Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland articles from June 2003

Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland archives from June 2003

Vancouvercenter taking shape, seeking tenants.
June 2, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl After nearly four years of construction, Vancouvercenter, the largest development in the history of downtown Vancouver, will soon be ready for its first tenants. Sometimes referred to as Vancouver's "brewery...

Legislator wants Senate confirmation of judges.
June 2, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga Voters in the next general election may be asked to decide whether Oregon should change the way judges are appointed to state appellate and circuit courts. Under Oregon's constitution, state judges usually...

New Sacramento office proves WRG Design booming.
June 2, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough Despite a sputtering local economy Portland-based WRG Design Inc., a multi-faceted civil engineering firm, has been able to grow into a successful enterprise. After being founded locally in 1991, the firm added...

Governor threatens veto on House Bill 3164.
June 3, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl After trying to expand its boundaries for eight years, North Plains was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but a recent letter from Gov. Ted Kulongoski indicates the wait isn't over. In the letter,...

Associated Builders and Contractors holds awards.
June 3, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough Celebrating its 30-year anniversary while recognizing a variety of projects and companies, the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors held its ninth annual Excellence in Construction &...

Madison High School students create bioswale for parking lot.
June 3, 2003... Byline: Dan Carter Three students in Wil Mitman's sixth period biology class at Madison High School in Northeast Portland had "sort of heard about" bioswales, but really didn't know what they were. With help from teachers and mentors...

Commentary: Values in America today: Financial, moral and practical.
June 4, 2003... Byline: Bernard Levy We wonder why America's moral and financial values appear to be "going to hell in a hand basket." We've looked to supposed corporate and political leaders for answers, and we've been deceived, fed pap and meaningless...

Projects continue to flourish in Woodburn.
June 4, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl The sound of hammers pounding and cement trucks beeping as they back into job sites has become common in Woodburn as building projects continue to mount. For the past five years, the city has issued record numbers...

Portland firm sets patriotic example.
June 4, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga Angela Angel, a paralegal by profession, doesn't see her position as a sergeant in the National Guard as an option. She says it's her duty as an American. Happily for Angel, her bosses at the Portland law...

Benson Tower design needs more time for fine-tuning.
June 5, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough Redesigning a needle-thin condominium tower in downtown Portland's West End will take two more weeks than originally anticipated. Eric van Doorninck, the Vancouver, British Columbia, developer of the planned...

Legislative funding plan gives Washington projects a push.
June 5, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga A penny saved is a penny earned. But in Washington state, it's nickels that count. It's been roughly five weeks since legislators approved a $4.1 billion transportation funding package that includes a 5-cent...

Montessori leases former dot-com space.
June 5, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Call it a sign of the times. After a dismal year of searching for an office tenant to fill the ultra-hip headquarters of 800.com, left vacant after the consumer electronics company was sold to Circuit City, Grubb &...

Combined sewer overflow work hits milestone.
June 6, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough The city of Portland's 20-year, $1 billion program to reduce combined sewer overflows into the Willamette River just hit a major milestone. The project, which began in 1991, has now reduced CSOs into the...

Retroactive stormwater credit approved.
June 6, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Commercial and residential property owners who have found ways to manage stormwater on site could save up to 35 percent off their city stormwater bill beginning as early as July 2006. The Portland City Council...

Stephen Anderson elected vice chairman for engineering council.
June 6, 2003... Byline: Rich Riegel Stephen C. Anderson, owner and project manager of Anderson Consulting Services in La Grande, has been elected vice chairman for the American Council of Engineering Companies. ACEC is a Washington, D.C.-based...

Second annual Urban Pioneer awards presented by PSU.
June 6, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga Portland developer Tom Moyer, longtime Portland historian and planner Ernie Bonner, and Nohad Toulan, dean of Portland State University's College of Urban and Public Affairs, were presented with Urban Pioneer...

Archaeologists have first dibs on city project site.
June 6, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga A transportation-related project in North Portland has been put on hold after city officials learned the planned construction would impact an area believed to contain prehistoric artifacts. Although the city...

Telegram building taking shape, seeking office tenants.
June 9, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl It didn't take Art DeMuro of Venerable Properties long to decide he should get involved with the redevelopment of Portland's historic Telegram building. "It's like getting asked to go on a date with a beautiful...

Portland firm uses dogs to detect mold in buildings.
June 9, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga Man's best friend is about to become mold's worst enemy in the Portland metro area. At least that's the idea behind Common Scents Inspections, a Camas, Wash., company whose main employee is a Jack Russell...

Pearl District condos selling faster than expected.
June 10, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Developers in Portland's Pearl District continue to sign up new residents almost as fast as they can build the condos and lofts to house them. Quite a turnaround for a neighborhood that, more than a decade ago,...

Second annual Regional Erosion Prevention Awards held.
June 10, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough More than 200 people gathered at the Wilsonville Holiday Inn on Friday morning for the second annual Regional Erosion Prevention Awards ceremony. Thirty businesses were honored at the ceremony for work completed...

