[CouvScott]

Plans shift for ex-Denny's site

Wednesday, January 31, 2007
JULIA ANDERSON Columbian business editor

Market reaction already is modifying an ambitious redevelopment plan for the former Denny's restaurant site in downtown Vancouver.

Initially, a nine-story building with condos and possibly a restaurant was envisioned for the site by the Al Angelo Co.

The Vancouver commercial and residential real estate company expects this week to sign a long-term ground lease for the property at 400 E. Mill Plain Blvd., considered the gateway to downtown Vancouver. It's been more than two years since a Denny's restaurant closed there.

But neither condos nor a top-floor restaurant got much traction over the past several months, said Al "Corky" Angelo Jr.

Angelo said his family-owned company, already a major downtown property owner, is now considering construction of a 100,000-square-foot office building with a bit of ground-floor retail.

"We're actually in the process of redesigning the whole thing," Angelo said. "Right now we're talking about five or six floors of office with two floors of covered parking and some retail."

Angelo said the site's islandlike location -- bordered by Interstate 5, Mill Plain and 15th Street -- made the building's residential component unattractive. In addition, no name-brand restaurants showed interest in the project.

"It doesn't look like housing or a restaurant of any size is part of the equation," Angelo said this week.

City planners seem comfortable with the changes.

"The building needs to make an urban architectural statement," said Steve Burdick, Vancouver's community development manager, of what the city would like on the site. "That's the key. The site is never going to have a lot of pedestrian traffic. Office probably is the logical thing. ? 100,000 square feet is a lot of office space."

By comparison, Columbian Publisher Scott Campbell is constructing a 112,000-square-foot, six-story building southwest of Esther Short Park. Price tag? About $30 million.

Separately, the city is planning construction of a signature clock tower on a portion of the site similar to one in Esther Short Park across from the Hilton Vancouver Washington.

Angelo said his company, which is based nearby at 404 E. 15th St., would likely relocate to the new building.

The Angelos began working on the project in November.

"We tested the market with a couple of ideas, and based on the response, we've made some adjustments," he said.

The company is scheduled for a preliminary conference with city planners early next month.

[mcbaby]

hmmm..

[PDXPaul]

Man I remember that Denny's...

[CouvScott]

Pre-application conferences have been scheduled for Thursday, February 8, 2007, in the Citizens Service Center Fourth Floor Conference Room, 1313 Main Street. The following projects will be discussed:

9 a.m. PRJ2007-00063/PAC2007-00004 D Street Tower
Description: Nine-story mixed-use building.
Location: 400 E Mill Plain Blvd
Assessed Parcel Size: 29,375 square feet
Zoning Designation: CX
Neighborhood Association: Esther Short

[tefen]

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l234/tefen/DStreetTower.jpg

First time on this forum, hopefully the picture above works. Latest update on this is that the plans currently call for the removal of D street on the east end of this block to be used as a portion of the parking lot.

[PuyoPiyo]

Welcome, Tefen ;)

I am kinda confused, on the article at the first post said that it would have about 9 floors, but this picture only show like probably 5?

[tefen]

I guess things have changed. I believe they also scraped the idea for retail and a restaurant because they didn't feel that corner was well suited to such establishments. Also, the parking seems to be all exterior to the building now, no covered parking.

I believe you're right, 5 floors now.

[CouvScott]

Regrowth spurt

Sunday, July 22, 2007
By JULIA ANDERSON Columbian staff writer

Top business stories of 2007 second quarter M ore than anything else, Clark County's second quarter was about redevelopment - in Washougal, in Battle Ground and downtown Vancouver.

While the local job market continued to moderate in the three months ending June 30, and housing remained in the doldrums, projects large and small were announced all over the county. Here's a short list:

. California investment firm Laeroc Partners purchased the Murdock Building in downtown Vancouver and announced plans for construction of 11 stories of condominiums on top of the building's parking structure.

. Killian Pacific said it would begin construction of a four-story office building on the former Monterey Hotel site adjacent to the West Coast Bank building downtown. The company is also moving ahead with planning for its Riverwest mixed-use project on the Carr dealership site.

. Construction has begun on $50 million worth of redevelopment in Washougal expected over the next three years that will include new retail and residential space, upscale shopping and a remodel and expansion of the Pendleton Woolen Mills outlet store.

