Development

Get involved, Make a difference When: Wed, Jul 15, 2020 6:30PM-8PM Where: Gresham City Hall Council Chambers 1333 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

The Design Commission is the primary advising subcommittee to the City Council on design excellence for the built environment of the city. The Commission assists in the development and application of design standards and guidelines, and will conduct hearings as necessary to ensure that proposed public and private projects achieve these standards.

For more information about this event, contact Jamie Thomes, Planning Technician at 503-618-2842 or Jamie.Thomes@GreshamOregon.gov.

Albertina Kerr Workforce & Inclusive housing project. NE Holladay at NE 162nd Ave, Gresham. Click to enlarge

Jeff Carr, CEO Albertina Kerr

Since the last update I shared in this newsletter a lot has changed in our world with the onset of the Coronavirus. While this has delayed our timeline somewhat, we have continued the planning and development process and the following progress has been made:

• Albertina Kerr has exceeded our private fundraising goal of $1.2 million
• Albertina Kerr submitted our application to the City of Gresham Metro Housing Bond NOFA on June 3rd and expect to receive notifi-cation of awards in late July/August. The funds Albertina Kerr has requested from the City of Gresham are the final piece of the financing necessary for the project to be constructed.
• Approval for the project was received from the City of Gresham Design Review Commission on June 3rd.
• Drawings were submitted the last week of June to begin the permit review process.
• The project has incorporated design innovations that will enable it to be “net zero”, which means we will produce all the energy needed to power the entire building on site through solar panels. This will be a significant accomplishment and be one of the most innovative “renewable energy” projects in the Pacific Northwest.
• Assuming we receive a funding award from the City of Gresham before the end of the summer, our expected start of construction would be in late October/November. We anticipate a 15-month construction timeline, which would mean we would begin leasing and moving people into units the first quarter of 2022.

One question presented by a neighbor was about sidewalks on 162nd Avenue and Holladay. As part of the requirements from the City of Gresham, we will be widening the street and putting in sidewalks and a planter buffer between the sidewalks and 162nd the entire length of the Albertina Kerr property (east side of 162nd). In addition, a sidewalk will be installed on Holladay from 162nd Avenue to the new entrance onto our property on Holladay (south side of Holladay).

COURTESY RENDERING: CITY OF GRESHAM - The Downtown Rockwood market hall, middle, has been redesigned to lower construction costs. Click to enlarge.

Source: The Gresham Outlook
Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Gresham Mayor Shane Bemis voices concerns about completing long-brewing development

By Christopher Keizur

A Rockwood development project that has been brewing for more than two decades is getting a redesign to keep construction costs in line with budget constraints.

The second phase of Downtown Rockwood — originally called Rockwood Rising — was for a market hall with an international grocery marketplace, public commissary kitchen, and small business and pop-up stand opportunities.

The Gresham Redevelopment Commission heard the proposed design changes for the building that had bloated past its cost estimates during a meeting Tuesday afternoon, May 19. The new market hall looks different, and adds 3,000 square feet of restaurant/grocery/retail space; 10,000 square feet of office space; and four additional micro-restaurants.

But officials said it maintains the original intent of uplifting the diverse community of food entrepreneurs who call Rockwood home.

"The new design offers more variety of spaces," said Emily Bower, interim executive director of the Gresham Redevelopment Commission.

COURTESY RENDERING: CITY OF GRESHAM - The new market hall has more space for businesses. Click to enlarge.

The new market hall has more space for businesses.The idea behind Downtown Rockwood is to bring new construction and needed services into the heart of the neighborhood. The Catalyst Site, located between Southeast Stark Street, Southeast 185th Avenue and East Burnside Street, will be a central square with a public plaza and play structures for kids, an innovation hub with services for locals, retail stores, apartments, and the market hall.

The 5.5-acre plot of land was initially purchased by the Gresham Development Commission in 2005 with funds from the city's urban renewal district. The city spent three years, from 2014-2016, soliciting ideas and feedback from residents in the neighborhood.

The project finally broke ground last summer, marking a shift from planning to actually seeing Downtown Rockwood come to fruition. Since then the former Rockwood Community Office Building was renovated and construction of the innovation hub should be complete by July.

Bower said the market hall should be completed by Summer 2021 — a timeline Gresham Mayor Shane Bemis voiced concerns about.

"I feel like we are constantly changing the program and have had the property tied up for years with little steps being made," Bemis said during the virtual meeting. "I want to get this project done and do these things we have been talking about for the last 20-plus years. I am really concerned about hitting timelines and delivering for our community."

Bower said complications the last two years led to the redesign. Developers said the Portland area has experienced historic increases in the costs of construction. That, coupled with new federal tariffs on construction material, led to the need for a redesign. The new building has been simplified to maximize the leasable area within the building to improve finances.

"I am confident we will finish this project in the 2021-22 timeline," Bower said.