Oregon's Surveyor of the Year for 2002 named.
June 11, 2003... Byline: Rich Riegel The Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon recently announced Gregory A. Crites as its Surveyor of the Year for 2002. Crites is a project manager and associate with Portland-based David Evans and Associates Inc....

Commission approves urban growth boundary expansion.
June 11, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl After meeting to discuss the proposal three times, the state Land Conservation and Development Commission voted Monday to approve the tri-county urban growth boundary expansion. Four commissioners voted in favor of...

Student interest in engineering is on decline.
June 11, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga A continuing decrease in the number of high school students considering careers in engineering has education experts and industry players scrambling to figure out how to reverse the trend. Out of 1.1 million...

Gramor Development to develop portion of Progress Quarry project.
June 12, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Gramor Development Inc. this week completed a deal with Progress Quarry LLC to develop the 20-acre commercial portion of a proposed master-planned, mixed-use development slated for southwest Beaverton. The Progress...

Castle Oaks subdivision focuses on mid-range housing market.
June 12, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga When Portland home builder Steve Brown began developing the Castle Oaks subdivision in unincorporated Washington County near Tigard, he had two types of shoppers in mind: empty nesters -- older couples looking...

Howard S. Wright finishes cinemas at Pioneer Place.
June 12, 2003... Byline: Rich Riegel Howard S. Wright Construction Co. has finished construction on the Regal Cinemas complex at Pioneer Place. The theater space on the fourth floor was originally slated for Sundance Cinemas when the construction firm...

U of Oregon students share architecture award.
June 12, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough About 120 people gathered at the Embassy Suites Hotel in downtown Portland Tuesday for the sixth annual Senator Mark O. Hatfield Architecture Award ceremony. University of Oregon architecture students Nate McCoy...

West Linn, Home Builders Assn. await SDC ruling.
June 13, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough It stands or it does not. That's the answer that the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland and the city of West Linn are eagerly waiting to find out. The highly anticipated answer will resolve a...

South Waterfront District agreement taking shape.
June 13, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl The Portland Development Commission this week got its first look at the outline of an agreement that defines how stakeholders will divide the nearly $1.9 billion price tag for initial development in the South Waterfront...

Clark County nabs $1 million in funds for transportation.
June 13, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga Clark County will receive a $1 million share of the largest public transportation grant budget ever funded by Washington state legislators. Eighty-three projects statewide will split $38.5 million in state...

Pacific Coast Restaurants expanding.
June 16, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Oregon's sputtering economy isn't exactly inspiring rapid growth, but one local company isn't slowing down. Pacific Coast Restaurants Inc. plans to open a record three restaurants next year. Portland-based Pacific...

Top projects recognized at awards event.
June 16, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough Exposed walls and bare concrete floors were backdrops as the second annual Top Projects celebration unfolded to a group of construction industry professionals Thursday evening. The event was held on the fifth...

Glendale, Calif.-based developer plans 24-hour fitness center for Tualatin property.
June 17, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl After standing dormant for more than two years, the former Food 4 Less property in Tualatin won't be vacant much longer. Glendale, Calif.-based Dorn-Platz Properties has purchased the 59,800-square-foot building and...

Portland, Oregon painting contractor elected to national post.
June 17, 2003... Byline: Rich Riegel The Painting and Decorating Contractors of America recently announced the election of Portland painting contractor Dave Siegner to the office of vice president of the organization's national, six-member executive...

Portland Community College's budget woes sideline construction apprenticeship program.
June 17, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga A six-month program designed to help build a future labor pool for the construction industry seems to be struggling with its own long-range forecast problems at Portland Community College's Rock Creek campus. ...

Stealth Services Worldwide LLC takes space in Beaverton.
June 17, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Stealth Services Worldwide LLC has leased 25,148 square feet at Equity Office's Nimbus Corporate Center in Beaverton. While the move is a sizable expansion for Stealth Services -- which will be vacating about 4,000...

Broker lien bill's chances for survival.
June 18, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Things were looking good this legislative session for House Bill 2590. The proposal would allow commercial real estate brokers to claim lien on property if owners don't hold up their end of the bargain when it...

ODOT says bridge closure good to go.
June 18, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga The Oregon Department of Transportation hasn't bothered to etch in stone the start date for a full closure of the St. Johns bridge, but an agency spokesman says its safe to use ink to mark July 10 on local...

SAS Institute leases space at AmberGlen.
June 18, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl SAS Institute Inc., a North Carolina-based company that makes business software, has leased 25,000 square feet of office space at AmberGlen in Hillsboro. The 217-acre development is Oregon's largest business park...

Memorial Coliseum redevelopment meeting tonight.
June 18, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl The public is invited to an open house at 6 p.m. today in the Memorial Coliseum's Georgia Pacific room to peruse proposals for redevelopment of the 40-year-old structure. One idea, championed by Gerding/Edlen...

