THE BEE’s front-page report last month told of the plans for construction of a seven-story apartment house on the edge of the Oaks Bottom Bluff, at 5515 S.E. Milwaukie Avenue, between Ellis and Insley Streets, in Westmoreland. The last paragraph of that article contained an error, which was corrected in the online versions: The hearing that was the basis for the article was, in fact, a design review hearing for the project, already approved.

THE BEE’s April newspaper deadline passed before the outcome of that hearing was available. David Schoellhamer, long a leader of the SMILE neighborhood association’s Land Use Committee, subsequently prepared a report on the outcome, from which we quote verbatim:

“On March 20 the Portland Design Commission held a design advisory hearing for the preliminary design of a 7-story 243-unit development along the Sellwood Bluff. This was an advisory hearing to give initial feedback to the applicant. SMILE submitted written comments asking that the design follow the ‘Sellwood Moreland Main Street Design Guidelines’ [which can be reviewed online at – https://tinyurl.com/6433yy2j].

“Commissioners had several comments, and did not like the two block long ‘wall’ of a building. Design review, however, cannot reduce the size of the building if it satisfies the zoning code, which it does. The next step is for the architects to revise their design and submit it to the Commission for approval.

“In 2022, SMILE opposed a zoning change to this property to allow additional height on the southern part of the property (4 to 7 stories); City Council approved a reduced height increase (7 to 6 stories) and required design review.”