ASTORIA, OR-The Astoria City Council and the Port of Astoria are joint venturing on the development of a conference center in an effort to attract more business in the Clatsop County seat's off-season.

PORTLAND-In addition to RCN Corp. and Relera backing out of the Westside market, the 160,000-sf Pacific Telecom Exchange Building in the Pearl District remains vacant and a Fowler Flannigan LLC may be losing its grip on the 320,000-sf Pearl Tech Center.

SAN JOSE, CA-Cyril Isnard, formerly the general manage for The Fairmont Dallas, will oversee day-to-day operations as well as the hotel's new $67 million tower, the completion of which is expected in Feb. 2002.

SAN FRANCISCO-With $600 million in equity, SRI Six is the largest fund sponsored by Shorenstein to date. Investors in the fund include foundations, college endowments, pension funds and high net worth individuals. Shorenstein has committed $75 million of its own capital to the fund

PORTLAND-GlobeSt.com caught up with local developer David Parr the day after he closed on the acquisition of the Downtown Nordstrom Building to discuss the long-term future of the well-located property.

WILSONVILLE, OR-The Multifamily Housing Council of Oregon is holding an all-day seminar in mid-September "to help landlords and investors make a reasonable return on their investments so that they can continue to provide affordable rental housing.

PORTLAND-Elections officials this week certify petitions that will force a public vote on the fee, which would top $1,000 per month for high-traffic businesses and large building owners and less than $2 per month for homeowners.

PORTLAND-The dog days are here and the tenants are no where to be seen, which means there are some pretty tasty concessions to be had for getting one on the hook and in the boat. A trip to Jamaica, anyone?