An alert reader sends along some photos of a new particle board monstrosity instantly blighting the corner of 14th and Pettygrove. We don't know about you, but we'd rather have an old single-story industrial building with a handful of real jobs in it than another hipster warehouse:
But what really gets to the reader is the cheapo-cheapo pavement on the public right of way on the side of the building:
I point you to the "sidewalks" they seem to be getting away with. Asphalt, really? City of Portland, are the codes slipping? Please note, they seemed to have enough dough to do their own walkways in cement, just not the public sidewalks.
This is the perfectly planned Portland. There must be a good explanation. Maybe it's some sort of eco-asphalt. Must be.
Comments (37)
Let me guess - there's no off-street parking for this project?
Why all the complaints? This is METRO's vision for ALL of us and is what the region wants as shown by repeatedly electing the same set of green idiots to METRO time after time.
The root cause of all of this is the artificial shortage of land created by METRO's urban growth boundary and their decision to build up instead of out (except for land owned by METRO councillers.).
I was curious to see floor plans of the apartments they offer. I was wondering what they could do with 300 sq. feet. I went to their website and couldn’t find any floor plans or pricing. They had a few photos, and some of the supposed upscale hipster clientele that they hope to capture. Ha, and the well dressed, non tattooed, non pierced models depicted don’t exist in Portland. That developer will go broke even before the city sends more money and turns it into low cost housing.
Seriously? These are lumpy temporary paths. Not sidewalks.
This from a city that initially tried to require Local Choice Produce Market (NW Ninth & Everett) replace its sidewalks because the "squares" were 36" instead of 18". (see the October 2012 NW Examiner for photos).
Twenty years from now these will be looking like East Berliners
At what point will the Stasi start laying mines in the Willamette River, and replace the 405 with a massive concrete wall, minefield, and armed border guard towers?
You know, to keep the Clackistanis and the Vantuckies out?
From the Petty Grove Green Street Vision document regarding color scheme:
"Pick a color scheme that clearly illustrates a concept, Bauhaus industrial or a lighter Socialist worker-housing aesthetic were two ideas put forward."
Wow, so much for the warmth and charm of classic Pacific Northwest design.
"Pick a color scheme that clearly illustrates a concept, Bauhaus industrial or a lighter Socialist worker-housing aesthetic were two ideas put forward."
Ha ha. Took me a minute to realize you had to be joking. Had to be.
Ah. Five years ago, I described Portland's new aesthetic as making East Berlin look good, and I had innumerable hipsters and Cat Piss Men telling me "Well, so much that YOU know. YOU live in Dallas." Who knew that these dinks liked East Berlin's architecture?
Anyone notice the cutesy names developer Mark Madden is putting on his newest creations? "Miss" for Mississippi Ave., "Martin" for MLK Blvd., "King" for another MLK thing, "Sherm" for one on the corner of SE Sherman near Ladd's Addition, and my favorite- "Glee" for one on NE Glison. Not sure how "Norm " or "The Freedom Center" got their names. Makes me nostalgic for the pretentious address numbers developers were slapping on their creations. But the real embarrassment is the buildings themselves. Poor Portland. Simply loved to death.
