The Burnside Blog
The Future of Centennial Mills
If you call yourself a real estate geek or development nerd, here is a First Thursday event you absolutely cannot miss. Three competing firms hoping to remake the landmark Centennial Mills, an old flour-processing facility on the North Pearl’s waterfront, will unveil their proposals to the public tonight at the Pacific Northwest College of Art. The proposals are said to include a variety of uses, including office space, galleries housing and possibly a boutique hotel.
The property was acquired from the ADM Milling Company in 2000 by the Portland Development Commission. That’s PNCA’s (1241 NW Johnson) main campus from 6PM to 9PM. Be there.
By Mark on Friday, February 08, 2008 at 07:57AM PST
That’s where the Public Market should have looked in the beginning. Still, it’s too bad they keep getting involved in these elaborate public schemes. They really ought to make the project a private endeavor. If New Seasons and Pastaworks can operate on a for-profit model, and if the Portland Farmers Market can do it without great subsidy, then why should these guys get a dime?
By Mike Thelin on Friday, February 08, 2008 at 08:05AM PST
Good questions Mark. Lord knows the folks closely tied to farmers markets have been asking them for years.
I’ve written some very critical pieces on the public market myself, but I actually love the idea—just not the uber-secretive manner in which it’s been handled. Still, I’m the first to say that the I think it could be a very great thing for Portland if the direction changed.
Having a local showcase for what Portland does best-food-would be a huge boon for Portland. I also believe a project like that could revitalize the waterfront in a manner that no other project could. Plus, it’s worth noting that New Seasons, which Mark mentions, is actually on board with the project.
That said, we’ll see if it ever happens.
By pdx city-state on Thursday, February 07, 2008 at 09:41AM PST
This project has promise. If the Public Market has its sights set on this parcel, then it may finally be re-evaluating its wrongheadedness. The Centennial Mills shares characteristics with a number of successful public markets, including the Chelsea Market in New York City and North America’s showcase public market, Granville Island in Vancouver, BC. Then again, they seem to always find a way to screw it up.
By chris on Thursday, February 07, 2008 at 03:58PM PST
I was trying to convince Ron Paul at one time he should be looking at Centennial Mills. He gave me some pig-headed response I can’t wait to pull out if they do end up there.