Downtown Portland News

[CorbinWarrick]

This site would be absolutely perfect for a new tallest

[2oh1]

I have a soft spot for the buildings on the west side of that block.

One of my hobbies is photography, but I do sort-of abstract-ish stuff.

This...



...is a picture of the backside of THIS building. I'd love to see both of the buildings on the west half of the block saved and rehabbed, though I know it's not likely. The east half of the block needs to be leveled and redeveloped, ASAP.

[DMH]

Originally Posted by 2oh1

I have a soft spot for the buildings on the west side of that block.

One of my hobbies is photography, but I do sort-of abstract-ish stuff.

This...



...is a picture of the backside of THIS building. I'd love to see both of the buildings on the west half of the block saved and rehabbed, though I know it's not likely. The east half of the block needs to be leveled and redeveloped, ASAP.

You are in luck. Already 1/2 of the west side of the block has been renovated. After the Multnomah County Health Dept moved out of the J.K. Gill building on the corner of SW Harvey Milk and SW 5th into its new building near the train station, the historic J.K. Gill building was restored. I believe that its completion happened during the pandemic. Bad timing.

Meanwhile I heard long ago that the low-scale 1970's building on the eastern half of the block was designed to be a much taller building once the office market was right. Can anyone confirm that? If so, it would be interesting to know what supplemental structural work would be needed under the current Code to build a high-rise on the existing base. Better yet, it could be high-rise residential.

[maccoinnich]

No opening date yet, but from the outside the Shake Shack looks to be ready to open.

Shake Shack and Han Oak Will Host a Pop-Up in Advance of the Portland Store Opening
In addition to the chain’s classic sandwiches, the event will feature chef Peter Cho’s famous steamed dduk galbi bao burgers.



Fans of Shake Shake who are salivating over the upcoming opening of the downtown Portland location have the opportunity to get an early taste of the New York-based chain.

The company is partnering with Han Oak for a pop-up on April 11 at the Korean restaurant on Northeast 24th Avenue. Since celebrated chef Peter Cho helped design the menu, you can expect what is probably the most elevated take on ShackBurgers you’ll ever sink your teeth into.

In addition to those classic sandwiches, the event will feature Cho’s famous steamed dduk galbi bao burgers: a char-broiled, chopped beef patty marinated in sweet soy sauce that’s piled high with grilled green onions in a sesame seed bun. The dessert course offers an exclusive Toki Road Sundae made with Shake Shack’s vanilla frozen custard with mochi, a Woodblock Chocolate fudge sauce, toasted nuts and a dusting of misugaru.

...continues at Willamette Week.

[downtownpdx]

Good to hear. So tragic, and also such a central dt location for that kind of activity to be taking place in plain sight. If it were 2019 and the office market had some life, I'd be optimistic this block would be redeveloped soon. But we'll see, hopefully something inspiring happens here one day.

[DMH]

Originally Posted by downtownpdx

Good to hear. So tragic, and also such a central dt location for that kind of activity to be taking place in plain sight. If it were 2019 and the office market had some life, I'd be optimistic this block would be redeveloped soon. But we'll see, hopefully something inspiring happens here one day.

From what I have read in the press, the owner Barry Menashe is not being as proactive as we all would like. He has offered the buildings to the City at no cost, to provide shelter for the homeless. Very generously he had some part of the buildings as shelter space in the past. Today I do not think Downtown's health can tolerate a permanent shelter at that location. But honesty he does not appear ready to do anything with his property. I wish that he would simply sell off the 3/4 block pair of buildings at a very low price so that a developer with imagination could convert all of the upper floor spaces to apartments. Mr. Menashe could rid himself of the headache and maybe take get a break on his taxes...I am no expert on taxes. I believe that more floors can be added to the 1970's building on the east half of the block. Getting those buildings occupied is essential.

[uncommon.name]

No matter how bad it is on the ground, downtown still is beautiful from another perspective.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by uncommon.name

No matter how bad it is on the ground, downtown still is beautiful from another perspective.

Great shot....though the filter looks a bit "fire season." I will say, I am loving the addition of the Ritz tower.

[downtownpdx]

Beautiful shot! Loving the new tower. And despite the rash of bad news, my recent visits downtown have been pretty positive. The West End especially is doing well, with lots of new businesses and activity. Thanks for sharing that info DMH, I agree and hope Menashe will do what it takes to move this property into the next phase. It's too central to just get it languish.

[NOPO]

Portland is still a middle of the road city when it comes to our troubles. I believe people are buying a lot into us being an exceptional case, and that just isn’t true.

[downtownpdx]

Shake Shack Opens its Highly Anticipated Downtown Portland Restaurant April 24

Screen Shot 2023-04-12 at 9.08.37 PM by Ryan Miller, on Flickr

The downtown Portland location, the second in the state, will be home to an outdoor courtyard where customers can eat the chain’s famous frozen custards

Portland fans of Shake Shack’s burgers, crinkle cut fries, and frozen custard won’t have to wait much longer: The New York-founded burger and frozen custard chain will open its highly anticipated downtown Portland location on April 24.