Charamba, Douro 2008
Horse Heaven Hills, Cabernet 2010
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills Pinot Grigio 2011
Avignonesi, Montepulciano 2004
Lorelle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011
Villa Antinori, Toscana 2007
Mercedes Eguren, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lorelle, Columbia Valley Cabernet 2011
Purple Moon, Merlot 2011
Purple Moon, Chardonnnay 2011
Abacela, Vintner's Blend No. 12
Opula Red Blend 2010
Liberte, Pinot Noir 2010
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Indian Wells Red Blend 2010
Woodbridge, Chardonnay 2011
King Estate, Pinot Noir 2011
Famille Perrin, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2010
Columbia Crest, Les Chevaux Red 2010
14 Hands, Hot to Trot White Blend
Familia Bianchi, Malbec 2009
Terrapin Cellars, Pinot Gris 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2009
Campo Viejo, Rioja, Termpranillo 2010
Ravenswood, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2010
Waterbrook, Reserve Merlot 2009
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills, Pinot Grigio 2011
Tarantas, Rose
Chateau Lajarre, Bordeaux 2009
La Vielle Ferme, Rose 2011
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio 2011
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir 2009
Lello, Douro Tinto 2009
Quinson Fils, Cotes de Provence Rose 2011
Anindor, Pinot Gris 2010
Buenas Ondas, Syrah Rose 2010
Les Fiefs d'Anglars, Malbec 2009
14 Hands, Pinot Gris 2011
Conundrum 2012
Condes de Albarei, Albariño 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2007
Penelope Sanchez, Garnacha Syrah 2010
Canoe Ridge, Merlot 2007
Atalaya do Mar, Godello 2010
Vega Montan, Mencia
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2009
Portuga, Rose 2011
Revelation, Chardonnay, Pays d'Oc 2010
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 2005
Monte Alto, Tinto Reserva 2005
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Cabernet, Indian Wells 2009
Espiral, Vinho Rose
Vin-Koru, Pinot Gris 2011
14 Hands, Hot to Trot Red 2009
Rodney Strong, Cabernet, Sonoma 2009
Abacela, Vintner's Blend #11
Portuga, White 2010
La Bourgeoisie, Red 2009
Januik, Red 2009
Three Rivers, River's Red 2008
Kirkland, Alexander Valley Merlot 2008
Muga, Rioja Rose 2010
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2009
Mauro Molino, Barbera d'Alba 2009
Garda Chiaretto Rose
Columbia Crest, Two Vines Vineyard 10 White
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley 2009
L'Hortus, Rose de Saignee 2010
Maculan, Pino & Toi 2008
McKinley Springs, Bombing Range Red 2008
Trader Joe's Pinot Gris 2009
Montes Alpha, Cabernet 2007
Gran Sasso, Sangiovese, Terre di Chieti 2009
Garda, Classico Chiaretto Rose
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 1999
Picos del Montgo, Tempranillo 2008
Chateau de Montmirail, Vacqueyras 2008
La Granja 360, Syrah 2009
Montgras, Carmenere Reserva 2009
Lange, Pinot Gris 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet 2008
Kirkland, Pinot Grigio 2010
Trader Joe's Coastal Syrah 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Merlot 2008
Trader Joe's Coastal Chardonnay 2009
Vieux Papes Red
Domaine de l'Aujardiere, Chardonnay 2009
Santa Rita, Cabernet, Medalla Real 2007
Penfold's, Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2008
Guild, Red, Lot #02 2008
Dievole, Dievolino Sangiovese 2008
Laforet, Burgogne Chardonnay 2009
Columbia Winery, Merlot 2007
Bonterra, Cabernet 2008
Elk Cove, Pinot Gris 2009
Maquis Lien 2006
Scott Paul, Pinot Noir, Le Paulee 2007
The Occasional Book
Neil Young - Waging Heavy Peace
Mark Bego - Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (2012 ed.)
Jenny Lawson - Let's Pretend This Never Happened
J.D. Salinger - Franny and Zooey
Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
Timothy Egan - The Big Burn
Deborah Eisenberg - Transactions in a Foreign Currency
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Slaughterhouse Five
Kathryn Lance - Pandora's Genes
Cheryl Strayed - Wild
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
Jack London - The House of Pride, and Other Tales of Hawaii
Jack Walker - The Extraordinary Rendition of Vincent Dellamaria
Colum McCann - Let the Great World Spin
Niccolò Machiavelli - The Prince
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus - The Nanny Diaries
Brian Selznick - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
Keith Richards - Life
F. Sionil Jose - Dusk
Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting
Justin Halpern - S#*t My Dad Says
Mark Herrmann - The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law
Barry Glassner - The Gospel of Food
Phil Stanford - The Peyton-Allan Files
Jesse Katz - The Opposite Field
Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
David Sedaris - Holidays on Ice
Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith
C.S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
William Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ivan Doig - Bucking the Sun
Penda Diakité - I Lost My Tooth in Africa
Grace Lin - The Year of the Rat
Oscar Hijuelos - Mr. Ives' Christmas
Madeline L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Steven Hart - The Last Three Miles
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
Karen Armstrong - The Spiral Staircase
Charles Larson - The Portland Murders
Adrian Wojnarowski - The Miracle of St. Anthony
William H. Colby - Long Goodbye
Steven D. Stark - Meet the Beatles
Phil Stanford - Portland Confidential
Rick Moody - Garden State
Jonathan Schwartz - All in Good Time
David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Anthony Holden - Big Deal
Robert J. Spitzer - The Spirit of Leadership
James McManus - Positively Fifth Street
Jeff Noon - Vurt
Road Work
Miles run year to date: 21
At this date last year: 52
Total run in 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269
Comments (37)
Let me guess - there's no off-street parking for this project?
