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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 18, 2000)
august 18. 2000 » Just out 21 Continued from Page 19 owner of the Crystal Ballroom; Dan Zilka, i increase in the Burnside Triangle. owner of the gay Panorama complex; and Mawson says increased rents require McCormick & Schmick’s, which owns Jake’s increased foot traffic—hut that won’t happen Famous Crawfish— were not interested in get without new development. Higher rents, he ting involved. Property owners and small-busi says, likely will result in pushing out small retail ness owners haven’t participated either, he says. ers— like neighhorhixxl bars. “1 don’t know that there is anything to worry “Central residential” zoning dix;s about right now,” says John Henley, an employ allow for some commercial use but ee at the neighborhood’s Great Northwest generally puts restrictions on develop B<xikstore. ers that keep them from investing, He loves the community in the Burnside Tri Mawson explains. angle. “We’ve got the best thing going in town.” Betsy Ames, project manager and Henley recognizes, however, that businesses liaison for Mayor Vera Katz to the plan that do not own their property might succumb ning bureau, says the Burnside Triangle to increasing leases. His employer owns the has viable businesses. Some are reno building, he says. Although he realizes buildings vated inside but not outside, she says. in the Burnside Triangle are in need of renova Ames thinks part of the motivation tion, he is not sure whether it will help or hin in keeping the area zoned residential is der the quality of the neighborhood. to prevent the displacement of existing Not everyone considers high-end restau businesses. She says the pressure to rants, expensive boutiques and tree-lined streets develop the area already is strong; a with benches as improvements to an otherwise zoning change to commercial use colorful neighhorhixxl. But those who do want would place too much emphasis on change to the Burnside Triangle have little ! development. chance at success without first changing the Others think residential zones zoning map, Mawson says. should be changed in some areas of the West End but not in the Burnside Triangle. In fact, this proposal is likely to go before the Portland T he Z one City Council for approval. The thinking is that commercial zoning will awson and his colleagues want the city to make the property so attractive to investors that i I change the zoning of the Burnside Trian single-occupancy rixmis in the neighborhood would drop. A development plan that results in fewer housing units could violate state requirements, officials say. And although the neigh borhood hasn’t changed much in 30 years, or attracted new housing, city planners think the Brewery Blocks and the popularity of the Pearl District will bring needed investment without a change to the zoning map. They think the proposal has enough new incentives to attract developers to the area who will work within the res idential zoning codes. A decrease in affordable housing concerns Martha McLennan, a housing project manager for the city. She says although many of the pri-. vately owned single-occupan cy rooms in the Burnside Tri angle—some at the Kent and Joyce hotels—are not in gixxl condition, it would he a loss to those who need affordable housing if they were redevel oped without options. McLennan reports that these hotels do not have U.S. Housing and Urban Develop ment Department contracts gle from “central residential” to “central com but that they play a vital role in Portland’s mercial.” This will provide more incentive for affordable housing mix. As property values increase in the area, federal programs might be investment in the area, they say. If a change isn’t made, Mawson says, private necessary to help out, she says. "Part of what affordable housing will continue to gentrify, and public financing does is to compensate for the retailers will be driven out because of increasing market.” Mawson says many see residential density as rents. “Doing nothing is an option,” he says, a key issue in the area. This is why the city and “hut not an attractive one.” Mawson thinks leaving the zoning alone will others want to keep the residential zoning intact. prevent investors from putting money into the "Some people were calling it Pearl envy,” neighborhood, just as it has for the past 30 years. He says that people seeking entertainment will Mawson laughs. He wonders how investors will turn to the Pearl District, which has new busi get what they want and need to put in housing nesses, and that land values just steadily will south of Burnside when the zoning isn’t in their I favor. In the end, it looks as though proponents of zon ing change will not get their way. The Tentative Proposal for the West End, unveiled in late July, calls for leav ing the Burnside Triangle intact with the exception of two small changes along Burnside from resi dential to employ ment. Graham Clark of the Office of Planning and Development Review at the Bureau of Planning says the proposed change to an employment zone allows for a diverse mixture of uses includ ing housing, industrial and commercial. The changes along Burnside at the west end of the triangle were proposed, he says, to match the zoning on the north side of Burnside, where the Brewery Blocks will stand. Interestingly, one of the proposed zoning changes is at the Club Port land site. T he U nknown r f he Portland Area Busi- .1 ness Association, a gay networking group, is kxiking into the future of Stark Street, although it is uncer tain what its role will be. The group wonders whether city officials are aware the area is a focal point for night life in the gay community. It also wonders what would happen if the core group of gay-fre quented bars, nightclubs and other businesses vanished. Board member Brian Wil son says PABA is trying to gather information to determine whether any one wants to start a dialogue about the future of Stark Street. But at least half of the association’s members probably aren’t interested, he says. PABA wonders if the situation might give rise to a conversation— maybe even a plan— regarding a more clever, long-range vision for the community. A gay neighbor- hixxl? Perhaps a Portland version of N ew York City’s Chelsea? “Whether or not it’s even vi able, it’s an inter esting question,” says Wilson, a commercial real estate develop er. He says keeping the Burnside Triangle zoned residential will make the area less attractive to developers. Despite that, he predicts the rents will increase significantly within the first few years of the nearby Brewery Blocks’ completion. Wilson expects the lease rate in the area to rise from about $12 to as high as $24 a square fix>t within the next few years. Rates in the Pearl District are between $16 and $18 a square foot. Ron Mitchell, general manager of the Fish Grotto/ Brig/Panorama complex, ex pects the Brewery Blocks will bring change to the neighborhood and likely will make rents go up. But increased rent is not an issue for this popular dancing and drinking destination be cause the business owns its own property. “ It won’t affect us at this point,” Mitchell says. Most of the other estab lishments along Stark Street are leasing their space. Mitchell says several of the smaller bars are doing financially well. He recognizes that busi nesses with leases could be at risk in the coming years, but he thinks bars might do even better as the neighborhood develops. Typically when leases are raised, Mitchell says, it is because of increased foot traffic or the overall traffic in the area that potentially would increase business. Continued on Page 23
