Federal Way/Auburn/Kent Development News

[mhays]

Yeah, cities should just proceed blindly without thought to their futures.

LOTS of ideas sound bad if you don't know about them. That doesn't necessarily mean they're bad.

[RMacherat]

So true. For instance, Bellevue has been studying the wayward shopping cart problem for two years now, weeding out all the bad ideas. More study is needed.

[USAPatriot]

City of Enumclaw unveils logo
By KEVIN HANSON
Enumclaw Courier Herald
AJM STUDIOS.NET Northwest Development News Center

Jul 07 2009, 9:01 AM

(Possibly Enumclaw's final new city logo.)

ENUMCLAW- The sometimes-rocky effort to choose an official logo for the city of Enumclaw appears to be nearing its conclusion.

The Branding Leadership Team, an ad-hoc group charged with recommending a final design to the City Council, did some final tweaking July 1. Group members now have a design they’re happy with and the design will rest in the hands of the council, which is expected to act on the logo Monday night.

The logo first came to light as just one element of a larger “branding” effort for the city, a series of recommendations by a professional consultant aimed at positioning Enumclaw as a worthy destination for tourists’ dollars. The big picture identifies Enumclaw as an equestrian-friendly community, home to any number of events for the horse crowd. At the heart of the matter is the hoped-for conversion of the Enumclaw Expo Center into a top-notch equestrian facility.

Along the way the logo became something of a lightning-rod issue. The consultant recommended that the logo not be shared until the entire branding plan could be unveiled, a move that sparked two separate actions. First, a rendition of the logo was shared with a limited number of people and the reaction was not universally liked; in particular, some criticized the lack of a mountain in the drawing. The consultant argued that many communities have access to Mount Rainier and that Enumclaw is not unique in its proximity to the dominant landmark.

The original logo consisted of a horse and buggy in front of a barn and silo.

Also, the logo became political fodder when a city councilman alleged that Mayor John Wise violated the intent of the state’s open government provisions be keeping the logo under wraps.

An eventual offshoot of the wrangling was formation of the Branding Leadership Team.

The seven-member group determined that a logo for Enumclaw should include some reference to Mount Rainier. Also, it was determined that inclusion of a horse should wait until Enumclaw can develop an equestrian center – a proposal that carries a price tag well into the millions.

During their July 1 meeting, BLT members tinkered with the design of a barn door and arrived with a design consisting of a barn and silo in the foreground, with the sillouette of the mountain behind. The mountain and words “Enumclaw, Washington” are in olive green with the barn and silo in a shade of red.

Making up the Branding Leadership Team are Wise, councilmembers Liz Reynolds and Rich Elfers, Enumclaw Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cathy Rigg, Bill DuBray of the city’s Design Review Board, Nancy Free of the Equestrian Advisory Board and Robin Buckingham of the Mount Rainier Independent Business Alliance.

Enumclaw Courier Herald Editor, Editor Kevin Hanson can be reached at khanson@courierherald.com or 360-802-8205.

[USAPatriot]

Bringing a manufacturing/industrial center to Sumner
Avani Nadkarni / The Puyallup Herald
Published: July 22nd, 2009 06:01 AM
AJM STUDIOS.NET Northwest Development News Center


(Sumner, Washington. AJM STUDIOS Northwest Photo Journey Photo.)

SUMNER- The general consensus of both Sumner city staff and council members is simple: Sumner is growing whether it is liked or not, so try to benefit from the growth.

With that in mind, six out of the seven council members voted to approve beginning discussions with Pierce County to work toward designating the industrial areas in Sumner and Pacific as an Manufacturing/Industrial Center (MIC) by the Puget Sound Regional Council. This designation would allow Sumner to receive more transportation funds from the regional council.

About a year ago, the two cities teamed up to conduct a study to see if the 2,100-acre industrial area, which lies between both cities, would meet the requirements for an MIC designation, which it did.

“The growth is coming to Sumner, whether we’re MIC designated or not,” Sumner Senior Planner Ryan Windish said. “The benefit of (the designation) is that we’ll have more access to funds.”
About $120,000 of Puget Sound Regional Council funds are reserved solely for cities with designations like MIC, Windish said. By not working to designate the area, Sumner would miss out on a chance to get that money to fund projects such as the Stewart Road expansion.

Councilmember Matt Richardson, Sumner City Council’s delegate for the Pierce County Regional Council, was the only member to speak out against the MIC designation.

“I will not put my name on (this),” Richardson stated firmly. “Right now, (growth) is tolerable because it’s going at a certain pace with a certain type of clientele. That’s the difference.”

