Global Greenie

Update: Developer Ry Koteen has posted a comment on this blog.

Let’s take a look at the Tanzamook architectural rendering compared to what’s appeared less than a block from my 1927 home.  In this CAD-rendered image, the existing tree appears to be about twice as tall as the building.  I added the red arrow.

Now that they’ve put another level on since my last post, along with cheap-looking stairs to the roof, you can see the reality of the building’s scale compared to the tree’s actual height.

I stood on the top of the stairs of the beautiful, historic condo across the street to shoot this image.  If anything, the tree looks taller compared to the building from the camera’s perspective.  Yet it’s still obvious that we were fooled by the rendering.  The building is about 3/4 as tall as the tree.  Also, the other trees in the image are fakes.  Maybe they’ll get planted and grow that tall in 50 years.  I believe that this monstrosity was not accurately depicted during planning and approval.

In other news, the Tanzamook website has lots of new text.  Take a look.  One of the parts that piqued my interest is the claim that “Tanzamook Project earned 482 points” on an Earth Advantage scorecard, “far supassing [sic] the minimum requirements” for a house.  Are they trying to use the scorecard designated for one house for a ten condo project?  That would be an incredibly disingenous manipulation of its customers to claim “sustainability.”  And not surprising at all, if true.

Matt Davis of the Mercury calls me a Tanzamook skeptic.

Bojack says to remember Vera and Randy.

Remember this historic home which was razed to make room for ten condos?

I took these three shots yesterday to show you the *ahem* progress.

The “top” on the corner appeared this week. I don’t know if all of units will get this tall or if this one’s special. The developer, Ry Koteen, is rumored to be moving into one of the units, but I won’t be surprised if that’s a cover story for some tax break.

This is the view from 11th Avenue looking north. The cross street is Tillamook. You might recall that the project is named Tanzamook, which appropriates/mangles Native American culture with Tanzania, which will allegedly get some money thanks to this $3 million abomination. See Condos for Africa!

Here’s the view straight down the middle of the units to the house on Tillamook to the east.  I was in Thailand during the big 2 week winter storm, but I was told the workers kept on in the snow and ice.  I don’t want to assume anything just by looking at their obvious lack of skills and training.  One of my neighbors asked, “has anyone checked their green cards?”

Part of being green means restoration.  If there is a historic home or building, it should be renovated, not razed.  As progressive as Portland is in some ways, it’s terribly backwards in the placement of density before reuse.  So, in my historic neighborhood, Irvington, a developer is about to rip down this home (currently several apartments), and build a completely inappropriate 12-plex condo complex.

The strange thing is that I actually like the design:

But it is completely and totally out of place in our neighborhood, with homes ranging from the early to mid twentieth century.

I call NIMBY!

Here’s what I found in the Oregonian about the “development”:

From one big house to 10 townhouses

A large old house converted to apartments will be disassembled about the end of this month to make way for 10 townhouses.

Two three-story buildings with a shared driveway and courtyard are planned at the southeast corner of Northeast Tillamook Street and 11th Avenue. The townhouses will average 1,650 square feet.

Some nearby residents say the project is too large for the property, too modern for the historic neighborhood and takes out too many trees. During a briefing from the Irvington Community Association’s land-use committee, residents discussed seeking legal help.

The three developers, who each plan to live in a unit, say the project meets design and zoning requirements, meshes with the city’s goal of increased density and is socially responsible, with sustainable-development elements.

Developer Ry Koteen says the $3 million project is called The Tanzamook — a combination of Tillamook and Tanzania. Another partner, architect Ben Hufford, designed a school in Tanzania. Koteen says the school project will receive some money from townhouse sales.

I found this photo of Mr. Koteen on Facebook.  Sometimes fashion sense is indicative of other aesthetics.  I do hope he’ll rethink this terrible design for the neighborhood.

Update: Jack Bogdanski has a good piece on this infill too, including a google street view of another abomination they put in on my street a few years ago.