South Waterfront Construction - Fall 2013

The Emery:

The newest residential building in the South Waterfront, The Emery apartments, is preparing to open soon. Originally slated for August, it is now set for October.  We also learned recently that Lovejoy Bakers will be opening a new location in The Emery. Great news for the neighborhood!

OHSU Collaborative Sciences building is taking shape:

Some great photos were recently posted at Reportland Oregon: http://reportlandoregon.wordpress.com/tag/ohsu-collaborative-life-science-building/

And in related news, as it affects the research that will take place here, Phil and Penny Knight announced another huge donation, this one at $500M...if OHSU can match it.

Portland Milwaukie Light Rail:

We have just more 2 years to wait for the opening of the Portland-Milwaukie light rail bridge. You can continue to track the progress on Trimet's site.

 

Meriwether Construction Zone

I feel sorry for our friends living in these boarded up buildings...I mean, the Meriwether.

They have survived weeks of jackhammers and untenable noise all day long, and now this...

Waiting in line @ Block 49

You may have noticed, there are about 20 people lined up at Gray's Landing (Block 49), awaiting tomorrow's 10:00am opening for applications.  They will be here all night, and half of these folks have been lined up all day. 

They are looking to get first dibs on a unit in the new building, with prices ranging from $480 to $805. Apparently there are strict eligibility req's, including income restrictions and a screening criteria, including credit and criminal background checks.

The first woman in line has several kids and grandkids in the area, and is looking to get a 1 bedroom for $595. Another guy in line, suitcase in tow, claims he relocated here from Ohio just for this opportunity. They are a bit concerned about where to find the closest grocery store, particularly for those who do not drive. One gentleman is also concerned (rightly so) that the nearby gyms are out of his price range. 

MetroWatch Security guards will be on hand all night, but it is doubtful there will be any security concerns.  You can check out a live construction cam of the building here: oxblue.com/open/REACH/Block49

The Gray's Landing project is part of the REACH program, developing affordable housing around the Portland area.

South Waterfront Greenway Construction

A View from the Water

Here are some current shots of the South Waterfront Greenway construction project. A friend and neighborhood resident captured these photos from out on the river last weekend.


For more on the South Waterfront Greenway project, visit: http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?&c=45643

Image from portlandonline.com

Light Rail Construction

Light rail construction powers on, along Moody Ave. Steel girders were delivered this week.

KPTV Fox 12 Oregon was there to document the girder delivery yesterday. They posted a cool slideshow of aerial shots on their site.

My (not as cool) shots from this afternoon below:

Steel girders installed

Underneath I-5

More girders to come

Meriwether courtyard work

Meriwether courtyard work starting - July 12, 2012

Another view, Meriwether courtyard - July 21

Courtyard update - July 27

Sellwood Bridge progress & photos

On a run this week, I explored around the Sellwood Bridge project, (this time noticing the signs and appropriately avoiding getting caught in a fenced-off hillside). I took the opportunity to capture a few photos of the latest developments.

Runners, walkers, bikers, take note: Trail Closed

Trail between Macadam Bay & the bridge 

There are still a number of issues up in the air regarding this portion of the bike/walking trail and access to Highway 43 for the people who live in the houseboats and on Miles Pl. SellwoodBridge.org has the latest and greatest project updates, including related posts in the media sphere.

Detour along Sellwood Ferry Rd 

Tree Huggers, take note: Landscape Revegetation Area

For more info: sellwoodbridge.org/trees

Zidell Presentation Wed night

Find out more about the new Zidell development project, tomorrow night @ Umpqua Bank, 5:30pm.

This notice is from the South Waterfront Community Association:

"Zidell Community Presentation
Recently, the Zidell family, owners of 33 acres in the South Waterfront, announced plans to develop a $20 million 118-unit apartment building in the South Waterfront. The building will cater to young professionals and employees/students working at OHSU. The seven-story building will be located at the corner of SW Moody and SW Grover (the small dead-end street just north of Gibbs – near the base of the Ross Island Bridge). The mixed-use development will also include retail and restaurant space.
A unique and progressive feature of the development is the building's lack of residential parking; the building will instead feature bicycle parking and adjacent proximity to the Streetcar. Transportation options and transportation demand management will be key not only for this building, but for the district as a whole.

