Portland is a river town. The Columbia River reaches deep into Canamerica's grain lands as does active rail. That grain is exported by ship to China, with a waystop in grain elevators on the Willamette. Daily you may see them in operation adjacent to the Steel and Broadway bridges.
Centennial Mills is a grain mill hulk north of the Broadway bridge. It sits adjacent to both the River and unending residential development in inner NW. The Portland Development Commission has received 3 proposals for transforming the mill into a park+offices+businesses. You can see the proposals at a public meeting at PNCA tonight.
More interesting is the proposal from LAB Holding of Costa Mesa. The LAB is known for their famous AntiMall which is so Costa Mesa. (The AntiMall also had free WiFi way before it was common, especially in SoCal) As LA grew with good jobs, its families moved to the 'burbs. First building out the Valley, North. When the valley was filled, family suburb seekers turned South to Orange County and Costa Mesa. When those kids grew up, they spawned an expanding surf and skate culture. Costa Mesa is filled today with companies small and large in that space.
LAB Holdings has continued to create space locally adapted to creative culture, folding in green building. That is their proposal for making the River accessible and recycling the parts of the old mill that are not falling down.
Given Portland's talent why is there not a LAB-style developer based here?
You can get a flavor of the LAB and the other conventional style proposals at a public meeting at PNCA. It's a PDC public meeting, usually not exciting, but that is how the City works, and they are interested in your comments and insights. NW Johnson at 13th 6-9PM Free