This story first appeared in The Outlook. Support community newspapers. Subscribe at http://savinglocalnews.com

Get involved, Make a difference When: Wed, Mar 04, 2020 6:30PM-8:30PM Where: Gresham City Hall Council Chambers 1333 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

The Design Commission is the primary advising subcommittee to the City Council on design excellence for the built environment of the city. The Commission assists in the development and application of design standards and guidelines, and will conduct hearings as necessary to ensure that proposed public and private projects achieve these standards.

For more information about this event, contact Jamie Thomes, Planning Technician at 503-618-2842 or Jamie.Thomes@GreshamOregon.gov.

Be Engaged. Please Attend When: Wed, Mar 04, 2020 4PM-6PM Where: Gresham City Hall Conference Rm 2B 1333 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

Join City staff to discuss the first phase of a multi-year program designed to make the Development Code easier to understand, more efficient to navigate, and more responsive to the evolving development climate.

Phase one of this program proposes code updates that are time sensitive, high priority and policy neutral.

At the open house, staff will discuss the Development Code and Process Update (DCPU) project and the propose phase-one code updates as participants arrive. Feel free to drop by with questions, or to learn more about the work underway.

For more information about this event, contact Mary Phillips, Senior City Planner at 503-618-2610 or Mary.Phillips@GreshamOregon.gov.

Read more about the DCPU project.

Get involved, Make a difference When: Mon, Mar 09, 2020 6:30PM-8:30PM Where: Gresham City Hall Council Chambers 1333 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

The Planning Commission advises City Council on long-range, comprehensive planning and land use issues within the city.

For more information about this event, contact Amanda Lunsford, Administrative Analyst at 503-618-2235 or Amanda.Lunsford@GreshamOregon.gov.

Get involved, Make a difference When: Wed, Mar 18, 2020 6:30PM-8:30PM CANCELED Where: Gresham City Hall Council Chambers 1333 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

The Design Commission is the primary advising subcommittee to the City Council on design excellence for the built environment of the city. The Commission assists in the development and application of design standards and guidelines, and will conduct hearings as necessary to ensure that proposed public and private projects achieve these standards.

For more information about this event, contact Jamie Thomes, Planning Technician at 503-618-2842 or Jamie.Thomes@GreshamOregon.gov.

Albertina Kerr Workforce and Inclusive Housing. Entry, Gresham campus. Click to enlarge.

By: Jeff Carr
CEO, Albertina Kerr
www.albertinakerr.org/

Albertina Kerr continues to move forward and make progress on its Workforce and Inclusive Housing Project to be located on the Gresham campus at 722 NE 162 Avenue. The project will include 150 units, from studios to 3 bedrooms. Since the November Wilkes East Neighborhood meeting where a presentation was made, significant progress has been made:

• Site due diligence was completed in December 2019 (Geotech, surveying, arborist report)
• A Design Review Consult was completed with the City of Gresham Community Design Review Committee in December 2019
• 100% Schematic Design was completed in early January 2020
  Submittals were completed for land use review in early January 2020
• Albertina Kerr hit the $1 million private fundraising mark in December 2020 and only needs $200,000 more in private donations to hit the total goal of $1.2 million in private donations.

One significant change since the November meeting is that we have decided to pursue making the building “net zero” from an energy use standpoint, which means we will be adding enhancements to make the entire building more energy efficient and producing energy via solar panels to provide enough energy to operate the entire building year-round.

The current timeline for the project is as follows:

We continue to be excited about this project and what it will mean for direct care workers at Albertina Kerr and others who care for some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

Architect Images

NE 162nd Ave view. Click to enlarge

NE Holladay St view. Click to enlarge

About Albertine Kerr
For more than 100 years, Albertina Kerr has been caring for Oregon’s most vulnerable citizens. Over the decades, our services have evolved to meet the community’s needs. While these needs have changed, the values of our expert caregivers remain constant: compassion, commitment, collaboration, and advocacy.

Today, Kerr empowers people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), mental health challenges, and other social barriers to lead self-determined lives and reach their full potential. We provide comprehensive crisis and preventative mental health care for children and teens, as well as a full range of services for children and adults with IDD.

Learn more at www.albertinakerr.org

Get involved, Make a difference When: Mon, Jan 13, 2020 6:30PM- Where: Gresham City Hall Council Chambers 1333 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

The Planning Commission advises City Council on long-range, comprehensive planning and land use issues within the city.

For more information about this event, contact Amanda Lunsford, Administrative Analyst, at 503-618-2235 or Amanda.Lunsford@GreshamOregon.gov.

Get involved, Make a difference When: Wed, Jan 15, 2020 6:30PM- Where: Gresham City Hall Council Chambers 1333 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

The Design Commission is the primary advising subcommittee to the City Council on design excellence for the built environment of the city. The Commission assists in the development and application of design standards and guidelines, and will conduct hearings as necessary to ensure that proposed public and private projects achieve these standards.

For more information about this event, contact Jamie Thomes, Planning Technician at 503-618-2842 or Jamie.Thomes@GreshamOregon.gov.