Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland articles from December 2005

Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland archives from December 2005

Assciated General Contractors Oregon-Columbia chapter receives grant to promote clean diesel.
December 1, 2005... Byline: Libby Tucker The Associated General Contractors Oregon-Columbia chapter last month became the first trade association - and the only construction industry organization - to receive a grant to promote clean diesel technology from...

Bowling lane developer hopes for strike with retro design.
December 1, 2005... Byline: Alison Ryan Before bowling junkies of the 1950s knew Grand Central Bowl as a great place to pick up a spare, Portlanders of the 1930s knew the site as a shopping destination. Now, developers plan to make the Southeast Portland...

Hillsboro Civic Center scores LEED gold rating.
December 1, 2005... Byline: DJC Staff The Hillsboro Civic Center, originally designed to earn a silver certification under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system, last week was granted a LEED gold rating...

Interview with Matthew Garrett, OR Department of Transportation.
December 2, 2005... Byline: Libby Tucker Matthew Garrett is not a politician, but he has the charisma of a man running for public office. His shoulders squared and eyes locked, Garrett is straightforward even as he carefully chooses his words. And...

Waterfront condo boom in Portland continues with planned Atwater Place.
December 2, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith Gerding/Edlen and Williams and Dame Development have plans for South Waterfront's newest condo high-rise, Atwater Place. The planned 22-story, rectangular tower is expected to feature 212 condominium units, five...

From historic house to modern home in Portland.
December 2, 2005... Byline: Alison Ryan Taking on a historic renovation is a task in itself, and turning a historic house into a modern haven only adds to the challenge. Hillsboro's historic Wehrung House, built in the late 1800s by city pioneer Henry...

Cascade Station in Portland stops short of new urbanism.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith Back in 2001, the Cascade Station development, en route to the Portland International Airport, was shaping up to become the city's next "lifestyle community," a pedestrian-friendly shopping, entertainment and work...

Wells Fargo banks on green for new locationin Portland.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Alison Ryan Wells Fargo's already known for its green - of the spending variety - but the company's new space in the Pearl District pulls the color of money into its design as well. The bank, located inside the Riverstone...

Businesses, Metro address cost of traffic congestion in Portland.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Libby Tucker Failure to relieve traffic congestion in the Portland region's transportation system will cost the region 6,500 jobs and $844 million by 2025, says a new study by the Economic Development Research Group, a Boston-based...

Mixed-use projects in Portland's suburbs are on the rise.
December 6, 2005... Byline: Alison Ryan Downtown-style live/work/play projects are a rising trend in residential development - even when the location itself is more suburban than urban. The integration of residences with retail, recreational and public...

Forecast sunny for Oregon home builders.
December 6, 2005... Byline: Libby Tucker Rising interest rates will slow housing construction in Oregon next year, according to state economists and industry experts who spoke Dec. 2 at the Home Builders Association's 2006 housing forecast breakfast at the...

Jay's Garage in Portland is first and only service station in city to carry biodiesel fuel.
December 7, 2005... Byline: Libby Tucker Jay Dykeman doesn't have a crystal ball. But the service manager at Jay's Garage in Southeast Portland does own the first and only service station in the city that carries B99 biodiesel, an alternative fuel made from...

Real estate survey: Home buyers believe in housing bubble, say keep it quiet.
December 7, 2005... Byline: DJC Staff A survey conducted by the real estate information Web site ThinkGlink.com shows that 66.3 percent of Americans believe there is a housing bubble, with many telling the site they're concerned that even discussing such a...

Northwest College of Construction holds first few evening classes.
December 8, 2005... Byline: Libby Tucker It's a vision five years in the making - a school that will serve as one-stop shopping for all of a company's construction training needs. A new, private, nonprofit technical college, the Northwest College of...

Three partners found Catena Consulting Engineers.
December 8, 2005... Byline: DJC Staff Catena Consulting Engineers, a consulting structural engineering firm, has been established in Northeast Portland by managing partner Christopher L. Thompson and partners John S. McDonald and Paige C. Viehouser. ...

Clackamas retail center sells for $10.5 million.
December 8, 2005... Byline: DJC Staff Greenhouse Square, a retail center in Clackamas, has been sold for $10.5 million, or $152 per square foot. Michael Kapnick of the Portland office of Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Brokerage Co. represented...

A conversation with head of Portland's Office of the City Auditor.
December 9, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith Gary Blackmer, head of Portland's Office of the City Auditor, believes in accountability. He believes in the public's right to see just what the local government is up to, and he believes that Portland is doing a...

ODOT, ACEC work out OTIA delivery kinks.
December 9, 2005... Byline: Libby Tucker After the Oregon state legislature approved $1.3 billion for bridges in 2003 as part of the third Oregon Transportation Investment Act, the state's Department of Transportation underwent changes in management that have...

Oregon and Washington to release tougher standards for stormwater permits.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Libby Tucker In the next two weeks, Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality and Washington's Department of Ecology will each release new, tougher stormwater permits for construction sites. But while Washington state requires...

Poll: Employee raises, bonuses not likely to increase in 2006.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith The majority of the nation's employees are not expected to receive higher raises and bonuses in 2006 than they did in 2005, a new survey finds. Less than one-third - 29 percent - of chief financial officers polled by...

Boeing donates 14 acres for Gresham wetland complex.
December 12, 2005... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce Boeing donates 14 acres for Gresham wetland complex A 14-acre donation by the Boeing Company makes way for a planned wetland complex for stormwater treatment that would be built on vacant property...

