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  #361  
Old Posted Jan 30, 2008, 1:03 PM
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Developers buy Vancouver waterfront site for $19 million

Tuesday, January 29, 2008
The Columbian
After lengthy and complex talks, Gramor Development said today that it has completed negotiations to purchase for $19 million the former Boise Cascade mill site on the Vancouver waterfront, opening the door for a new phase of downtown redevelopment.
Doing business as Columbia Waterfront LLC, Gramor led a group of local investors in the negotiations to purchase the 29 acres down river from the Interstate 5 bridge. The deal is expected to close by week's end, a year and a half after it was first announced. Negotiators included the city of Vancouver, Port of Vancouver, BNSF Railway and Gramor.
Read full details in Wednesday's Columbian.
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  #362  
Old Posted Jan 30, 2008, 1:08 PM
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^^^(also refering to Rich360's post) I really hope Gramor would change their mind to build the condos towers, not condos neighbors... While the Gramors never build any highrises, I don't know if I would trust Gramor...
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  #363  
Old Posted Jan 30, 2008, 5:29 PM
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Steve Lane/Columbian

Wednesday, January 30, 2008
BY JONATHAN NELSON

In a landmark agreement, Gramor Development announced Tuesday the completion of a deal that will transform 32 acres of prime Vancouver waterfront property into an urban neighborhood that someday could be worth as much as $1.2 billion.

Gramor, of Tualatin, Ore., is to close this week on the $19 million sale of 29 acres it is buying from Boise Cascade. Gramor, the development partner for Columbia Waterfront LLC, plans to take the now bare former mill site and three acres it is leasing from the Port of Vancouver and sculpt a project filled with offices, housing, a hotel, parks and waterfront restaurants.

The Boise project is perhaps the capstone in the newest chapter of downtown Vancouver's makeover. There are plans for five major projects in the downtown core that promise to increase housing, office and retail space, and bring the city a new downtown library.

Gramor's riverfront site, however, is one that has captured the public's attention because of its location, magnitude and potential.

"Whatever we do is going to change the face of Vancouver," said Barry Cain, Gramor president. "We feel an awesome responsibility."

David Copenhaver, vice president of development at Gramor, said the company will be meeting with several neighborhood, business and community groups in the coming months to talk about details of the development. The company hopes to submit formal plans to the city by midyear and start construction by 2010. At completion, the capital investment could be between $900 million and $1.2 billion, Copenhaver said.

Gramor and local investors Steve and Jan Oliva, Allan and Saundra Kirkwood, Steven and Jo Marie Hansen and George and Paula Diamond confirmed in 2006 that they won the right to buy the Boise land. It took 18 months to close the sale because of a complex land swap involving the Port of Vancouver, BNSF Railway and Boise that pulled a rail spur out of the Boise site and allowed the port to redesign rail access into its facility. The land exchange agreement is expected to be completed this week, clearing the way for Gramor and Boise to finish the sale .

Transcending uncertainty

Cain acknowledged that buying Boise's land might seem ill advised, given the struggling economy and shaky housing market, but said the opportunity to connect Vancouver to the waterfront "transcends economic times."

Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects of Portland has been hired as the lead architect. Cain said the firm designed several buildings in Portland's Pearl District, but added that Gramor won't be constructing all the buildings.

A significant unknown with Gramor's plans is the alignment of a new Interstate 5 bridge, which could affect the Port of Vancouver's ­Terminal 1, where the Red Lion Hotel at the Quay sits. Cain said that could alter the intention to start construction on the eastern edge of the property and move west .

Regardless of the obstacles, state of the economy and housing market, interest is high in Gramor's work. Copenhaver said he fields an average of five calls a week from people interested in waterfront condos and office space.

Cain said that speaks to the allure of the Columbia River.

"This is one place where we're way ahead of Portland," Cain said. "That is a serious body of water to look over."

Update

Previously: Local investors and Tualatin, Ore.-based Gramor Development submitted the winning bid in 2006 to buy 29 acres of waterfront land owned by Boise Cascade.

What's new: The sale is expected to close this week, 18 months later.

What's Next: Gramor will conduct a series of meetings with community, civic and business groups before submitting formal development plans to the city. Construction could start in 2010.

http://www.columbian.com/news/localN...onsibility.cfm
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  #364  
Old Posted Jan 30, 2008, 7:54 PM
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^^^Good thing that they hired Ankrom Moisan Architects!
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  #365  
Old Posted Jan 30, 2008, 7:57 PM
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County wants to renegotiate casino deal

Wednesday, January 30, 2008
BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN, Columbian staff writer


