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Exceptional design in new buildings highlighted in annual State of City reports

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Source: Exceptional design in new buildings highlighted in annual State of City reports ↗ Last modified: Sun, 19 Apr 2026 20:07:27 GMT

Label: News article

Published

June 16, 2025 5:00 pm

Two of the City of Portland’s development review bodies published reports highlighting the best projects supporting design and historic preservation while meeting the housing and commercial needs of a vibrant urban community.

Design Commission

The Design Commission ↗ is the City’s advisory body tasked with reviewing development projects in the City’s design overlay zones where design and neighborhood character are of special concern. The Design Commission provides leadership and expertise on urban design and architecture.

The purpose of the Design overlay zone is to ensure that Portland is a city designed for people. It supports the city’s evolution within current and emerging centers of civic life. The overlay promotes design excellence in the built environment.

One of the highlights of the Design Commission’s 2024 report is the design advice provided for the Julia West House, a 12-story mass timber building to be built downtown with 90 units of permanent supportive housing. The building is under construction and expected to be completed later this year.

Also featured in this year's report:

  • A celebration of the 2023 Portland Design Commission’s Design Excellence Award winner, the HollywoodHUB, which features more than 200 units of affordable housing approved for construction at the Hollywood Transit Center
  • The 2024 Project of the Year Award for the proposed music venue in Lloyd District, an anchor and catalyst for the anticipated Lloyd District Central City Master Plan
  • Promotion of landscaping and innovative design elements at new housing projects throughout Portland aimed at enhancing privacy and reducing building mass
  • Advising on the design for the new Burnside Bridge to enhance the pedestrian experience and creating safe places under the bridge on both sides of the river

"The Design Commission was active throughout the past year in highlighting the value of good design and supporting needed development as it seeks to fit within the context of, and enhance, the communities it inhabits," said Brian McCarter, chair of the Design Commission.

The Design Commission approved its State of the City report on April 17. More information about the report can be found here ↗.