Slabtown Minutes – 8/23/10
Slabtown Plan Committee
Meeting Minutes
August 23, 2010
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Northrup Building, 2282 NW Northrup Ave.
Committee Members Attending: Ron Walters (co-chair), Don Genasci (co-chair), Greg Aldrich, Craig Boretz (Con-way), Mary Czarnecki, Steve Pinger, Dan Volkmer, Bill Welch
Committee Members Not Attending: Peggy Anderson, John Bradley, Brian Bramlett, Wayne Clark (Legacy/Good Sam), Patricia Gardner, Dan O’Brien,
Guests Attending: Fran Goldstein
No Motions.
No Votes.
The meeting was called to order at 5:38 pm. The sole agenda item for the meeting was to review progress on the Slabtown Urban Design Concept. Ron opened the meeting by letting the group know that the “cement was settling” on the initial design phase of the Slabtown Urban Design Concept. The last work day for Sam Postel, the Slabtown work group’s primary designer, will be Friday, August 27. Don and Sam are focused on putting the finishing touches on the maps and drawings such that the Committee can properly present and “frame” the finished work with the proper introductions and caveats over the coming weeks.
Ron shared that the Planning Committee was generally very pleased with the Slabtown Urban Design Concept presented on August 19, the notable exception being Steve Pinger, who expressed numerous concerns about the Urban Design Concept as currently presented. Planning Chair John Bradley plans to draft a formal letter of support for the Planning Committee to review in anticipation of sending it to the NWDA Board for consideration. Ron also shared that Tad Savinar, a significant private land owner in the Upshur Warehouse area, also known as “The Squish,” had visited the design studio and offered generally positive feedback on the plan. Tad subsequently provided some of his design concepts for the “Squish” area so they could be incorporated into the Slabtown Urban Design Concept. The concepts were quite consistent and required few changes to be compatible.
After Ron’s introduction, Don walked the group through the urban design concepts and drawings, focusing on updates since the previous meeting. Don and Ron highlighted some of the macro implications if the Urban Design Concept were built out to the limits of what were drawn (roughly 4:1 rather than the 3:1 plus bonuses described in the NWDP). Using rough calculations, the Slabtown area could conceivably include 6,500 new housing units, 10,000 new residents, 6+ million square feet of commercial and retail space employing up to 20,000 workers when it is fully built out. While potentially daunting figures, the group considered that a certain level of density is required to achieve sustainability goals typical of eco-districts and 20 minute neighborhoods. Ron pointed out the potential traffic and transportation challenges suggested by such development.
Committee members were invited to comment on the Urban Design Concept. Most members weighed in. Mary offered that a larger square at 21st and Pettygrove would be a desirable alternative to the one shown. Don and others noted that the size of the proposed square is similar to some large squares in Rome and Pioneer Square in Portland. Dan suggested that the slides showing historical “landmarks” should show “historically significant properties” to avoid confusion. He suggested showing these properties with a more prominent color coding. Bill was concerned that the plan might be too detailed for consideration by the NWDA Board and might need to be consolidated. Craig was complimentary of the plan. Steve reiterated some of his strong concerns about the Urban Design Concept, including its failure to capture the “sole of Slabtown,” inappropriate degree of detail, its lack of prioritization, lack of specificity about street car routing, and its lack of a plan for engaging and influencing public and private investment.
Ron thanked Committee members for their input and reiterated the desire for broad support but acknowledged that the Committee may not achieve complete consensus. In the time available, the Committee was not able to resolve differing opinions and ideas for improvements. Ron proposed that he would follow up with Steve to see if there could be a meeting of the minds. Ron will also survey Committee members not attending to see where they stand on the Urban Design Concept.
Next steps include follow up with the Planning Committee and engagement with the Board of Directors.
The Committee expects to meet in September and October to but meeting dates have not be set.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:10 pm.
Slabtown Design Concept
Key slides from the most recent version of the Slabtown Urban Design Concept presented at the NWDA Planning Committee on Thursday, August 19, are available for download by clicking on the link below.
Please add comments to the website or email them to Slabtown co-Chair Don Genasci at dgenasci@spiritone.com.
The next meeting of the NWDA Slabtown Committee will be held Monday, August 23rd, in the Legacy Good Sam Northrup Building first floor conference room at 2282 NW Northrup Street, near the corner of NW 23rd Avenue, from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. The meeting agenda is to review progress on the Slabtown Urban Design Concept. This is a Committee meeting, not a Community Workshop, but the meeting is public and all interested parties are encouraged to attend.