Clark County's commissioners said Tuesday that they want to negotiate a new deal with the Cowlitz Tribe to replace one the county has been defending in the courts.
The board aims to hold hearings before August to gauge public opinion on what the county should ask of the tribe, which seeks to open a casino near La Center, Commissioner Betty Sue Morris said.
"The idea, at least from my standpoint, is to start anew," Commissioner Steve Stuart said.
A spokesman for the Cowlitz said Tuesday that the tribe sees no need to start anew and wants to keep a county-tribe deal struck in 2004.
But Stuart said in an interview Tuesday that he expects the Cowlitz will agree to renegotiate a deal, because if they don't, he and Commissioner Marc Boldt will just let the 2004 deal - and potentially the tribe's plans for a reservation and casino - die in the courts.
"For whatever reason, they want us to appeal," Stuart said. "There comes leverage. ...We have an opportunity to use that leverage to the maximum benefit of the county."
Stuart didn't highlight any particular c oncessions he hopes to win from the tribe.
Under the 2004 deal, the tribe would pay the county an estimated hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, in place of the taxes from which reservations are exempt.
Among other provisions, the tribe would also follow county building codes.
Federal law doesn't require tribes to make agreements with local governments. But in December a federal official called them "highly recommended."
The 2004 deal was nixed in June by a state board that said the county didn't put it through enough public debate.
The county is defending that deal, called a "memorandum of understanding," in the state Court of Appeals.
Phil Harju said Tuesday there's no need for a new deal, and he wasn't sure the tribe would support one.
"Until there is a final court decision, there is an MOU between the county and the tribe," the tribal council member said.
Even if the courts were to kill the 2004 deal, Harju said, the tribal council has passed an "irrevocable" ordinance promising to abide by the terms of the deal.
Still, Harju didn't close the door on the possibility of an entirely new MOU.
"On a government-to-government basis, we're always willing to talk to the county about any agreements that we need," he said. "I'm sure we'll be in discussions with the county."
Commissioner Morris said Tuesday that she wants a new deal because she fears the tribal ordinance alone wouldn't be legally binding if the reservation and casino were approved in the next few months.
"We are essentially unprotected right now," she said. "If all of a sudden this thing should begin to move, lickety-split ...our existing MOU is unenforceable."
Morris said she hadn't heard about Stuart's plan to use the 2004 deal as "leverage."
"That's news to me," she said.
Instead, she said the Cowlitz tribe will probably agree to new negotiations in order to be good neighbors with the county.
Boldt, the third commissioner and the only one who has said he opposes a casino in Clark County, said that if the tribe and the county enter new negotiations, the Cowlitz might offer enough to make him feel comfortable with a gambling site.
"But there's probably more of a chance that they wouldn't," he said.
Update
Previously: Two weeks ago, Clark County's commissioners agreed to keep defending a 2004 deal with the Cowlitz Tribe despite two rulings that it had been made without enough public input.
What's new: On Tuesday, the commissioners said they want to negotiate a new deal as well.
What's next: If the tribe doesn't agree to work out a new deal, Commissioner Steve Stuart said he and Commissioner Marc Boldt would pull the county's support for the 2004 deal. Michael Andersen covers Clark County government. Reach him at 360-735-4508 or michael.andersen@columbian.com.
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  #366  
Old Posted Jan 31, 2008, 7:52 PM
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RiverWalk headed to arbitration


Thursday, January 31, 2008
BY CAMI JONER, Columbian staff writer

The Port of Camas-Washougal and developers of the proposed RiverWalk project will take their disputed contract to legal arbitration, the port's attorney said Wednesday.

Earlier, the two sides had decided on mediation. Arbitration calls for a neutral third party to reach a decision after hearing from both sides of a dispute.

In this case, RiverWalk developers and the port no longer agree on the proposed $350 million project on 65 acres, some of which is port-owned, on the Columbia River waterfront. The port now wants to drop the project.
"We feel that RiverWalk did not meet the contingencies (for the port)," said Shawn MacPherson, port attorney.

He said developers from
RiverWalk on the Columbia LLC failed to create a master plan for the site, which the port reduced to 14.7 acres in November because property acquisitions had not happened as planned.

Private developers rejected the much reduced project size, stating they planned to go forward with developing at least 37 acres owned by the port.
"The contract doesn't entitle any party to make unilateral decisions. That's what the arbitration is about," said John McKibbin of Vancouver, a member of RiverWalk on the Columbia LLC, which includes Mark Benson of Camas.
McKibbin expects the case will be heard by JAMS, a national dispute resolution group based in Walnut Creek, Calif. He said it took the port 30 days to respond to his group's arbitration request.

"Hopefully, things will start to move much quicker now," McKibbin said.



Update

Previously: In 2005, the Port of Camas-Washougal agreed to explore development of 65 acres, some port-owned, on the Columbia River waterfront with a group of private investors. In the past six months, the port has backed away from the proposed RiverWalk and said it would only allow development on 14.7 acres. RiverWalk investors say they have the right to proceed with the original plan.

What's new: The port and developers will take the dispute to arbitration.
What's next: A date will be set for an arbitration hearing.
Cami Joner covers the Port of Camas-Washougal. She can be reached at 360-735-4532 or via e-mail at cami.joner@columbian.com.
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  #367  
Old Posted Jan 31, 2008, 7:53 PM
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I wonder why not they just accept the 14 acres and build the highrises? *straching my head* Or they are just being greedy? *sigh*...
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  #368  
Old Posted Feb 4, 2008, 7:22 PM
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A new vision for waterfront

Sunday, February 03, 2008
Julia Anderson, Columbian business editor
Now that the development ice jam is breaking up on Vancouver's waterfront, let's look ahead to what might happen on the 29-acre former Boise Cascade site.

Last week, we learned of two key agreements. First, the Port of Vancouver made a deal with BNSF Railway and Lafarge Concrete to move a rail spur from the middle of the Boise site. Second, Gramor Development and its investor group said the port's agreement triggered their purchase of the Boise property for $19 million. Both transactions closed last week.
So what happens next? Gramor plans to hold meetings with community, civic and business groups to gather input on what should go on the waterfront property before submitting development plans to the city. The intention is to be in construction in 2010 on what is expected to be between $900 million and $1.2 billion worth of office, retail and residential construction.
Let's face it, the Boise site is a gorgeous piece of property that along with three port-owned acres at the Red Lion Hotel at the Quay is the gateway to Vancouver, Clark County and Washington. Some 100,000 vehicles cross the Interstate 5 Bridge on any given day within sight of the property. Passengers on planes arriving and departing from Portland International Airport get a daily aerial view of the location. There's river and rail traffic. It would be difficult to identify another piece of ground on the West Coast as visible and with such dramatic river views as this one. So what would we like to see at the gateway to our community? Here are some thoughts:
  • Through some partnership the city, the port, Gramor and the folks involved with the Center for the Arts must work to build a public performing arts center on the site. Such a structure would bring community identity to Clark County, give us a long-hoped-for arts facility and provide an iconic "signature" structure on the waterfront symbolizing our economic energy. Think Sydney Opera House, the Louvre Museum, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
  • Gramor must design a mix of residential housing there available to different income groups; Enough housing for at least 3,000 people. As nice as it is, we don't need another Tidewater Cove, but downtown Vancouver does need a lot more people living within a few blocks of Esther Short Park.
  • Something funky. Portland's Pearl District has a bit of funkiness. Let's try for at least as much. That means bringing a diverse mix of businesses to the project. Could McMenamins be enticed to join in the planning? How about a Big Al's bowling center that would draw from all of west Vancouver? How about a movie theater-pub?
  • Something for kids. Provide space for some kind of water-oriented interactive educational facility similar to the Seattle Aquarium. Or, even better, a permanent museum linked to the rich Native American history and culture of this region. We've got Fort Vancouver, Officers Row and Pearson Field. A Native American museum such as the fabulous one in Santa Fe, N.M., would offer rotating exhibits of artifacts and live cultural displays. It would complement what we've got.
Let the Cowlitz Tribe pay for it in exchange for getting their casino near La Center.
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  #369  
Old Posted Feb 7, 2008, 5:18 AM
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Tribe agrees to casino payments in lieu of taxes


