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The
South Waterfront,
(SoWa as it is commonly called) the largest and most expensive redevelopment
effort in Portland history, is transforming an abandoned industrial site
along the Willamette River south of downtown into a high-rise neighborhood
as dense as parts of Manhattan. Eventually, some 20 high-rise buildings
will be built on the site. This includes medical offices and labs
for Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).
The
Portland Development Commission
(PDC) signed an agreement with OHSU and a group of waterfront property owners
that cleared the way for construction of a 30 plus acre central district,
which includes 3,000 residential units, one million square feet of office
space, 150,000 square feet of retail and a hotel/conference center. If you
desire to follow the progress of the development:
South Waterfront.
You can view a
map
of the area (Adobe PDF format).
Daily Journal of Commerce, September 10, 2008:
South Waterfront Salmon-Safe
 South
Waterfront area has become the first urban neighborhood in the United
States to achieve Salmon-Safe certification. Salmon-Safe’s certification
of South Waterfront means that the area exceeds state and federal
regulatory commitments to protect the Willamette River and its urban
tributaries.
Salmon-Safe is a Portland based nonprofit certification
organization. The designation commits the neighborhood to sustain its
environmental stewardship over time, including the district-wide
elimination of pesticides that are harmful to salmon and other aquatic
life.
In addition to South Waterfront, other Portland
Salmon-Safe certified urban projects are the Oregon Museum of Science
and Industry, Nike, Portland State University, Portland Parks, Oregon
Convention Center and Toyota at the Port of Portland. Salmon-Safe’s
inspection team has certified more than 65,000 acres of farm and urban
lands in Oregon and Washington, including 140 vineyards that represent a
third of Oregon’s total vineyard acreage.
Blog and Newsletter
The Sowa Notes blog was originally started by Pearlgirl
as a blog about the Pearl District, but she changed the scope of the blog
to include other neighborhoods that she frequents. Visit the Sowa blog at
http://www.sowa.neighborhoodnotes.com.
The E-Current aims to keep you up to date and provide
you with useful information about what's going on in the South Waterfront
neighborhood, including calendar, maps, and other info. Click
here to subscribe.
The First Buildings
 The
first building, named
The Center for Health & Healing (CHH), is a $150 million 16-story facility
that was occupied in late 2006. The first two floors contain the March Wellness
- a fitness center and health club. Four floors provide state-of-the art
research space where OHSU scientists can create new knowledge and eight
floors of the Center provide all types of patient care.
As riders of Portland's
aerial tram descend Marquam Hill, the first feature they encounter in the
new South Waterfront District is a two-story giant picture window looking
in on basketball and volleyball courts at OHSU's new river campus.
This is where you can discover, explore and realize your goals
for a hearty and healthy life. Features of
March Wellness
include a lap pool, health coaching, aerobics, foreign language conversation
groups, a gymnasium, meditation, financial health seminars, strength training,
yoga, and healthy cooking classes.
The 50,000-square-foot center
is open to OHSU's patients, students and faculty, but also to the public
at rates competitive with the city's other major health clubs. The center
is destined to become an important lure for the district's so-called "urban
pioneers" - South Waterfront's first residents.
The First Condos
These are the first four condos buildings.
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Meriwether Towers
The two Meriwether towers (245-units in double tower stretching
21 and 23 stories tall. The towers were occupied by the first
South Waterfront residents in 2006.
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The John Ross
The John Ross is the first to reach a 325-foot height maximum
allowed in the South Waterfront area. The building was occupied
in the summer of 2007.
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Atwater Place
In Block 34, a 22-story, rectangular tower will feature 212 condominium
units, five of which would be townhomes. The Atwater Place was completed in late 2007.
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3720 Condos
3720 will consist of a 30-story tower and a five-story "side-car" structure,
which will together contain 323 units, for a total of 350,000 square
feet of condominium space. The building began construction in
the spring of 2007.
Mirabella: Continuing Care Retirement Community
The
Mirabella OHSU and Medford-based
Pacific Retirement Services
(PRS) launched a partnership in January, 2007, to build a senior living
community called the Mirabella that will put hundreds of prospective residents
at its South Waterfront doorstep. PRS plans to build a 30-story
senior living community that would offer a range of retirement living options,
from apartments to nursing home level care. The arrangement will strengthen
OHSU's relationship with Intel, OHSU officials said, as the two can work
to develop devices and techniques aimed at making aging easier. The project
is seeking LEED Silver certification.
Apartments
 Alexan
Apartments Atlanta-based real estate giant Trammell Crow Residential
started work in the early Summer of 2007 on the first apartments in the
South Waterfront area. This 22-story building is designed with a brick tower
at the NW corner and a window-wall exterior that opens to the river views.
