Complex’s retail space to complement tenants

The Beranger seeks downtown tenants, condo buyers

By Shannon Wells

The Gresham Outlook, Oct 30, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Leasing agent J.J. Unger is working to fill seven street-level spaces at the The Beranger building in Gresham. Designed by Portland-based Myhre Group architects, the four-story structure features one- and two-bedroom condominium units over retail space.

John Klicker / The Outlook

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Only one of the seven ground-floor spaces is leased at the new Beranger, but the sheer variety of interested businesses bodes well for the diversity of downtown Gresham.

“We’ve gotten interest from a pretty wide range of uses,” said Beranger leasing agent J.J. Unger. “From nail salons to hookah bars.”

A retail specialist with Norris, Beggs and Simpson in Portland, Unger is working with Gresham’s Peak Development to fill seven street-level spaces at the complex on Northeast Third Street and Hood Avenue. Designed by Portland-based Myhre Group architects, the four-story structure features 24 one- and two-bedroom condominium units over 7,000-square feet of retail space. A “green roof” using state-of-the-art environmental technology to manage rainwater provides an attractive rooftop garden area for condominium owners to use.

Like The Crossing, another Peak project located on Civic Drive, The Beranger is a mixed-use complex that benefits from a Vertical Housing Tax zone. Formerly known as Transit-Oriented Tax Exemption, or TOTE, the program offers tax-abatement incentives for projects that combine residential and retail uses. The 10-year property tax reductions are offered to urban centers close to mass-transit facilities such as the MAX.

Unger’s first commitment for ground-floor space came from Edward Jones Investments. The financial services company moved into the southeast corner space soon after The Beranger was dedicated Thursday, Sept. 27.

As he considers offers for remaining spaces, Unger has to think about more than the commercial viability.

“Activity is picking up now that the project is completed,” he said of the building. “It’s really about finding the right tenant mix. You’ve got to be courteous to those you lease to upstairs. If you get an operator in there that doesn’t fit, the (condo) owners get mad above you.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean restaurants or bars are off-limits, but he says they have to complement the entire project. While it’s too soon in the process to name names, Unger has considered a couple different salons and a sushi restaurant. A food-service business would work well, he noted, with the proposed Gresham Center for the Arts across Third Street.

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