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2/19/26 - Design Commission Hearing with Speaker Series

Label: Public hearing
Regularly scheduled Design Commission Hearings are the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. This meeting includes a Speaker Series presentation.
1:30 pm 5:15 pm

Hearing Registration Link 

AGENDA

1. (1:30-3:00)

EA 25-092982 DA - Ida B. Wells Modernization - Continued from 12/18/25

APPLICANT: Becca Cavell, Bora Architecture & Interiors

SITE: 1151 SW Vermont St

CITY CONTACT: Tanya Paglia | PP&D | 503-865-6518 tanya.paglia@portlandoregon.gov

Design Advice Request (DAR) meeting for a proposal to replace the existing Ida B. Wells High School located in the Hillsdale Plan District with a new approximately 291,000 SF building to accommodate approximately 1,700 students. The project will include redevelopment of the parking areas, athletic fields, field support structures and pathways. The existing swimming pool, operated by Portland Parks & Recreation and all facilities associated with Rieke Elementary School will remain on site.

2. (3:00-3:15)

Items of Interest - None

3. (3:15-4:45)

SPEAKER SERIES: Sean Worl, Portland Multifamily Market Update – 2026

PRESENTER: Sean Worl, Colliers, Vice President-Portland, sean.worl@colliers.com

CITY CONTACT: Tim Heron | PP&D | 503-823-7726 tim.heron@portlandoregon.gov

Portland's multifamily sector in 2026 is characterized by sharply reduced new supply, stabilizing vacancy rates, and cautious investor sentiment following years of regulatory and economic headwinds. Ongoing de-regulation initiatives aimed at streamlining permitting and accelerating housing production present meaningful long-term opportunities, though high operating costs, entitlement risks, and modest demand growth continue to constrain near-term activity. This presentation reviews these evolving market conditions through a multifamily investment brokers lens, focusing on their implications for long-term housing supply in the City of Portland.

SPEAKER SERIES: City Club of Portland, "What will Downtown Portland look like in 2050 if we make all the right decisions?" 

PRESENTER: Paddy Tillett, Jonathan Konkol and Paul Waters, City Club of Portland

CITY CONTACT: Tim Heron | PP&D | 503-823-7726 tim.heron@portlandoregon.gov

The purpose is to reach beyond issues that demand immediate attention, thinking strategically and visualizing what we want to achieve. We will identify urban villages within Downtown, characterized as places where residential and commercial uses predominate, and consider inclusion of non-polluting industry and other uses.  We will suggest reclassification and in some cases, new uses for current streets space.  New public open spaces and better connections to Waterfront Park and river activities have also been investigated.  We will underline the advantages of existing infrastructure for new housing, and of certain design features of concern to the Commissioners.

4. (4:45-5:15)

WORK SESSION

Please keep in mind

  • The agenda is subject to change.
  • Agenda items may be rescheduled
  • Documents for each agenda item are posted when they become available.
  • Times are estimates only and agenda item times may change.
  • Projects are reviewed in the order listed with a 10-minute break between agenda items.
  • All continuances and reschedules are requested by the applicant, unless otherwise noted.

Portland Permitting and Development is committed to providing equal access to information and hearings.  To request an accommodation or alternative format of communication, please contact us no later than five business days prior to the hearing at 503-823-7300 (TTY 503-823-6868).  Note that Zoom automated captions are used for hearings and may not be as accurate as live captioning; A closed-caption transcript of the meeting may be requested by contacting the PP&D Hearings Clerk at PPDHearingsClerk@portlandoregon.gov.

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