News Roundup: Veritas Place, Big Pink, Legin Commons, and more

Veritas Place is part of a larger plan from the Dominican Friars to redevelop four of its five church-owned blocks.

An Early Assistance application was filed for Veritas Place, the first project in a multi-phase redevelopment of property owned by the Dominican Friars in the Lloyd District. The 100% affordable community would include 159 units, reports the Portland Business Journal.

A $3.9 billion RFQ was issued for the Interstate Bridge Replacement Project. The bi-state project intends to hire a contractor in 2027, with construction starting in 2028.

Once the center of Oregon’s casket industry, the Oregon Casket Building is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Current plans would see the long vacant building converted to 34 housing units; a previous proposal to renovate and expand the building for office use was one of the first posts ever on Next Portland.

The Portland Fire and Thorns opened a joint practice facility in Hillsboro, named the Kaiser Permanente Performance Center.

Portland Parks and Recreation is partnering with the United States Tennis Association Pacific Northwest, who will take over operations at the Portland Tennis Center while investing $2.3 million in upgrades.

POD 28 will temporarily close for renovations, reports Bridgetown Bites, with a last day of service September 13th. Next Portland previously covered what the food cart pod will look like when it reopens.

As residents move into the newly completed Legin Commons, Montavilla News writes about a median island planned at the adjacent intersection of SE Division Street and SE 77th Avenue.

Volunteers of America plans to sell three properties it owns at NE 8th & Couch, reports the Daily Journal of Commerce. The proceeds would be go towards planned construction of the VOA Health and Family Services Campus, which would include 100 beds for men and women with children; outpatient treatment; and supportive services.

A replacement for the Keller Auditorium at a new Performing Arts + Culture Center moved a step closer as City Council voted 8-4 to advance plans for a new center for Broadway theater, to be built in partnership between the City of Portland and Portland State University.

Big Pink owner Jeff Swickard floated the idea of a rooftop observation deck at the top of the tower.

With Moda Center renovation talks “stalled”, City Administor Raymond Lee met with Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon.

Portland City Council approved a resolution that starts the process of transferring development rights for sites near the Moda Center to Albina Vision Trust.

Senior housing provider Willamette View plans to break ground on a 92-unit independent living building named Skyline on its campus near Milwaukie, reports the Daily Journal of Commerce.

Unbuilt Projects From The First Five Years of Next Portland

This week Next Portland had its fifth birthday. Since November 2014 we have published over a thousand posts, many of which are about projects that are now complete or under construction. Today, we wanted to look back at some of the unbuilt projects we’ve written about over the years.

Oregon Square
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Whidden & Lewis Building Renovations (images)

The Design Commission will offer its advice this week on a renovation and expansion of the Whidden & Lewis Building. The 1897 building is an early work by Whidden & Lewis, a prominent architectural firm who later designed the Multnomah County Courthouse. Since 2000 the building has been owned by Venerable Properties, a developer known for its work on historic buildings, including the White Stag building and Washington High School.

whidden and lewis - perspective

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