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Planning priorities play out on Interstate

Trib Town • City Council vote will decide height, density

By Jim Redden

The Portland Tribune, Jun 26, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (18 Reader comments)

COURTESY OF MYHRE GROUP ARCHITECTS

If the City Council approves the North Interstate Corridor Plan at its July 16 meeting, the proposed Montana Lofts housing project, among others, will get the go-ahead.

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The concept of concentrating growth along major transportation corridors is a guiding principle of Oregon and Portland-area land-use plans.

Locating new development near existing roadways and transit lines is intended to reduce sprawl and congestion, while enabling more people to live near where they work, shop and entertain themselves.

But as the evolving North Interstate Corridor Plan shows, turning that concept into reality is a lengthy, complicated and controversial process. The plan, which will allow higher densities along and near much of the Interstate MAX line in North Portland, was approved by the Portland Planning Commission on May 27 and will be heard by the City Council on July 16.

Although many area residents have been involved with or commented on the proposed plan, even some of those who believe growth is inevitable worry that it will allow too much new development.

“Everyone realizes the area is going to grow, and that’s exciting. But height is a major concern,” said Eric Gale, chairman of the Overlook Neighborhood Association, which covers the southern portion of the line in the study area.

Height’s a matter of debate

Specifically, Gale said some area residents are concerned about a proposal in the plan to allow buildings up to 11 stories high to be built near the MAX stations located at Lombard, Killingsworth and Prescott streets.

According to Gale, some of his neighbors believe that even five stories is too tall for the area comprised largely of single-family homes — and feel the city is ignoring their concerns.

The idea of allowing the taller buildings has been endorsed by the Portland Planning and Design Review commissions, both of which reviewed the plan before it was sent to the council.

A majority of commission members felt such heights were necessary to support desirable features such as underground parking and setbacks that create open areas, according to Julie Gisler, a project manager who worked on the plan for the Portland Bureau of Planning before it went to the planning commission – the appointed citizen body that recommends major zoning and land use changes to the council.

“Those sort of things just don’t pencil out on smaller buildings,” said Gisler, adding that developers would have to present their plans for taller buildings to the Design Review Commission.

One project that could be built under the new plan is the Montana Lofts, a housing project comprising four-, five- and eight-story buildings on North Montana Avenue between Bryant and Buffalo streets. Designed by Myhre Group Architects for North Montana LLC, the 153-unit, 135,589-square-foot complex would be located two blocks east of North Interstate Avenue overlooking the Interstate 5 freeway.