Wednesday, February 06, 2008
By JEFFREY MIZE, Columbian staff writer
The Cowlitz Tribe has agreed to make payments in lieu of property taxes to local governments reflecting the full value of its proposed casino complex, not the existing value of the largely vacant land.
That unwritten agreement removes one contentious issue as the county prepares to negotiate a new memorandum of understanding with the tribe for the proposed casino complex west of La Center.
It also means that Clark County and other local governments stand to reap more than $3 million a year for lost property taxes upon completion of a $510 million casino resort.
Rich Lowry, the county's chief civil attorney, told county commissioners Tuesday that he expects to receive a commitment from the tribe for those payments.
Phil Harju, the tribe's casino spokesman, did not attend Tuesday's discussion. Harju, when contacted later, said there is no written agreement, but he confirmed the tribe is willing to make payments for the casino's full value.
"The tribe is always open to discuss issues with the county on a government-to-government basis," he said.
If the tribe wins federal approval to create its initial reservation on the 152-acre site along the west side of Interstate 5, no state or local governments will be able to tax the tribe. However, the tribe can volunteer to make payments in lieu of taxes.
The 2004 memorandum of understanding, or MOU, requires the tribe to compensate the county and other local districts twice a year for property taxes that would be lost if the land is taken off tax rolls. It makes no mention of compensation for the future value of a fully developed site, but Lowry said following Tuesday's discussion that the county always has considered that to be one of the MOU's cornerstones.
A $510 million casino complex, based on current tax rates, would generate more than $3 million a year in payments.
Clark County would get about 42 percent of the money, while Clark County Fire District 12 and the Ridgefield School District would receive 25 percent and 24 percent, respectively. Comparatively small amounts would go to the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District and the Port of Ridgefield.
County officials remain worried that they don't have an MOU or other contract with the tribe.
A state hearings board declared the 2004 county-tribe pact invalid because the county hadn't had enough public debate and participation before adopting it. The county appealed that decision, only to have Thurston County Superior Court Judge Gary Tabor affirm the hearings board's decision in mid-December.
The county is appealing Tabor's ruling at the same time it tries to negotiate a new MOU. Lowry said it likely will take nine to 12 months to get a decision from the Washington Court of Appeals. Commissioners would like to adopt a new agreement before August. Jeffrey Mize can be reached at 360-735-4542 or at jeff.mize@columbian.com.
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  #370  
Old Posted Feb 14, 2008, 3:01 AM
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Vancouver

Please feel free to move this to the correct thread...

Vancouver's Pearl project

Huge development edges closer
Portland Business Journal - by Wendy Culverwell Business Journal staff writer

Gramor Development's efforts to build up the Vancouver waterfront cleared a significant hurdle this month when the developer completed a $19 million purchase of Boise Cascade's former Columbia River property.

The deal secured 29 acres from Boise Cascade and a long-term lease for 3 additional acres from the Port of Vancouver, giving Gramor 32 acres of waterfront real estate on which to build.

Tualatin-based Gramor, which specializes in mixed-used development, envisions a project that extends downtown Vancouver to the edge of the Columbia River. In scale, it will resemble Portland's Pearl District, with buildings of varying heights, an urban pedestrian environment and stores that front sidewalks.

Buildings will likely range from six to as many as 20 stories, with the highest levels reserved for the area farthest from the river. There are no plans for big-box retailers.

Gramor President Barry Cain emphasized it will be built on a human scale.

"This is not South Waterfront," he said.

By mid-2008 Gramor will seek city approval for its master plan. Initial construction could begin as early as 2010 and the total project could take a decade to complete. The effort will likely cost hundreds of millions of dollars. By comparison, Portland's South Waterfront represents a $2 billion-plus investment.

As conceived by Ankrom Moisan Architecture, the Columbia Waterfront neighborhood will have a 200-room hotel on the east end, about 2,500 residential units on the west end and 800,000 square feet of office space, plus restaurants and stores sandwiched in the middle. Plans also call for public spaces, health care facilities and places of worship.

The residential plans call for a mix of units for sale and rent, as well as affordable housing and senior housing. Gramor will build a portion of the project but will likely enlist partners on the housing elements.

Gramor officials say they're not concerned the housing downturn will weaken the overall effort. It's the nature of real estate markets to expand and contract, Cain said.

"And the market for housing has always done that."

The land was used for more than a century for industrial purposes, most recently by Boise Cascade as a paper plant. In 2006, Boise Cascade solicited offers from developers and Gramor submitted the winning bid.

Before the sale closed, Boise Cascade demolished its buildings and cleaned up areas where it found contamination. Today, the property is separated from a neighboring hotel by chain-link fence and consists largely of asphalt and cement.

The deal was no cakewalk, according to Cain and David Copenhaver, Gramor's vice president of development. Both agreed it was one of the most challenging real estate closings they've encountered.

A rail spur serving LaFarge and Albina bisects the property and must be relocated before development can start.

Before Gramor could buy the Boise Cascade property, the port, Boise Cascade and the BSNSF Railway Co. worked out a three-way land exchange that will allow the rail spur to be rebuilt to the north, add more street crossings and set the stage for another rail project to help freight and passenger trains move through the area faster, according to Nelson Holmberg, spokesman for the port.

The stars aligned, Cain said, when local, state and federal officials realized they all had a stake in relocating some railways and upgrading others.