The completed project will have 314 apartments and three levels of structured
parking. The Alexan includes a 28,000 square foot eco roof; a storm water
sculpture; and a make-up air system to increase indoor air quality. The
project is slated to achieve LEED Silver certification. At 22 stories, the
230-foot tower would be the tallest apartment building built in Portland
in about 40 years. It would be slightly shorter than the twin Meriwether
condo towers a block away. The developers expect to charge more than $2
a square foot for some units
More Apartments
It's another sign that Portland's rental market and
sluggish condo sales are starting to reshape the city's housing mix, a number
of apartment complexes are scheduled to be built. In late July
2007, Simpson Housing, a Denver-based developer, announced
plans to build a 20-story apartment building and then later switch to a
six-story building when the market started to cool. In November
2007, Prometheus Real Estate Group, a Bay Area apartment builder, announced
plans for two South Waterfront towers - they plan to start construction
on the first 250-foot tower in the spring of 2008. Just south of the
Alexan, Trammell Crow plans to start another 22-story apartment in the fall
of 2008.
The Design: See-Through
Skylines
 In
early 2006, the first buildings appeared along Portland's South Waterfront.
Developers and city planners hope they won't entirely block the Mount Hood
and river views for residents and passers-by on the west side of I-5.
It's a seemingly contradictory goal to build taller
buildings yet make them less visible on the skyline. The concept used by
planners, architects and activists is "permeability". This means the
ability to see through the development, even if only intermittently.
Permeability doesn't just mean protecting the view from a single lookout,
it's about trying to avoid uniform rows or "canyons" of buildings, instead
allowing sunlight, wind and a variety of view angles between towers. The
permeability is trying to get at thinner buildings, buildings that aren't
occupying an entire block. The issue of permeability focuses on ways to
build with the same amount of square footage, but with a thinner profile.
Parks
The initial greenway parks
master plan calls for $25 million in improvements to the Willamette Greenway.
As of early 2007, 2-blocks of green grass (no trees, scrubs, etc.) is located
just to the south of the OHSU Center for Health and Healing building. In
November, 2007, the city selected a landscape design firm to develop the
park.
South Waterfront's greenway
(along the river) is eventually supposed to run from the Marquam Bridge
south to just beyond the Old Spaghetti Factory. The first phase will run
from Gibbs Street to Lane Street and parallel to the area's first condo
towers and includes trails and habitat view areas. The master plan for the
first phase includes a pier and a kayak boat launch.
A cobblestone path to the
river was completed when they constructed the Meriwether townhomes and it
opens to an asphalt pathway along the river which is about 300 yards long.
Connecting the path to the Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park to the north
will not be easy as the path will have to cross over the Zidell Marine (shipbuilder)
land plus other industrial land to the north of the marine. Connecting
the trail to the Willamette Park to the south and to Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront
Park in the north would mean bikers, runners, and walkers could travel about
4-5 miles along west side of the Willamette River. The pathway would
start at the Steel Bridge to the north and go all the way to the Sellwood
Bridge to the south. Hopefully the planners have this in mind.
South Waterfront residents
are able to have great views of the river if they face east. Looking
across the river, strollers can view Ross Island, a refuge for wildlife
and home to blue herons and bald eagles. The river also offers excellent
canoeing and kayaking. Learn more at the
River Renaissance
Web site.
Aerial Tram Links OHSU
Campuses
 Linking
OHSU's Marquam Hill Campus to its first building in the river blocks, the
Portland's Aerial Tram transports researchers, students, medical professionals,
patients and visitors between Portland's foremost medical institution and
its newest development. The 3,300-foot tram extends from the main Marquam
Hill campus to a terminus at Southwest Gibbs Street and Moody Avenue near
the Willamette River.
On December 15, 2006, the Portland Aerial Tram began
ferrying Oregon Health & Science University employees. To catch a free ride
on one of the nickel-colored pods requires an OHSU employee badge.
The poster displayed to the left is available for purchase
from
ErrolGraphics along with other tram merchandise. Local artist Craig
Holmes created the poster.
Tram Fares Officials from the city of Portland
and OHSU approved the fare of $4 in late January, 2007, for non OHSU staff
and patients. The $4 fare is for a round trip. Other points:
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Offer free rides for annual and monthly TriMet and
streetcar pass holders.
-
Offer a $4 round trip fare for people without passes.
-
Sell $100 annual tram passes that would be valid on
the streetcar but not buses or light rail.
OHSU staff and patients can ride free. As a courtesy,
OHSU is paying the cost of the Tram ride for its patients who have appointments
at OHSU, and also for individuals who are visiting patients in OHSU Hospital
or Doernbecher Children's Hospital. The city projects 85 percent of
the tram's 1,540 daily riders will be OHSU-related.
Final Cost of the Tram
The final cost of the tram came to almost $57 million
with the public paying about eight and a half million dollars. The
budget includes contingencies and utility relocations along with street
trees and streetlights on Southwest Gibbs Street. Key neighborhood
improvements included a pedestrian bridge over I-5.
The annual cost to run the tram is about $1.6 million.
As part of the proposal, OHSU agreed to pay 85 percent of the tram's operating
cost for the first five years. OHSU had originally agreed to pay 85 percent
of the cost for the first two years.
Portland Aerial Transportation
(PATI) is the private non-profit organization empowered by the City of Portland
to oversee the design, construction, and operation of the Portland Aerial
Tram.
