Park Avenue West Tower

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 workers—fulfillment is still under dispute.

Park Avenue West Tower
Park Avenue West Tower eastern face
Park Avenue West Tower is located in Portland, Oregon
Park Avenue West Tower
Location within Portland, Oregon
General information
StatusCompleted
Typeretail, office, apartments
Location750 SW 9th Ave, Portland, Oregon, United States
Coordinates45.519368°N 122.681067°W / 45.519368; -122.681067
Completed2016
Opening2016
OwnerTMT Development
Height
Antenna spire502 feet (153 m)[1]
Roof460 feet (140 m)
Technical details
Floor count30
Floor area474,000 sq ft (44,000 m2)
Lifts/elevators10
Design and construction
Architect(s)TVA Architects
DeveloperTMT Development
Main contractorHoffman Construction

History
The western face of the tower from Director Park

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 1,650 square feet (153 m2) 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 4+1⁄2 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 502 feet (153 m).[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.[16] 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]

  • Construction site (ground level view), February 2010
    Construction site (ground level view), February 2010
  • Construction site, May 2010
    Construction site, May 2010
  • Construction, May 2014
    Construction, May 2014
  • Construction, January 2015
    Construction, January 2015
  • Construction, June 2015
    Construction, June 2015
  • The near-complete tower, August 2015
    The near-complete tower, August 2015

See also

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