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Big O gets no-no from commission

LEE PERLMAN
THE MID-COUNTY MEMO

Developer Bob Schatz didn’t see eye-to-eye with City Planner Chris Beanes over his efforts to call attention to his new building. He appealed Beanes’s denial and at a hearing last month asked the Portland Design Commission to overrule the verdict. The PDC expressed sympathy for Schatz but essentially agreed with Beanes.

Schatz wants to build a four-story, 18,000-square-foot office building at 123 S.E. 97th Ave. with an adjacent 10-space surface parking lot. Most of the interior space would be divided into small units measuring between 8 feet by 8 feet and 10 feet by 12 feet; there is interest in such spaces from people who aren’t in their offices much and “just need a private space for a phone and a laptop,” Schatz said.

As part of the Gateway Plan District, the project is subject to mandatory design review. Beanes, who conducted this review, found several problems with Schatz’s proposal, but the principal one is a giant black metal O that would cover its southern side. Even this is not the real problem, Beanes wrote; rather, it is that this iconic feature de-emphasizes the building’s main entrance facing Southeast 97th Avenue on it west side, which is already small and inconspicuous for such a large building. He also was unhappy with the lack of open space, lack of a defined base for the building, and the use of vinyl windows and relatively cheap metal siding.

To the PDC, Schatz complained bitterly of being subjected to a long, expensive, unreasonable review process for the right to develop in an area that is begging for development. It began when Beanes insisted on a master plan for Schatz’s entire 54,000-square-foot property, even though he is currently planning to build on just 12,500 feet of it. When this was taken care of, he said, “There were many design features (Beanes) wanted altered, and I did every single one of them.” He changed his windows to fiberglass even though he said he saw some recent Gateway projects using vinyl. An interior courtyard that is open to the sky meets the open space requirement. He was criticized for not taking into consideration a conceptual trail along the I-205 freeway right of way even though there is no trail and no plans for one.

“I’ve given the city everything it’s asked for. This has taken way too much time, and I’m asking for your help,” he told the PDC.

Bill Bitar, an experienced Mid-county developer and property owner, testified on Schatz’s behalf. He said his own building would not meet current design guidelines if constructed today. If the city pursues this course, he said, “The area will remain stagnant and undeveloped for years.”

The PDC naturally focused on the metal O, asking why Schatz wanted it. “I’m looking at a neighborhood with dirt roads and no sidewalks,” Schatz said. “My building needs a visual response from outside the neighborhood. It can be seen going down the freeway, a large shape that people remember easily. It’s an architectural feature that people notice from far away.”

Commission members were also bemused by the fact that the building’s street address is expressed in numbers that cover the full four-story height of the structure — again to get attention. Beanes said that the code has no restrictions on how large street address numbers can be. The PDC had just discussed a revised code governing public murals, which some artists have complained for years is too restrictive. Commission member Jeff Stuhr suggested that artists be encouraged to incorporate addresses into their work.

Commission members said they were happy to see such a project here and hoped it would eventually succeed, but for now they wouldn’t approve it.

“It’s great to see development potential in this area,” Stuhr said. “Years were spent on the Gateway Plan. Now developers and residents have to deal with design review, but the intent is to improve the quality of buildings in the area.” Regarding the O, he said the problem is “not so much that the form is there, but that it’s so iconic and strong it downplays the other facades, including 97th. It doesn’t call out to me that this is the entryway; it really does look like a side door. There are things you could do to up the ante.”
Stuhr also said that the use of corrugated metal on the exterior is “always a problem for this commission. I think you could get to the point where we could approve this without a major reshuffling. I hope you’ll work with us, because we’d love to see this succeed.”

Commission members David Wark and Ben Kaiser also expressed sympathy and said dealing with city processes can be frustrating, but essentially took the same position as Stuhr.

Commission member Gwen Millius likewise praised Schatz’s initiative, saying, “This is an important area and a tough area, where the context (for new development) is not there yet. I agree there’s a lot of frustration involved.” She called for more and larger glass windows, which she said would make the small spaces feel larger. And, like Stuhr, she said there should be more direction to where the main entrance is.

Commission Chair Lloyd Lindley was less sympathetic. “It’s really difficult to help you move this forward,” he said. “There’s information missing.” The proposed courtyard looks like a corridor, Lindley said. “It looks like a freeway-oriented building.” Schatz could deal with a future bike path by not building so that the placement of the structure precluded it. Regarding siding, he said, “You should avoid materials you can run a filing cabinet into and leave a mark.”

Schatz, who appeared stunned by the Commission’s action, agreed to make changes and return on Feb. 5.
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