Portland Urban

Uwajimaya Signs Letter of Intent for Old Town Site

It’s official! Uwajimaya has inked a letter of intent with Sockeye Development, LLC to locate their second Oregon store in the heart of Old Town at Block 33, bordered by NW 4th, 5th, Couch and Davis. To be sure, this is a significant milestone which demonstrates Uwajimaya’s enthusiasm for the project, but there’s still a long way to go; the sizeable public investment required for the project has to be solidified, a process which is allowed 6 months per the terms of the LOI.

 We checked in with PDC Manager for Downtown Waterfront Urban Renewal Area, Peter Englander, to find out if he is as thrilled about this as we are.  The affable but cautious Englander had this to say: “The Letter of Intent between Uwajimaya and Sockeye Development is a significant step in clarifying the intentions of the major regional Asian grocer to open a second Portland store in Old Town/Chinatown.  All parties, however, still have far to go to make this project a reality.  We look forward to working with everyone to see if we can make this truly transformational project happen.”

 Douglas Obletz, Manager of Sockeye Development, was a little more animated. He reports that Sockeye is "very excited to have the Letter of Intent in hand after many months of working closely with Uwajimaya and PDC.  PDC, in particular, has been instrumental in helping to lay out the 'welcome mat' for Uwajimaya. We look forward to the next steps in the process, which include working with PDC on the needed public investment for the project, further advancement of the project design, securing of additional tenants for the project, and discussions with potential lenders."

This news, combined with PDC’s recent decision to stay in their current location at NW 5th & Everett, as well as the strong likelihood that Beam Development will break ground on the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine relocation at NW 1st & Couch in September, bodes incredibly well for this vibrant district.

More Great Co-Tenancy for the Central Eastside!

Native Portland brewery Hair of the Dog will be opening a new brewery, restaurant and tasting facility in the Central Eastside early this summer on the corner of SE Water Ave & Taylor Street in a formerly dilapidated warehouse facility. This is more exciting news for the Central Eastside, on the heels of the opening of highly acclaimed Olympic Provisions and what-will-eventually-be Bunk Bar, which will be conveniently located (along with Clarklewis) just one block from the new home of  Hair of the Dog. Cheers!

Coming Soon: Bunk Bar!

 
The ink is dry (it was, in fact, signed at The Acropolis!), an outpost of Bunk Sandwiches, Bunk Bar, will be opening on the corner of SE Water & Taylor soon! Urban Works represented both Beam Development and Tommy. Now you'll be able to enjoy your pork belly sandwich with some tunes and a shot of whiskey! Eater PDX just interviewed Tommy Habetz, of Bunk Sandwich and soon-to-be Bunk Bar fame, one unusual snippet from the interview: 

How did you first come up with the idea?

I stole it from the person who came up with the idea of public drinking establishments. I think his name was Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo...

Interesting.

2010 Restaurant Shuffle?!

Three interesting blogs about some rumored restaurant shuffling:

Is Ringside moving into Fox Tower in the former Harrison's space? We previously heard rumblings that it's Ruth's Chris... This from Food Dude.

Next up, the former Nutshell then Anju space on N. Williams, is John Goram next?

Last but not least, will the former Chow space on the corner of NW 14th & Glisan become a burger joint by the owner of DOC? The latest from Eater PDX.

Eco Flats: Coming Soon to North Williams!

The Oregonian featured an article today about Eco Flats, a new mixed-use project breaking ground in February on North Williams! We are pleased to have represented the developers, 3935 N. Williams, LLC, in this transaction, and we're excited to watch development progress on this formerly dilapidated site! 

Former D.O.C. Chef To Debut New Restaurant

As Willamette Week reported last August, Chef Greg Perrault left D.O.C. for greener pastures. He has just landed a location for his own restaurant venture with friend & business partner Matthew Peterson. They have inked a lease at 2215 E. Burnside (pictured above), next door to Heart Coffee & Roasting. They plan to open in June!

More Good Coffee News!

The rumors are true: Billy Wilson is opening a 2nd Barista location at 1725 NE Alberta in the Alberta Central project! The lease was fully & officially executed in front of our eyes late yesterday afternoon. Great news for the Alberta Arts District!

We Heart Coffee

Exciting news for those living in & around East Burnside: professional snowboarder Wille Yli-Luoma is opening a coffee roastery and cafe, Heart, on 22nd & Burnside next door to Meat. Opening is anticipated sometime in October. Urban Works leased this space, and we're leasing the space next door to Heart, a 1,350 square foot space with a roll up door.  Call us for details.

To make good news even better, Portland Monthly just reported that John Toboada (of Navarre) is opening a new restaurant & event space, Luce, across the street! 

Andrea Spella To Open Downtown Outpost

Acclaimed local coffee roaster & barista, Andrea Spella, is due to open a second downtown location in the former Bikini Coffee Company on SW 5th Avenue near Alder (520 SW 5th Avenue). Not to anyone's surprise, Bikini Coffee Company didn't last long... Apparently, Spella will keep his cart on SW 9th & Alder in operation, in addition to the new retail location not far away.

More good news for downtown Portland! And evidence that food carts can be a great foray into bigger & better things for food & drink entrepreneurs.