Thanks to state and federal grants, the port is preparing to move the rail spur and new street crossings at Esther and Grant streets.

Gramor formed more than 20 years ago and has completed about 60 retail and mixed-use projects in the Portland area valued at more than $700 million. Columbia Waterfront will be its first project on the water.

Some of its more recent projects are Lake Oswego's Lake View Village, West Linn Central Village and Happy Valley Town Center.

wculverwell@bizjournals.com | 503-219-3415
http://portland.bizjournals.com/port...ml?t=printable
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  #371  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2008, 6:37 AM
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20 stories building? Nice! But I hope it won't be the same as Portland's south waterfront, it's just that I would prefer something different and more match with existing buildings in downtown Vancouver.
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  #372  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2008, 9:08 PM
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I'm fairly certain this wont be close to anything like SoWa.
Quote:
Buildings will likely range from six to as many as 20 stories, with the highest levels reserved for the area farthest from the river. There are no plans for big-box retailers.

Gramor President Barry Cain emphasized it will be built on a human scale.

"This is not South Waterfront," he said.
Although a big box would be to Vancouver scale
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Old Posted Feb 16, 2008, 3:12 AM
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Originally Posted by MarkDaMan View Post
I'm fairly certain this wont be close to anything like SoWa.


Although a big box would be to Vancouver scale
Good then Can't wait to see their design...
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Old Posted Feb 19, 2008, 9:10 PM
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A Hole in the Heart


An empty lot in Vancouver’s downtown beckons development, draws controversy

By Adam Stewart
Block 10 is like a missing tooth in the middle of Vancouver’s vital downtown core.

In stark contrast to the condos, restaurants and banks that surround it, it’s an empty 40,000 square foot blot of land scattered with swirling debris, patches of moss, empty beer cans and bottles, cigarette packs and butts and discarded auto parts. It’s surrounded by a cyclone fence, with barbed wire on top and the north side pushed down. While the growing vibrancy of downtown Vancouver blossoms around it, Block 10 does only one thing: it waits.

Kitty corner to Esther Short Park and surrounded by shops, restaurants, banks and condominiums, it’s prime real estate. Something needs to come along and fill that space and help further the ongoing revitalization of downtown Vancouver. Something, for instance, like a 1500-seat performing arts center—just like the one the Southwest Washington Center for the Arts has been trying to find a home for.

Since its formation in 2003, the Southwest Washington Center for the Arts (SWCA) has been lobbying to build a performing arts center in Vancouver. They have considered several sites, including privately owned riverfront property and the campus of Washington State University Vancouver (WSUV).

Now Block 10 has caught SWCA’s attention.

“I think it’s a shame that we’re the only city in the Pacific Northwest [...] that doesn’t have its own cultural icon,” said Val Ogden, chair of the SWCA.

“Performing arts centers often are real catalysts for growth in the area,” said Arlene Johnson, Executive Director for the SWCA.

The proposed center would be a multi-purpose facility featuring a 1500-seat auditorium that would be open to everything from concerts to weddings, graduations to church functions, lectures to ballet recitals—in short, events for organizations that have been clamoring to reserve space in high school auditoriums and churches all over Vancouver until now.

In addition to the main theater, it would include a black box theater and an art gallery. There would also be two condominium towers for residents and businesses. The profits from rent would go straight into the maintenance of the performing arts center. Realvest Corp., a condominium manufacturer, would be responsible for the building of the facility, and it would donate its profit from the sales of the condominium to the performing arts center. Paul Christensen, owner of Realvest, is a member of SWCA.

Clearly SWCA has got the drive, the contractors, and an excellent shot at raising the money. It would appear as though all they require is the green light.

That might be the tricky part.

As of now, SWCA is working with city planners, trying to put the block on hold for two years. If they succeed, they will spend the time raising the $50 million to build the facility from private investors.

“I don’t think the city’s particularly supportive (of holding Block 10,)” said Jan Bader, program and policy development manager for Vancouver. “We don’t want to lock ourselves into holding that property if some other appropriate use for that space comes up.”

Bader also expressed some concerns about the feasibility of such a project. She said performance venues tend to run in the red and the revenue earned from condo sales cannot be relied upon, especially considering the currently shaky housing market.

In the past, Vancouver has made attempts to fill Block 10 with corporate headquarters for large businesses.

According to a recent preliminary draft of a feasibility report on the performing arts center, the estimated annual operating expenses are expected to be between $1.8 million and $1.9 million. The report stated that about 35 to 50 percent of the funding would be paid by an operation endowment, including the dedicated profit of condo sales. Rental of the facilities and outside donations would also help cover the costs.

“I would love to see (SWCA) be successful and carry this off,” said Bader. “I think there’s just a lot of doubt about the ability to pull this off.”

According to Ogden, such a facility downtown would be worth the effort. “If we want something that’s going to be active and add to the vitality of downtown, an office building doesn’t do it.”

One thing is for sure: there wouldn’t be a shortage of performing arts groups lined up to perform at such a facility. According to Connie Platt, community services coordinator for the Vancouver School District, Vancouver’s small venues are overflowing with arts groups.

“I know that we have many groups that we’re not able to take care of because we’re so overbooked in our three auditoriums,” said Platt.

Platt said Vancouver schools host about 4,000 annual contracts for after-hours use of the buildings. She said the use of school auditoriums is restricted by school hours, and that outside instructional use can be problematic for classrooms. Also, any outside performances would take secondary priority behind school events.

Some groups that would seem on the surface to be a good fit for such a facility include the Washington State Ballet, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, New Blue Parrot Theater, Tears of Joy Puppet Theater and the Christian Youth Center, which at one time performed a production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” for over 1,000 spectators.

Janet Bradley, managing director and co-founder of the Tears of Joy, said that she would love for her organization to become resident performers if a performing arts center is built in Vancouver, and also that her preference would be for the facility to be located downtown.

“If there’s a space that groups can rent and do performances in,” she said, “they can expand their audiences and there will be an explosion of art in Vancouver.”

