Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland articles from August 2007

Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland archives from August 2007

Design's early-look process to get closer look from city of Portland.
August 1, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan The two Portland commissions that review building design are expected to take a closer look at how well the city's design advice process works. The design advice option, introduced in 2003, is a way for developers to...

Lawyers: Oregon employers beware of new labor laws.
August 1, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Oregon lawmakers this session passed 19 bills meant to protect workers from discrimination and expand employee rights in the workplace. But the new laws could leave Oregon employers more vulnerable to lawsuits if...

Portland Construction Briefs: August 1, 2007.
August 1, 2007... Byline: Dan Carter A 10,000-square-foot building that was built in the 1940s will soon house a brewery, distillery and eatery. The Green Dragon Bistro & Brewpub as well as Integrity Spirits will move into the building at the corner of...

Portland Pacesetters: August 1, 2007.
August 1, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff REAL ESTATE CONSULTING Leland Consulting Group has hired Tina Mosca and Katherine Krajnak as associates at its Portland firm. In addition, it has promoted Melinda Plummer to principal. Mosca will provide technical...

Fate of Jantzen mall, carousel in city of Portland's hands.
August 1, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Portland Bureau of Development Services will hold a pre-application conference Tuesday to decide the fate of the Jantzen Beach SuperCenter on Hayden Island. Jerry Baysinger of Baysinger Partners Architecture proposes...

Westerly condos in Northwest Portland near completion.
August 1, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The final floor and roof of The Westerly, a 14-story condominium tower and town house project in Northwest Portland, have been poured. Developers Onder Development and Williams and Dame expect to release the first floors...

Buckman district hunts for historic house hosts.
August 1, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Buckman Historic Designation Committee is seeking neighborhood homeowners to host fundraising dinners in their historically significant homes. The neighborhood association has been working since January to research...

Calif. museum aspires to be world's greenest.
August 1, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The California Academy of Sciences expects its new facility in San Francisco to be the largest public LEED platinum building in the world. Designed by Renzo Piano with local partner Chong Partners, the newly revamped...

Small businesses in Oregon dread new e-recycling program.
August 2, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Oregon's new statewide electronics recycling system will keep e-waste out of state landfills - but it could also shove small recyclers out of business. House Bill 2626, which passed in May, sets up a statewide system...

Metro takes heat for 'punting' Portland-to-Lake Oswego bike trail.
August 2, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Metro likely won't consider building a bike trail along the Willamette River as part of a proposed streetcar line that would link Lake Oswego and Portland, the regional government said Tuesday. The trail would cost too...

Portland Pacesetters: August 2, 2007.
August 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff FINANCE The Commerce Bank of Oregon has hired Jodi Delahunt Hubbell as managing director of finance and administration, Peggy Kitzmiller and Madelyn Stasko as relationship manager and principal, Terri McKinnis as treasury...

Commentary: State must steer toward road fix.
August 2, 2007... Byline: Craig Honeyman Notwithstanding what I wrote in last month's column, there is a lot to commend the Legislature for following the conclusion of its recent session. Despite concerns I still have about the process, and some of the...

Portland-based Hoyt St. Properties deploys 1st Thursday fleet in the Pearl District.
August 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Hoyt Street Properties is partnering with Portland Rose Pedals Pedicab and PDX Pedicab today to give patrons free transportation around the Pearl District for First Thursday festivities. Pedicabs, or bike taxis, are...

Investment in private buildings up in 2nd quarter in U.S.
August 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Real investment in private nonresidential structures rose 22 percent in the second quarter, the largest gain since 1994 and up from 6.4 percent growth in the first quarter, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reports. Real...

Oakland, California's tallest building may rise on city's shore.
August 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff San Francisco developer David O'Keefe met with Oakland residents Tuesday night to discuss the construction of a proposed 42-story luxury condominium tower on the shores of Lake Merritt that would be Oakland's tallest...

Skate park could replace sculpture at Seattle Center.
August 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff A Seattle City Council subcommittee and a Seattle Center advisory committee recommended relocating a water sculpture installation in Seattle Center and replacing it with a skate park, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer...

Portland attracts outside investors.
August 3, 2007... Byline: Kennedy Smith Portland is up for sale. In the last few months, two major real estate transactions have signaled a change in the city, where outside investors that have historically gravitated toward larger West Coast cities like...

