(Photos © J. Maus)
The Portland Parks Bureau wants to re-imagine and renovate the old McCall’s Restaurant site in Waterfront Park (just south of Salmon Street Fountain).
As part of their ongoing process to select someone to redevelop and manage the building, Parks officials recently concluded a series of interviews with four groups that responded to a public request for proposals.
One of the remaining contenders for the contract is Ken Nichols. Nichols is the man behind Bike Republic and he wants to turn the architecturally significant building into cafe and bike rental/repair/retail shop.
So far, Nichols has partnered up with bike advocate and businessman Richard Satnick (Laughing Planet Cafe) and Albertina Kerr Centers, a Portland-based non-profit organization.
The plan is for Satnick to sell the burritos and mexican food that has made his Laughing Planet Cafes (on SE Belmont and on N. Mississippi) a healthy success. Satnick will also deliver his food and drink by bike throughout downtown.
(Photo: Wheel Fun Rentals)
The bike rental business will be operated by Kerr Family Bike Rental (under a franchise agreement with Wheel Fun Rentals). Nichols says Kerr will operate the bike rentals as a jobs program for their developmentally disabled clients.
Nichols himself will use the space to offer bike storage and parking, bike repair, and a small retail bike shop.
If he wins the contract, Nichols says he’ll add a 10 kilowatt solar photovalic system to the patio (providing 40% of the building’s power), manage 100% of his stormwater runoff, “address traffic flow of bicycles and pedestrians around the site”, and restore the building to the former glory of its famous architect (John Yeon).
Other proposals still under consideration by the Parks Bureau are: Museum of the City, an effort to establish a new museum about urban planning and design of cities; Neo Design Studio, an interior architecture and design firm; and SM-Art Tower Group (I couldn’t find any information about them).
An evaluation committee has conducted interviews and they will make a recommendation to the Parks Bureau and to Parks Commissioner Dan Saltzman. Public input will also be a part of the selection process and the final decision would be voted on by City Council. So far, no timeline for the decision has been set
If Ken Nichols has any illustrations and plans prepared, I think it would be very worthwhile for everyone to be able to study exactly how he and his partners would adapt the space of the John Yeon building to their operation. Maybe he could post some of them on this thread.
I respect his intention to, as editor Maus reports, \”… restore the building to the former glory of its famous architect (John Yeon).\”. If he can do that, and still run his business, great. I\’m a little doubtful that he can, but still welcome him to show that he is able to do exactly what he says he will.
Not more than 200\’-300\’, it seems like there could be an excellent opportunity for bike parking under the Hawthorne Bridge. Maybe he has that in mind.
I love this concept. I question whether it is financially sustainable. It certainly would be cool to see tourists renting bikes on the waterfront in the summer and to see it become a bike parking hub during all of the waterfront festivals. Partnering with Albertina Kerr is very, very cool.
Sweet, but it makes me glad I won\’t be commuting past there any more, since I moved to SE. Tourists on bikes = traffic jam. Small price to pay for spreading bike love, though.
We\’ll be using Naito Pkwy directly in front of McCalls for the Start/Finish of the first stage of the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic on May 13th. Strange coincedence.
Also, the roof of that building would be an excellent spot for a \”go by bike\” sign.
I\’m a big fan of bikes, but I am also a big fan of parks and open space. I share wsbob\’s caution about how this vintage building is retrofitted into a commercial enterprise in the middle of a city park. For one I would like the vintage building to have some public use rather than commercial use, and have commercial use of the park temporary and event related.
I like the bike rental idea. I agree with Bob and think it should be kept simple with all of the commercial hubub left out.
Can you say Willamette BikeStation?
YES