The RFP is for most of Block 153, which is bounded by Southwest 4th and 5th avenues and Harrison and Montgomery streets. The city is seeking proposals for a condominium-over-retail development on the site that would incorporate the streetcar, which will be extended diagonally through the middle of the block on its way to the waterfront. Maxing out the square footage and height requirements, the site could hold a 310,000-sf building up to 170 feet tall.
The redevelopment site is home to the 6,500-sf Jasmine Tree Restaurant building and a 26,000-sf surface parking lot, which the PDC acquired in 2002 and 2003 for a total of $3.64 million. The Harrison Court Apartments, which occupy the rest of the block, was originally part of the redevelopment plans. Local developer Brad Malsin did not want to sell, however, and as a defensive maneuver had the property listed on the National Register of Historic Places, local sources tell GlobeSt.com.
Immediately to the west of Block 153 is PSU's University Plaza, home to among other things the PSU bookstore and the current terminus of the city's streetcar line, which is incorporated into the building on the site. To the south and east are recent Portland State University developments, including a $49-million, mixed-use student housing project and a $60-million academic building known as the Northwest Center for Engineering, Science and Technology.
Development proposals are expected to be distinctive in design, supportive of the pedestrian-oriented nature of the established neighborhood and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified. Qualified developer teams interested in purchasing and developing the property should submit proposals to PDC by noon on March 31.
The PDC is still considering whether to acquire the Value Inn Motel (Block 161), which sits immediately north of Block 153. PDC development manager Cathryn Krygier tells GlobeSt.com that while the city could condemn the property, the property owner has not been interested in selling and the city hasn't been pushing the issue. The city's goal is to combine the hotel site with an adjacent parcel owned by the parish of St. Michael, but the parish has been distracted by the bankruptcy of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Portland, Ore., which in July 2004 became the first in the nation to file for bankruptcy protection under the weight of sexual abuse lawsuits.
The city has acquired a 41% stake in the block immediately west of Block 153, which holds the PCAT Building. PSU holds the remaining interest. The preliminary plan is to demolish the one-story PCAT Building and replace it with a nine-story building with 14,700 sf of lower-level and street-level retail, 140,000 sf of office space and 300 above-grade parking spaces. The office space would be shared by Portland State University and the PDC, which would consolidate its offices in the building.
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