Portland Police Bureau wants ODOT to pay cops' overtime.
August 3, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker The Portland Police Bureau will ask the Oregon Department of Transportation for $300,000 to enforce traffic laws at a road construction site. The money would pay for officer overtime worked on ODOT's Martin Luther King...

Daily Journal of Commerce's parent company goes public as share prices soar in IPO.
August 3, 2007... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff Dolan Media, the parent company of the Daily Journal of Commerce, went public Thursday, with shares closing at $17.75, up 22 percent from the $14.50 initial public offering. Shares of the...

University of Oregon's economy index shows a dip in the state's economy.
August 3, 2007... Byline: Nathalie Weinstein The University Of Oregon Index Of Economic Indicators fell 0.3 percent in June to 103.0. Oregon help-wanted advertising and the interest rate spread were the only indicators that improved. Oregon initial...

ScanlanKemperBard of Portland buys medical, retail portfolios.
August 3, 2007... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff ScanlanKemperBard of Portland on Thursday announced it had acquired a 505,918-square-foot, value-add retail portfolio for $43.14 million in partnership with Praedium Group. The portfolio includes nine...

Commentary: A good handbook can guide you from litigation.
August 3, 2007... Byline: Rich Meneghello Problem: A well-written and up-to-date employee handbook can be a litigation lifesaver, but an out-of-date handbook can be your worst nightmare. Unfortunately, many employers don't give their employee handbooks the...

Portland Pacesetters: August 3, 2007.
August 3, 2007... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff DEVELOPMENT Hoyt Street Properties has promoted Jillian Deleuw to executive assistant. In addition, it has hired Danielle Jodoin as its office manager. Deleuw's new role will be to support President...

Neighbor's appeal of modern North Portland design denied.
August 6, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan A neighbor's appeal of a three-story modern triplex project in North Portland was denied Thursday by the Portland Design Commission. The project's slice of land on North Vancouver Avenue sits in a neighborhood of...

Heritage Building in Portland lands new tenants.
August 6, 2007... Byline: DJC staff Portland Community College said last week it will move into space in the renovated Heritage Building in September. The building, located at 3934 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, is slated to achieve Leadership in...

SoCal company to build homes in Portland.
August 6, 2007... Byline: DJC staff TransWest Housing on Friday said it will open a building division in Portland. The privately-owned Southern California-based company has opened an office in the Johns Landing area of Southwest Portland. It will initially...

Residence hall at George Fox in Portland gets LEED certification.
August 6, 2007... Byline: DJC staff Le Shana Hall at George Fox University has been recognized as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified building. Le Shana Hall, the Newberg university's newest building, is a three-story,...

Portland Construction Briefs: August 6, 2007.
August 6, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan SERA Architects SERA Architects has designed a classroom building in Medford for Rogue Community College and Southern Oregon University. The 68,700-square-foot Medford Higher Education Facility, a partnership between...

Pacesetters for Aug. 6, 2007.
August 6, 2007... Byline: DJ

Builders in Portland likely to pay more for dumping soon.
August 6, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Metro could soon require its landfills to sort all construction and demolition debris for reuse or recycling, a move the regional government says could be costly for large contractors. The council on Aug. 16 will vote...

Lacking government guidance, ocean energy projects in Oregon adrift.
August 7, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Facing a tide of potential ocean energy projects, Oregon officials are scrambling to set up new rules for siting plants off the coast. Uncertainty over jurisdiction and a lack of state regulations governing ocean...

Parks facility maintenance improves in Portland, but work remains.
August 7, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Portland Parks & Recreation has implemented most of the changes called for in a 2000 audit of the bureau, but a comprehensive list of all park buildings is still in the works. The Parks Bureau owns and maintains about...

Oregon Gov. Kulongoski signs commercial contractor regulations into law.
August 7, 2007... Byline: Dan Carter Gov. Ted Kulongoski on July 27 signed House Bill 3242, enacting what some have called the most significant changes to contractor regulations since 1972, when the Construction Contractors Board, then know as the Builder's...

Portland Pacesetters: August 7, 2007.
August 7, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff LAW Ater Wynne has elected Jonathan Ater chairman of the firm. In addition, Greg Struxness, Kirk Gibson and Steve Kennedy were re-elected to the management committee. Continuing their terms on the management committee are...

Commentary: East side faces close-in conundrum.
August 7, 2007... Byline: Scott Maclean The close-in east side of Portland has a conundrum. After a century as the gateway to one of the city's quadrants, it still has not found a signature name. People have tried names such as the Eastside Design District,...

