Metro Says 'No' to Blue Heron?

From OPB.org...  "Extensive studies of the old Blue Heron paper mill site have led Metro officials to recommend against a public purchase of all 23 acres. That conclusion comes as the governor pledges money for the site..." read more.

That doesn't rule out a Private Developer from getting involved.  Certainly, a Public-Private partnership would help circumnavigate the Zoning, and Land Use labryrinth necessary to conquer before beginning any sort of meaningful transformation of the nearly 200 year-old industrial site.  Its going to take an adventurous spritit, creative designers, profound patience, and a common vision to get it done. 

Examples abound... here is one.

Recycling Starbucks...

This remains one of our favorite Starbucks locations. Nearly a decade old now, this Starbucks Coffee at Escarment Village in South Austin (Texas) harvests rainwater, utilizes solar electric and solar thermal energy, has an impressive eco-roof, and impervious concrete landscaping to eliminate stormwater run-off. This is the kind of project I could see along Willamette Drive in West Linn, for Starbucks, Bugatti's, Chase or any other new Commercial venture.

Portland Eco Roof Incentive Program

Did you know that there are incentives for Eco-roof or vegetated roof construction in Oregon? 

The ecoroof incentive is again open for applications, and we'll be accepting them on a rolling basis until June 2013. This means that you can apply anytime between now and June 1. The purpose of this is to expedite the application process for people interested in having an ecoroof on their project - applicants will find out within 30 days of submitting the application. The incentive pays $5 per square foot for new ecoroof projects in the city. Industrial, residential, commercial and mixed-use projects are eligible. Application materials and more information are available at www.portlandonline.com/bes/ecoroofincentive. To receive an application form in the mail, email besecoroof@portlandoregon.gov or call 503-823-7914. Please note: funding is limited and be awarded to applications until they're gone. We've had several in the last month, so if you're planning to submit for a project, the earlier the better!

Ecoroofs are lightweight, vegetated roof systems that replace conventional roofs with a layer of foliage over a growing medium on top of a waterproof membrane. They are an important part of Portland's efforts to manage stormwater with facilities that work like natural systems. Ecoroofs are an approved stormwater management technique under Portland's Stormwater Management Manual. For more information, see this PDX BES website.

G+B will be applying for the incentive on at least one of our projects.  Let us know how if we can help you with yours.