right on page 10, could end up being very appealing. The new OHSU south waterfront buildings should be fine as well.

But almost all these projects seem to share the rather boring (IMO) rectangular geometry from street to penthouse. The staggered window look, where the vertical lines of window / cladding is broken up like a vertically stretched checkerboard, has never seemed very aesthetic to me. I hope that trend starts to decline. I have much more sympathy for non-uniform window placement if it's done on buildings with a cross-section a little more imaginative than a simple rectangle. See, e.g., the CLSB on the west end of the Tillikum bridge, where the squat, trapezoidal south portion of the building has the non-uniform windows while the large rectangular tower has more traditional window lines.

I suspect that construction orthodoxy and profit-margin obsessed developers are mostly to blame of the lack of variety, but the new courthouse is almost the worst offender of all of these renderings. Perhaps the design commission does not share my tastes, but at least they could attempt to encourage some visual heterogeneity.

[maccoinnich]

Originally Posted by ebetsure

, the Lloyd Cinemas residential redevelopment (?). The new PSU building (?) bottom right on page 10, ,,, The new OHSU south waterfront buildings should be fine as well.

Three projects that had a really hard time getting through Design Review...

[maccoinnich]

State of the City Design Report 2017

After a year of hundreds of new developments backing up the city's design review process, the Design Commission shared an annual report of what it's seen and accomplished during 2017.

The State of the City Design Report 2017 was presented by Design Commission Chair David Wark at the April 19 City Council meeting.

This is the fifth report before council, and the commission has been operating in Portland since 1980.

The Design Commission, made up of seven volunteers, met 38 times in 2016 for Land Use cases, held 24 Design Advice Request and 11 briefings on city policy matters.

Commissioner Chloe Eudaly said the report comes at a time when construction is at an unprecedented level in the city.

"These neighborhoods deserve appropriate protection and predictability of quality infill that meets our density goals," Eudaly said.

...continues at the Business Tribune.

[maccoinnich]

Julie Livingston, new chair of the Design Commission, now has a twitter account.

[maccoinnich]

After 9 years serving as a member of the Design Commission, last week's hearing was David Wark's last. I haven't heard who is being appointed to replace him.

[eric cantona]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

After 9 years serving as a member of the Design Commission, last week's hearing was David Wark's last. I haven't heard who is being appointed to replace him.

bummer. his commentary always seemed very sensible and reasonable. hope they find someone with a very high design IQ to replace David.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

After 9 years serving as a member of the Design Commission, last week's hearing was David Wark's last. I haven't heard who is being appointed to replace him.

That is a shame, I agree with eric, hopefully someone with an extensive background in design can take his place. I also think the design boundaries should be extended to all major corridors in Portland.