Functioning mostly in Portland, Tears of Joy once had about a third of their resident performances in Vancouver, mostly at the Columbia Arts Center, which has been closed for nearly ten years. Now only about five percent of their performances are here in town.

But while Bradley would love to bring performances back to Vancouver, she’s unsure of the proposed performing arts center’s capability to fill the 1500-seat theater on a regular basis. Tears of Joy has its eye on the black box theater, but whether it would suit their specific needs will only be clear once the plans for the building have been finalized.

“I would love to be in Vancouver,” said Bradley, “but if my option is a 100-seat black box [...] it just depends.”
Should Block 10 become unavailable, the next most likely candidate for a new performing arts center will be the Washington State University campus in Salmon Creek. The center would be in partnership with the college, which would pay for its upkeep.

“We’re in a wait-and-see mode,” said Bruce Romanish, vice chancellor of academic affairs at WSUV. “[We’ll] explore our level of interest and responsiveness.”

The effort is now in fresh hands. In the next couple of months, much of the original SWCA board will have been replaced. Certain members, including Val Ogden, have nonetheless stayed on to help guide the possible future of the performing arts center.

For now, the fate of Block 10 is still unclear. Some area theatre groups have expressed frustration at the possibility of millions being spent on a new facility at a time when many are struggling to remain profitable. Nonetheless, some sort of major investment in area arts is obviously long overdue. In the meantime, Block 10 remains unutilized, and its barren asphalt and gravel expanse calls out to be put to use.
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Old Posted Feb 19, 2008, 10:50 PM
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it sounds like it would be a good move for vancouver
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Old Posted Feb 25, 2008, 7:25 PM
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Drawing a new downtown

News Article follows listing of projects.....


Vancouver's downtown projects
Downtown Vancouver waterfront

Scope: Redevelopment of 29 acres with multiple buildings to include more than 3,000 residential condo units, a 200-room hotel, mid-rise office buildings and retail space.
Location: West of Interstate 5.
Square footage: More than 3.25 million.
Project cost: $900 million to $1.2 billion.
Developer: Gramor Development Inc. of Tualatin, Ore., and private investors.
Architect: Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects.
Construction: 2010.
The Columbian building

Scope: Six-story office building with street-level retail, four floors for newspaper staff, and two floors for lease.
Location: 415 W. Sixth St.
Size: 118,000 square feet
Cost: $30 million.
Developer: Downtown ­Vitality Partners Inc., Vancouver.
Architect: GBD Architects, Portland.
Timeline: Completed.
Grand Central

Scope: Community shopping center, anchored by Fred Meyer and Columbia Credit Union.
Location: Grand and Columbia House boulevards.
Size: 196,000 square feet.
Cost: $40 million.
Developer: Killian Pacific, Vancouver.
Architect: Tiland/Schmidt Architects PC, Portland.
Timeline: Opening in April.
The Luxe

Scope: Six-story project with retail,, four floors of offices and residential units.
Location: 412 E. 13th St.
Size: 52,000 square feet.
Cost: $17 million.
Developer: Prestige Development, Vancouver.
Architect: Tiland/Schmidt Architects PC, Portland.
Timeline: Construction starts in June.
iQ Credit Union headquarters

Scope: Remodeled building as new headquarters and branch for iQ Credit Union.
Location: 1313 Main St.
Size: 28,000 square feet.
Project cost: $9 million.
Developer: iQ Credit Union, Vancouver.
Architect: EHS Design, Seattle.
Timeline: Demolition has begun with new construction starting in June.
Vancouvercenter South Tower
Scope: A nine-story office building.
Location: Southeast corner of Sixth Street and Broadway.
Size: 110,000 square feet.
Project cost: $30 million.
Developer: Vandevco.
Architect: Otak Inc., Lake Oswego, Ore.
Timeline: Construction this year.

Riverwest

Scope: Mixed-use project with a public library, 100,000 square feet of office space, 17,000 square feet of retail space, 200 condo units, a 65-room hotel and underground parking.
Location: South of Evergreen Boulevard on C Street.
Size: More than 300,000 square feet.
Cost: $160 million.
Developer: Killian Pacific, Vancouver.
Architect: Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects, Portland.
Timeline: Construction starts mid-year with completion in late 2010.
400 Mill Plain Center

Scope: A two-building office complex with ground-floor retail and parking.
Location: West of Interstate 5 on two blocks between Mill Plain Boulevard and West 15th Street.
Size: 152,200 square feet.
Cost: $57 million, including $17 million for five-story building and $40 million for six-story project.
Developer: The Al Angelo Co., Vancouver.
Architect: Wilson Associates AIA, Vancouver.
Timeline: First building to start this year; Second building planned in 2010.
Prestige Plaza

Scope: A six-story building with ground-floor retail and upper floors of more than 100 market-rate apartment units.
Location: 300 E. 13th St., to replace the former Vancouver police station.
Size: 90,000 square feet.
Cost: $30 million.
Developer: Prestige Development, Vancouver.
Architect: Not yet selected.
Timeline: Demolition this year. Construction in 2010.
Murdock Condo development

Scope: Ten floors with up to 126 residential condo units atop the parking facility of the Murdock Building.
Location: 770 C Street.
Cost: Undetermined.
Developer: DevSmart Inc., Woodland Hills, Calif.
Architect: Myhre Group Architects, Portland.
Timeline: None.
Ninth & Daniels building

Scope: Three-story office building for Greenen & Greenen PLC, with ground-floor lobby, retail and parking.
Location: Northeast corner of Ninth and Daniels streets.
Size: 12,000 square feet.
Project cost: $1.75 million.
Developer: Sedona Development, Vancouver.
Architect: Wilson Associates AIA, Vancouver.
Timeline: 2009.
Frontier Building

Scope: Four-story retail-office building.
Location: Block fronting Main and Sixth streets.
Size: 63,000 square feet.
Cost: Undetermined.
Developer: Killian Pacific, Vancouver.
Architect: Not selected.
Timeline: To be announced later this year.
Black Angus redevelopment

Scope: Convert Black Angus restaurant site into three-story office building with parking.
Location: 413 E. 13th St.
Size: 36,000 square feet.
Cost: Undetermined.
Developer: Pioneer Building Co. LLC., Vancouver.
Architect: Glenn Wells Architect, Olympia.
Timeline: 2010.