Portland Sustainability Briefs: December 12, 2005.
December 12, 2005... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce LEED for Commercial Interiors workshop planned An all-day technical workshop on the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED-CI rating system, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for...

Lents has fallen a bit off the radar as higher-profile urban renewal areas come into the spotlight.
December 13, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith Since the Lents Town Center became an official Urban Renewal Area per the Portland Development Commission back in 1998, much has happened. The Boys & Girls Club at Southeast 92nd Avenue and Harold Street has gone...

Portland, Seattle tied for most U.S. Green Building Council LEED-certified and registered projects.
December 14, 2005... Byline: Alison Ryan Green building is not a contest. That said, be it known that Portland and Seattle are tied in the top slot for number of U.S. Green Building Council LEED-certified and registered projects. Green builders, get your...

Transportation spending boosts business for Portland-based Beall Corp.
December 14, 2005... Byline: Libby Tucker There's no Christmas delivery guarantee this season for the Portland-based truck trailer manufacturer Beall Corp. The largest producer of bulk and tank trailers west of the Mississippi River has a waiting list of up to...

Portland puts together a plan to save money, improve safety.
December 15, 2005... Byline: Libby Tucker As the owner of a small excavation and construction firm, Jim Gonzales knows the benefit of following a good safety plan on the job site. Tunneling work can be dangerous with workers and machinery operating closely in...

Unemployment down in Portland metro area.
December 15, 2005... Byline: DJC Staff The Portland metro area's unemployment rate declined to 5.3 percent from 5.6 percent from September to October, according to the latest numbers from the Oregon Employment Department. An estimated 58,300 area residents...

Interview with James Meyer, Opsis Architecture partner.
December 16, 2005... Byline: Alison Ryan Though the friendly face in the reception area at Opsis Architecture gets in the first greeting, Leo the golden retriever isn't far behind. Last winter, Opsis moved into Northwest Portland's 1910 Lovejoy Building -...

Design keeps Sunriver awash in resort architecture.
December 16, 2005... Byline: Alison Ryan Sunriver is one of Oregon's top stay-and-play spots, and the resort role extends to its architecture - even on local buildings that aren't recreation destinations. With exposed wood framing, wood poles and...

ConnectOregon selection process still unclear.
December 16, 2005... Byline: Libby Tucker The application period for ConnectOregon, a $100 million state fund available to transportation projects not eligible for highway funding, opened Wednesday. However, the specific process and criteria for project...

Plans moving forward with construction of OR Coast Community College campuses.
December 19, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith For Pat O'Connor, the president of Oregon Coast Community College, starting a community college from scratch was no easy task. The goal of transforming unused land in Newport and South Beach into a thriving...

New forest products program links ORState University, industry.
December 19, 2005... Byline: DJC Staff Three weeks into the job, the director of Oregon State University's Oregon Wood Innovation Center says the effort to align the university's wood products studies more closely with the goals of private industry is shaping...

Columbia Slough Watershed Council honors eight.
December 19, 2005... Byline: DJC Staff Extraordinary projects, leadership, and volunteer contributions by eight organizations and individuals have been recognized with 2005 Columbia Slough Watershed Council awards. Recognized with achievement awards for...

$7 million investment in downtown Sherwood may be worth a whole lot more.
December 20, 2005... Byline: Dan Carter If the city of Sherwood's projections are right, a $7 million investment in the downtown core could turn out to be worth a whole lot more. The city in September began work on a $7 million refurbishing of a number of...

Portland mapping firm works to remap and reanalyze New Orleans.
December 21, 2005... Byline: Alison Ryan How many people live in New Orleans? Before Hurricane Katrina hit in August, the answer was one that Big Easy information-seekers could have Googled in a matter of minutes. But what used to be an easy question has...

Oregon officials clash over transportation spending policies.
December 22, 2005... Byline: Libby Tucker State representatives and transportation commissioners clashed over transportation spending policies last week, as the Oregon Transportation Commission rejected counties' pleas to set aside portions of a new federal...

Lewis and Clark College sells Newburg property to residential developer.
December 22, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith Lewis and Clark College has sold 59.5 acres of land to Pacific Lifestyle Homes Inc. of Vancouver, Wash., for $6.8 million. The land is located adjacent to the Newberg city limits, near the Kaiser Permanente...

Interview with Ethan Seltzer: The idea of Oregon.
December 23, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith To Ethan Seltzer, urban studies means looking closely at a city's economics, planning, architecture, ecology, transportation systems, politics and social relations. It means comparing Portland's metropolitan climate...

Apartment demand for metropolitan Portland expected to continue in 2006.
December 27, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith Market analysts are predicting increased demand and higher rents for the multifamily market in metropolitan Portland and surrounding areas. According to Hagerman Frick O'Brien LLC, an investment real estate firm,...

Multnomah County considering repairs to Burnside Bridge.
December 28, 2005... Byline: Libby Tucker When the Burnside Bridge was built on the banks of the Willamette River in 1926, it was designed to be replaced in 25 or 30 years, like the two bridges that stood on that site before it. The concrete and steel...

Portland architectural firm's S. Korean projects teach lessons on growing up, not out.
December 29, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl A Portland architectural firm is getting an education in density thanks to two South Korean projects designed to grow up, not out. Deca Inc., the Portland firm of husband and wife Sallee Humphrey and David Hyman,...

Architects know there's no place like home.
December 30, 2005... Byline: Gaye Bunderson (This article was originally published in the Idaho Business Review, another Dolan Media publication.) When asked what design elements turn a house into a home, area architects say first and foremost, listen to the...