. Site work has started on the former Boyer's Par 3 golf course at state Highway 503 and Northeast 119th Street, where a WinCo grocery store is expected to anchor a new commercial project being developed by Killian Pacific.

. Battle Ground Center, southeast of the city's main intersection, is getting under way on a 108-acre site with $200 million worth of construction planned there over the next several years.

. iQ Credit Union purchased the city of Vancouver's former service center building with plans for a partial demolition and remodel. Nearby Elie Kassab bought the city's former police station with plans for redevelopment of the site, just south of the downtown Burgerville. And across Mill Plain Boulevard, The Angelo Co. is moving ahead with plans for a 62,800-square-foot office building on the old Denny's restaurant site.

. Gramor Development signed a long-term deal with the Port of Vancouver for property near the Red Lion Hotel at the Quay, described as the gateway to its planned waterfront redevelopment project on the former Boise Cascade industrial site.

All of these projects will keep the county's construction employment sector on a good footing despite a slowdown in home building, which is expected to last for "quite some time," said Portland economist Bill Conerly.

He doesn't see either Oregon or Washington as having the downturn in home building as much of the rest of the nation, thanks to a continuing influx of newcomers. For instance, in Clark County, the number of drivers turning in out-of-county driver's licenses for local ones has slowed from a year ago. Still, at this year's pace, the county could see more than 14,000 new residents.

The torrid tempo of job growth also continued to slow in the second quarter. But year-over-year through June, local employers had added an estimated 2,900 jobs for a 2.2 percent annual growth rate. Only manufacturing seemed vulnerable, with jobs cuts coming at the Georgia-Pacific paper mill and at Freightliner in Portland weighing on the sector.

Labor analyst Scott Bailey sees more of the same heading into the second half of the year.

Housing remains a question mark.

June was the first month this year that the median sale price of homes came in lower than the same month last year. But $259,900 is still substantially higher than the $230,310 of 2005 or the $184,316 mean price from 2004.

The good news in June was that the inventory of houses for sale in the county has continued to decline from January's high and the amount of time it takes to sell a house also seems to have peaked.

The county's June unemployment rate was 5.4 percent, down from 5.9 percent in June 2006. No one sees any stormy weather headed our way, at least through the rest of this year.

Did you know?

. In June, there were 13,600 people working in manufacturing jobs in Clark County, down 600 from June 2006.

. The county added 2,900 new jobs in the 12 months ending June 30, a 2.2 percent increase.

. The county's June unemployment rate of 5.4 percent was higher than the statewide average of 4.5 percent.

. An estimated 11,200 people remained unemployed and seeking work in Clark County in June. April

. Learoc Partners plans Murdock condo project in downtown Vancouver.

. WSU Vancouver wins electrical engineering program funding from Legislature.

. Elie Kassab buys Vancouver's old police headquarters building.

May

. All Student Loans will bring 100 jobs to Vancouver.

. Killian Pacific plans four-story building on Monterey Hotel site.

. iQ Credit Union buys vacated city services building in downtown Vancouver.

June

. Gramor Development signs lease with Port of Vancouver for property near the Quay.

. LA Fitness will build new Orchards facility.

. Home sale prices slip 2.8 percent, with sales down 21.9 percent.

[PuyoPiyo]

Sounds exciting news here, glad that Washougal is forwarding to redeveloping itself. Washougal always need that case.

[360Rich]

Proposed street closure draws fire

Tuesday, July 31, 2007
BY CAMI JONER, Columbian staff writer

A longtime Vancouver developer envisions a campuslike atmosphere for a two-block redevelopment project that includes the former downtown Denny's restaurant.

But to create that ambience, the Vancouver-based Al Angelo Co. would have to close a section of D Street between Mill Plain Boulevard and 15th Street, a move neighbors argue would block an important link to downtown and Interstate 5.

The Vancouver City Council gets to decide which side has a more compelling argument after the Vancouver City Center Redevelopment Authority Board Monday approved the $17 million development being planned by Angelo. The board also reduced the amount Angelo would pay for the street vacation, from $360,000 to between $180,000 and $240,000.

The former restaurant would be replaced with a five-story office building with parking on a section of D Street. The Al Angelo Co. wants the street closure to accommodate future plans to take land he owns west of the old Denny's and replace the strip retail center with a companion, 90,000-square-foot building.

