Another roll in the hay with Homer
The Portland Development Commission's lifelong love affair with development overlord Homer Williams enters a new phase with yet another hotel project in the shadow of the Marquam Bridge in the RiverPlace area:
At River Place, a development group helmed by Homer Williams has asked the city to begin the design review process for a six-story, 203-room Hyatt House extended stay hotel at Southwest River Drive and Southwest River Parkway. Williams’ group, Riverplace Hotel Investors LLC, has an option to purchase the 1.12-acre property, formerly a steam plant operated by Pacific Power & Light Co., from the Portland Development Commission.
We can just imagine the terms of that deal. As a taxpayer, we already feel lighter.
| Posted at 4:46 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (19)
From March 2012:
"The city’s economic development agency put the property on the market last week after receiving numerous calls from interested buyers. It will accept offers through March. The site is bordered by Southwest River Drive and Southwest River Parkway. PDC cleaned up environmental damage left over from the steam plant.
The property was appraised at $4.7 million in 2006 but that total is being refigured."
I would think the taxpayers should immediately assume the proper position.
Posted by pdxjim | January 24, 2013 4:54 PM
And it's another Hyatt. Wonder if the city will supplement the meager wages of its employees the way they do for Paulson at the soccer stadium.
Posted by Ex-bartender | January 24, 2013 4:55 PM
I hope the residents like freeway noise.
Posted by Jack Bog | January 24, 2013 4:56 PM
I hope the residents like freeway noise.
By the time it's realized that that's a problem, Homer will be off on his Next Big Thing and probably declared bankruptcy a couple more times.
Posted by John Rettig | January 24, 2013 5:57 PM
One wonders how much parking will be provided for the new hotel in this low car/streetcar served area of the city. The Sowhat area has limited vehicle access. Residential buildings and other structures have been planned for and constructed with limited parking. Will the hotel guests be expected to arrive by streetcar?
Posted by TR | January 24, 2013 6:36 PM
How about bicycle rickshaw for that "urban adventurer" experience?
Posted by Mr. Grumpy | January 24, 2013 6:48 PM
"I hope the residents like freeway noise.
By the time it's realized that that's a problem,..."
I have stayed many a night at the Four Seasons Silicon Valley in Palo Alto, right off Hwy101. The glass windows are very thick; little road noise makes it into the room. So it can be done right, if you spend the money.
But will the Hyatt in Ptown invest like a Four Seasons in Silicon Valley? Probably not.
Posted by Harry | January 24, 2013 7:15 PM
I'm with TR...only I think that if this goes ahead, it should have _no_ off-street parking.
Posted by godfry | January 24, 2013 7:42 PM
Can anyone, ANYONE, name just one day when every hotel room in Portland was booked?
Heck, I'll settle for 85% of the rooms booked.
And I'll even limit it to 2 star or higher hotels, exclude the "adult motels" out on 82nd and Sandy.
How about 70% of those room booked?
Posted by Erik H. | January 24, 2013 7:55 PM
I like the Valeo plan. If we have to build dorms for PSU, why not help the children live near the streetcar.
Posted by dhughes609 | January 24, 2013 8:01 PM
Erik H:
They usually sellout most of P-town's hotel rooms for the Portland Marathon, typically around the 1st of October.
I'm sure they go over 85% capacity across the entire city.
Posted by Mister Tee | January 24, 2013 8:10 PM
A century later, the ground there is still so contaminated from the steam plant's slag heaps that you cannot dig a basement. Why isn't cleanup mandated? It would be anywhere else.
Posted by Downtown Denizen | January 25, 2013 1:14 AM
Hey, this could be the convention center hotel!
After all it is just a short streetcar ride away. And we all know people just love to ride the streetcar since it is the fast and efficient transportation of the future for trips too long to walk.
And we can thank Mayor Charlie for his vision building the streetcar with money taken from roads and tax money taken from schools, social services, police & fire to give to developers to build all those beautiful condo bunkers.
Thanks
JK
Posted by jim karlock | January 25, 2013 3:26 AM
There have been no crimes and no accidents
on the Street Car.
Apparently, empty cars are safe! As ridership climbs over, say, 12 people per day, problems may increase.
Posted by Mamacita | January 25, 2013 7:43 AM
Looking less and less like a homer and more and more like a base on balls.
Posted by NW Portlander | January 25, 2013 9:47 AM
There have been no crimes and no accidents on the Street Car.
Actually there was one just about a week ago. Maybe two weeks. Up in the Lloyd District involving an automobile.
Posted by Erik H. | January 25, 2013 10:12 AM
They usually sellout most of P-town's hotel rooms for the Portland Marathon, typically around the 1st of October.
OK, so why doesn't the Portland Marathon - since that's the one and only event that can cause such a huge turnout - fund any hotel projects rather than taxpayer funds?
Then again, the Marathon requires a massive public subsidy of itself...and do we even know how much money is earned by the Marathon; especially when they cannot even cover the cost of the city to close streets, erect barricades, pay for cops and fireman (paramedics), etc.?
Posted by Erik H. | January 25, 2013 10:14 AM
"t River Place, a development group helmed by Homer Williams ....
Maybe you should call him Helmer Williams.
Posted by sally | January 25, 2013 10:49 AM
Actually, Hoser Williams might be more apropos.
Posted by sally | January 26, 2013 8:52 AM