The Radiator, a planned five-story development of office and retail space on North Vancouver Avenue and Fremont Street, broke ground Oct. 9 amidst a crowd of onlookers that included the site developer, community partners and members of the Boise neighborhood.
The development is just north of the recently-opened New Seasons Market on North Williams Avenue and is in close proximity to other multi-story mixed-use developments.
"From our standpoint, adding office to a district that already had a lot of amenities was a nice mix, because that would mean even more people could live and work in the same district," said Megan Gibb, the development center manager at Metro. "It helps complement the activity that's already in that district with a balance of uses."
The Radiator received $300,000 in funding from Metro's Transit Oriented Development Program, based on the projected increased demand for transit trips the development will generate.
The low parking ratios of the Radiator project – 0.3 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet, 11 spaces in total – made it a higher risk for potential investors. By providing funding, Metro's Transit Oriented Development Program loaned the developers needed equity to close the deal. In doing so, the TOD Program continued to fulfill its mission of leveraging public funds to attract private investment in high-density developments near transit hubs.
The Radiator meets the program's goal of infill developments along existing transit lines to increase density and transit trips. Additionally, its location between the "bike highways" of Williams and Vancouver suggest that it will encourage pedestrian and bicycle trips.
"There are a couple of really important things about this project," Metro councilor Sam Chase said at Wednesday's groundbreaking. "First, it's encouraging active transportation. Second, it's using infrastructure that's already in place. Developments like this are going to attract people who want to stay in the urban core."
In an area that has seen its share of fights over new multi-story developments, The Radiator's story has thus far been a peaceful one. Developer Ben Kaiser has worked closely with the community and has the preliminary approval of the Boise Neighborhood Association.
In a letter to Kaiser, the neighborhood association expressed its appreciation of the project "providing space in the outdoor areas that will make walking, biking or driving down the street a variegated experience versus one of intense hardscape."
Kaiser has an enthusiastic and friendly relationship with the surrounding neighborhood, particularly the Life Change Christian Center, which borders The Radiator development site to the north. Plans are in the works for the two buildings to share parking on different days of the week.
"It's a long-built trust," Kaiser said of his status with the community. "I started working on residential developments in this corridor 14 years ago. I've been around a while. I think you stay in any place long enough, you develop that trust. It's a different story when you have a new guy come in and try to build something big right away."
Anthony Phillips, a member of the congregation at Life Change, said he appreciates the respect shown to the existing elements of the neighborhood by The Radiator project and its developers.
"They're building it in a way that's not blocking us (the church) out," Phillips said. "They're considering where we're at."
Phillips, born at the intersection of Fremont and Commercial Avenue in 1953, has lived in the neighborhood his whole life and has seen plenty of growth and change. He said his mother and grandmother before him were also community advocates, and he enjoys outreach and taking care of his community – including new additions like The Radiator.
"I like it all. Change is never comfortable," Phillips said. "But we're all part of it. We're all the same thing. These new buildings in our neighborhood – they're ours now too."
During the groundbreaking ceremony, Kaiser referenced a 15,000-square-foot courtyard planned for the middle of the now-empty lot, which will connect the church, The Radiator, two coming developments, and the adjacent streets.
The courtyard will be open to the public and contain seating and green spaces, adding a new community amenity to the neighborhood.
Another unique element of The Radiator is its participation in a geothermal "eco-loop," the first of its kind in Portland. An underground loop of circulating water will run beneath The Radiator, New Seasons and the two adjoining mixed-use developments in planning, to share excess heating and cooling loads.
The eco-loop is designed to be capable of expansion into new and existing area development to create an eco-district.