While the majority of the council members agreed to continue discussions, the MIC plan is far from a sure thing. City staff still needs to bring a formal proposal to the council to amend the Comprehensive Plan to be able to designate the area an MIC and then the proposal must go to the county and regional levels.

[Ryan90]

Some new mid-rises under-way in Federal Way. Hopefully more new construction on the way!!


These look like apartments, but I am not entirely sure:
[IMG]http://i26.************/2w57nt5.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i32.************/kcgcvp.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i25.************/15otqab.jpg[/IMG]

Also, an area near the Courtyard has been fenced off and is being cleared out for a new Hampton Inn & Suites. (Sorry for the blurry pics, I was driving):
[IMG]http://i28.************/5ph4yr.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i32.************/2nknzg6.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i25.************/rbcnig.jpg[/IMG]

[CrazyAboutCities]

Great updates! Thanks for sharing!

By the way, welcome to SSC!

[Ryan90]

Thanks!! Still trying to figure things out.

[alexjonlin]

I see the first one has the Federal Way Transit Center in the background; is the Hampton Inn next to the Transit Center as well? And anyone have any updates on the Federal Way Symphony project? I hope that area can become a dense urban transit-oriented center once we get out of this recession!

[Ryan90]

It's a few blocks away, but within walking distance of the transit center. The Hampton is being built right off of I-5 right next to the Courtyard Mariott Hotel (which is the tallest building you see in Federal Way from I-5)

Last I heard the Symphony project had until September 2009 to go forward with the project or the city would find someone else. And it is now Sept. 1st, so we'll see if anything gets released in the next few days/weeks.

[Ryan90]

Council still holds out hope for big high-rise project
By JACINDA HOWARD
Federal Way Mirror Reporter
Aug 28 2009, 10:51 AM · UPDATED



The city council, on Aug. 25, unanimously rejected a proposal by Canadian developer United Properties Ltd. to set aside the much-anticipated Symphony high-rise project and instead construct a performing arts and cultural center on the former AMC Theatre site.

In 2008, United asked the council for an additional year to anchor finances for the Symphony project. The tough economy was blamed for the delay. The developer agreed to pay the city $150,000, plus interest, to cover escrow costs and hold the land until construction began or the current contract expires, Sept. 11. Construction has yet to start.

A letter, dated Aug. 14, to the council from United Properties introduced the new public-private partnership proposal. United’s request: give the developer until Feb. 11 and it will redesign its concept for the property, replacing Symphony with a PACC, open space and possibly associated development. The council faced a two-pronged decision: whether to extend United Properties’ contract and whether to scrap the Symphony project in favor of a performance hall at the site, 31600 20th Ave. S.

“I beleive (sic) our company understands the site conditions more than any other development company and to start fresh with a new company will involve a learning curve that will delay the project. I hope council will allow us the opertunity (sic) to continue to work with the city to complete the project development,” Setton wrote in response to economic development director Patrick’s Doherty’s Aug. 25 e-mail asking Setton if he had additional materials to present to the city council for Tuesday’s discussion.

The City has already garnered legislative money toward preliminary work on a PACC and the project could qualify for other sources of funding.

The council has not committed to erecting the center on the AMC site if Symphony were to fall through. Setton did not return phone calls for comment on his company’s proposal.

“This letter is premature and ahead of us as a council,” Mayor Jack Dovey said.


Years in the making:

Symphony, a $235 million mixed-use project of four towers containing office, retail and residential space surrounding a one-acre park, has been planned for the site since late 2007. The city council approved selling the 4.1 acres for $6.156 million to the developer under the agreement it would take on the project. Construction of the first phase — a 16-story building — was scheduled to begin summer 2008, with an 18-month timeline. Symphony Park was planned for a late 2009/early 2010 completion date. All four towers, measuring 16, 20, 22 and 24 stories, were expected to be finished by 2014.

Tuesday’s special meeting, announced Aug. 21, was meant to determine the future of the prime real estate. Setton was not in attendance.


Opposing viewpoints:

Setton’s absence and his short e-mail prompted strong words and disagreements among council members Jim Ferrell and Dini Duclos. Ferrell, who originally voted against choosing United Properties as the developer for the site, demonstrated his desire to let the current contract expire.

“If I were Mr. Setton and there (was) $200 million sitting on the table, I’d be here talking to us,” Ferrell said.

Ferrell also appeared irritated with Setton’s multiple spelling errors in his e-mail to Doherty.

“He didn’t even take the time to read the e-mail after he wrote it,” Ferrell said. “This tells me, circumstantially, he’s not interested.”

