I have some friends who live near Downtown Vancouver, and despite my initial skepticism, it's a much more interesting place than people this side of the Columbia give it credit for. It's not there
yet, but it has a lot going for it. A traditional street pattern. Walkable. Relatively good public transportation. A mix of fabric buildings, and good new development (the library, Esther Short Park). Some decent bars. Proximity to Portland. So yeah, I like this guy's vision. He's easy on the eyes too.
Quote:
Sparks building transforming: Former home furnishings store is Hurley's newest renovation project downtown
As developer Ryan Hurley walked through his latest downtown Vancouver acquisition on a recent July morning, he spoke of a vision beyond the gutted former home of Sparks Home Furnishings.
“This building has great bones,” he said, while workers in hard hats yanked aging insulation from the rafters and dropped it in dirty mounds on the naked concrete below. “It’s pedestrian friendly; the new library has given us a connection to the park. This area of downtown used to be dingy. We want it to come alive.”
Halfway through its remodeling project, the 40,000-square-foot store that for more than 50 years sold loveseats, patio sets and armoires has been stripped of its finishing and fixtures. Dimly lit, it looks closer to “dingy” than “alive.”
But those who’ve watched Hurley remodel four previous downtown buildings in less than five years say they have faith in the vision he’s bringing to the city block between Broadway and C Street along Evergreen Boulevard.
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...continues
at the Columbian.