Society for Marketing Professional Services finds more working at home in Seattle area.
August 7, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Society for Marketing Professional Services recently released its 2007 Seattle Salary Survey. The survey analyzes compensation of about 200 employees of Seattle-area engineering, architectural, marketing and...

Portland office furniture dealer bought out.
August 7, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Corporate Environments of Oregon, a Portland contract office furniture dealership, has announced a buyout. Current managing partner and part owner Chris Corrado will purchase the company from his associates, Ed Sanman...

N.Y.'s Plaza Hotel sees ballroom returned to glory.
August 7, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff A $12.5 million restoration and renovation of New York City's Plaza Hotel ballroom will be completed in mid-fall, the New York Times reports. The renovation costs equal the 1907 construction costs of the entire hotel....

Portland State University tears down tech center to make way for rec center.
August 8, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Portland State University this week began tearing down its Portland Center for Advanced Technology to make way for a $71 million recreation center. Students and officials at a demolition ceremony Monday took turns...

Portland Construction Briefs: August 8, 2007.
August 8, 2007... Byline: Dan Carter Much of the rich decor and dark mahogany trim is being kept for the new Northwest Bank going in on the first floor of a historic building at the corner of Southeast Grand Avenue and Washington Street. The former home of...

Spaces in between offer connections for city life in Portland.
August 8, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan The sliver of urban fabric between the 16-story Civic condominium tower and the six-story apartment building rising next to it connects the commerce and chaos of East Burnside Street with fanfare of PGE Park. Across the...

Portland Pacesetters: August 8, 2007.
August 8, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff ARCHITECTURE LRS Architects has hired Carol Garner as its director of marketing, Christina Rischar as an interior designer and Hootan Ahranjani, Thomas W. Schmidt and Cole Butler as interns. Garner has 15 years'...

Oregon governor signs carbon emissions cap into state law.
August 8, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Gov. Ted Kulongoski on Tuesday signed House Bill 3543, establishing greenhouse gas emission reduction goals for the state. Under the bill, Oregon must reduce emissions to 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and 75...

Spokane ticketed for annual American Institute of Architects regional expo.
August 8, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The American Institute of Architects' 2007 Northwest & Pacific Regional Conference is set for Sept. 26-29 in Spokane, Wash. The conference, themed "Renew, Recharge, Reinvent," will focus on ideas of community renewal and...

Events Northwest picked to market riverside housing in Portland.
August 8, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Events Northwest said Tuesday it has have been selected as the marketing firm for Riverscape Properties. Riverscape Properties is a town-home and condominium development encompassing 12 city blocks along the Willamette...

As First and Main in downtown Portland dig begins, county hopes to piggyback.
August 9, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Excavation work for a new 15-story office tower at Southwest First and Main in downtown Portland will soon begin. And Multnomah County, which has plans to build a new courthouse on an adjacent property, wants to...

New rule makes solar shine for businesses in Oregon.
August 9, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan A change to Oregon's rules for small-scale energy generation projects is expected to pump business interest in renewable energy installations. New rules adopted by the Oregon Public Utilities Commission on July 24 let...

Commentary: Summer construction's a nuisance, but it's necessary.
August 9, 2007... Byline: Tammy Bachofner August brings familiar sights and sounds: your neighbor's barbecue, excited shouts coming from the crowd at the local softball game and, of course, men and women standing in the road with orange vests, signaling you...

Regional Multiple Listing Service adds Baker County listings.
August 9, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Baker County Board of Realtors announced Tuesday it will join the Regional Multiple Listing Service, the Northwest's largest Realtor-owned Multiple Listing Service. RMLS will finish converting 1,100 listings into its...

Portland Pacesetters: August 9, 2007.
August 9, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff ARCHITECTURE Steele Associates Architects has hired Mark Burginger as an architect. Burginger holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Arizona. He is skilled in residential design and 3D design. Presently,...

Commentary: Measure 49 a test of (good) faith.
August 9, 2007... Byline: Ed Sullivan Oregon voters in November will consider Measure 49, which would make numerous substantial changes to the property rights law Measure 37. Among those changes is one that is lesser-known but no less significant: a change...

