THE FRAMEWORK PLAN

The Burnside Bridgehead site is identified in the City of Portland’s “Economic Development Strategy, a Five-Year Plan for Promoting Job Creation and Economic Growth”  as a key catalytic site within the Central City for the creation of a significant mixed-use gateway development. The Burnside Bridgehead Framework Plan is a high-level guidebook to redevelopment that will direct and guide the creation of this mixed-use gateway.  

» Download the Framework Plan (14MB PDF)

 

Framework Plan Vision and Principles

The vision for the Framework Plan is to create a strategic design approach for the development of the Burnside Bridgehead that will catalyze and identify the Central Eastside as an attainable, productive, and sustainable district. 

Principles intended to guide and direct planning, development and investment decisions on future redevelopment opportunities for the project are:

• Site as Potential: Balance land uses development densities, and phasing, with market reality
  
  
• Site as Attainable: Develop new approaches or strategies to maintain affordability in construction and accessibility for a broad spectrum of users
  
  
• Site as Productive: Create an incubator for employment with business-supportive redevelopment
  
  
• Site as Sustainable: Integrate innovative, attainable, sustainable design
  
  
• Site as Vibrant: Provide opportunities for a mix of uses – commercial, employment, and residential – that build on the unique character of the community and activate the site

Project Approach and Outcomes

The Framework Plan takes the approach that the goal of development on the site is to be catalytic to incenting and promoting further development in the Central Eastside.  The plan recognizes that there is no requirement that a catalyst site be the highest density project in the area, just one of the earlier projects that ties well into the remainder of the area and provides complementary uses.   With this approach, the Framework Plan presents a guide to phasing development that directs short-term, immediate development on the site that doesn’t preclude greater development in the future.

Phase I: The first phase of development focuses on the activation of 3rd Avenue to create a nucleus and district brand for the site with the following elements:

• renovation of the Convention Plaza building
• improvements to 3rd Avenue
• creation of a connection to the new streetcar stop on MLK
• integration of mid-block green spaces
• development of the first new buildings (4+stories, Type V construction) along 3rd Avenue that could provide space for work, live, and/or other programming.

 

Based on the success of this initial phase, the remainder of the site can be built-out in a variety of ways, with the Framework Plan exploring three potential outcomes:

• Outcome A - Maintain Steady Growth: If development were to occur in a similar fashion to Phase I.
  Total Approximate Floor Area Ratio (FAR): 4:1, Total Built Area: 610,000 SF
• Outcome B - Attract Target Clusters: With an emphasis on job creation, this outcome provides opportunities for larger format employment space and affiliated parking and amenities.
  Total Approximate FAR: 4.5:1, Total Built Area: 650,000 SF
• Outcome C - Develop into High Density Center: Considers the long range potential of the site that could realize the FAR (9:1) and height (250 ft) permitted outright on the site.
  Total Approximate FAR: 6:1, Total Built Area: 880,000 SF

 

 

For more information, contact PDC Sr. Project Manager Geraldene Moyle at 503.823.3420 or e-mail.