Posted by Dave A. | December 31, 2012 3:41 PM
There are bike racks -- is that what you mean?
Posted by Jack Bog | December 31, 2012 3:45 PM
Eko* asphalt.
Posted by Anthony | December 31, 2012 4:15 PM
Happy Ney Year, Jack. You'll be writing about a lot of crapartment and developer shenanigans in 2013.
This project in particular is the one you wrote about a while back in this 2009 posting.
Yes, these units are as small as 267 square feet, the largest is a whopping 385 square feet.
Please note hot they must use a fish-eye lens to make the units look livable in the photos.
The asphalt sidewalks seem to be part of the Pettygrove Green Street Vision ...whatever that means.
Posted by PD | December 31, 2012 4:28 PM
Perhaps it's pervious pavement.
Posted by Mike (one of the many) | December 31, 2012 4:33 PM
'Freedom center' ?!
That's downright terrifying.
Posted by Indie | December 31, 2012 4:48 PM
Wapato Correctional Facility is nicer than the above building. Better art too.
Posted by Mister Tee | December 31, 2012 5:01 PM
NEXT: FLIP DOWN BALCONIES WITH POP UP TREES.....YOU REMEMBER..... JUST LIKE THE POP-UP BOOKS FROM CHILDHOOD....
WE GOT THE RIGHT DYNAMIC FOR THE NEW FRONTIER
Posted by JON | December 31, 2012 5:08 PM
$ 1,050/month for 385 sq. feet?
You'd think for THAT, they would at least use enough letters to spell ECO & HOUSE in English.
Posted by ltjd | December 31, 2012 5:19 PM
Freedom from common sense. The IKEA display spaces are probably better built.
Posted by umpire | December 31, 2012 5:28 PM
Why all the complaints? This is METRO's vision for ALL of us and is what the region wants as shown by repeatedly electing the same set of green idiots to METRO time after time.
The root cause of all of this is the artificial shortage of land created by METRO's urban growth boundary and their decision to build up instead of out (except for land owned by METRO councillers.).
Thanks
JK
Posted by jim karlock | December 31, 2012 5:44 PM
I was curious to see floor plans of the apartments they offer. I was wondering what they could do with 300 sq. feet. I went to their website and couldn’t find any floor plans or pricing. They had a few photos, and some of the supposed upscale hipster clientele that they hope to capture. Ha, and the well dressed, non tattooed, non pierced models depicted don’t exist in Portland. That developer will go broke even before the city sends more money and turns it into low cost housing.
Posted by John Benton | December 31, 2012 5:57 PM
Does the square foot include the fold-down decks as seen in the first pic?
Posted by Abe | December 31, 2012 6:16 PM
"Eko-haus" -- that's just SO Yuropian, I am charmed.
Posted by sally | December 31, 2012 6:27 PM
"Freedom Center" has a nice ring to it.
Just like "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" does.
Posted by Erik H. | December 31, 2012 6:35 PM
It really is scary. Maybe the next PDC "live-work" project can be called Arbeit Macht Frei.
Posted by Jack Bog | December 31, 2012 6:47 PM
Do they come with jackets ?
Posted by tankfixer | December 31, 2012 7:27 PM
Seriously? These are lumpy temporary paths. Not sidewalks.
