Albina Fuel Zone Change Conditions
The Sullivan’s Gulch Neighborhood Association (SGNA) views the Albina Fuel site as a major opportunity to achieve an exemplary urban mixed use project. Generally, SGNA envisions the future of Albina Fuel site to be a vital, mixed-use development project that will enhance urban and pedestrian residential qualities that exist today, a project that will fully integrate itself into our neighborhood and the city, and will minimize its impact on local streets and intersections that are already overburdened. This is in keeping with the vision for the east-end of the neighborhood as described in the Sullivan’s Gulch Neighborhood Action Plan, adopted by City Council (Ordinance #159897, July 16, 1987)
Policy 4 – Neighborhood Core – East - Maintain, enhance and preserve the residential chracter of this core area between NE 21st and 28th, Weidler south to Multnomah.
Policy 5 – East End – Encourage redevelopment east of NE 28th which is compatible with nearby residential areas and will not cause significant detriment to them.
SGNA has been working with the Albina Fuel Co. team to develop a common vision of future development on the 5-acre Albina Fuel site located adjacent on the corner of NE 33rd and Broadway.
In response to unfavorable reactions and site difficulties related to vehicular access, the Albina team has altered their application of EX(d) for the entire site to change the comprehensive plan designation and rezone the site to a combination of CS (commercial storefront) and RX (high density “downtown” residential).
The city staff report and the report of the public hearings officer support the comprehensive plan change with conditions. However, SGNA does not believe that the conditions recommended by the city staff report and public hearings officer are specific enough to achieve the desired result or to achieve the intent of the comprehensive plan. SGNA recommends that City Council require more specific conditions for approval (items A through C below):
Condition A: To protect the livability of Wielder Street (between NE 28th & 32nd)
This first set of requirements is intended to reflect NE Weidler’s current and future role as a residential street. The current zoning and the Comprehensive Plan designations on Weidler foster a mix of commercial and residential developments. The number of households along NE Weidler St. will increase as property owners decide to take advantage of the higher density and mixed-use opportunities offered by the zone and plan designations. Care must be taken to ensure that as the Albina Fuel site redevelops it isn’t at the expense of the desirability of Weidler as a residential street.
The neighborhood’s support for this project has been earned through the presentation of a plan for development that reflects both a commitment to high quality, good design, and restraint in terms of density. However, there is no assurance that the project that was presented to the community will be built. The Sullivan’s Gulch Neighborhood Association seeks legally-binding conditions that will insure a thoughtful design process that will lead to a quality project. We also seek a limitation in the scale of what is built that will reflect the scale of the development proposal that was presented to the neighborhood.
Condition B: Density and Height:
The proposed density limitation will allow roughly 600,000 square feet of above grade development on the site. The plans that have been shown to the community reflected 500,000 to 550,000 square feet. Without this condition the community could be faced with a project that is more than 50% greater in density than what we were shown.
The height limitation will serve to effectively step potentially tall development building masses allowed under the RX zoning down to the scale of adjacent zoning and development, including the proposed CX zoning along Broadway. It responds to the adjacent residential uses and addresses a City design guideline, D7, Blending into the Neighborhood, which states:
Reduce the impact of new development on established neighborhoods by incorporating elements of nearby buildings such as building details, massing, proportions, and materials.”
Condition C: Design Review:
Impose the following requirements on the Design Review process that development of the site will be required to meet:
1. Require that design review be through a Type III procedure; and
2. Add a design review requirement for the site that requires that a pedestrian and bicycle circulation system be created that provides for connection to surrounding urban grid, including connections to Broadway, NE 32nd Ave, and the planned Gulch Trail.
The Type III procedure will provide an assurance that the design will be initially reviewed by the Design Commission, rather than Bureau of Development Services staff. It will also provide the neighborhood with an opportunity to appeal a design of poor quality to the City Council. The Type III procedure will help to inform developers that a quality design is expected.
Summary:
The Sullivan’s Gulch Neighborhood Association believes that the conditions listed above will enable a more productive use of the Albina Fuel property and help ensure a quality development project for this important site within the city. SGNA believe it is fair to request these conditions since the city has applied most of these conditions successfully on other similar development projects. Subject to these conditions, SGNA has voted on April 8, 2003 to support the comprehensive plan and rezoning of the Albina Fuel site. SGNA looks forward to helping the city and the site development team create the best possible development for this site, for the neighborhood and for the city.
Submitted by:
David Brook, Chairman
Lynne Coward, Land Use Chair
Sullivan’s Gulch Neighborhood Association
C/O Holladay Park Plaza
1300 NE 16th Ave.
Portland, OR 97232