Here we go again

Here we go again.  I think I am going to be saying that a lot in the coming weeks. 

This email (in black) from the folks at "Keep Lake Oswego Village Vibrant" (the public relations team for the Wizer Block Development) was sent en mass to many people in Lake Oswego on Friday night (6/6/14).   Is this just promotional, or is it wishful thinking?

Date:  Fri, June 6, 2014 9:10 pm
To:  info@keeplakeoswegovillagevibrant.com 

Subject:   Block 137: New, Improved Design 

From: info@keeplakeoswegovillagevibrant.com

With the help of noted Lake Oswego architect Rich Farrington, Patrick Kessi and his team have just submitted a new and improved design for the redevelopment of the Wizer Block. It celebrates traditional Lake Oswego Village architecture and incorporates the best suggestions of many of
you, neighborhood business and community leaders.
But the best suggestions of so many more were ignored.   

In the same way that Lake View Village marked the beginning of making Lake Oswego village a destination downtown, the new plans to redevelop and revitalize Block 137 continue our conversations about how to achieve a more vibrant and robust village center.
Really?  And an apartment complex, the largest in town, will be the centerpiece of a "destination" village?  Not in my experience or imagination.  Who's kidding whom?   (There's that "vibrant" and it's cousin, "robust" again.)

Take a look at the new and improved design and judge for yourself, www.keeplakeoswegovillagevibrant.com.
And while you are at it, take a look at my previous blog post, " Old and new" to give you a little more background information.  

Some said the previous Wizer Block was too tall. So we addressed it.

* The new Wizer Block project eliminates all fifth stories and no building is taller than the code limit  of 60 feet. By comparison, at some peaks, Lake View Village buildings are over 62 feet tall.
Since the fifth floor never did exceed the 60 foot limit, removing it does not change the height, so why mention the two together as if  they were related?  The development was and remains the maximum 60 feet high regardless of the number of stories it had or has.
Evergreen Grpup LLC Testimony for the DRC, 1/29/2014:

"The floor count will not change the height of Block 137. On Second Street, the exterior fifth floor is aligned and on the same level as the interior fourth floor. On First Street the exterior fourth floor is aligned with the interior fifth floor. If the DRC for example rejects the fifth floor on Second Street, the building height will not change. Instead the ground floor will likely change to retail with a 20 foot floor to floor as allowed by the code, topped by 3 floors of residential for a total height the same as originally proposed and as allowed by the code.  The project would retain the top floor units with their views to the lake. Floors 1 and 2 would become one 20-foot retail floor, replacing 2, 10-foot residential floors, maintaining the overall 
height of the building and the lake view top floor units."

Some said the previous Wizer Block was too massive for the core of our village. So we addressed it.

* The new Wizer Block project has 3 distinct buildings, for a total of 291,963 square feet. Two generous pedestrian walk ways separate the buildings to enhance and activate the street level experience. By comparison, the Lake View Village Complex covers a total of 236,852 square feet... with alley ways allowing pedestrians to access the garage complex.
These measurements don't make sense to me.  According to the county tax map, the total area of the Lake View Village block is about 2.4 acres or 104,544 sf.  IF there was 100% lot coverage, and with only 2 stories, the maximum sf of the (6) buildings could be at most 209,088 sf.  Since there is a driveway, courtyard and alleyways, the lot is not completely covered, so the discrepancy is even greater.  The best estimate of Lake View Village's Floor Area Ratio is around 93,000 sf., and Block 138 to the East has about 90,000 sf.  Is there some explanation for Evergreen Group's figures?  

Some said the previous Wizer Block was too large. So we addressed it.

* The largest building in the new Wizer Block is 122,527 square feet. By comparison the largest building in the existing Lake View Village Block is 219,000 square feet.
Again with the big numbers.  If Lake View Village has 93,000 square feet total, how could it have over 3 times that in ANY one building?  Note to Evergreen Group LLC: there are six separate buildings in Lake View Village so their largest would be considerably smaller than anything on the Wizer Block.  Where are these numbers coming from?