Sunday, February 24, 2008
By CAMI JONER and JULIA ANDERSON, Columbian staff writer

Want a glimpse of the future? Imagine the silhouette of downtown Vancouver redefined by a surge of new shoreline development where urban dwellers live and visitors linger.

Construction is expected to start in 2010 on the 32-acre former Boise Cascade industrial property, just downriver from the Interstate 5 Bridge. The project, being led by Gramor Development of Tualatin, Ore., is expected to bring a mix of mid-rise condominiums, offices, boutiques and restaurants to the site worth between $900 million and $1.2 billion.

The Boise project, however, is only one component of a powerful second wave of downtown redevelopment. Twelve additional projects worth another $375 million are earmarked for sites in a 150-block downtown radius over the next three years.

Hilton ends first wave

If the completion of the Hilton Vancouver Washington hotel and conference center in 2005 meant the end of a first wave of redevelopment, the second wave is bigger and more significant, say planners and investors.

The new projects — from office buildings to condominium construction — reflect a continuing “shift away from Vancouver’s former resource-based economy to more of a technology and knowledge-based, creative-class economy,” said Eric Holmes, Vancouver’s economic development director.

But it will require more permanent residents, say Holmes and others, to make downtown the 24-hour-a-day activity hub needed to support retailers and restaurants and other urban-service businesses.

“Once the hotel was done people felt like they’d reached a real milestone,” said Steve Burdick, the city’s former economic development manager. “People said, ‘whew, we’re done.’ That’s not accurate, there’s still a lot to be done, particularly with residential.”

Burdick now works for Killian Pacific, the Vancouver development company poised to begin construction this year on Riverwest, a $160 million combination retail, office and residential project that includes a new main library at Evergreen Boulevard and C Street.

Designed with 200 condominiums, Riverwest would jump-start residential growth, said Burdick, who sees other sites where living units also make sense.

“You need a variety of choices,” Burdick said. “The priority has got to be residential.”

Ideally, projects would come on line “one right after another,” he said.

Transportation challenge

In addition to attracting residents, managing downtown traffic and access to the Boise property presents another challenge. Even as planning for the new projects moves ahead, the city is looking for money to help pay the cost of downtown roadwork.

Where will the money come from?

Burdick thinks everyone, the city, the developers, the state and the feds need to step up and pay for street work to serve anywhere from 5,000 to 20,000 additional car trips a day through the downtown sector. That’s how much traffic redevelopment is expected to generate, said Thayer Rorabaugh, Vancouver’s transportation manager. “We’re going to experience some significant congestion,” Rorabaugh said. He linked downtown road work to the ongoing planning for a new Interstate 5 bridge across the Columbia River, a project complicated by needs for new waterfront access routes, a new rail line to the Port of Vancouver and a new mass transit system to serve urban growth.

“It’s all interrelated in a sense,” Rorabaugh said.

$38 million in roadwork

The city is ultimately looking for $38 million to address the traffic and road work needs in the downtown core. An important part of that work is creating access under the BNSF railway berm to the Boise site. The problem is that federal and state resources have dwindled, Rorabaugh said. “Funding is getting more difficult to come by.”

Having said that, Rorabaugh is hopeful that the money will be there.

The city already has scraped together $24 million from developers, city matching funds and the BNSF and needs another $14 million, which it expects to receive in state and federal funding this year.

Design work has begun for two underpasses and realignment of Sixth and Eighth streets.

Meanwhile, Clark County’s public transportation agency, C-Tran, has closed its Seventh Street bus mall leaving a three-block area open for revitalization. The Al Angelo Co. a Vancouver-based real estate and development firm owns the majority of two blocks within the sector. “I would love to see some new retail and maybe a couple of good restaurants there,” said Craig Angelo.

However, before vacant buildings sprout nightclubs, cafes and shops, most stakeholders agree downtown needs more residents. The first wave of redevelopment brought more than 525 housing units on line at Heritage Place, Vancouvercenter and Esther Short Commons.

“But we’re still trying to get to that critical mass” of residents, said Gerald Baugh, the city’s business development director. “We’re basically at the doorstep of that opportunity.”

The door could swing wide open with waterfront construction, said Barry Cain, president of Gramor Development.

Similar to the Portland Pearl District, the Vancouver development “will be an active place,” Cain said. “Its position along the Columbia River will make it unique.”

3,000 living units

Planned to include about 3,000 living units, the Boise project will include a variety of housing, from penthouses to studios and brownstones to high-rises, said David Copenhaver, Gramor vice president. “This is not proposed as an enclave for the wealthy. It will have other uses”

Cain and Copenhaver plan to meet with downtown business owners, residents and educators from Vancouver Public Schools to get a feel for design. “We’re taking the time to develop it the way other people want to see it,” Cain said. He acknowledged that the slower housing market could delay residential construction. “The timing of this development is going to see ups and downs,” Cain said.

The trick for new projects throughout the downtown core is to “time them correctly,” said Roger Qualman, executive vice president of NAI Norris Beggs & Simpson commercial real estate firm.

Others say financially sound development will continue to move forward.

“The fact is, if you’re well qualified and you’re putting an appropriate down payment on the project, you’re not going to have any trouble,” said Tami Nesburg, a senior vice president at Vancouver-based Regents bank.

Though demand for downtown office space has slowed over the last year, Qualman expects development will continue for projects with end users in mind. These include iQ Credit Union’s redevelopment of the city’s former Citizens Service Center into company headquarters and The Al Angelo Co.’s plans to relocate its offices in a new five-story office building on the former Denny’s restaurant site as part of the proposed 400 Mill Plain Center.

And just as potential home buyers have found the mortgage lending climate less friendly, developers of commercial office and retail space will also find stricter requirements.

“The underwriting or quality standards would be more stringent than they were a year ago,” Qualman said.

