Columbia West Renaissance Area

[Chief]

First, here is the link to the City Center Visioning Plan...

http://www.cityofvancouver.us/VCCV.asp

I swear I am not making that up. Here is a link to the map that defines that area, formerly known as the Boise Cascade papermill site...

http://www.cityofvancouver.us/vccv/subareasmap.htm

Here is another...

http://www.vbjusa.com/stories/2006-03-17/downtown_on_a_shoestring.html

Downtown on a shoestring

**SNIP**

[SIZE="4"]For the Esther Short Plan, the city used a limited number of existing economic development tools to spark revitalization, and each of the projects used at least one of these tools to become a reality; most used several. The combination varied according to the purpose and needs of a given project. Most benefited from expedited permitting.

Several of the new projects in and around the downtown core have a housing component – Heritage Place, Esther Short Commons, the West Coast Bank building, Vancouvercenter and Anthem Park. Some benefited from tax abatement or from housing tax credits. Projects in downtown Vancouver that involve constructing, rehabilitating or redeveloping multi-family homes can be exempted from property taxes by the city for up to 10 years. Public improvements, such as new parking, also can help new projects.



So, since the City has already authorized tax abatements for this area, why should we not believe they will be granted??

Many thanks to WB for his research on this...

[karma]

And the Planes won't fly over this area???

Is anyone talking about clean up yet????????

[Waterbuffalo]

Thank me? thank Karma for passing on the vindictive research gene?

All I did was pass google some most favored Search Engine Optimization information? Aka words... My favorite as "Vancouver Washington Tax abatement" There were many hundreds of thousands of options to search on.

But alas, I didn't really do any thing? :-p

You know Chief, that was just 3 hours of web searching. You would think the City would hide such information a lot better in double speak and confoundry then let a search engine like google be able to convert from a PDF file into text via Optical Character Recognition software..

hmmm.... :-)

[Chief]

I really do appreciate the research on this WB, the past couple of days have been interesting here, and the time I have to devote to the research was limited.

It's all in the City Center Visioning Plan, and that's the City's blueprint for what the Boise site is supposed to look like. It's an interesting read, especially when it gets down to specifying what kind of streetlights, benches, curbs, landscaping, and that kind of thing that the site will provide. That is where the next enormous cost of this project is buried, but we aren't to that point yet.

The plan is to get the underpasses built, and then unveil the next phase and it's costs. Since we've spent so much money already, how can we stop now??

[Waterbuffalo]

Chief, with the amount of local and regional business interests that are tied up in the project, I doubt there is going to be ANY stoppage of this project. Does not matter how much is spent. Its a Light Rail train that can't easily be derailed.

Now that the Port, BNSF, state, federal, regional and local entities, I highly agree with you that this is a freight train that probably will go through and some one is going to pay for it in some form that is a huger amount than the Hilton was.

If you look back at some of the links I have seen Chief, this goes back to near 1998-99, so this isn't a new rodeo they're playing with.

[Chief]

Understand WB, that parts of this process are underway right now.

If you watch the Port of Vancouver meeting video from Tuesday, and the LIFT presentation they gave to the Commissioners, Eric spoke about the narrow construction window that the railroad is imposing on the City to get this project done. The West Vancouver Freight Access Project and the Vancouver Rail Bypass Project are being worked in different phases this year, and the window for the City to get their underpasses built is within there someplace.

In other words, the City has to jump on the financing for this, or lose the construction window that BNSF is imposing on them; which explains why the bad-mouthing of the railroad is ongoing. The bottom line is that the railroad will not permit indefinite dicking around under that berm by anyone, much less the City of Vancouver. The railroad wants all of the work done all at once, and that makes perfect sense.

[Waterbuffalo]

Now THAT makes sense....

Because BNSF owns that Right-of-Way and has to maintain it, they're the one who controls what can be done around it or near it.

So this means that the City is going to have to find some way of finding financing and getting this part of the project done. The rest of the project can sit idling a little bit in process while this part gets done with full brovado and steam.

Will be interested on the first of June or July when the DEIS is done and closed, we can both put our full attention on subject as its going to be one of the biggest on the west side of Vancouver..

May not be the biggest in Clark County though.. (IMO.. Columbia Tech Center ands surround areas to the NorthEast of it have to be 10x larger in land size than this one and financial draw.)

[Chief]

The other tidbit is that the LIFT Program expires this year, and if the City doesn't get their application in by the 30th of June, there will not be another opportunity. That's why the hard push for the Port of Vancouver to sign on to this as an effective co-signer for the City.

ddrrii

[Waterbuffalo]

So here is WHERE the rubber hits the pavement.. Did not know that the City is lining its ducks in a row with light saber speed (for government that is.) to get this out the door before the deadline.

This may be the last opportunity unless the state legislature reauthorizes this piece of Legislation (and makes it permanent?) for them to be able to get this through?

So they're going through all of the public disclosures and commentary periods as fast as they can? (Even with partner agencies?)

Nice.. I'll be awatchin'.....

[Chief]

No WB, the program sunsets permanently this year. This will be the last 25 year grant that the State awards, and this program is over permanently.

That is not to say that the State won't come up with a new one later...

This really is a last-ditch effort...

[Waterbuffalo]

For those of you who would LIKE to know more about what might be planned for the Boise Cascade/Gramor Project, please watch this video on the subject by our friends over at Identity Clark County and see for yourself.

http://www.cityofvancouver.us/cvtv/cvtvarchive2/Community_Events/2008_Events/Identity_Clark_County_Annual_Meeting_of_Investors_ and_Guests_5-13-08.wmv

[Chief]

bumping...

In a nutshell, this thread explains all of my concerns about the City's LIFT application, and why it is such a horrible idea for the Port of Vancouver to get involved with it.

My wife came up with a great analogy about this...

Your Nephew twice removed shows up one day and asks you to co-sign a note for a 1973 TransAm that he can get for only $12,000. You do some checking and find out that he has already given away the engine and transmission, so the car cannot even run, but he says he will fix it and only use your money "if needed".

Would you sign??

Developing...

rcrn

[DArch1]

bumping...

In a nutshell, this thread explains all of my concerns about the City's LIFT application, and why it is such a horrible idea for the Port of Vancouver to get involved with it.

My wife came up with a great analogy about this...

Your Nephew twice removed shows up one day and asks you to co-sign a note for a 1973 TransAm that he can get for only $12,000. You do some checking and find out that he has already given away the engine and transmission, so the car cannot even run, but he says he will fix it and only use your money "if needed".

Would you sign??

Developing...

rcrn

Maybe...if it was the TransAm driven in the original Smokey and the Bandit...mmmmaybe not.

What is one person's garbage is another person's treasure.