Slabtown Minutes – 8/9/10
Slabtown Plan Committee
Meeting Minutes
August 9, 2010
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Northrup Building, 2282 NW Northrup Ave.
Committee Members Attending: Ron Walters (co-chair), Don Genasci (co-chair), Wayne Clark (Legacy/Good Sam), Dan Volkmer, Bill Welch
Committee Members Not Attending: Greg Aldrich, Peggy Anderson, Craig Boretz, John Bradley, Brian Bramlett, Mary Czarnecki, Patricia Gardner, Dan O’Brien, Steve Pinger
Guests Attending: Fran Goldstein
No Motions.
No Votes.
The meeting was called to order at 5:35 pm. The sole agenda item for the meeting was to review progress on the Slabtown Urban Design Concept. After a brief introduction by Ron, Don walked the group through the urban design concepts and drawings, drawing attention to changes since Slabtown Workshop #5 and the previous Committee meeting. Because attendance was very low, the group focused on ideas and concerns expressed by Wayne Clark of Legacy/Good Sam.
Wayne provided input on the Good Sam masterplan boundaries and allowances. In particular, the Slabtown urban design map showed proposed building heights that were less than those allowed in the Good Sam masterplan. The group agreed that the Slabtown Urban Design Concept was not trying to restrict heights allowed by the Good Sam masterplan and agreed that the concept map should be changed to reflect allowed heights.
A second inconsistency with the Good Sam masterplan noted: a large public square shown on Good Sam property between NW Overton and Pettygrove and NW 21st and 22nd. Committee co-chairs acknowledged the inconsistency as an aspirational community desire for the neighborhood. The location is flexible but the co-chairs believed that the location made a lot of sense as drawn. The group acknowledged the fact that Good Sam currently owns the property, it is in within the masterplan area, and has no plans to sell the property or commit to development as shown. Wayne said he could not support public square in the location drawn but agreed to move on, acknowledging that he had a single vote.
The group briefly discussed progress on documenting historical buildings and the treatment of the rotary at 23rd and Vaughn. The group agreed that it would make sense to present the Slabtown Urban Design Concept to the Planning Committee at an upcoming meeting ASAP.
The meeting adjourned early at 6:35 pm.
Slabtown Meeting – Aug. 9, 2010
The next meeting of the NWDA Slabtown Committee will be held Monday, August 9th, in the Legacy Good Sam Northrup Building first floor conference room at 2282 NW Northrup Street, near the corner of NW 23rd Avenue, from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. The meeting agenda is to review progress on the Slabtown Urban Design Concept. This is a Committee meeting, not a Community Workshop, but the meeting is public and all interested parties are encouraged to attend.
Slabtown Minutes – 7/26/10
Slabtown Plan Committee
Meeting Minutes
July 26, 2010
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Northrup Building, 2282 NW Northrup Ave.
Committee Members Attending: Ron Walters (co-chair), Don Genasci (co-chair), Greg Aldrich, Peggy Anderson, Wayne Clark, Dan Volkmer, Bill Welch
Committee Members Not Attending: Craig Boretz, John Bradley, Brian Bramlett, Mary Czarnecki, Patricia Gardner, Dan O’Brien, Steve Pinger
Guests Attending: Sam Postel (Slabtown Work Group designer), Fran Goldstein, Lee Medoff (Bull Run Distillery), Patrick Bernards (Bull Run Distillery)
No Motions.
No Votes.
*** End of Minutes ***
Meeting Summary:
The meeting was called to order at 5:37 pm.
Lee Medoff and Patrick Bernards of Bull Run Distillery had heard about the Slabtown Committee and stopped by to introduce themselves. They are planning to open a distillery and tasting room on NW Quimby by the end of the year. They expressed interest in working with NWDA and neighbors to be a part of the community.
The majority of the meeting was spent reviewing ongoing progress of the Slabtown Urban Design Concept. The plans were well received.
The Committee discussed ideas on how to incorporate history and historic properties into the design concept. Dan Volkmer suggested that it would be important to obtain a better understanding of the historic inventory to provide better context for future ideas. It may generate good ideas or lead to natural locations for types or locations of private development or public spaces.
Dan and Fran Goldstein offered to lead an effort to document historic properties in the neighborhood. Given that this effort could involve significant work, which could take longer than the main design phase of the Design Concept, the historic information will be incorporated into the Design Concept as it becomes available. The group envisioned it being added to the concepts map as a some type of overlay.
Before adjourning, the Committee briefly discussed plans for Slabtown Community Workshop #5 on Wednesday, July 28.
Meeting adjourned at 7:02 pm.