To learn about this project, ask questions, or learn more about future Zidell projects, please attend Zidell’s Open house on Wednesday, May 30 at Umpqua Bank from 5:30 pm - 6:15 pm. Representatives from Zidell will be on hand to talk about the new building and answer questions.
  
Wednesday, May 30, 5:30 pm - 6:15 pm
Umpqua Bank
3606 SW Bond Avenue, Portland, OR"

Land grab in the South Waterfront?

So there is a lot of news flying these days about land purchases, expansions, Zidell, OHSU, etc. Here is a quick summary of the major headlines:

1. OHSU did buy some new land (Blocks 23 & 27), including what is currently the dahlia fields & dog park. They say that we can continue to use it for dahlias and dogs for the foreseeable future. Construction of the future OHSU patient buildings will be awhile (no immediate plans).

Block 23 & 27

2. Zidell is developing more land. They just announced a proposed apartment building under the RI Bridge. They also recently purchased the 3030 Building (office building @ 3030 Moody Ave).

Photo from OregonLive piece by Elliot Njus

3. RiverPlace is not South Waterfront, even if the DJC insists on calling it so. Developers are looking at putting a new Hyatt in at RiverPlace.

And all of it leads the Portland Business Journal to ask "Is South Waterfront coming back?" This makes me wonder, where do they think it/we went???

Waterfront happenings

Goslings are cute! 

 Construction on the east side of the river, light rail project (South Waterfront in the background):

 New OHSU building on Moody Ave - foundation is in:

South Waterfront Greenway Hearing Thursday

Here are more details on the Greenway Hearing taking place on Thursday this week:

There will be a neighborhood association meeting on Wednesday at 7:00pm at Umpqua Bank.

According to the Portland Parks Dept, the South Waterfront Greenway Project is "a refinement plan for the Central District section of the South Waterfront Greenway".

I had to poke around their site to educate myself on what the project is all about. There I found a few renderings of the future Greenway:
Future Greenway overhead view
From Curry St
Atwater Cut-away

More Macadam / OR 43 closures

Macadam Avenue / Oregon 43 is not faring well with this storm.

Heads up if you commute between Lake Oswego and Portland:
Oregon 43 (Macadam) between Portland and Lake O is essentially closed today due to the road surface collapsing. One lane is open and delays could be up to 2 hours.

The latest update on ODOT's TripCheck site this morning:

ORE43 MP 4.44 ORE43, Portland	Estimated delay of 2 hours or greater Crash/Hazard
Lanes Affected: (Southbound) 1 Lane Comments: The road surface has collapsed on Highway 43 southbound at Military road. The right lane is closed. Use caution.
Public Contact: ODOT/TMOC Portland
Incident #: 121849	Last Updated: 01/19/2012 6:11 pm

Yesterday there were downed trees on OR 43 near the Sellwood Bridge, causing a road closure for several hours.

This was in addition to the closure of the Macadam exit off I-5 due to a landslide covered in my post yesterday. Day 3 and this exit is still closed.

I-5 MP 299.23 I-5, I-405 South Interchange	OFF RAMP Estimated delay under 20 minutes Crash/Hazard
Comments: The NB I-5 Exit 299 ramp to Macadam is closed due to land slide, use caution. Ramps Affected.
Public Contact: ODOT/TMOC Portland
Incident #: 121526	Last Updated: 01/20/2012 08:04 am

*****Update as of Friday morning*****

The Macadam off-ramp from I-5 is now OPEN.

Gibbs & OHSU construction round-up

We aaaaalmost have touchdown on the Gibbs St pedestrian bridge.  Work was going on all night this week to add the final bridge span over I-5. (You may have noticed some late-night traffic from Macadam being diverted through the neighborhood.)

I5 overpass

East side at OHSU CHH - Moody Ave

West side at Lair Hill

Gibbs Bridge update 12/20/11

Here's a project update from the Gibbs St team:

Holiday Construction Update

No work between December 23rd and January 2nd

Week of December 19th 
The third bridge span (out of six) was successfully placed on Friday night, December 16th, and crews will not be returning for any nighttime work this week. Daytime work continues this week on the east landing and crews will stop work at 12:00 pm Friday, December 23rd to break for the holidays. Work will resume on Tuesday, January 3rd at 7:00 am. 