Oregon Bioscience Association picks September for annual expo.
August 9, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Oregon Bioscience Association will hold its annual meeting Sept. 21 to discuss the outlook for the biosciences in Oregon. A keynote address will be delivered by Eric Dishman of Intel Health. Interactive sessions will...

Governor's office in Oregon to oversee wave energy permitting.
August 9, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Gov. Ted Kulongoski will appoint a staff member from his office to oversee wave energy projects in the state, David Van't Hof, the governor's energy and sustainability adviser said Wednesday. Oregon does not yet have a...

Oregon wineries pledge to reduce carbon emissions.
August 9, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Fifteen state wineries have announced they'll participate in Gov. Ted Kulongoski's Carbon Neutral Challenge, which urges winemakers to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and become carbon-neutral in the next 18 months....

After nearly 20 years, Headquarters Hotel in Portland still in limbo.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Kennedy Smith It's been nearly two decades since the Portland Development Commission identified a convention center hotel as its top goal to bring money and tourism to the area. Since then, the project has been intermittently...

More green streets for Portland, and in unexpected places.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Green street projects already dot Portland's neighborhoods, from the bioswales along Northeast Siskiyou Street to the sidewalk-flanking stormwater planter system near Portland State University. But, the city says, there...

Portland Pacesetters: August 10, 2007.
August 10, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff LAW The Library Foundation's Board of Trustees has elected Scott Howard, Emily Karr and John Wrenn as new members. Howard and his wife Lucy Kivel founded Portland-based law firm Kivel & Howard. He works in business...

Portland Development Commission inks Mercy Corps deal, doles out URA grants.
August 10, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Portland Development Commission Board of Commissioners approved the disposition and development agreement between the PDC and Mercy Corps regarding their partnership to develop a site in Old Town/Chinatown to house...

Construction of Mississippi Ave. Lofts in North Portland begins.
August 10, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Lake Oswego contractor Gray Purcell Inc. has broken ground on the $12 million Mississippi Avenue Lofts, a sustainable mixed-use condo and retail project in North Portland The project is expected to be completed by spring...

City of Portland OKs talks with Carroll on Smart Park redevelopment.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Redevelopment of the seven-story Smart Park garage at Southwest 10th Avenue and Yamhill Street is moving forward, but upcoming negotiations still have issues to resolve. Portland City Council on Wednesday voted to let...

New biofuels terminal ready in time for Portland mandate.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Less than a week before Portland's biofuels mandate kicks in for gas stations Wednesday, Pacific Biofuels is putting the finishing touches on its new biodiesel blending rack at the NuStar Energy terminal near Linnton....

Portland Construction Briefs: August 13, 2007.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Portland-based WPH Architecture has designed Newport Lofts, a 23-story building in Las Vegas' evolving arts district. The condominium project, inspired by views of the city and Red Rock Canyon, includes 168 high-end...

McDonald's arches pure gold again.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Malcolm Berko Dear Mr. Berko: I own 100 shares of McDonald's, which I bought last September at $38 even though you told me not to, and it's now $51. Now I'm thinking of buying 150 shares of Burger King because my broker says it's...

Commentary: Grim markets suggest music may have stopped.
August 13, 2007... Byline: William Rutherford With the equity markets suffering an agonizing summer sell-off, the question is: Has the music stopped? Many on Wall Street think so, but not all. Charles Prince, CEO of Citigroup, told the Financial Times last...

Portland Pacesetters: August 13, 2007.
August 13, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff FINANCE Bank of Clark County has hired Todd Zalk as its vice president and Joan Cooper and Samuel Johnson as business relationship officers. Zalk previously worked as a business development manager for Performance...

University of Oregon students to pitch ideas on McCall's redesign.
August 13, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff An open house will be held Wednesday at the former McCall's Waterfront Cafe at Tom McCall Waterfront Park where the public will review University of Oregon students' ideas for the property on Southwest Naito Parkway. The...

Solar Oregon tour to visit 17 cities.
August 13, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Solar Oregon, a Portland nonprofit, has scheduled tours featuring green and solar-powered homes and businesses in 17 Oregon communities during September and October. The statewide event and American Solar Energy...

California REIT buys Willamette Valley vineyard.
August 13, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff California real estate investment trust Vintage Wine Trust Inc. on Thursday said it bought Farmer Road Vineyard in Oregon for $1.27 million. The Polk County vineyard is Vintage Wine Trust's first acquisition outside...