Neighbors opposed

City officials are comfortable with the street vacation as long as the development creates a campus-like atmosphere, said Gerald Baugh, the city's business development director.

But residents in the Arnada Neighborhood just north of the project say D Street provides a vital connection to Interstate 5 and a pedestrian link to the downtown core.

"I feel like it's within my right as a citizen and representative of more than 450 households to ask why the city is giving away our property," said Seanette Corkill, chairwoman of the Arnada Neighborhood Association.

Without D Street, "we'll have to travel west to find a southern route to take us back east on Mill Plain," because 15th Street is a west-bound street, Corkill said. She added that D Street is an important pedestrian route.

Southbound pedestrians would be faced with the choice of walking around the development or walking through its private parking lot, Corkill said.

"You would feel like you're trespassing," she said.

Larry Wilson, the project's designer from Wilson & Associates Architects in Vancouver, said Angelo's proposal would create "a much more pedestrian friendly development with courtyards, terraces and pedestrian-oriented walkways."

Proven track record

The redevelopment board agreed Monday to give Angelo up to 10 years to reshape the lot west of Denny's with ground-floor retail space, parking on three floors and upper-floor offices.

Baugh said The Al Angelo Co. has a proven track record as a city redevelopment partner. The company built the two-block Heritage Place Condominium project, which borders the north side of Esther Short Park.

That project involved vacating a section of Daniels Street, which became the public plaza, Katheryn Commons, named for the wife of the late Al Angelo, a former Vancouver mayor and founder of the Al Angelo Co.

http://www.columbian.com/business/businessNews/07312007news176106.cfm

[CouvScott]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e214/couvttocs/millplainsitemap.jpg

[360Rich]

No doubt - what a bunch of whiners.

The pedestrian argument is moot - what's the difference between walking down what is now a one block long public sidewalk, and walking across a one block long private lot. It's not even a heavily walked are now.

[PuyoPiyo]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e214/couvttocs/millplainsitemap.jpg

Does a 5 story build need whole of that redline area?:sly:

[CouvScott]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e214/couvttocs/dstreet.jpg

Monday, August 20, 2007
BY CAMI JONER, Columbian staff writer

The Vancouver City Council will be faced with making a controversial decision tonight on whether to close a downtown section of D Street for a two-block office development.

Proposed by the Al Angelo Co., the vacated street would create parking space and a future courtyard for a $17 million project of multistory office buildings on a two-block site that includes the former Denny's restaurant, wedged between East 15th Street and Mill Plain Boulevard on the west side of Interstate 5.

The council will receive public testimony before considering a development agreement that would allow the street vacation. Residents in the Arnada Neighborhood to the north have already said they don't like the idea of losing D Street as a route to the downtown core. It doesn't appeal to the owner of a business site on the south side, either.

Without D Street, vehicles traveling west on East 15th Street from the freeway will have to continue two blocks west before finding a southern route, said Dave Christensen, owner of the Black Angus restaurant property at East 13th Street, which could lose business if the city makes the change.

"It will make it much harder for people to get there from the freeway," said Christensen, also the owner of Christensen Yachts.

However, Christensen also appears eager to change the use of his site. The city received a proposal this week to remove the existing Black Angus restaurant and construct a three-story office building with 53 parking stalls.

Christensen has organized a group called "Friends of D Street" representing area business and property owners opposed to the project.

The group questions the conclusions found in a traffic study submitted by the Angelo Co., said James Howsley, the group's Vancouver attorney.

"We are in the process of recruiting our own traffic consultant to study the project's potential impact, specifically to the businesses on the south side of Mill Plain," Howsley said.

Long term, the Angelo Co. plans to build a companion building on an adjacent block the company owns to the west of the Denny's site. That site now is home to an older retail complex with businesses that include a FedEx Kinko's.

[360Rich]

Wednesday, August 22, 2007
BY JEFFREY MIZE, Columbian staff writer

Plans to close a section of D Street and build a two-block plaza at the gateway to downtown Vancouver could be back before the city council next month for approval.

The council, after hearing considerable testimony from neighborhood representatives and nearby property owners, decided late Monday night to delay approving a development agreement for 400 Mill Plain Center, proposed for the former Denny's restaurant site between Mill Plain Boulevard and 15th Street just west of Interstate 5.

