Vancouver and Clark County

[360Rich]

Here are a couple of shots I took yesterday of the block where the development will be. It's currently an auto dealership.

Facing East, with I-5 in the background (same view as the renderings).


Kiggins House and others along the north edge of the block

[mcbaby]

Originally Posted by 360Rich

Vancouver fumbles rule in site cleanup


Not only that, but several buildings have been leveled without so much as a look to see whether they may be worth preserving -- as a city-funded consultant recommended earlier this year. Two of those buildings were nearly a century old.

that's really dissapointing. so many historic structures are being sacrificed in a hurry to make money.

[urbanlife]

I wonder what they tore down....I was under the impression that is was mostly metal warehouses that was in that area.

[CouvScott]

Opinion - Freeway canyon: Put a lid on it

Wednesday, October 4, 2006
TOM KOENNINGER editor emeritus of The Columbian Advertisement

An ugly "wound" that has festered for a half-century in downtown Vancouver can be healed, and the community ought to jump at the opportunity. It is the Interstate 5 canyon, created by construction of the interstate freeway in the 1950s.

The route splits Vancouver east and west, symbolically separating downtown from Clark College, Hudson's Bay High School, the Fort Vancouver Regional Library, the Clark Public Utilities building and the Vancouver National Historic Reserve.

Now, a chance to correct the ugly gash through the downtown area arises with construction of a new I-5 Columbia River bridge, and reconfiguration of the freeway and exit and access ramps. Construction could start in 2009.

It would be well to cap the freeway along several sections of the city all the way from the river to the 39th Street interchange, but that does not appear feasible.

Within reach, if sufficient public pressure is applied, would be capping the freeway from Seventh Street to Evergreen Boulevard.

Seattle where a Freeway Park and convention center have been built over the I-5 freeway offers a prime model for turning a downtown concrete channel into something of functional beauty.

Franklin Green, assistant engineering design manager for the Columbia River Crossing project, said the city has asked the Crossing staff to look at capping part of the freeway. Green said the staff will take a "technical look" at capping.

Enthusiastic support for a downtown freeway lid surfaced last week from George (Bing) Sheldon, chairman of SERA Architects of Portland, once described as the "patriarch of Portland design and planning."

Sheldon, a board member of the Vancouver National Historic Reserve Trust, was attending a presentation of bridge construction options to the board. Doug Ficco, director of the Columbia Crossing project, and Lynn Rust, engineering design manager, also participated. The Trust is concerned that one of 12 bridge construction alternatives would chop off a portion of the historic 1909 hospital on the east side of the freeway.

Option 9 calls for the widened freeway to take land from one side or the other, and sometimes both sides. Sheldon suggested a cover. The hospital site is opposite Killian property on the west side that could be affected.

Linking east to west

Interviewed after the Trust meeting, Sheldon said the lid could offer easy access to a restaurant or shops as the Reserve grows from 1 million visitors a year to 2 or 3 million.

A pedestrian walkway over the freeway to the Reserve at Seventh Street has been planned for years. The extended lid would mean much more linkage east and west in a community sense.

Public input is especially important now because the 12 alternatives, which include bridge construction and the network of interchanges access and exit ramps will be narrowed to two to four final alternatives by the end of the year. Those will be scrutinized and a draft environmental impact statement issued early 2008, according to the Columbia Crossing schedule. Project information is available and comments may be made through the Web site, www.Columbia RiverCrossing.org. Speakers can be arranged by calling 360-737-2726.

Capping a portion of I-5 would be a small part of the complex Columbia River bridge project, which has an estimated price tag of $1 billion to $2 billion. Forty-six years ago, the cost of building a twin Interstate 5 span, and adding a matching "hump" to the 1917 bridge, was financed by $14.5 million in bonds, according to Columbian archives. The elevated hump allows barges and other types of vessels to pass under the spans without interrupting traffic.

Tolls, imposed Jan. 10, 1960, paid for the bonds. The cost per passenger car was 20 cents, but commuter tokens cut it to 15 cents. For those worried history might repeat itself, tolls ended Nov. 1, 1966, four years earlier than forecast.

Opened Feb. 14, 1917, the original I-5 span cost $941,000. The new bridge is supposed to last 100 years. That's close to permanent. The downtown "canyon" has existed for 50 years. Let's not wait another 100 to put a lid on it.

[Dougall5505]

tell these people to talk to portland about capping 405

[zilfondel]

Naa, just wait until they see the pricetag.

[mcbaby]

Originally Posted by Dougall5505

tell these people to talk to portland about capping 405

I agree! Portland and Vancouver should share notes on this one.

[CouvScott]

Thursday, October 05, 2006
ALLAN BRETTMAN
VANCOUVER -- Three preservation agencies asked the city Wednesday to put the brakes on demolition at the Boise Cascade site until a historical review could be compiled on the former mill's structures.

But the preservationists may be too late.

Several buildings already were leveled or severely damaged before the city told the demolition contractor on Sept. 13 to stop. The city took the extraordinary action because a demolition permit was issued Aug. 2 without conducting a state-mandated environmental review.

Public comment for the 14-day review, which started Sept. 20, ended at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

However, brick walls on at least one of the buildings were leveled last week, during the moratorium. A spokesman for the demolition contractor said a city official approved the action for safety reasons.

Nevertheless, three preservation agencies still saw an opportunity to save some Vancouver history.

"With the loss of the Kaiser Shipyards, Lucky (Lager) Brewery and the Hidden Brick Factory, a significant portion of Vancouver's industrial past has already disappeared," wrote Greg Griffith, of the state Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. "The Boise Cascade complex may represent a good, and perhaps vanishing, opportunity for Vancouver to creatively adapt historic industrial buildings as a magnet for new uses."

