This hand is theirs, but the game is far from finished!No credit goes to the Lake Oswego Review for printing two puff pieces on Patrick Kessi, and none to the City's Hello LO that also printed a glowing piece on all the "positive" updates to the Wizer project. Who wrote this front page article?
The Review published a shameless PR piece with the same information about the Wizer Block that the Kessi Team has been pushing for the last few weeks. It appears the Lake Oswego Review used a press kit prepared by political sharpshooters. Several times the paper quoted Kessi saying his 207-unit apartment block is "the right fit for Lake Oswego," even though its bulk and number of units is much too large for the location. Projects of this size overwhelm cities of our size, and Kessi has to know this.
From the article that describes his family life in Scappose, we know he doesn't live here, and neither do his Hired Guns. Their interest is entirely business. They paint Kessi as a man with humble beginnings and a strong religious life. The text sounds like a spin on a political candidate, but why not? His hired help are all political strategists. Most Lake Oswegans had and have humble lives too. Good luck with that one.
If the project is built as designed, the city won't be as charming, and residents, realtors and other builders will not be able to point to the parks, downtown, or ample, free parking as amenities because they will be used up or overwhelmed. It's killing the goose that laid the golden egg. But as long as there are other geese to be plucked, the gold keeps coming - for the "boutique" developers.
LO Review 7/3/14:
"Anyone familiar with Kessi’s development portfolio is right to do a double-take: His 937 Condominiums, completed in 2008, is an 18-story, 114-unit high-rise that towers over Northwest Glisan Street in Portland’s Pearl District, a modern structure best described as abstract-industrial."
"When condo sales all but halted during the recent economic downturn and other developers salvaged similar projects by turning condos into rental units, WandK Development LLC stood behind its concept for the 937 — even though it meant not selling the development’s final unit until 2012."
NW Examiner 9/2009:
NW Examiner 9/2009:
“It [renting condo units] devalues the other units in the building,” said Kessi. “There’s definitely a difference in a building that’s all owned.
There’s a difference in the way people treat
a building.”
USC:
This is why people in LO would rather see condos than apartments - especially so many. The 937 has 114 units in 16 stories and cost about $69 million compared to 207 units in 4 stories costing $92.5 million (plus about $6 million in taxpayer subsidies) in Lake Oswego.
LO Review 7/3/14:
"But seven miles away, Kessi and partner Geoff Wenker are developing a four-level, mixed-use apartment building that will be marketed to young professionals. Unlike the sharp lines and fractal patterns of the 937 condos, this 165-unit building will integrate elements like patina copper to reflect the St. Johns neighborhood’s industrial roots and to echo the presence of the nearby St. Johns bridge. Units are expected to rent at market value, and the complex’s primary amenities are a common barbecue area and rooftop deck."
Daily Journal f Commerce 11/20/2012
"But fitting a large, multifamily building on a full-block site just a block away from St. Johns’ main street – an area with mostly small storefronts – wasn’t easy.
'We’re going to be the biggest building in St. Johns for quite a while,' said Jennifer Jenkins, an architect with Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects, which is designing the project. 'Neighborhood groups were very concerned about that, so we made sure that they felt like they were part of that process. The challenge was trying to get this big mass to read as though it would actually fit into the urban fabric that was around there.'”
USC:
This is why people in LO would rather see condos than apartments - especially so many. The 937 has 114 units in 16 stories and cost about $69 million compared to 207 units in 4 stories costing $92.5 million (plus about $6 million in taxpayer subsidies) in Lake Oswego.
LO Review 7/3/14:
"But seven miles away, Kessi and partner Geoff Wenker are developing a four-level, mixed-use apartment building that will be marketed to young professionals. Unlike the sharp lines and fractal patterns of the 937 condos, this 165-unit building will integrate elements like patina copper to reflect the St. Johns neighborhood’s industrial roots and to echo the presence of the nearby St. Johns bridge. Units are expected to rent at market value, and the complex’s primary amenities are a common barbecue area and rooftop deck."
Daily Journal f Commerce 11/20/2012
"But fitting a large, multifamily building on a full-block site just a block away from St. Johns’ main street – an area with mostly small storefronts – wasn’t easy.
'We’re going to be the biggest building in St. Johns for quite a while,' said Jennifer Jenkins, an architect with Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects, which is designing the project. 'Neighborhood groups were very concerned about that, so we made sure that they felt like they were part of that process. The challenge was trying to get this big mass to read as though it would actually fit into the urban fabric that was around there.'”
"So, the team incorporated a ceramic brick facade, metal balconies and wood timber balconies. Jenkins said the idea was to create a modern industrial design that would attract younger renters, but also appeal aesthetically to longtime St. Johns residents." Bizjournal 8/27/13:
A Portland development firm has secured a $21.4 million loan to develop Cathedral Apartments, a 165-unit affordable apartment project in the St. Johns area.
USC:
The story is the same, just the location and facade treatment has changed. The Cathedral Apartments have 165 units on a full block and cost about $21.4 million.
The project is not a good fit for Lake Oswego.
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