Scott Edwards/USCOE/Lewis

Molalla Farmworker Housing Project Wins National Design Award

Portland - Scott | Edwards Architecture, a Portland, based planning and design firm, received first place honors in the category of Rural Development at the National Development Council 2009 Awards competition in Washington, D.C. recently.

The Oregon 38: Elk Creek – Hardscrabble Creek, —Bundle 401 project was recently named a Public Works Project of the Year by the American Public Works Association (APWA). The Oregon Department of Transportation, managing agency, along with primary contractor Slayden Construction Group, Inc. and primary consultant T.Y. Lin International received the award. (Photo courtesy of ODOT.)

Plaza Los Robles provides affordable rental housing for farm workers and their families in Molalla, Ore. This federally funded project was developed by Hacienda Community Development Corporation with the assistance of CASA of Oregon. The residential buildings, containing 24 two, three and four bedroom units, are clustered around two garden courts with a community building at the heart of the development. Landscape swales throughout the site treat the storm water run-off from the development and over half the 2.4 acre site remains undeveloped as a wetland habitat and open space amenity.

LMC Construction, Beaverton, acted as general contractor.

Corps Denies Gravel Mining Permit on Umpqua River

Portland - The Portland District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has denied five applications for permits to commercially remove sand and gravel near Roseburg, Ore.

The District ruled the applications, submitted by LTM, Inc., S&K Excavation, Umpqua Excavation and Paving, Guy Kennerly, and Harry and Barbara Buckwalter do not comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water Act guidelines and are not in the public interest.

The EPA guidelines state that such activities cannot be permitted if there is a practicable alternative that would less adversely affect the aquatic ecosystem and does not have other significant environmental consequences. The District found that alternatives existed that met those criteria, including reducing the requested volume and using existing upland removal sites.

The Corps determined that the Umpqua River ecosystem cannot sustain the level of sand and gravel removal proposed by the applicants – up to 103,000 cubic yards per year, or 515,000 cubic yards over the five-year permit term. It also found that other alternatives are available.

Lewis Finishes UO Building and Four Renovations

Eugene - Lease Crutcher Lewis (Lewis) recently completed the final touches on the new HEDCO Education Building at University of Oregon.

Lewis is construction manager/general contractor for the project, involving construction of a new three-story 66,000 sq ft College of Education building and below grade parking garage. In addition to the new building, the project included renovation of four existing education buildings, landscaping work, site utilities infrastructure, surface parking and temporary facilities for departments displaced during construction. Designed by THA Architects, the $36 million project adds office space, interactive classrooms, a graduate studies library and teaching clinics for speech, reading and counseling. The new building was built for LEED Silver equivalency and incorporates day lighting strategies, an on-site storm water retention system and radiant cooling panels.

Renovation work included lighting and mechanical upgrades, installation of new elevators and interior finishes, exterior painting and brick sealing at four historic buildings.

The project’s fast track schedule required new construction and remodels to occur simultaneously, resulting in the largest temporary relocation in the university’s history.

City Revising Development Plan for Portland Harbor

Portland, Ore. — The Portland Planning Commission voted in support of a new plan for the future of the Willamette River north of the Broadway Bridge.

The River Plan is a one policy document that will guide the development and protection of the river for the next 20–30 years.

Key recommendations of the draft River Plan/North Reach section include:

• Strengthening land use regulations to preserve prime industrial areas along the riverfront;

• Securing public funds for specific, critical harbor infrastructure needs to spark private reinvestment;

• Applying new regulations to protect specific high-value natural areas;

• Establishing a river restoration program to acquire, restore and manage key sites;

• Completing a continuous trail on both sides of the river along specific routes;

• Coordinating permitting for development with state and federal agencies.