This from a city that initially tried to require Local Choice Produce Market (NW Ninth & Everett) replace its sidewalks because the "squares" were 36" instead of 18". (see the October 2012 NW Examiner for photos).
Posted by Lair Hill Resident | December 31, 2012 8:17 PM
These are dorm rooms en suite.
Posted by Molly | December 31, 2012 8:27 PM
Yeah, Harry, it is likely pervious pavement.
[insert joke about the pervs giving one the frost heaves here]
Posted by Old Zeb | December 31, 2012 8:58 PM
It must mean "freedom" from your parents, until you need rent money for your hovel.
Posted by Jack Bog | December 31, 2012 9:48 PM
What was in that location?
. . . another good old building there being replaced with the new urban chic?
Posted by clinamen | December 31, 2012 10:03 PM
The prices are an outrage. Twenty years from now these will be looking like East Berliners.
Posted by Evergreen Libertarian | December 31, 2012 10:08 PM
20 years from now they will be condemned, torn down and replaced by something else....hopefully.
Posted by Portland Native | December 31, 2012 10:19 PM
Are you kidding? They are totally like East Berlin already.
Posted by Jack Bog | December 31, 2012 10:57 PM
Is the permeable asphalt made less permeable by using straight edges or forms?
Posted by Mister Tee | December 31, 2012 10:59 PM
(CR)ASPHALT.
Posted by Mojo | January 1, 2013 12:07 AM
Twenty years from now these will be looking like East Berliners
At what point will the Stasi start laying mines in the Willamette River, and replace the 405 with a massive concrete wall, minefield, and armed border guard towers?
You know, to keep the Clackistanis and the Vantuckies out?
Posted by Erik H. | January 1, 2013 6:38 AM
The Russians have a word for this kind of state-sponsored housing "workers housing"... хрущёвка, "krushchyovka".
Posted by Mr. Grumpy | January 1, 2013 9:28 AM
From the Petty Grove Green Street Vision document regarding color scheme:
"Pick a color scheme that clearly illustrates a concept, Bauhaus industrial or a lighter Socialist worker-housing aesthetic were two ideas put forward."
Wow, so much for the warmth and charm of classic Pacific Northwest design.
Posted by SKA | January 1, 2013 9:56 AM
P.J. O'Rourke refers to this as "stack-a-prole" architecture.
Posted by Dave J. | January 1, 2013 10:13 AM
http://www.ekohauspdx.com/Apartments/module/properties/
Posted by clinamen | January 1, 2013 12:07 PM
"Pick a color scheme that clearly illustrates a concept, Bauhaus industrial or a lighter Socialist worker-housing aesthetic were two ideas put forward."
Ha ha. Took me a minute to realize you had to be joking. Had to be.
Posted by sally | January 1, 2013 1:05 PM
Is the building shown in the photo finished? If so, what's the shoddy, seemingly useless cladding under all of the windows?
Posted by NW Portlander | January 1, 2013 4:24 PM
Ah. Five years ago, I described Portland's new aesthetic as making East Berlin look good, and I had innumerable hipsters and Cat Piss Men telling me "Well, so much that YOU know. YOU live in Dallas." Who knew that these dinks liked East Berlin's architecture?
Posted by Texas Triffid Ranch | January 2, 2013 8:01 AM
Anyone notice the cutesy names developer Mark Madden is putting on his newest creations? "Miss" for Mississippi Ave., "Martin" for MLK Blvd., "King" for another MLK thing, "Sherm" for one on the corner of SE Sherman near Ladd's Addition, and my favorite- "Glee" for one on NE Glison. Not sure how "Norm " or "The Freedom Center" got their names. Makes me nostalgic for the pretentious address numbers developers were slapping on their creations. But the real embarrassment is the buildings themselves. Poor Portland. Simply loved to death.
Posted by Nolo | January 3, 2013 2:07 AM
Erik H. wrote: You know, to keep the Clackistanis and the Vantuckies out?
As with the primary purpose of the Berlin Wall, the proposed Portland Eko-Wall would first keep the disillusioned Portlanders from leaving.
Posted by Downtown Denizen | January 3, 2013 1:24 PM