PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Portland City Council is set to vote Wednesday on two emergency ordinances that would rush forward the proposed $5 million demolition of O’Bryant Square.
O’Bryant Square is a public park atop an underground parking structure which was condemned in 2018 after a Portland Bureau of Transportation inspection revealed that the structure was at “imminent risk of catastrophic collapse.”
If passed, the proposed ordinances would authorize a $4,529,090 contract with Northwest Infrastructure LLC to demolish the park and underlying parking structure and fill the space with dirt.
To accomplish the emergency demolition as soon as possible, the city also plans to waive the 120-day delay that’s required for demolishing properties listed as historic resources.
“Further delaying the demolition of the structure creates an unacceptable risk to public health, welfare, property, safety, and commerce,” the city council agenda states.
The expedited construction is a result of numerous structural concerns with the property, including a re-used, century-old retaining wall leftover from a previous building that was kept as part of the lot’s construction in 1973, and extensive water damage to the structure’s ceiling that is believed to have been caused by defective waterproofing underneath the plaza’s bricks. In response to the lot’s “significant potential for facility failure during extreme loading conditions,” the city opted to forgo the standard bidding process and invoke “emergency procurement authority,” speeding up the process by immediately giving the rushed demolition job to Northwest Infrastructure LLC.
In addition to the construction, the city anticipates spending $500,000 in contingency costs, bringing the estimated cost of the demolition project to $5,029,090. Funding for the demolition includes $2.2 million from Portland Parks and Recreation’s general fund given to PBOT, $670,000 from the city’s general fund and $750,000 from the parking facilities fund. Another $370,000 is expected to be allocated from the city’s general fund or from general transportation revenues.
However, the city estimates that as much as $1.5 million of the project remains unfunded. The city says that the council and involved bureaus are still seeking sources to address the $1.5 million shortfall.