Streetcars Links Northwest
District and Downtown to South Waterfront
 The
streetcar extension into the South Waterfront connects the new community
to the museums, theatres, and restaurants in the downtown area. The line
from downtown now stops at the base of the Aerial Tram (called the Gibbs
Extension).
The line will continue from
the Aerial Tram with a 0.6 mile extension (called the Lowell Extension)
that connects SW Moody and Gibbs, follows SW Moody south to SW Lowell, east
on SW Lowell to SW Bond. The route continues north on SW Bond to SW Moody
& Gibbs. The Portland Streetcar started construction on the Lowell
Extension in August of 2006, with completion scheduled for early summer
2007. Start-up of operations is scheduled for August 2007.
In continuous operation
since 2001, the Portland Streetcar links the Northwest District (Nob Hill)
neighborhood to Portland State University through the heart of downtown.
Download the route
map. Learn more about the project at
Portland Streetcars.
Hopes to Create a Bio Tech Industry
Atop the wellness center
is Oregon Graduate Institute's new Department of Biomedical Engineering,
the first step toward the city's dream of creating a bioengineering development
cluster.
In March 2006, California
biotech company Genentech Inc. announced plans to put a new packaging facility
in Hillsboro that eventually will employ 200 to 300 workers. What excited
state officials was the recruitment of a leading player in the biotech industry,
particularly one whose presence could expand and come together with a research
push under way at Oregon Health & Science University.
The facility planned for
Hillsboro will not manufacture drugs. Instead, it will receive bulk shipments
of Genentech drugs manufactured in California and carry out the final processing
and packaging. Whether biotechnology manufacturing and research can become
a new frontier of the state economy is an open question.
More About South Waterfront
South Waterfront is not an official City of Portland
neighborhood as it is part of the Corbett-Terwilliger-Lair Hill. Lying at
the north end of the
Corbett-Terwilliger-Lair Hill, South Waterfront doesn't fit into the
designated neighborhood association as it looming high-rise buildings are
so different from the townhomes, 2-3 story condos, and detached single family
homes in the rest of the neighborhood. Once South Waterfront has a
few thousand residents, we are certain it will have its own official neighborhood.
Neighborhood Association Web Site The South Waterfront
does not have a Web site but you can find information about the neighborhood
at the South
Waterfront Web site.
Location Just south of downtown along the Willamette River.
Drive Time to Downtown About 5-7 minutes to Pioneer Square.
Topography Flat. It is barren of trees and greenery
except along the river.
Sidewalks and Streets Sidewalks are in place except in the
construction areas. Limited street parking but parking garages and
parking lots exist and more are planned.
Public Transportation The
Portland streetcar
line runs through the South Waterfront.
Demographics Population: About 500 as of May 2007 but we are
guessing. Area size: 38 acres. Number of households in the first
three condos (Atwater, Meriwether, and John Ross): 723.
Shopping and Services A mini-mart, Urbana, is open for
business in the west Meriwether tower along with a cleaners. All the condos
have retail space build on the first floor and residents can expect to see
shops and services available. The closest food stores for groceries
is Whole Foods in the Pearl (close to the streetcar line) and Safeway downtown.
Another choice is Zupan's on Macadam Avenue. Umpqua Bank opened their first
Innovation Lab in the John Ross in the fall of 2007. Many other shops
and services are available along Macadam Avenue to the south.
Eating Out City Cafe, a full service eating place is located
in the OHSU CHH building. City Cafe has another outlet in the Pearl
District. Also available in the center is a coffee shop. Le Hana,
a Japanese French Grill, opened in the summer of 2007 in the Meriwether
Tower - they also have a restaurant in Hillsboro. Bella Espresso,
a coffee shop, also opened in the summer of 2007. Orupa, serving continental
European Cuisine is ready to begin operations in early 2008. Spaghetti Factory
is a short walk to the south. You will have to walk (or take the streetcar)
a few blocks north along the river to the RiverPlace area to find a wider
variety of restaurants. Or take the streetcar line to downtown where
you have all kind of cafes, bistros, and restaurants.
Community Centers and Health Clubs
March Wellness
occupies the first two floors of the CHH building and it is open to both
OHSU staff and the public. Besides the normal physical activities,
March wellness offers foreign languages classes, nutrition cooking classes,
etc. RiverPlace Athletic Club is located about a half mile north of
SoWa.
Parks The neighborhood has a 2-block green park adjacent to
CHH. A walkway to the river exists just to the south of the Meriwether
townhomes.
Public Library Hop on the streetcar and travel downtown to
801 SW 10th Avenue where you will find the
Multnomah County Central
Library.
Who Lives in South Waterfront A combination of staff members
from OHSU, a few OHSU students, young folks who want to be close to
downtown, and empty nesters who like condo living.
What They Drive in South Waterfront This is one neighborhood
where ownership of an automobile is not necessary as the streetcar line
makes it easy to travel downtown. OHSU staff and students ride the
tram to work or school. Since most of the condos offer underground
parking, the garages are full of SUVs and luxury autos.
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