The Al Angelo Co. wants to build a five-story office building at the Denny's site that would provide 60,000 square feet of office space. The Vancouver company also has long-term plans to build a companion office and retail building of 90,000 square feet west of D Street, which is now home to a FedEx Kinko's and several other small retail businesses.

The first phase of the project, valued at $17 million, would have surface parking for 80 vehicles. The second phase would have ground-floor retail, parking for 350 vehicles on three lower floors and office space on higher floors.

Several council members praised the Angelo Co. for its track record and supported the company's plan to redevelop the Denny's property.

"We can wait another 10 years," Mayor Royce Pollard said, "and we aren't going to get a project as good as this project."

The Angelo Co. proposes to close the stretch of D Street between Mill Plain Boulevard and 15th Street, a plan that has generated concern among nearby residents and property owners who worry about losing a route into downtown and a convenient way for motorists traveling west on 15th Street to reverse direction and head east on Mill Plain.

The Vancouver City Center Redevelopment Authority board of directors, a seven-member group charged with helping guide downtown revitalization, recommended the city charge $240,000 to turn over the one-block stretch of D Street to the project's developers.

However, the redevelopment authority also recommended waiving that payment if the developer builds the second phase of the project within the 10-year life of the development agreement before the city council.

Sept. 10 action

Council members, after hearing public testimony Monday, decided to postpone action until meetings on Sept. 10 or Sept. 24 to allow more time to work and refine some issues, including the possibility that C Street could be converted to two-way traffic.

Councilman Dan Tonkovich said his gut instinct was the council wasn't ready to move forward Monday. He rattled off a list of issues that could require additional refinement, including what the developer will pay for the closure of D Street, the timing for paying that compensation, parking and other transportation issues.

Gerald Baugh, Vancouver's business development manager, said the possibility of converting C Street, now one way northbound, to two-way traffic is one of the issues that city officials will work on in coming weeks.

Providing for two-way traffic would be welcomed by the Arnada neighborhood and could also enhance other downtown projects, including the $160 million Riverwest project south of The Academy that will include a new headquarters library, he said.

"I think everybody wants something that is quality, that is a signature," Baugh said.

The city considers the Angelo project critical because of its location at the entrance to downtown. Because of that significance, the proposed development agreement includes a provision for the city to spend up to $75,000 on landscaping, paving, lighting and other largely aesthetic touches.

http://www.columbian.com/business/businessNews/08222007news186921.cfm

[CouvScott]

Tuesday, September 25, 2007
BY CAMI JONER, Columbian staff writer

A project to replace the old Denny's restaurant with a $57 million office complex was given the green light Monday by the Vancouver City Council.

"We have a developer stepping up to build a very significant project," said Councilman Larry Smith, despite nearby property owners' concerns about closing a one-block section of D Street. The two-block project is being developed by The Al Angelo Co.

"The crews are ready" to demolish the long-vacant Denny's, said Al "Corky" Angelo Jr., after the seven-member council gave a unanimous nod to the project. The new building is seen as a key to redevelopment near the Interstate 5 entrance downtown.

"That's really the focus" of the agreement, said Pat McDonnell, city manager. "The replacement value of (the Denny's) with something of higher value."

In addition to providing a cosmetic benefit, the city stands to gain financially, too, according to a staff report prepared for the council.

The first 56,000-square-foot phase of the project would generate an estimated $800,000 in fiscal benefits to the city, according to the report. At full build-out, the benefit would be more than $2 million. The analysis includes property taxes to be paid by the Angelo Co. and also increased property taxes from nearby development, which would rise in value.

The biggest controversy over the project concerned the vacation of one block of D Street, between Mill Plain Boulevard and 15th Street.

Neighbors had complained the closure of the one-block street, which is necessary to build the campus of buildings envisioned, would cause hardship for southbound motorists. They were later appeased by a promise that the city will reopen C Street to two-way traffic.

Other nearby property owners, who may want to redevelop their properties in the future, were also concerned about access to their land.

The deal approved Monday calls for Vancouver-based Angelo Co. to pay $240,000 to the city in exchange for the street vacation.

The city plans to use the money to reconfigure C Street for two-way traffic, which should accommodate southbound traffic now on D Street, said Thayer Rorabaugh, city transportation manager. An attorney representing nearby property owners disagreed, calling the C Street conversion "inconclusive."