A developer announced Aug. 1 -- the day before a demolition permit was issued -- plans to purchase the 29-acre former mill site. The developer has said housing, offices, stores, restaurants and public space are planned.

Chris Moore of the nonprofit Washington Trust for Historic Preservation wrote that the city should "take this opportunity to identify, evaluate, record and inventory the entire Boise Cascade Complex, including those buildings already demolished."

Also, Rob Freed, chairman of the Clark County Historic Preservation Commission, notes that archaeological artifacts might be close to the soil surface.

[CouvScott]

History - The loss of structures from Vancouver's industrial past worries some
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
ALLAN BRETTMAN
VANCOUVER -- Demolition at the former Boise Cascade mill site is expected to resume as early as Thursday.

Company, preservation and city officials met at the site Tuesday morning to discuss what steps need to be taken before demolition takes up where it ended late last month.

City officials halted the demolition after finding that an environmental review had not been conducted before a demolition permit was issued Aug. 2.

Later on Tuesday, Boise officials hired Archaeological Investigations Northwest, Inc., to photograph remaining structures at the 29-acre site, said Jon Wagner of the city's Development Review Services.

Those photos and archival company photos will be filed with the state Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, Wagner said.

Once that information is submitted, demolition can resume, he said.

Last week, three preservation agencies asked the city to stop the demolition until a historical review could be compiled on the former mill's structures. Public comment on the environmental review of the project ended last week.

By the time the demolition was halted, however, several buildings had already been leveled. The demolished structures included two buildings that may have stood since a pulp mill operated on the site in the 1920s.

Preservationists saw an opportunity to save part of Vancouver's industrial past.

"With the loss of the Kaiser Shipyards, Lucky (Lager) Brewery and the Hidden Brick Factory, a significant portion of Vancouver's industrial past has already disappeared," wrote Greg Griffith of the state Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. "The Boise Cascade complex may represent a good, and perhaps vanishing, opportunity for Vancouver to creatively adapt historic industrial buildings as a magnet for new uses."

Also, Rob Freed, chairman of the Clark County Historic Preservation Commission, recommended that an architectural historian compile an inventory of the Boise buildings -- the step that Boise plans to take.

Griffith and Freed were among those who toured the site Tuesday.

Wagner said the investigation will focus on above-ground structures only.

A separate archaeological survey may take place at a later date.

On Aug. 1, a group of Clark County investors, led by Gramor Development of Tualatin, announced an agreement with Boise to purchase the mill property. A closing is expected before year's end. A sale price has not been announced.

[Touray]

Originally Posted by mcbaby

that's really dissapointing. so many historic structures are being sacrificed in a hurry to make money.

who cares destroy em

[mcbaby]

Originally Posted by Touray

who cares destroy em

speak for yourself

[360Rich]

Paper Mill Demolition Grinds On

Thursday, November 02, 2006
COURTNEY SHERWOOD Columbian staff writer

At least 20,000 tons of concrete, steel, wood and other debris will be hauled away from downtown Vancouver's waterfront by the end of the month, crews in charge of the project said Wednesday.

The work is part of the ongoing demolition of the retired Boise Cascade paper mill.

"Roughly 80 percent of all materials will be recycled," said John Pingel, project manager with Eugene, Ore.-based Staton Co., which is doing the tear-down.

The remaining 20 percent will be hauled to a landfill in Hillsboro, Ore., said Boise spokesman Mike Moser, who predicted work should be done on schedule by December.

Crews briefly halted work on the 29-acre Boise Cascade waterfront site at the start of October because of a permitting oversight.

With proper paperwork now procured, Staton Co. is back on schedule.

Once the land is cleared, a private partnership of investors led by Gramor Development of Tualatin, Ore. hopes to transform the industrial land into a mix of homes, offices, stores and public spaces.

The sale won't close until the land is cleared. Investors haven't revealed terms of the sale transaction. Real estate experts estimated the site would be valued at approximately $25 million.



http://www.columbian.com/news/localN...6news72768.cfm

[mcbaby]

on that note, vancouver should take note from vancouver b.c. and get the developers to build some parks and maybe help pay to get light rail over the river.

[PuyoPiyo]

When I was driving on the I-14 toward west, where goes to the Vancouver WA's Skyline, and I notice there's construction, my dad was there with me in the car. I saw the sign says it would be the bridge. I wonder where the bridge from that construction on I-14 go? My dad told me that it will go connect with the Interstate Bridge, I doubt it..

[CouvScott]

PuyoPiyo, that construction is part of the Lewis and Clark confluence art projects. They are connecting the Vancouver waterfront near Who Song's and Joe's Crab Shack to the fort and central park via a land bridge. The bridge will be 40' wide and covered in natural landscape and wildflowers to try to make HWY 14 disappear when you are on it. It was designed by a NY architect Mia Lynn (I believe that is her name).

[PuyoPiyo]

Originally Posted by CouvScott

PuyoPiyo, that construction is part of the Lewis and Clark confluence art projects. They are connecting the Vancouver waterfront near Who Song's and Joe's Crab Shack to the fort and central park via a land bridge. The bridge will be 40' wide and covered in natural landscape and wildflowers to try to make HWY 14 disappear when you are on it. It was designed by a NY architect Mia Lynn (I believe that is her name).

MMM Bridge by a architect? Will it be some of design or just plain concrete bridge?

[PuyoPiyo]

Found about that bridge.

http://www.confluenceproject.org/pro...ort_vancouver/

[CouvScott]

Nice find. I hadn't seen a picture of it until now.

[PuyoPiyo]

^ Thanks ^_^

[westsider]

It sure would be nice to have another honest-to-god downtown in the area.