Slabtown Design Concept
The current draft of the Slabtown Design Concept was presented at Slabtown Community Workshop #5 on Wednesday, July 28. Community members asked questions and made suggestions on revisions to the plans. You may download a PDF copy of the presentation and design concept here:
slabtown workshop 5 (7.5 Mb)
The Slabtown Committee will continue to revise and enhance the Slabtown Urban Design Concept during the month of August. The Committee welcomes input from all interested parties. Comments may be submitted on the NWDA website or may be emailed to Slabtown Committee co-chairs Don Genasci (dgenasci@spiritone.com) or Ron Walters (ronaldjwalters@hotmail.com) or Don
Committee meetings are public and everyone is welcome. The next Slabtown Committee meetings will be held Mondays, August 9 and August 23, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at the Good Sam Northrup Building first floor conference room.
Slabtown Workshop #5
The NWDA Slabtown Committee is leading a public, community-driven urban planning and placemaking process to develop a design concept for the Slabtown area of Northwest Portland.
The next Slabtown Community Workshop will be held Wednesday, July 28th from 6 to 8 pm at the CoHo Theater (2257 NW Raleigh Street).
Workshop No. 5 will begin with a slide presentation of a draft design concept based on principles drawn from the Northwest District Plan, previous Slabtown workshops, the Slabtown survey, and other planning documents. In this open-house format workshop, attendees will be invited to view and comment on masterplan maps and conceptual drawings of potential buildings, parks, squares, green streets, and other public spaces. The Workshop will conclude with a moderated discussion of attendees’ questions, ideas, preferences, and comments.
The Slabtown Plan workshops are open to the public and all interested parties are encouraged to attend. Additionally, the Slabtown Committee will meet on Monday, July 26 (from 5:30 to 7:00 pm in the Legacy Northrup Building first floor conference room at 2282 NW Northrup Avenue) to review progress on the Design Concept. All interested parties are welcome.
Slabtown Minutes – 7/12/10
Slabtown Plan Committee
Meeting Minutes
July 12, 2010
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Northrup Building, 2282 NW Northrup Ave.
Committee Members Attending: Ron Walters (co-chair), Don Genasci (co-chair), Greg Aldrich, Peggy Anderson, Mary Czarnecki, Dan Volkmer, Bill Welch
Committee Members Not Attending: Craig Boretz, John Bradley, Brian Bramlett, Wayne Clark, Patricia Gardner, Dan O’Brien, Steve Pinger
Guests Attending: Sam Postel (Slabtown Work Group designer), Karl Doppelfeld (NWDA Board), Chris Nutwell (resident), Alan Classen (Northwest Examiner)
No Motions.
No Votes.
*** End of Minutes ***
Meeting Summary:
The meeting was called to order at 5:35 pm.
Prior to reviewing initial draft drawings of the Slabtown Design Concept, Ron and Don proposed that the Slabtown Committee focus on providing feedback to the Slabtown Work Group based on its drawings and visual renderings rather than trying to distill existing planning documents into a single set of design guidelines. The Committee agreed that this approach would be a more efficient and productive use of time.
Prior to beginning the presentation, Ron reminded the Committee that the Slabtown Design Concept should be thought of as an update and enhancement of the Northwest Urban Design Concept map that appears in the Northwest District Plan. Don proceeded to present initial design concepts that are based on the agreed upon Slabtown principles. Overall, feedback was very positive.
Committee members asked questions and made suggestions:
Mary Czarnecki asked the work group to consider alternatives to high rises near I-405 that might block morning light for St. Patrick’s church.
Ron asked the Committee to comment on the need for a historically meaningful, iconic focal point. The consensus was that a single iconic focal point is not crucial. Greg suggested that a network of green streets can be a neighborhood-wide unifying theme. Mary suggested there could be unifying design elements such as gates, obelisks, or fountains. It was noted the fountains not only have the potential to be visually appealing, their sound could be appealing and could help mitigate traffic sound from I-405 and the off-ramp. Others suggested that churches and bell towers could be desirable focal points that would showcase or accentuate neighborhood history.
Greg inquired about a multi-block super park. Mary asked about creative street options such as diagonals or curves, possibly oriented toward the river. In both cases, Don explained that they are certainly possibilities but that the Work Group erred on the side of pragmatism.
It was noted that the next Slabtown Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 26, from 5:30 to 7:00 at the Good Sam Northrup Building 1st floor conference room. Committee members and other interested parties that would like to participate in the Slabtown Work Group should contact Don Genasci at dgenasci@spiritone.com to make arrangements.