Some said the previous Wizer Block didn’t fit Lake Oswego’s village character. So we addressed it.

* The designs for the new Wizer Block project have been heavily influenced by highly respected Lake Oswego architect, Rich Farrington. Three distinct buildings now have identifiable LO 
architectural style, separated by inviting pedestrian walkways. Buildings B and C now have a greater number of distinct facades breaking up the frontage. By comparison, Lake View Village has that same treatment: Distinct architectural facades which break up the face of the building.  
The pedestrian walkways, while nice, have been criticized for being too narrow and too shaded -   "inviting" may be too strong a word choice here.  Some facades have been redesigned, but they do not seem to have changed much in their setbacks for better articulation.  The Wizer Block development should stand on its own merits and not just compare facade details with another development while ignoring basic form and structure which are the biggest problems.

Some said the previous Wizer Block project had too many residential units and not enough commercial/retail space. So we addressed it.

*The new design reduces residential units by 21 (down to 207) and increases commercial/retail space by 30%.
From Evergreen  Group's January 29 testimony, it appears that if they removed the 5th floor they would compensate somehow to make the 4th floor just as high for lake views. This would mean 20' commercial spaces, and would most probably wipe out some residential units and substitute commercial.   Until this is confirmed, this is only a hypothesis.  

The redeveloped Wizer Block 137 project will create significant community benefits:

*Potentially generating $630,000 in new property taxes for priority community services and projects in surrounding neighborhoods. For example: First Addition, Evergreen, Foothills, Old Town and Lakewood.
The increased property tax will not benefit the city's general fund for about 15 years or so because all taxes over the current [base] tax would go towards paying back the $5 million of bonds (not including interest) used to pay off the city's contribution of waived SDC fees (plus regrading of 2nd Ave.) The 
extra tax revenue sounds good, but most would go back into the EERD to fund more redevelopment projects, and so on, and so on.  How much and when the increased taxes from the district come back to the city to fund basic services is anyone's guess.  

*It creates 1200 construction jobs and 100 permanent jobs and permitting fees will add to public school budgets.
Are the 100 jobs mentioned full time or part time?  Minimum wage or family-wage jobs?

*The new Wizer Block provides more public parking spaces and develops new housing options for young professionals who want to live here.  It provides LO "empty nesters," who are committed members of our community, the option to downsize and remain part of the LO family.
The new website claims only that bicycle parking has been increased.  Has there been an increase in the total number of auto parking spaces?  Regarding potential tenants -  any one development should not be looked at as the last best hope for upscale housing for downsizing seniors or young professionals - that kind of thinking leads to desperate decision making.  

*It creates more public art, new public spaces and great urban amenities.
I have trouble with this one. The development will create public art?  Will people hang out in the pedestrian walkway?  Do "urban amenities" make up for the problems and aesthetic detractors the development might bring to our suburban small town?  

*It will help capture millions of retail spending that is currently “leaking” away from local merchants.
Show me the leakage.  What retail services will this development bring that are leaking away right now?  The challenge for any retailer, new or old, will be customer parking.  Your "leakage" then will be self-made:  too many people and too few parking spaces, regardless of what the code says, and more so since tenant parking is scarce.  Businesses will cater to close by residents - the youngsters and oldsters, just like in the Pearl, but without the critical mass needed to survive.  A lot of us who shop downtown now will probably stay away.  There may not be more customers, just a trade for who has easy access.  

We are excited about the new and improved Wizer Block and thank you all for your feedback. 
You are welcome. 

Together, I know we can work to continue what Lake View Village started. Together we can reach common goals - attracting people who want to live, work, play and invest in this great community and make our downtown core the envy of others.  
OUR downtown!  Now you've got my interest.  Sounds mighty neighborly of you, whoever you are, but can you tell me who the local principals and/or investors are that you refer to?   

We're looking for LIVABILITY, not prestige and the "envy of others".   I also love the way you slipped in the word  INVEST into the oft-heard phrase, "live, work, play" in this great community...  Do you want us to be investors in the project, or do you want us to think that public money spent on the Wizer Block Development as an "investment" instead of a debt?