Pearl District

Portland’s Daily Journal of Commerce ran an interesting story on one of Portland’s newest condo development. The 937 Condominiums in the Pearl District. It discusses the role of developer Patrick Kessi, who has taken an asymmetrical route to development. His first major project, the fast-developing 937 Condominiums in the heart of Portland’s Pearl District, represents an asymmetrical development for the assiduously planned neighborhood.

The design of the 16-story, 114-unit condo tower that’s squeezed on two sides by the Brewery Blocks and the north Pearl District takes its cues from the shapes, shades and chaos of the natural environment.

There is an interesting blog entry in the Oregonian about the current discussion of bringing back a wide-spread streetcar system to various Portland neighborhoods. Streetcars widely roamed our streets back in th 1950s but where mostly replaced by buses. The Portland Alberta District is one neighborhood of many neighborhoods that could eventually be host to its own streetcar, similar to what you currently see in the Pearl District.

The Oregonian ran a really interesting story about the current state of the different condo developments in the Portland Pearl District. We’ll write a further analysis on this, but it seems like some of the new buildings are doing really while others bear lots of opportunities for prospective buyers. Anyways, more coming but we wanted to get this in front of you.

The Oregonian recently ran a story about the potential re-development of the current Post Office operations center, which currently takes up 13 acres of prime real estate in Portland’s Pearl District. It clearly seems there’s momentum building for what could be the biggest real estate development ever in the Pearl District.  And if you ever find yourself strolling the Pearl District during the day, you probably won’t disagree that any development in place of our giant Post Office would be a welcome addition. We’ll keep you  posted.

Things continue to look up for the Portland Pearl District, which doesn’t surprise me. Every time I wander through the Pearl District, I recognize a new business or two. And it’s not just art galleries and boutique stores anymore, but larger restaurants, business services and a soon-to-come Safeway have entered the mix. When opening the Portland Business Journal on Friday, I read that financial firm Ernst & Young is joining a number of other professional services firm by opening an office in Portland’s Pearl District Brewery Blocks. Interestingly, their current office is downtown Portland. This is a very positive development for Pearl District residents.

Good news for Portland beer fans. One of our state’s favorite breweries is opening a Brewery and Public House in the Pearl District. The Deschutes brew pub, scheduled to open on May 2, will be on the corner of 11th and NW Davis Street - just across the street from the new Gerding Theatre and two blocks from Powell’s bookstore. Considering that this part of town is called the Brewery Blocks, doesn’t make this location a surprising choice for the Bend-based brewery.  Being a Pearl District resident myself, I am eagerly awaiting to welcome this Scottish-pub inspired business into our neighborhood.

The Gresham Outlook recently reported on the Gresham Redevelopment Commission decided to negotiate with a firm that’s earned a national reputation not only for its Pearl District work, but also for its projects in Portland’s rapidly developing South Waterfront area.  A few people have dared to hope that the Rockwood urban renewal district could mimic the fabulous success of Portland’s now-famous Pearl District, but this is a very positive development and definitely something that we’ll keep our eyes on for prospective home buyers in that area.