A blank canvas

Nevertheless, waterfront development alone is poised to generate upwards of $30 million a year in property tax, sales tax, utility, business and occupation taxes, said Holmes, the city’s economic development director.

“That’s based on a whole host of assumptions,” he said. The revenue would be spread among all taxing jurisdictions, including the city, county and state. “It’s a significant piece in our redevelopment planning,” Holmes said. The guidelines started with an $18 million public investment in 30 blocks around Esther Short Park that brought $300 million in private developments such as Heritage Place, Vancouvercenter and the West Coast Bank Building. Holmes sees the 20-block waterfront development as the key piece of the city’s enlarged 150-block redevelopment footprint.

“It’s kind of like a blank canvas, but set up with guidelines,” he said.
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  #377  
Old Posted Feb 25, 2008, 7:56 PM
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Yeah I've read that article just this morning, and glad that most of the projects are going on this year
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Old Posted Mar 5, 2008, 9:41 PM
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[Vancouver] Developer stresses iffyness of Port project

Developer stresses iffyness of Port project
Jobs - Officials OK a deal that might bring a manufacturer to Vancouver
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
ALLAN BRETTMAN
The Oregonian Staff

VANCOUVER -- The Port of Vancouver is one of two U.S. locations being considered by a manufacturer for a project that could yield up to 800 jobs, but a developer Tuesday underscored the uncertainty of Vancouver's chances.

"We don't know that it's going to happen," said Roy Bennion, managing partner of Sutherland Development of Seattle.

The development company has been working on behalf of the manufacturer for about 14 months, exploring construction of a 300,000-square-foot building on land zoned light industrial. The manufacturer's identity is not known, but Port officials say the jobs would pay at least $50,000 a year with benefits.

Port commissioners Tuesday approved an agreement giving Sutherland an option to explore a lease or purchase of 30 to 60 acres near the Port for the unidentified company.

Two of the Port's three commissioners complained that the agreement, which takes effect immediately, doesn't call on the developer to pay any money for the first five months.

"The developer doesn't have any skin in the game," Commissioner Jerry Oliver said. "There's no money out of pocket at the outset."

But Oliver and Commissioner Brian Wolfe, along with Commissioner Nancy Baker, voted for the agreement anyway.

The deal calls for Sutherland to pay $5,000 a month to lease the property beginning Aug. 1. Appraisals would determine the purchase or long-term lease price. The option agreement expires May 26, 2009. It also calls for Sutherland to reveal the manufacturer's identity by Dec. 1.

Bennion did not attend Tuesday's meeting. Afterward, he said by phone that he understood commissioners' desire for more upfront money.

But, "At this point, it just doesn't justify a lot of payments because we don't know that it's going to happen."

The land is on the former Rufener Farm, a 265-acre parcel that the Port paid $5.9 million to purchase in 2004.

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/o...590.xml&coll=7
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Old Posted Mar 13, 2008, 5:49 PM
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Vancouver to mull site for arts center

I'm surprised this is gaining traction. I don't see the fund raising succeeding in Vancouver (especially if the economy continues to decline), but it would be great if it did!

Vancouver to mull site for arts center
Thursday, March 13, 2008
By BRETT OPPEGAARD, for The Columbian

After decades of talk, advocates for a Clark County performing arts center are close to securing a downtown Vancouver site that will enable them to make a serious run at raising the $58 million necessary to build the first phase of the project.

On Monday, the Vancouver City Council will consider freezing development on a block of downtown property, adjacent to Esther Short Park, to give the nonprofit Southwest Washington Center for the Arts two years to amass a majority of the cost.

Plans for the arts facility include a 1,500-seat auditorium, a 250-seat black box theater, an art gallery and the potential for an additional 300-seat rehearsal hall.

The performing arts center will be part of a grander mixed-use development that will feature two towers of condominiums, 11 stories tall or so, and ground-floor retail space that will add another $50 million to the overall bill.

“Now that we have a site, now that it’s something real, we will be in a position to ask people to become part of the team, to make a huge difference in our whole quality of life here,” said Southwest Washington Center for the Arts Chairwoman Val Ogden. “Now we really have to put up, and see if we can do this or not.”

Paul Christensen, who is the arts group’s treasurer and the founder of the development firm Realvest Corp., is offering to manage the project, build the commercial portions of it and donate proceeds from the sale of the condominiums to create an endowment that subsidizes operational costs for the arts organization.

If the city agrees to halt development on the site for two years, the arts group will need to raise 75 percent, or $43.5 million, of the initial development cost to maintain an exclusive option to buy the property.

At this point, the arts group in addition is expecting to pay market rate, or about $1.5 million, for the land. No public money from Vancouver is expected to be used, but Ogden said she plans to apply for assistance from a state program that typically funds such capital improvements.

In anticipation of having an opportunity to secure the downtown block, which is bounded by Washington and Columbia as well as Eighth and Ninth streets, the Southwest Washington Center for the Arts changed its leadership structure a few months ago. It added to its board an attorney,

Steve Horenstein of Vancouver’s Miller Nash law firm, who specializes in land-use planning and permitting as well as property development and financing, and Leslie Durst, one of this area’s most generous arts supporters. Durst donated $1 million in the early 1990s to the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, which named its theater after her father, Royal Durst. She also gave $100,000 to a nonprofit Vancouver company to help establish the Leslie B. Durst Columbia Dance Center and has been involved in many other artistic endeavors locally and regionally, including The Confluence Project, which features work by Maya Lin commemorating the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Vancouver is the largest city in the Northwest without a public arts center, and enthusiasts have been lobbying for years to change that distinction.

The Southwest Washington Center for the Arts originally tried to create a facility in partnership with Clark College, but when that didn’t pan out, the mixed-use development idea for downtown Vancouver arose.

The group’s executive director, Arlene Johnson, said this concept is innovative enough to not have any easily comparable projects on the West Coast.

“It’s unique,” she said, “to mix all three (office, retail and arts spaces).”

Though such a project hasn’t been tried before, city manager Pat McDonnell saw enough potential in the proposal to recommend that the Vancouver City Council consider holding the highly prized property next to Esther Short Park for two years.