"We're just not there yet," said Steve Horenstein, the Vancouver attorney of "Friends of D Street," a group of property owners with parcels south of Mill Plain and east of C Street.

The group includes Christensen Yacht founder and owner Dave Christensen, owner of the Black Angus restaurant property.

Angelo's 400 Mill Plain Center project will be built in two phases. The first phase, $17 million, will be on the old Denny's site. Work on the five-story office building could start next spring, Angelo said.

The second phase, a $40 million, six-story office project, will begin construction within five years, according to the development agreement. It will occupy a block now home to a FedEx Kinko's and other businesses.

[360Rich]

Here's a bigger picture of the building (from the Wilson Architects site)

http://www.wilsonarchitects.us/images/angelo-d-st-persp-8-1-07.jpg

[tefen]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e214/couvttocs/millplainsitemap.jpg

I'm sure you've found that it's actually two planned buildings. The first to be on just the Denny's property. But also, the pointy end of the triangle is owned by WSDOT I believe. It's mostly for decoration, has a nice "Welcome to Vancouver" sign and some flags. I think that's to remain intact.




Sorry, this was meant to be in reply to PuyoPiyo.

[PuyoPiyo]

I'm sure you've found that it's actually two planned buildings. The first to be on just the Denny's property. But also, the pointy end of the triangle is owned by WSDOT I believe. It's mostly for decoration, has a nice "Welcome to Vancouver" sign and some flags. I think that's to remain intact.




Sorry, this was meant to be in reply to PuyoPiyo.

Ahh dont' worry about it :) Everything makes sense, two buildings. That's why the red line seems too large. Yeah I agree with you, the edge of triangle is part of WSDOT for the warm Welcome to Vancouver sign. I am sure it will look alot better with the building behind that sign.

[PuyoPiyo]

Today I went some of trip in downtown Vancouver and captured this, Dennys Resturant look like it was complete wore out!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v500/Ufozacky2k/Animation15.gif

[mcbaby]

wow. i used to go to that denny's. i wont miss it at all.

[PuyoPiyo]

wow. i used to go to that denny's. i wont miss it at all.

Yeah I agree, I can't believe they would shut down that resturant. Oh well time goes by..

[CouvScott]

400 Mill Plain Center

Scope: Two multi-story office buildings with ground-floor retail and parking.
Location: West of Interstate 5 on two blocks between Mill Plain Boulevard and W. 15th Street.
Size: 152,000 square feet.
Cost: $57 million.
Developer: The Al Angelo Co.
Timeline: Site work started this month.

[PuyoPiyo]

I was there and they are really under constructing right now, I will try to get there again with my camera.

[davehogan]

I haven't seen much activity, but I'm usually more focused on driving than construction when I'm nearby. I'll try to stop with my camera.

[Civ E JB]

Well this seems to be moving along quickly. Slab on grade has been poured and the crane on site has already put up steel for first and second floors. Even just the current skeleton structure gives a very different feel to driving into downtown on Mill Plain. Well, especially since Denny's didn't give off much of a "feel"....

[CouvScott]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3179/2988839913_e5cd44d46a_o.jpg

[davehogan]

I'm glad someone got a picture for here, I've driven by about 10 times since the steel went up and forgotten my camera every single one of them. It really is going to change the feel of that part of the neighborhood, in my opinion, for the better. Other than City Hall there isn't much along Mill Plain but parking lots and old 1 story retail. It's got great access, it seems like it would be worth prodding along more mixed use projects.

I'll try to stop by this week with my camera, I go to the Muchas Gracias down the street for lunch quite a bit so it won't be much of a problem. :) (Yep, parking lots and 1 floor retail have tasty burritos sometimes.)

I'll see what I can do about getting pictures of the site behind the Burgerville also. I wonder if they are just getting it ready for the next building season? It seems late in the year to start a project.

Dave

[davehogan]

http://www.davidphogan.com/images/mp1.jpg

http://www.davidphogan.com/images/mp2.jpg

http://www.davidphogan.com/images/mp3.jpg

I hope this is the right project.

[CouvScott]

That's it. The title should be changed to reflect (1) 5 story office building and (1) 6 story residential building. The latter of which will reside one block to the West.