Questions on the Cannery Proposal

Despite the PR success in the media, with any sale of the former Truitt Bros. Cannery not yet closed, recent talk of a redevelopment project remains conceptual and speculative. 

Here are some questions and things that we'll be watching here. Maybe you will have others, too. (Drawings here are mainly from the project site.)

Realistic Schedules

As proponents hype the project, how much will published conceptual schedules be accelerated beyond realism?

Consider real schedules at the former Boise Cascade, the former Fairview, and the former north campus at the State Hospital (as well as the EWEB Steam Plant on the riverfront in Eugene). They all have taken longer than initial timelines suggested.

Scope of Preservation and Adaptive Reuse

The amount of preservation and reuse at Boise, Fairview, and the State Hospital have all been much less than originally hoped for.

The initial concept drawings on this project appear to show the retention and reuse of only one small building, a boiler and steam plant. The structure of two other buildings looking out over the river may be retained, but as buildings they appear to be wholly gutted and turned into covered dining pavilions. So a kind of half-preservation on those?

The gabled building dated 1914 only really retained

The long, main cannery building visible from Front Street looks like it is demolished and replaced by wholly new construction, probably the 5-over-1 style that prevails now. This demolition/replacement has not much been directly addressed in the early press.

5-over-1 construction along Front Street

Here are current conditions, with my interpretation of the plan added.

Current conditions (notes added)

What about Front Street?

The drawings show the railroad still in the middle of the street, show parallel and angle parking along the edges, and lots of people.

Transforming Front Street into a street optimized for foot traffic would be terrific! But it's going to take more than just concept drawings. 

Connections at the south end to the Front Street bypass and the narrow bridge over Mill Creek will likely need more attention and investment. Market Street between Liberty and Front may also need attention and investment.

Is the project going to depend on the City funding and rebuilding these streets? How much of a partner will the railroad be? What about the bridge, which is a century old?

Despite People Walking, too Many Cars?

The project really seems to be conceived as a drive-to retail and entertainment destination. Though they feature the word "walkability," and show lots of people walking in the pictures, there could be more deep walkability, and less emphasis on the cars. 

The riverside pathway does not show any connection across Mill Creek, or any connection on the north, and it would be a short, orphaned section for a while until other connections can be made. So there is no through travel on it, and people biking there in pictures seem out of place.

The main walkability may be generated by driving to the site and walking around after getting out of the car. There may be a mismatch between words and building forms and there is risk the "walkability" is a bit of greenwash. It seems overstated in any case.

Parking garage (left) at south end by creek

The drawings show a three deck parking garage on the south end of the property by the creek. They also reference a "superblock of subterranean parking."

from the 1979 Greenway plan

So much structured parking will be expensive, and perhaps difficult right by the river and creek. The Willamette River Greenway controls some of the property. The original 1979 plan shows the boundary closer to the river than the current zoning map shows. Digging out riverbank or nearby land for structured parking will likely involve some kind of review under that Greenway plan.

Enormous food cart pod at north end

In an aerial from the north looking south, they show an enormous food card pod, of such a magnitude that cannot possibly depend primarily on foot traffic. It's a drive-to destination, again. If that is replaced by a soccer pitch, that too will be conceived as a drive-to destination. 

The drawing also shows angle parking flanking the train, and it just seems unlikely to be able to pack in all of that on Front Street.

If the project is able to move ahead, it would be nice to see it more focused on the housing and on commercial concepts that primarily serve foot traffic and nearby residents, and not depend so heavily on drive-to destination traffic.

Developer Track Record?

The project site vaguely talks about other projects, but does not actually cite any. It is not possible to see how other projects have gone and how they instantiated their values in wood, brick, and concrete. If this is a first-time developer, is this project really positioned for success?

The website also has a solicitation for investors, and the capital to fund the project does not appear to be lined up.

The project website looks pretty great, but it's a little vaporous still.

On the one hand, it's just beginning! It's conceptual and it's premature to hold it to firmer standards. It's appropriate not to have all the details firmed up. It's a kind of draft proposal.

But on the other hand, even for an early stage concept the details might be more plentiful and more concrete and add up better.