WW friendlies Mike Thelin (writing on the Burnside Blog for Portland Spaces) and the good folk at Portland Food & Drink are buzzing over whispers that the best reason to visit Beaverton, Asian superstore Uwajimaya, may be considering opening a location in Portland’s Chinatown. Portland Food’s Cuisine Bonne Femme confirmed that the Asian giant was considering a move to the downtown Portland ‘hood with the Portland Development Commission today.
Here’s the skinny thus far, according to Miz Femme:
PDC is supporting this project with a $100,000 pre-development loan to assist Uwajimaya and Sockeye Development LLC, with the feasibility of building on the surface parking lot between NW 4th and 5th, and Couch and Davis (otherwise known as “Block 33″) ,and “Block 32″, just to the South. The feasibility study began 30 days ago, and is expected to take four months to complete.
While no solid plan has been presented to the City, the project looks like it might be modeled on the successful rehab of the flagship 50+ year old Uwajimaya in Seattle’s International District. Ideas include up to 160 units of mixed income housing above the store, an underground parking lot below, and the possibility of a “phase II” additional high rise housing and retail development in the future.
Read a ton about the PDC’s thoughts on the Chinatown-Uwajimaya mash up at Portland Food & Drink, here.
Or, read Thelin’s original Q&A with Eric Sten that hinted at the plan, here.
I’m just psyched because it is truly a bitch to drive out to the ‘burbs every time I run out of sweet Kewpie mayonnaise (see photo above), pig’s blood or durian (no offense Fubonn).