The restaurant is situated along SW 10th Avenue and West Burnside Street, directly across from Powell’s City of Books, one of downtown’s most bustling blocks. It will include a courtyard with outdoor seating and a ping pong table. Diners will be able to order from kiosks or pre-order through the restaurant’s app.

continues - https://pdx.eater.com/2023/4/12/2368...d-opening-date

[CorbinWarrick]

Originally Posted by NOPO

Portland is still a middle of the road city when it comes to our troubles. I believe people are buying a lot into us being an exceptional case, and that just isn’t true.

You think it isn’t that bad?

[NOPO]

Originally Posted by CorbinWarrick

You think it isn’t that bad?

I’m from Miami, which had about 11 murders per 100,000 people last year. In our latest spike last year we are at 16 murders per 100,000. And I do believe that’s an outlier. Growing up in Miami, I can say anecdotally I felt less safe living there from 1986-2004 than any time I’ve lived in Portland 2008-present. Even including the worst year for us, 2022. We compare to other cities and fare about middle of the road. Also, Miami just criminalizes the houseless which is why you don’t see them everywhere. The silly thing is it’s also more expensive to criminalize/imprison the houseless rather than just giving them services and housing. Do we have crime? Yes. Is it bad? It’s pretty average, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to fix things by expanding services and expanding the Portland Street Response.

[downtownpdx]

A nice step up on that corner from Vitamin World.

[subterranean]

More liberal states have tended to be magnets for homelessness. It is not just a perception thing, if you look at the numbers, the west coast has some of the worst homelessness rates, with California, Oregon and Washington all in the top 6.

Housing costs and weather of course are big contributing factors, with some southern states and Alaska ranking highly as well. But one issue with our federalist government is that states end up competing with one another in different ways. An extreme example was the way Amazon made states compete with each other for HQ2 a few years back.

Huge corporations move around to whichever state gives them the biggest incentives. And in the same way, people in need move to states and regions that appear to have more resources for them or have more forgiving laws for whatever their struggles may be. If you're a drug addict, why not move to Oregon? If you're trans and live in the South with no supports and laws being passed to deny your existence, why stay there? It's a sad state of affairs.

This is one argument for a stronger federal government. In the same way the EPA and NEPA forced big corporations to clean up their acts, I really wish HUD were given the power by congress to play more of a regulatory role to help solve the issue of criminalized homelessness and perhaps other powers to force communities to allow more housing who traditionally haven't had their fair share. We're only going to get bigger and our housing issues worse.

I agree with the above assessment of Downtown Portland, though. Although still with its issues, I've traveled through there a lot recently, particularly on train, and things certainly have improved from last year, at least in terms of visibility of homelessness, graffiti, etc. It's good to see.

[2oh1]

Originally Posted by subterranean

More liberal states have tended to be magnets for homelessness. It is not just a perception thing, if you look at the numbers, the west coast has some of the worst homelessness rates, with California, Oregon and Washington all in the top 6.

That's not about liberalism. That's about the climate. The west coast has the nation's mildest weather. It's much easier to live on the street in moderate weather vs somewhere you'll freeze to death in winter or die of heatstroke in summer.

It's also worth noting that cities tend to be liberal. Even in deep red states, the cities lean liberal. People who come together tend to be liberal. People who want to be away from other people tend to be conservative.

[subterranean]

Originally Posted by 2oh1

That's not about liberalism. That's about the climate. The west coast has the nation's mildest weather. It's much easier to live on the street in moderate weather vs somewhere you'll freeze to death in winter or die of heatstroke in summer.

It's also worth noting that cities tend to be liberal. Even in deep red states, the cities lean liberal. People who come together tend to be liberal. People who want to be away from other people tend to be conservative.

I don’t know about you but there are plenty of places in the SE U.S. that I would strongly prefer over Portland in terms of climate. Also doesn’t explain how Vermont and DC have such high percentages of homelessness. Again, even if cities are liberal (such as Austin), they are often profoundly impacted by state policy and law, such as with state Medicaid programs and anti-abortion laws.

[sopdx]

This post should probably be posted elsewhere as it isn't really downtown.

The school, National University of Naturopathic Medicine (NUNM) is selling off property due to the fact that it is circling the drain. This is the largest building between Naito and Ross Island bridge head. There is an adjacent property that is also being redeveloped.

https://www.portlandmaps.com/detail/...A/4914358_did/

[PhillyPDX]

In exciting news, got a late email yesterday that said my downtown office building had a bullet hole on the 8th floor on Saturday night (externally caused), so now me and my several hundred+ coworkers are allowed full time telework (again) by the boss. Great sign for building back downtown.

[downtownpdx]

Yeah it was nice the other day, walking down Burnside east of Powell's, and seeing the north park blocks very clean, no tents. Actually felt safe and inviting, relatively speaking.