Fencing surrounds the downtown Portland Apple Store on May 13, 2021. Many downtown storefronts remain covered in plywood, while other business have shut down entirely, nearly a year after large-scale protests began following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.The Oregonian

The imposing steel fence surrounding the Pioneer Place Apple Store in downtown Portland may soon be replaced by a new transparent security enclosure made of polycarbonate, according to plans Apple discussed with a community group.

The retailer installed the tall metal barrier in February 2021 as it was preparing to reopen from a pandemic closure for the first time since the previous spring. The storefront had been fully boarded up since a May 2020 protest over the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd escalated into a destructive riot, during which a group smashed the store’s windows and took products from inside.

More than a year later, the tech giant is floating a plan for a more finessed security barrier.

Walt Weyler, the chair of the Downtown Neighborhood Association, said Apple representatives discussed the plans with the group’s land use transportation committee during a virtual meeting Tuesday morning. A representative of an architectural firm that Apple hired also attended the meeting, Weyler said, and Apple asked attendees not to take screenshots of the presentation slides.

“We were very impressed with the project. We were very pleased with its concept,” Weyler said. “We were delighted that Apple is going to stay at that location, and that they’re going to extend their investment in that part of our city.”

Another participant on the call who asked not to be identified took screenshots of the call, however, and provided them to The Oregonian/OregonLive. The person said the new polycarbonate structure would enclose the existing storefront, sitting about 30 inches outside of the glass facade.

A rendering of the proposed security enclosure for the Pioneer Place Apple Store in downtown Portland. The polycarbonate panels would replace the metal fencing that have been installed to protect the retailer's glass walls.

The slides also describe a “storefront security enclosure” made of polycarbonate panels. Polycarbonate is a tough, usually clear thermoplastic polymer that’s much stronger than glass.

While Apple representatives did not give a direct explanation as to why the company is proposing to install the new shield around the downtown storefront, the participant said the retailer mentioned that replacement polycarbonate panels are readily available from a local source — unlike the giant panes of glass used for the store’s existing facade.

Weyler said he thinks Apple is installing the transparent panels as a security measure.

“They’re doing it because they want to protect their property,” he said. “More importantly, they want to protect their customers and their employees, and secondly, they want to restore the wonderful appearance and the light that that building has in it.”

Weyler cautioned the project could still be in its early phases.

“My grasp was that they are more or less in the conceptual phase of what they’re going to do,” Weyler said. “But the renderings were pretty complete and pretty attractive. But I don’t think the project is anywhere near finalized.”

Apple did not immediately return requests for comment.

According to the slides, Apple is aiming to begin construction of the new security enclosure this summer.

-- Kristine de Leon; kdeleon@oregonian.com; 503-221-8506

-- Mike Rogoway; mrogoway@oregonian.com; @rogoway

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