Mystery photo contest #2

Well, this is a different kind of mystery photo contest. The mystery is: What is This Guy Doing To the Granite Slab in E.C. Park?

The wood carpet was rolled in this morning, and a guy in a white van started doing some kind of work with an electric power tool. (I thought maybe he was etching his initials in but checked later and no sign of that.)

Here's a picture of the stone after he finished. I'm sure there must be a second part of this production coming soon.

Does anyone know what he is doing? 

New photos added on Friday:

It looks like he just removed and replaced the center slab. Now working on re-cementing it.

Gibbs St Bridge Span - Part 2

The next section of the Gibbs St bridge will be placed on Wednesday night, Nov. 9.

"I5 closed, detours planned, nighttime noise expected" - You were warned!

Here is the message from the Gibbs project team:

"The first bridge span has been set and crews will place the next span on Wednesday, November 9th, starting at 8:00 pm and completing by 5:30 am on Thursday. Since the bridge crosses I-5, the bridge span placement needs to take place at night to avoid traffic congestion and to keep workers and motorists safe. 

Gibbs St Pedestrian Bridge

Have you seen the bright lights across the freeway the past few nights on the Gibbs St Pedestrian Bridge project?  I was up with the baby around 3:00am, and observed the work, noise and lights, as promised on the project website:

"Lair Hill and South Waterfront residents can expect night time noise including noise from trucks and cranes, lights powered by generators, and high powered drills. The most noise is expected between 11:00 pm and 3:00 am when crews will bolt the bridge spans together."

Actually, this is exciting - the bridge span placement has begun. The first segment was installed on Friday night (Nov. 4).

Here are some shots taken this morning from the west side of I-5:

New Moody Ave is open!

It is a beautiful sight...the new Moody Ave bikeway, walkway, runway, Streetcar, roadway.

Who knew we could get so excited about a road? After months of construction and all kinds of detours around, it is more than a welcome sight. It was a joy to run down the wide open sidewalk, elevated, and feeling slightly more European, in a bike and pedestrian-friendly city kind of way.

I overheard a cyclist yell at another cyclist as they sped down the new bike expressway: "God, this is nice!" I saw another cyclist repeatedly raise both arms up to the sky.

BikePortland provides a first-ride analysis & more great photos: "My overall impression after riding it in both directions yesterdays is that it's pretty exciting — this is the closest thing Portland has to a European-style bikeway."

However, cyclists still need to be very alert; the construction is not completely done. There are some patches of dirt along the roadside awaiting finishing touches, and some friends of mine witnessed a bike crash last night due to this unfinished dirt-sidewalk interface.

Oct. 14: More photos of the light bridge site

Here are a few afternoon shots of the light bridge construction site, and a slight appearance by Mount St. Helens in the distance.

You can always find details and up-to-date info on the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Project on their project website. In fact, they have a live webcam from OHSU & OMSI, as well as several timelapse videos.

For your reference, in July I posted a few photos taken from the OHSU Tram.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Groundbreaking Ceremony for OHSU Collaborative Science Building

The groundbreaking ceremony for the new Oregon University System/OHSU Collaborative Life Sciences Building took place in the South Waterfront this morning. 

 The new building will be a collaboration involving OHSU, PSU and OSU, promoting partnerships between the schools, and housing programs from each university, including new School of Dentistry facilities. (You can find a little bit more via coverage from the Portland Tribune , Oregonian & BizJournal earlier this week.)

We are headed to that white tent below:

 It was a packed crowd, overflowing the tent.

The event kicked off with an appearance and speech by Governer Kitzhaber, highlighting the purpose and hope for this project: Innovation - Partnership - Philanthropy - Optimism.

We heard from med students, donors, and the presidents of all 3 universities.

Groundbreaking ceremony complete with lots of shovels, shovelers, and some very nice dirt trucked in for the occasion:

In blue, a representative of the Schnitzer Family, the donors of the waterfront land the new Schnitzer Campus will be built on.

 President Robertson takes an interview.

Model of the future complex:

Additional coverage:
http://www.pdx.edu/news/oregon-universities-create-jobs-and-educational-opportunities-new-collaborative-life-sciences
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2011/10/13/ground-broken-for-295m-teaching.html?page=all