The Latest on 20th and Alberta’s Mega-Building
The Latest on 20th and Alberta’s Mega-Building
The proposal by OTAK, INC to develop a 59 unit, 6 story condominium project with 3 commercial spaces on 20,000sf at the corner of NE 20th and Alberta caught CNA’s attention several months ago when its realtor displayed their plans at our Land Use, Livability and Transportation Committee meeting. Since then efforts to assess the opinions of neighborhood residents have moved forward. 3 neighborhood associations (Concordia, Vernon, and King) are involved in what happens on Alberta so they are working together and once they have a clear mandate from the people, they can take action if that is warranted.
As we go to press in mid-June, the latest event has been the presentation of Saj Jivanjee, the project’s chief architect, at Vernon Association on June 13th in the Enterbeing Meeting space at 16th and Alberta.(1603 NE Alberta) About 35 people from all 3 neighborhoods were present and discussion was intense.
The project’s site is part of a 2 block area on Alberta between 20th and 22nd that is zoned EXdh, very different from the rest of the street. EX zoning allows residential, commercial, and industrial uses of the properties. d means that there will be a design review by the City and h indicates a height limit of 65 feet which translates roughly to a 6 story structure. This zoning came about during the development of the 1993 Albina Community Plan and the Concordia and Vernon Neighborhood Plans, a year’s worth of resident participation and visioning as to what folks wanted their neighborhoods to look like. Probably because at the time Alberta Street was a deteriorating area, they wanted to reserve space for larger businesses or developments that would increase employment or be an economic boon to the street. The idea made sense at the time when few saw today’s art galleries and restaurants.
When the architect said that “This is the zoning you folks wanted and this is what I was working with” there was a major disconnect with the audience of local residents and business people. Very few attending were around in 1993 to be part of that public input, and fewer still knew the history of the zoning or understood zoning implications. Likewise, current association land use committee chairs are all resident-volunteers who are not experienced in all the nuances of many facets of zoning. So it was the knowledgeable professionals vs. the ordinary citizen which led to much misunderstanding and frustration during the meeting.
It was clear that OTAK,INC had purchased the property with the EX zoning in place and that the zoning cannot be changed retroactively. (Zoning can be changed and modified – and there are several local efforts to do just that underway currently. Contact us if you wish to get involved). Thankfully the architect has modified the original plans we published last month with a more “local façade.” Mr. Jivanjee has studied the buildings and homes in the surrounding blocks and has repeated the local front porch and store front pattern on the lower floors, he has put the garage basically undergrade, and he has broken up the building with pass-through corridors and set-backs, and there will be 5 stories instead of 6 (but still 65 feet high).
It became obvious to the audience that a lot of decisions had already been made, but by the architect and developer, and despite good intentions and close work on their parts, there seems to have been little, if any, public input or feedback.
But the development does have to pass muster with local residents and their neighborhood association land use committees before they are approved. So the associations plan to call for a major public session to air all issues soon at Redeemer Lutheran Church. The date and time tba. Watch for a leaflet at your doorstep or get on our email notification list (gbruender@comcast.net) for Concordia.
The proposal by OTAK, INC to develop a 59 unit, 6 story condominium project with 3 commercial spaces on 20,000sf at the corner of NE 20th and Alberta caught CNA’s attention several months ago when its realtor displayed their plans at our Land Use, Livability and Transportation Committee meeting. Since then efforts to assess the opinions of neighborhood residents have moved forward. 3 neighborhood associations (Concordia, Vernon, and King) are involved in what happens on Alberta so they are working together and once they have a clear mandate from the people, they can take action if that is warranted.
As we go to press in mid-June, the latest event has been the presentation of Saj Jivanjee, the project’s chief architect, at Vernon Association on June 13th in the Enterbeing Meeting space at 16th and Alberta.(1603 NE Alberta) About 35 people from all 3 neighborhoods were present and discussion was intense.
The project’s site is part of a 2 block area on Alberta between 20th and 22nd that is zoned EXdh, very different from the rest of the street. EX zoning allows residential, commercial, and industrial uses of the properties. d means that there will be a design review by the City and h indicates a height limit of 65 feet which translates roughly to a 6 story structure. This zoning came about during the development of the 1993 Albina Community Plan and the Concordia and Vernon Neighborhood Plans, a year’s worth of resident participation and visioning as to what folks wanted their neighborhoods to look like. Probably because at the time Alberta Street was a deteriorating area, they wanted to reserve space for larger businesses or developments that would increase employment or be an economic boon to the street. The idea made sense at the time when few saw today’s art galleries and restaurants.
When the architect said that “This is the zoning you folks wanted and this is what I was working with” there was a major disconnect with the audience of local residents and business people. Very few attending were around in 1993 to be part of that public input, and fewer still knew the history of the zoning or understood zoning implications. Likewise, current association land use committee chairs are all resident-volunteers who are not experienced in all the nuances of many facets of zoning. So it was the knowledgeable professionals vs. the ordinary citizen which led to much misunderstanding and frustration during the meeting.
It was clear that OTAK,INC had purchased the property with the EX zoning in place and that the zoning cannot be changed retroactively. (Zoning can be changed and modified – and there are several local efforts to do just that underway currently. Contact us if you wish to get involved). Thankfully the architect has modified the original plans we published last month with a more “local façade.” Mr. Jivanjee has studied the buildings and homes in the surrounding blocks and has repeated the local front porch and store front pattern on the lower floors, he has put the garage basically undergrade, and he has broken up the building with pass-through corridors and set-backs, and there will be 5 stories instead of 6 (but still 65 feet high).
It became obvious to the audience that a lot of decisions had already been made, but by the architect and developer, and despite good intentions and close work on their parts, there seems to have been little, if any, public input or feedback.
But the development does have to pass muster with local residents and their neighborhood association land use committees before they are approved. So the associations plan to call for a major public session to air all issues soon at Redeemer Lutheran Church. The date and time tba. Watch for a leaflet at your doorstep or get on our email notification list (gbruender@comcast.net) for Concordia.
posted by Vernon Neighbors at 12:16 PM
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