A non-controversial Portland thread (Beaverton, Adams: buy, schools, contractors)

[58rhodes]

Originally Posted by urbanlife78

No, I never said we could not compare cities, but that wasn't what I was comparing. I was saying that I remember Seattle had a huge apartment building boom in the 90s, those units are still asking top dollar today. I see Portland doing the same, the apartments being built now will probably continue to be at this price range for the foreseeable future. The idea that streets like Division and North Williams will somehow become ghettos because of this just doesn't make any sense.

foreseeable future--oh
wait 15 years
Portland doesnt have the strong job base to support this and that is the single reason you only see a few towers being built. Less than 500,000 sq ft of office space built in the last 24 months. Numbers tell the story.

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by 58rhodes

foreseeable future--oh
wait 15 years
Portland doesnt have the strong job base to support this and that is the single reason you only see a few towers being built. Less than 500,000 sq ft of office space built in the last 24 months. Numbers tell the story.

I will, I don't plan on leaving this metro in my lifetime, so I will be here in 15 years.

As for the less than 500K sq ft of office space, is that just based on downtown or the city as a whole? Also, do you have a link that shows the change in office space this past two years?

From this link, it shows in the next year about 1.5million sq ft of office space will be coming online through mostly new construction and some renovation.
http://www.colliers.com/-/media/file...5q2_office.pdf

[58rhodes]

Originally Posted by urbanlife78

I will, I don't plan on leaving this metro in my lifetime, so I will be here in 15 years.

As for the less than 500K sq ft of office space, is that just based on downtown or the city as a whole? Also, do you have a link that shows the change in office space this past two years?

From this link, it shows in the next year about 1.5million sq ft of office space will be coming online through mostly new construction and some renovation.
http://www.colliers.com/-/media/file...5q2_office.pdf

First off I love Portlands region--Ive been here since 1958
The core area of Portland contains 2.5 mil sq ft of vacant space as I type--
If you look at Colliers please look at other similar cities and metro areas-

compare similar metro areas and get back to me

Dude its not all that rosy in the Rose city---things are getting bigger but not better for aprox 50% of the population. Even Dan Saltzman has major concerns.

I want to know how to fix it if possible--not hide it

whats happening with PSU and OHSU is great--

and while you are on an all Portland positive thing venture out to Rockwood--there again it IS PORTLAND too

Lets make this place better than just trendy?

[58rhodes]

I have to say this--

The Tualatin Sherwood Rd corridor has added over 3 mil sq feet of flex space recently--makes Portland look kinda bad dont you think?

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by 58rhodes

I have to say this--

The Tualatin Sherwood Rd corridor has added over 3 mil sq feet of flex space recently--makes Portland look kinda bad dont you think?

Actually no I don't think that is bad, it is good for the metro that it is growing all over, not just in one area. The downtown core of Portland has a vacancy rate of less than 9% which is also a good number. I am just not sure I follow your doom and gloom expectations for Portland....though I would still like to see some links where you are getting your information from to read over what you are reading.

[redguard57]

I agree strongly with the OP. I've lived in Texas, South Carolina, Arizona, Massachusetts, Texas again and now Oregon.

The wage:housing cost problem is indeed happening all over the country, in more than half the U.S.'s metros. The other half - mostly the midwest and plains - are affordable but there are not that many good jobs in those places either.

When I lived in San Antonio the local news talked about a murder in the city at least 2 times a week, usually on the city's east or south side. 2014 was a "bad" year for homicides in Portland - totaling 26. San Antonio had 103 in 2014. SA proper is about 40% larger than Portland proper but it has almost 300% more murders.

For 6 months I lived in a bad apt complex in Austin. Cars got broken into so much that my roommate and I would leave the door and/or window open when we were in the front room so we could hear if someone was trying to break into one of our cars outside and intervene. We had to go out with a baseball bat or other weapon and chase away would-be car burglars at least 3 times in that 6 month period - maybe more when I wasn't home and my roommate was. Oregon in general, when it comes to crime, performs quite well.

Traffic is also relatively benign compared to the cities I've lived in. Austin is about the size of the Portland MSA and traffic there is exponentially worse.

[58rhodes]

Originally Posted by urbanlife78

Actually no I don't think that is bad, it is good for the metro that it is growing all over, not just in one area. The downtown core of Portland has a vacancy rate of less than 9% which is also a good number. I am just not sure I follow your doom and gloom expectations for Portland....though I would still like to see some links where you are getting your information from to read over what you are reading.

doom and gloom will only happen if Portland follows the I dont care attitude it now has

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by 58rhodes

doom and gloom will only happen if Portland follows the I dont care attitude it now has

I don't think Portland overall has a "don't care" attitude. We might just be seeing the city and metro differently.

[The Global Citizen]

I've learned a lot in this conversation about Portland. The area I just moved to in NE is building like crazy with mostly retail space. Admittedly, I have been relatively confined inside of 205 so I can't speak much on the metro as a whole. But from running daily errands throughout SE & NE neighborhoods, development is going on everywhere. From an economic standpoint, if you build it, they will come. My neighbor recently moved from the Bay Area where he was a lifer in San Francisco and opined that Portland looks like San Francisco did 20 years ago. Think about if this is the beginning of a SF-like boom and we have the privilege to participate and enjoy something of this magnitude? And not because it's a comparison to SF, but because SF is a global city and if we could have a slice of a global city in 20 years just imagine the financial implications. That's the way you retire early! Sometimes it's being in the right place at the right time ...

[58rhodes]

Portland has a ways to go before it becomes San Francisco. San Francisco has been an international financial,corporate,tourist and transportation hub for many years. I think Portlands biggest problem will be sustaining all this growth.--Time will tell.