Commentary: Taxes, fees play role in Portland-Vancouver debate.
August 14, 2007... Byline: David Canary and Suzanna Storment Columbia Sportswear in 2001 moved its corporate offices to Washington County from Portland, sparking debate over whether the taxes and fees Portland imposes on business discourage companies from...

Portland Pacesetters: August 14, 2007.
August 14, 2007... Byline: DJC staff ARCHITECTURE TVA Architects has promoted Daniel Bradbury, Thomas Douville, Susan Hargrave, Stefee S. Knudsen, Matt Riordan, Elisa Rocha and Mark Williams to associate. Bradbury has been an intern architect with TVA for...

Belmont project tests higher prices for Southeast Portland.
August 14, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Belmont Street is most vibrant amid the bars and shops and restaurants that line the street in the Southeast 30s. On Southeast Morrison Street, a pocket of city life teems closer to the Willamette River, in the corridor...

Metro to consider Portland's Central Eastside industrial district light rail.
August 14, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker The proposed route for a light-rail extension to Milwaukie was all but settled for a moment Monday when a regional steering committee endorsed one of three placement options for the south end of the tracks. But before...

Portland-based SKB sells Phoenix office complex for $62.5M.
August 14, 2007... Byline: DJC staff ScanlanKemperBard Cos., a Portland-based real estate merchant banking firm, has sold Phoenix Corporate Center in Phoenix for $62.5 million to a private investor from San Francisco. The center consists of eight office...

OnPoint Community Credit Union relocates Gresham branch.
August 14, 2007... Byline: DJC staff OnPoint Community Credit Union will relocate its Gresham branch, currently located at 485 N.E. Burnside Road, to the Civic Plaza, located at 1700 N.W. Civic Drive, in Gresham. The relocation will occur in December, and...

EC Co., IBEW get contractor kudos for Port Westward Generating Plant in Clatskanie.
August 14, 2007... Byline: DJC staff EC Co. and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 48 have received Black & Veatch's Construction Excellence Award for their performance in safety, quality and productivity on the Port Westward...

Global equity firm buys stake in Portland-based Integra Telecom.
August 14, 2007... Byline: Nathalie Weinstein Global private equity firm Warburg Pincus will invest $245 million to obtain equity interest in Integra Telecom Inc., a Portland-based business telecommunications provider, Integra said Tuesday. A spokeswoman for...

Apartment project's parking, size concern N.W. Portland neighbors.
August 15, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan An apartment building proposed for Northwest Portland's historic district nods well to existing buildings, neighbors say, but the project's parking and size have nearby residents concerned. "It's massive," neighbor...

Portland Construction Briefs: August 15, 2007.
August 15, 2007... Byline: Dan Carter IBEW Local 48 journeyman Steve Shird with Stoner Electric Group installs new conduit on the roof as the latest upgrade to the Mt. Hood Theatre. Four new air-conditioning units will soon be up and running at the Gresham...

Portland Pacesetters: August 15, 2007.
August 15, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff FINANCE The Bank of Clark County has hired Karen M. Nelson as its senior vice president in real estate and construction lending. Nelson formerly worked as a senior vice president and Community Reinvestment Act officer...

Federal DOT OKs $354M for N.Y. congestion pricing.
August 15, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The U.S. Department of Transportation has allocated $354 million to reduce traffic in Manhattan by charging tolls to drivers who enter the busiest areas of the city, the New York Times reported Tuesday. Mary E. Peters,...

With invention, a clean shower is less of a drain.
August 16, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Clearing gobs of hair out of drains is a dirty job. And Dr. Sean Scorvo and engineer Dave Strayer think they've come up with a way to keep people from ever having to do it again. Green cleaning products show up on...

City of Portland wants $15M from property owners for streetcar.
August 16, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Portland City Council on Wednesday proposed taxing eastside property owners to help pay for a planned streetcar extension. The city would create a local improvement district within a three-block radius of the 3.4-mile...

Portland Pacesetters: August 16, 2007.
August 16, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff TOURISM The Portland Oregon Visitors Association has installed Brett Wilkerson as chairman of its board of directors. In addition, Nancy Stueber will act as past chairwoman, Connie Hunt will act as chairwoman-elect, Steve...

Commentary: OFLA's intricacies call for urgent care.
August 16, 2007... Byline: Mitch Baker Q: I understand there have been some changes to the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA) that may affect my company. Can you tell me what those changes are and what the effects will be? A: There were three major...