Northwest City Scoop: Construction Starts in Portland

Before the COVID-19 outbreak, value of new contracts was expected to decline 17%

Non-residential and residential sectors had been forecast to weaken; non-building had been expected to strengthen.

City Grill

Todd Duwe
Business Development
Perlo Construction

Despite COVID-19’s impact and social unrest, Portland contractors see strength in the industrial, warehouse and distribution sectors, says Duwe. “We have a fulfillment client that is bringing life to several industrial sites in the tricounty area,” he says. “The beginning of COVID brought pause to the more speculative sites, but renewed interest has seen many of these industrial properties come back to life.”

K-12 school bond projects, the local tech industry and infrastructure projects are moving forward, and Portland continues to see a mix of private as well as publicly funded projects. Demand for data centers is growing as well.

Currently, Perlo is completing a large chemical manufacturing facility for an undisclosed client in Hillsboro, Ore., that Duwe says “is an example of a supporting business that is part of our strong tech ecosystem in the region.”

Portland’s health care, higher education, retail and office sectors are feeling COVID’s impact. “Whether we’ll see office migration from the central business district back out to the suburbs is yet to be seen,” he says.