River District
Centennial Mills

A Historic Redevelopment Opportunity

Centennial Mills represents one of Portland’s greatest chances to create a community-defining riverfront while preserving a unique piece of the city’s history.  Following a two-phase Request for Qualifications and Request for Proposals process, PDC selected LAB Holding, LLC of Costa Mesa, California to partner with PDC in redeveloping this 4.75-acre site in the heart of downtown Portland.  The selected SEED proposal preserves much of the site's historic fabric and proposes redevelopment with a focus on culinary restaurants and businesses as part of celebrating Portland's environment and the site's agricultural heritage.

For more information on this project go to www.centennialmills.org.

Background

Centennial Mills was acquired by PDC from ADM Milling Company in 2000 using urban renewal and City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) funds. The property was acquired to fulfill the River District Urban Renewal Plan’s stated objective of enhancing the waterfront with public open spaces and to facilitate connectivity between the River District, the Willamette River and the Willamette River Greenway.

Centennial Mills

In 2006, PDC together with the Bureau of Planning completed the Centennial Mills Framework Plan which outlines Portland’s interest and aspirations for redevelopment of the site. The framework plan is the result of a six month public process and was approved by the Portland City Council in December 2006. The plan does not posit particular redevelopment schemes for the property. Rather, it outlines various development opportunities and lays out five key principles to guide redevelopment: Provide Open Space, Capture History, Define a Community Focal Point, Strengthen Connections, and Embrace Sustainability. The full Centennial Mills Framework Plan is available at www.centennialmills.org and at www.pdc.us.

In March 2007, the Portland Development Commission issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) nationwide to development teams interested in and capable of meeting the City’s goals for redevelopment of the site. The RFQ focused on the development team’s experience and their proposed redevelopment vision in relation to five key Centennial Mills Framework Plan principles. In May 2007, PDC received a total of nine RFQ proposals. Six of the RFQ responding teams were short-listed and invited for interview. In July 2007, an interview panel reviewed the RFQ proposals and, based on the firms qualifications and past experience, unanimously recommended three development teams to move forward to a subsequent Request for Proposals (RFP). The RFP was issued September 7, 2007 and closed on January 18, 2008; responsive proposals were received from LAB Holding, LLC of Costa Mesa, California; Nitze-Stagen & Company of Seattle, Washington; and The Cordish Company of Baltimore, Maryland.  After public review and comment, a public open house, and evaluation by a stakeholder committee, on March 26, 2008 the PDC Board of Commissioners accepted the recommendation to select the Lab Holding proposal and team.

Publications

     All publications specifically referencing Centennial Mills:

Feedback

We welcome your input on the Centennial Mills project.
To comment, please visit our Centennial Mills Comment Page.

Team Leaders


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