In this week's Sold Out column, I delve a bit into the relationship the Portland Design Collective has with the city, specifically the Portland Development Commission and the downtown retail strategy, as told to me by PDC's (the commission, not the collective) Katherine Krajnak. Unfortunately, due to print space restrictions, I only had room for one itty bitty quote, though what she actually gave me was the full story of the Collective's evolution. It's a must-read for anyone interested in the development of downtown, and an interesting model of the kind of opportunities available for entrepreneurs willing to work hand in hand with city agencies. Take it away, Katherine:
Portland Design Collective is located in the 10th and Yamhill Garage. The garage is owned by the city and managed by the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), so PBOT would be considered the landlord. PDC and PBOT are negotiations with Carroll Investments to fully redevelop the garage that would entail a tear down and the building of new garage structure with more commercial and residential uses built above the new garage. Due to the uncertainty in the garage's future, all tenants in that garage are on a month to month lease and pay percentage rent—meaning they pay a percentage of gross sales, utilities, and a minimum rent that covers property taxes. This summer, we have been able to confirm with the Carroll Investments development team that the soonest they could begin construction would be within two years.The impetus behind bringing Portland Design Collective to the 10th and Yamhill Garage is the result of an urging from the downtown task force that created the 2009 Portland Downtown Retail Strategy to pay special attention to the city owned retail property, especially at the 10th and Yamhill Garage. The gap for the shopper walking along Morrison from Broadway to 10th is significant and we needed more activation across from Brooks Brothers to draw the shopper along and to even be compelled to take a short walk down to visit all the great West End retail on 10th near the Ace (Radish Underground, Covet, Francis May, Tender Loving Empire, etc).
