Park Avenue West Tower Explained

Park Avenue West Tower
Location:750 SW 9th Ave, Portland, Oregon, United States
Coordinates:45.5194°N -122.6811°W
Map Type:Portland downtown
Completion Date:2016
Opening:2016
Status:Completed
Building Type:retail, office, apartments
Antenna Spire:[1]
Floor Count:30
Elevator Count:10
Floor Area:474000square feet
Main Contractor:Hoffman Construction
Architect:TVA Architects
Developer:TMT Development
Owner:TMT Development

Park Avenue West Tower is a high-rise in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. The 30-floor tower consists of commercial office space, ground floor retail, and apartments. It is the fourth tallest building in Portland behind the Wells Fargo Center, KOIN Center and the US Bancorp Tower.[2] Developed by TMT Development and designed by TVA Architects. The building is taller than allowed by the zoning code at the time. A deal was made with the city for a variance in exchange for employing union workersfulfillment is still under dispute.

History

Park Avenue West Tower was initially scheduled to be completed in 2010 and was being developed by TMT Development. The tower was to have a total of 33 floors and offer retail space, office space and 85 housing units. The housing component was later dropped from the plans. It was also to have a six floor underground garage with 325 parking spaces.[3] The building gained the top four floors when developers agreed to add 1650square feet of bike facilities (including public bicycle commuter showers, bike parking, and locker space) under the connected Director Park subsurface parking, gaining the tower a 40-to-1 bonus.[4]

Construction on the building was suddenly[5] suspended in April 2009[6] Despite the suspension of construction, the developer was hopeful to get the building back on track by reducing the number of stories in the structure resulting from removal of the top ten floors which would have been condominium space.[7] The building was about 50% leased, with Stoel Rives as the primary tenant (11 floors, 157,000 square feet), as well as a NikeTown store.[8] [9] The Park Avenue site was considered an eyesore as there was only a foundation and construction debris visible for years, earning the nickname "Moyer's Ruins".[10]

TMT Development announced in December 2011 that work would resume in late 2013.[11] Construction resumed in October 2013 after additional re-designs, with completion expected in early 2016.[12] [13] Plans called for 30 floors, with 15 of those housing 202 apartments.[12] It topped out in February 2015 with a final height of .[1] The tower opened in February 2016 and was 92% occupied.[14] Shortly after opening, MetLife provided $130 million in permanent financing for the building.[15]

Zoning code and union labor deal

The 30 story tower is taller than permitted by statutes of the zoning code. In 2014, city officials and the developer negotiated a deal to let them build 30 stories in exchange for utilizing union cleaners and security guards.[16] These union jobs however did not happen. In March 2019, the labor union SEIU Local 49 hung a banner from the 11th floor windows as part of their protest and they have done so by renting a two-bedroom short term rental for two days.[17] In August 2018, The Oregonian identified more than 20 out of 202 units at the Park Avenue West were utilized as short term rentals without permit.[18] In June 2019, the SEIU Local 49 filed a lawsuit for union jobs to be created.[19]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Bell. Jon. Construction on the newest addition to Portland's skyline reaches full height. 20 February 2015. Portland Business Journal. February 19, 2015.
  2. Web site: January 20, 2023 . Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, Portland, OR . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070202223609/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=moyertower%2Dportland%2Dor%2Dusa . February 2, 2007.
  3. Web site: TMT Development: Park Avenue West.
  4. News: Park Blocks 'beacon' gets design approval. Leeson. Fred. 2007-12-20. The Oregonian.
  5. Web site: Park Avenue West Tower to be mothballed for two years; developer sets 2013 restart date. Njus. Elliot. 2011-11-05. oregonlive. en. 2020-04-14. in April 2009, work was suddenly stopped.
  6. News: Moyer halts work on downtown tower . The Oregonian . 10 April 2009.
  7. News: Carinci. Justin. Park Avenue West Awaits a Restart. May 28, 2013. The Daily Journal of Commerce. July 27, 2009.
  8. News: Downtown high-rise halted by tight credit. Frank. Ryan. Mike Rogoway. 2009-04-11. The Oregonian.
  9. News: In legal terms, a huge move. Manning. Jeff. 2008-10-15. The Oregonian. C01.
  10. Web site: Park Avenue West Tower: Law firm Stoel Rives signs on as tenant, clearing way for construction . October 9, 2013 . Njus . Elliot . The Oregonian . February 6, 2015.
  11. News: Njus. Elliot. Park Avenue West Tower to be mothballed for two years; developer sets 2013 restart date. November 4, 2011. The Oregonian. November 4, 2011.
  12. News: Culverwell. Wendy. A skyscraper will finally rise. 19 October 2013. Portland Business Journal. October 18, 2013.
  13. News: Culverwell. Wendy. Construction restarts today at TMT's Park Avenue West. 19 October 2013. Portland Business Journal. October 18, 2013.
  14. News: Bell. Jon. As first residents move in, TMT lands $130M loan for Park Ave West. 19 February 2016. Portland Business Journal. February 16, 2016.
  15. News: HFF Secures $130M Loan From MetLife for Mixed-Use Tower in Oregon. February 15, 2016. Commercial Observer. Jones. David.
  16. Web site: A Developer Promised Union Jobs in Exchange to Build Tall. The Construction Happened. The Jobs Didn’t.. Monahan. Rachel. March 27, 2019. Willamette Week. en-US. 2020-04-07.
  17. Web site: Park Avenue West, a Residential and Office Tower, Now Has Permits to Use Roughly 45 Apartments as Short-Term Rentals. Monahan. Rachel. March 28, 2019. Willamette Week. en-US. 2020-04-07.
  18. Web site: More Portland high-rise apartments rented as hotel rooms; many without required permits. Njus. Elliot. March 23, 2018. The Oregonian. en. 2020-04-07.
  19. Web site: SEIU Local 49 Sues Over Park Avenue West’s Failure to Hire Union Janitorial Workers. Monahan. Rachel. June 14, 2019. Willamette Week. en-US. 2020-04-07.