Slabtown Community Workshop #5 will be help Wednesday, July 28, from 6 to 8 pm at the COHO Theater at 2257 NW Raleigh Street.
The meeting adjourned at 7:08 pm.
Comments after the meeting suggested that the Slabtown principles and additional planning caveats should be added to the Design Concept drawings to provide appropriate context for those who view the drawings without the benefit of commentary from the Committee. The Work Group will proceed to add such materials to the Design Concepts and will post the updated drawings to the NWDA website as soon as possible.
Slabtown Meeting – 7/12/10
The next meeting of the Slabtown Committee is this coming Monday, July 12, 5:30 to 7:00 pm at the Good Sam Northrup Building first floor conference room. The agenda is to quickly discuss updates to the Slabtown Design Principles and then review and comment on the initial concept drawings of the Slabtown Work Group. Slabtown Plan Committee meetings are public and all interested parties are encourage to attend.
The next Slabtown Community workshop will be held Wednesday, July 28, from 6 to 8 pm at the COHO Theater at 2257 NW Raleigh Street. The workshop will be an open-house format so interested parties should attend for some or all of the presentation. Community members will be invited to offer feedback on initial renderings of the Slabtown Plan Concept.
Slabtown Minutes – 6/28/10
Slabtown Plan Committee
Meeting Minutes
June 28, 2010
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Northrup Building, 2282 NW Northrup Ave.
Committee Members Attending: Ron Walters (co-chair), Don Genasci (co-chair), Greg Aldrich, Peggy Anderson, Craig Boretz, John Bradley, Mary Czarnecki, Steve Pinger, Bill Welch
Committee Members Not Attending: Brian Bramlett, Wayne Clark, Patricia Gardner, Dan O’Brien, Dan Volkmer
Guests Attending: Fran Goldstein, Bette Schei
No Motions.
No Votes.
*** End of Minutes ***
Meeting Summary:
The meeting was called to order at 5:37 pm.
The sole agenda item for the meeting was to refine the guiding principles for the Slabtown plan concept. The Committee was in strong agreement regarding its previously defined approach:
• Design consistent with Northwest District Plan (note departures)
• Incorporate input from Slabtown online survey and workshops
• Obtain regular feedback from the Slabtown committee and other NWDA committees
• Seek input from functional studies and experts
• Conduct additional surveys as needed
• Perform outreach to maximize awareness and participation
• Seek consensus and broad support (as much as possible)
• Provide options, alternatives, and caveats as appropriate
The Committee expressed verbal support for the Community Priorities as distilled from the Northwest District Plan, Slabtown workshops and survey, plus other resources that have standing with NWDA/neighborhood (e.g. NWDA-supported green street guidelines):
1. Neighborhood Character and History
• Create pedestrian and bike friendly streets
• Promote parks, squares and public spaces
• Moderate building height and density
• Sufficient density to support sustainability aspirations
• Create an appealing street-level environment
• Promote historic preservation and enhancement
• Historically relevant, iconic focal-point
• Preserve and highlight historic buildings
• Encourage access and linkage to the river
2. Community Needs
• Parks, squares and public spaces
• Public buildings and meeting places
• Community and activities center (all ages)
• School (K-12)
• Farmers market with local food
• Library
3. Transportation and Parking
• Create pedestrian and bike friendly streets
• Green streets (Pettygrove and others)
• Wide sidewalks
• Reduce reliance on automobile usage and the need for parking
• Car-free streets or zones
• Provide attractive public transit options
4. Sustainability
• Promote livability and social sustainability
• Environmental sustainability – improve air quality
• 20-minute neighborhood – true main street for resident needs
• Green and sustainable building practices
5. Housing
• Diversity – not just apartments and condos
• Affordable
• Live-work lofts
• Meet housing needs of seniors and aging population
• Eco-friendly
6. Other
• Job creation and economic development
• Mask I-405 and ramps
• Underground utilities
• LEED Neighborhood
These priorities will likely be refined over the course of Phase IV of the Slabtown Workplan.
The majority of the meeting was spent trying to clearly define a set of design guidelines for the Slabtown Work Group, which will develop the drawings and designs for the plan concept in July and August. The time available was not sufficient to reach consensus regarding the design guidelines. Committee members were asked to provide additional feedback by Thursday, July 1, which will be used to further refine the design guidelines. The Committee will address the guidelines again at its next meeting on Monday, July 12.
The Slabtown Committee will host Community Workshop #5 on Wednesday, July 28 at the COHO Theater at 2257 NW Raleigh. The tentative meeting time is from 5:30 to 8:00 pm.
Meeting adjourned at 7:03 pm.