Eric Holmes, Vancouver’s economic development director, said he thinks the idea is robust and developed enough at this point to warrant the decision to lock up the acre lot, dubbed Block 10. Holmes said the lingering questions he and others have relate back to money.

“That’s not only about how it will be built initially, but also how it will be maintained in a financially sustainable manner,” he said. “It would add to the richness of the downtown, and it can be a venue that the overall community can be proud of, but the facility has to be financially viable for that to happen.”

Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Ogden said she and her group are excited about the challenge, an opportunity to set a new benchmark for Clark County philanthropy. She’s also delighted with the idea that the group’s full pitch, if approved Monday, will include the vision, the detailed plan and the specific site. As a result, potential donors can imagine where their money will land and how it will sprout.

“I have butterflies,” she said. “We’ve talked to a lot of people who say that the money is here. The question is, will the individuals who control that be interested (in our project)? Will it be their passion? … But there’s only one way to find out. We need to go out and ask.”

http://www.columbian.com/news/localN...rts-center.cfm
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Old Posted Mar 16, 2008, 3:47 PM
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Vancouver council to get first look at Boise Cascade site plan


Update
  • Previously: In late January, Gramor Development and its investors wrapped up their purchase of Columbia River property previously owned by Boise Cascade.
  • What’s new: After occasional briefings, the Vancouver City Council will meet Monday with developers, investors, architects and others who could make the city’s waterfront vision a reality.
  • What’s next: The workshop is from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday at city hall, 210 E. 13th St. CVTV (cable Channel 23) will provide live coverage.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
By Jeffrey Mize, Columbian Staff Writer Time for the big reveal.

For more than a decade, there has been talk of how redeveloping the Boise Cascade industrial site could transform the waterfront and connect downtown to the Columbia River.

This Monday, the Vancouver City Council will meet with those who could make that dream possible.

Council members will spend two hours, from 4 to 6 p.m., with the project’s developers, architects and maybe even some of its local investors.

“It’s a show and tell, and I think we need that,” Mayor Royce Pollard said. “We have had all kinds of talk, and this moves us one step farther.”

Pollard routinely touts the project as a way to create the premier waterfront community on the West’s grandest river.

“We have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to do a great project,” he said. “This is an opportunity most cities would die for.”

Gramor Development, the Tualatin, Ore., company that pieced together the Columbia Waterfront LLC partnership, hasn’t shared much information about its plans for 32.8 acres west of the Interstate 5 Bridge.

During a Feb. 4 council briefing, city officials circulated a rendering depicting a dense riverfront community with 17 buildings.

“This is not like a typical development project,” said Eric Holmes, Vancouver economic development director. “This is an extension of the city’s downtown. And in my mind, we have the benefit of a single developer we can work with to achieve that. It will develop as a series of blocks over a period of years.”

That period is expected to be 15 to 20 years. Holmes believes the first buildings would be ready for occupancy in late 2010 or early 2011, at the earliest.

The project’s design likely will evolve over time, he said. The first building in the revival of Portland’s Pearl District, built more than a decade ago, was a modest six stories, he said.

Today, the Pearl District’s tallest building, The Metropolitan, tops out at 19 stories.

“No one anticipated that type of evolution,” Holmes said.

Monday’s briefing likely won’t get down to the number of floors in individual buildings. Council members will listen and watch as David Hansen of Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects in Seattle walks them through a series of sketches and other materials depicting a project that could represent as much as $1.3 billion in private investment.

The project’s biggest investors — Steve Oliva, Allan Kirkwood, Steven Hansen and George Diamond — also could be on hand for Monday’s discussion, along with engineers, landscape architects and other members of Gramor’s development team.

Said Pollard: “It’s an opportunity for these people to sell us on what they want to do.”

Not that the mayor needs much persuasion. Estimates indicate as many as 2,500 people could work there, not to mention those who would live in up to 3,000 condominiums.

Those numbers have caused Pollard to embrace the project as an “economic engine” that could generate tax revenues to pay for police, fire and transportation.

“The revenue streams created by this project will allow us to do the things we want to do for the rest of our community,” he said. “Not for the downtown, but for the rest of the community.”

There is one big catch: an estimated $27 million for rail improvements, plus another $11.5 million in road projects.

Developers have pledged $8 million toward the $38.5 million package, and BNSF Railway has agreed to contribute $1.7 million. The city hopes to wrangle $7 million from the federal government — Pollard last month went to Washington, D.C., to cajole the area’s congressional delegation — and $5 million from the state.

The Legislature last week approved $910,000 for the project a start in what city officials suspect could be a multiyear endeavor.

The city also has submitted a preliminary application to receive up to $500,000 annually from the state for 25 years through a form of tax increment financing, where tax revenues generated by the project are used to slowly pay off road and rail debt.

City officials believe they have a strong case for state assistance. Their projections indicate the waterfront project would generate $235 million in state and local taxes over 25 years, with 63 percent flowing into state coffers.

Those at city hall have good reason to push for state and federal dollars. Without road and rail improvements, the project won’t be able to achieve the urban densities needed to create a bustling waterfront area.

Earlier this decade, Vancouver fell short of achieving that vibrancy at Tidewater Cove, along the Columbia River between Marine and Wintler parks. The land previously was used by Tidewater Barge Lines, which moved a few miles down river in the early 1990s.

Ray Hickey, who worked his way from deckhand to barge line owner over a 45-year career on the Columbia River, envisioned the area becoming a thriving place for community activity, where people could eat lunch, browse at boutiques, enjoy pleasant afternoons and stroll during summer sunsets.

But neighborhood concerns, poor street access and the necessity of designing a project that could be marketed to buyers and backed by bankers all played a role in Tidewater’s demise from urban center to the low-density but posh residential community that exists today.

Pollard, while being careful not to trash what was built, acknowledged that it fell short of what the city hopes to accomplish at the Boise site.

“Tidewater is a great project, but it didn’t achieve Ray Hickey’s vision,” he said.

Jeffrey Mize covers Vancouver city government and can be reached at 360-735-4542 or jeff.mize@columbian.com.
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