Bernard M. Levy runner-up in national writing competition.
June 18, 2003... Byline: Rich Riegel For the second year in a row DJC business columnist Bernard M. Levy has been named runner-up in the nationwide Will Rogers Humanitarian Award Competition. Sponsored jointly by the National Society of Newspaper...

BOORA Architects readies Newberg School District designs.
June 19, 2003... Byline: Rich Riegel BOORA Architects recently completed designs for construction and improvements to facilities in the Newberg School District. As one of only three communities in Oregon to pass significant bond measures last November,...

Transportation Security Admin. grants sparse for region's ports.
June 19, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga When the federal Transportation Security Administration announced it would hand out a second round of grants to help port agencies and private companies upgrade marine security, more than 1,100 applications...

Local businesses to open shop in the Pearl District.
June 19, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Two longtime tenants of the Uptown Shopping Center in Northwest Portland have recently announced deals for space in the heart of the Pearl District. For Uptown Hardware, the lease means an expansion. For Storables,...

Kaiser Foundation Health Plan renews lease at Montgomery Park.
June 20, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest has renewed its lease for 38,352 square feet at Montgomery Park. The space includes four of the company's divisions. The Continuing Care/Home Health Group leased 15,470...

ODOT restricts trucks on Coos Bay-area bridge.
June 20, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga Starting next month, trucks weighing more than 80,000 pounds will be prohibited from crossing an aging bridge located at the city limits of Coos Bay. The Oregon Department of Transportation already has a long...

Harsch Investment acquires Las Vegas industrial park.
June 20, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Harsch Investment Properties recently acquired Valley View Industrial Center, a multitenant industrial park located in Las Vegas. The Portland-based company paid $22.1 million for the 380,000-square-foot center....

Mid-year properties market report familiar.
June 23, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl No Whining. That's the slogan, complete with a Ghostbusters-style, circle-with-a-slash symbol one broker said should be tattooed across this year's National Association of Industrial and Office Properties...

Engineering scholarships offer Oregon incentive.
June 24, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga Twenty-five recent graduates from high schools throughout Oregon have been named recipients of scholarships designed to encourage students to pursue degrees in engineering and high-tech industries at in-state...

Art Institute, PPM Energy, bistro sign leases at Brewery Blocks.
June 24, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl The past few weeks have meant a spate of deals for Block 4 of the Brewery Blocks. The building is now nearly 80 percent leased. Located between Northwest 11th and 12th avenues and Couch and Davis streets, Block 4...

Investigation continues into construction worker's death.
June 25, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough Officials with the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration are continuing their investigation into the death of 32-year-old construction worker Noe Lira Sanchez. Sanchez, who was an employee of...

Transportation projects swing into summer.
June 25, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga Summer only officially arrived this past weekend, but the Oregon Department of Transportation's roadwork schedule for the season is already in full swing. While drivers who regularly use the St. Johns Bridge...

Alien Museum opens in Hollywood.
June 25, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl "Drive carefully and watch out for the vortex on the porch," Lawrence Johns called out as I collected my things and tried to regain my balance before stepping outside. The vortex, installed last weekend, seemed a...

Legacy Health System continues to expand.
June 26, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough As a group of hospital administrators and other spectators looked on Tuesday, ground was broken on Legacy Health System's latest project: a $3 million expansion of the Family Birth Center at Legacy Mount Hood...

Idaho's Tamarack Resort meeting comes to Portland.
June 26, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough Idaho's Tamarack Resort, the first four-season destination resort with skiing to be built in the United States in more than 20 years, will hold a public meeting today in Portland. The meeting is aimed at...

Portland chain's premier location opens at Cedar Hills Crossing.
June 26, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl The Holland Inc. has chosen Beaverton's Cedar Hills Crossing as the spot to unveil its latest brand, a fast-casual restaurant called noodlin'. The 3,000-square-foot store -- which specializes in noodle dishes from...

Math, science nerds rule at Jefferson High School.
June 26, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga Stephanie Hughson thinks students at Jefferson High School in North Portland get a bum rap. If there's gang activity in the neighborhood, people blame the kids at Jefferson. If there's a carjacking in the area,...

Museum Place project continues to progress.
June 27, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough The metamorphosis of three city blocks into what will eventually become Museum Place, a vast mixed-use development, continues to progress in downtown Portland's West End. The entire project, which spans...

Hearing held on South Waterfront proposal.
June 27, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl The Portland Development Commission and the public got their first chance to comment Wednesday on a proposal that details how public and private interests plan to work together to build Portland's newest neighborhood....

New director appointed to Portland's Bureau of Development Services.
June 30, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough Portland City Commissioner Randy Leonard announced Thursday he has appointed Ray Kerridge as the permanent director of the city's Bureau of Development Services. "My goal is for the bureau to be a facilitator...

Both sides discuss merits, misgivings of 'requests for proposals'.
June 30, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Requests for proposals are commonly used as a tool to find the right firm for the job. "But they're only a tool if used correctly," said Robin White, executive vice president of the Portland-area chapter of the...