Portland Courant

This downtown AT&T building primarily houses telecommunications equipment, with few staff onsite and little other activity. To accommodate venting of additional needed equipment, the applicant has requested Design Review approval for additional vents on the W Burnside St and SW 9 th Ave façades. However, the new vents are proposed within nine existing ground floor window openings. While five of the nine new vents (four on the W Burnside St façade and the northernmost one on the SW 9 th Ave façade) are exempt from Design Review per Zoning Code Section 33.420.045.B.8.c(2), the other four on SW 9 th Ave are subject to review.

The applicant also proposes new building-mounted lighting fixtures on all four façades. This lighting also requires Design Review. Additional proposals not requiring Design Review include a small plaque at the building entrance on SW Oak St; display windows along SW Oak St. and right-of-way improvements including an additional street tree and two bike racks along SW Oak St.

Converting windows to louvers brings the building out of conformance or further from conformance with Zoning Code standards. Therefore, the applicant is requesting the following Modifications to Design Review:

• Modification to Zoning Code Section 33.130.230.A Street-Facing Windows on the SW 9th Ave façade for moving from 15.2 percent overall windows (2,421.5 square feet of windows) to 13.97 percent windows (2,219 square feet);
• Modification to Zoning Code Section 33.130.230.B Ground Floor Windows on the SW 9th Ave façade for moving fully out of conformance with the 25% windows requirement; and
• Modification to Zoning Code Section 33.130.230.B Ground Floor Windows on the W Burnside St façade for moving fully out of conformance with the 40% windows requirement.

Design Review is necessary because the proposal includes non-exempt exterior alterations in aDesign Overlay Zone.

Land Use Notice of Proposal LU 23-023925 DZM 

Original source can be found here