July 27th, 2010
Article from the NW Examiner July 2010 edition.
More than two years after construction was to begin, no one knows when work will start on Fields Park, the final and by far largest of three Pearl parks.
The project is hung up on negotiations between the city and Hoyt Street Properties (HSP), the development firm that in 1997 agreed to donate land for the parks in exchange for removal of the Lovejoy viaduct, provision of streetcar service and relaxation of zoning rules.
City Commissioner Nick Fish has stepped into the negotiations, but there is no word on what kind of settlement will be reached or when.
Things began going sideways a year after Hoyt Street President Homer Williams closed the 1997 deal with the city and Portland Development Commission.
No one foresaw that within a year the Parks Bureau would institute system development charges (SDCs), a citywide system of fees on new construction to underwrite creation and maintenance of public parks.
One estimate puts these charges at about $2,800 per unit for typical Pearl buildings.
Hoyt Street Properties got full credit for the value of its land donated for Jamison Park, a credit it used against SDCs applied to the new buildings it was churning out…
Read the Full Article Here: The Fields NW Examiner - 
(pdf)
Tags: pearl district parks, The Fields Park
Posted in: 
Planning | No Comments »
July 26th, 2010
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'Street sprints' hit the Pearl DistrictBikePortland.org (blog)Portland's Pearl District played host to a rare form of bike racing on Saturday evening when local Ironclad Performance Wear Cycling Team held their first ... |
Tags: Pearl District bike race, Pearl News
Posted in: 
Transportation | Comments Off
July 25th, 2010
Join us for a 5% Community Support Day in honor of the Pearl District Neighborhood Association. Whole Foods will donate 5% of all sales to the Pearl District Neighborhood Association on August 5th (First Thursday).
Whole Foods has Activities and Prizes all day!
See Flyer below for details.
Tags: pearl district wholefoods fundraiser
Posted in: 
Communications | No Comments »
July 25th, 2010
Residents of the Marshall-Wells Lofts would like to invite you to our Centennial Celebration. Please join us for an evening of music, food and festivity.
Date: First Thursday, August 5, 2010
Time: 5:00 – 9:00 pm
Location: 1420 NW Lovejoy Street
Tags: Marshall Wells Centennial Celebration
Posted in: 
Livability | No Comments »
July 23rd, 2010
Tags: pearl district quiet zone, Pearl News
Posted in: 
Pearl News | Comments Off
July 15th, 2010
Tags: Pearl News
Posted in: Pearl News | Comments Off
July 12th, 2010
Ready for a night out with friends? Wednesday July 14th is ZCC’s Game Night – an evening of card games, board games, strategy games and fun conversation with neighbors and friends! RSVP by clicking here.
When: July 14th starting at 6:30
Where: 910 NW 14th at On Deck Sports Bar & Grill, upstairs and outdoors on the patio!
Who: Adult friends and neighbors of Zimmerman Community Center and Isobel’s Clubhouse.
What: We’ll have a variety of board and card games available, and you can bring your favorites!
RSVP: Please RSVP using this link CLICK HERE
Childcare: WeVillage generously offers a special rate during this event: 2 hours for the price of 1.
Thank you to On Deck Sports Bar & Grill for sharing their space for this event. Their menu of food and drink is available for purchase.
If you have questions about this event, please contact us by replying to this email or calling 503.224.4636.
Posted in: Communications | No Comments »
July 9th, 2010
Article from: Oregonlive
Stacy Young keeps one eye on her three children as they splash in the shallow fountain in the Pearl District’s Jamison Square. She keeps the other eye on the clock.
“The kids are good for about two hours, and then we’ve got to find a bathroom,” she said about Austin, 6, Landon, 5, and Noelle, 3. “There’s no Porta-Potty around, and you just can’t find anyplace close for them.”
Despite opposition by some nearby condominium owners, that’s likely to change by the end of summer. The Portland Water Bureau plans to install a 24-hour, solar-powered public toilet, called a loo, on the edge of the urban park after it reaches an agreement with residents about where to put it.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Jamison Loo, Pearl District Loo
Posted in: Communications | No Comments »
July 9th, 2010
Now the Broadway Bridge is going to be closed to bicyclists and pedestrians, too.
Portland Streetcar work will close the major connection between downtown and North Portland to motor vehicles from June 6 until Sept. 4. It will also be closed to bicyclists and pedestrians starting July 19.
City transportation officials had hoped bicyclists and pedestrians could still use the south sidewalk to cross the bridge during the construction period. But after consulting with the contractors, officials have decided the bridge must be closed until the work is done.
As it turns out, the contractors have to remove the south sidewalk to complete the project, preventing anyone from bicycling or walking across it.
Detours will be posted for other routes across the Willamette River, including the Steel Bridge.
The closure is necessary for the installation of streetcar tracks on the bridge. The work is part of the Portland Streetcar extension that will extend service from the Pearl District through the inner eastside to OMSI.
A new bridge over the Willamette River will eventually carry service between OMSI and the South Waterfront, creating a streetcar loop around the central city. The bridge is also part of the planned Portland to Milwaukie MAX line.
The streetcar extension is a top priority of Mayor Sam Adams.
Tags: Broadway Bridge Closed, Portland Streetcar Construction
Posted in: Transportation | No Comments »
July 8th, 2010
Article From Portland Mecury:
HELP FOR BURNSIDE has been a long time coming. Our city’s downtown artery squeezes up to six lanes of traffic between skinny sidewalks, infuriating both tourists and drivers. But downtown business owners are strongly divided over a $17-20 million plan that aims to fix Burnside.
Backers of the proposed West Burnside/Couch Couplet are gathering support for the controversial plan that has taken a decade to design. But critics are also gaining steam with their concerns that the project will tear the heart out of Portland’s downtown.
“We’re talking about the Portland Plan and 20-minute neighborhoods and this project is contrary to all those,” says Stan Penkin, a member of the Better Burnside Alliance, a business group that formed in June to protest the couplet. “There are many things that can be done to tame Burnside, but this is a bad idea.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: better burnside alliance, burnside couch couplet
Posted in: Transportation | 21 Comments »
July 6th, 2010
Portland’s Pearl District has a new office project under construction.
The U.S. General Services Administration announced today that construction has begun on the Overton Pearl, a 61,000-square-foot office project to be located at 1455 N.W. Overton St., in Portland.
The GSA in 2009 announced it would be moving its Portland field office of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services into the new building, which is designed by Fosler Portland Architecture and is being developed by Overton Pearl LLC. The project was first announced in 2008, but Ross Buffington, spokesman for the GSA, said the developer needed extra time to start construction of the project.
The GSA plans to lease 65 percent of the building, which will be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold certified.
Portland’s current immigration services office is located in the 511 Federal Building on 511 Northwest Broadway. When the GSA moves out, Buffington said it plans to donate the building to the Pacific Northwest College of Art, which owns several properties nearby.
A groundbreaking ceremony will be held July 6 for the project. Buffington said the ground floor of the project is already being constructed.
Tags: Overton Pearl LLC, pearl development, pearl district office, The Overton
Posted in: Planning | No Comments »