Duclos countered. Setton could not control the economy and should not be blamed for his struggles in financing the Symphony project, she said.

“I’m sorry Jim, I’m not reading all the sinister things into this,” Duclos said. “I’ve thought (Setton’s) always acted, to me, in good faith.”

A 40-minute mid-meeting executive session was called to discuss the legal ramifications involved in United’s new proposal. The council’s vote followed the confidential session. If United fails to meet its contract agreement, the city will keep the $150,000 and the council will be free to do what it wishes with the property. The council showed an interest in speaking with Setton about future development opportunities, including that of a PACC, after United’s contract expires.

[Ryan90]

Auburn has got an interesting downtown redevelopment plan. It seems very pedestrian-friendly and looks like it will be visually appealing as well:

http://www.auburnjunction.com/Docs/A...24.08FINAL.pdf

[RMacherat]

Sounds like a bunch of people in way over their heads. And there ain't no $200 million sitting on anybody's table these days

[mhays]

To build anything during a recovery, you've got to plan during the down period.

[Ryan90]

Nov 07 2009

Canadian developer United Properties Ltd., on Nov. 3, was given its third extension of a purchase and sale agreement on property slated for the downtown mixed-use Symphony project.

In a unanimous vote, the Federal Way City Council granted the company and its South Korean counterpart, Lander Korus, until the end of the year to secure financing and proceed in purchasing the 4.1-acre former AMC theatre site, 31600 20th Ave. S. The developers are currently working to finalize negotiations with two to three South Korean investors.

"Dealing with overseas investors, it takes some time, given the 17-hour time difference," said Federal Way resident and Lander Korus representative Wayne Choe.

The approximately $235 million Symphony endeavor has been scheduled since late 2007. In September, the council gave United and Lander Korus until Nov. 4 to land the investors necessary to get the project off the ground. However, more time is needed, United Properties president Victor Setton said.

"Unfortunately, the seven weeks granted initially was just not enough time to deal with investors internationally," Setton said.

Lander Korus, on behalf of United Properties, agreed to pay $23,836 to the city for carrying costs associated with the extension. This is equivalent to $410.96 plus interest per day until Dec. 31.

If the purchase and sale agreement is completed before this date, the city will refund Lander Korus the appropriate amount. These carrying costs and accrued interest are in addition to the $150,000 United Properties agreed to pay the city following the first extension of the purchase and sale agreement.

The most recent extension to the purchase and sale agreement will not change the city's $6.156 million asking price for the property. Though the project has taken much more time than expected to gather speed, the council members had very few comments or questions for Setton and Choe preceding their vote.

"We look forward to working very closely with you," mayor Jack Dovey said.

[RMacherat]

Is there more to this story? Does the city have an alternative project which is being held off by these delays, and that's the reason they keep charging this developer fees and penalties?

P.S. If he just stayed up a wee bit later in the evening, it would only be a seven-hour time difference. Somebody should probably tell him.

[CityView Jim]

Originally Posted by RMacherat

Is there more to this story? Does the city have an alternative project which is being held off by these delays, and that's the reason they keep charging this developer fees and penalties?

P.S. If he just stayed up a wee bit later in the evening, it would only be a seven-hour time difference. Somebody should probably tell him.

Not if it's Friday and the weekend is upon us. Their weekend comes 17 hours sooner, that is.

[JacobR]

Dash Point's Metropolitan Market will close at year's end

Posted By John Gillie on November 24, 2009 at 12:39 pm

Metropolitan Market will close its Dash Point store Dec. 31, the upscale supermarket chain has announced.

The store at South 312th Street and Dash Point Road is the least successful of the Seattle-based chain's seven stores, the company said.

Opened in 2004, the Dash Point market has not met its sales targets over the last five years, the company said.

The 65 employees at the Dash Point store have been offered jobs at other Metropolitan Market locations. The company is opening a new store in Kirkland next year. The nearest Metropolitan Market to the closing store is in Tacoma's Proctor shopping district.

The market was the anchor of the small shopping center, Dash Point Village.

[Ryan90]

Originally Posted by RMacherat

Is there more to this story? Does the city have an alternative project which is being held off by these delays, and that's the reason they keep charging this developer fees and penalties?

P.S. If he just stayed up a wee bit later in the evening, it would only be a seven-hour time difference. Somebody should probably tell him.

I haven't heard anything about an alternative project. But the city might be keeping their options opened for another project if the current project doesn't go through (hence the reason for the charges). But I am just speculatng.

[alexjonlin]

I'm really excited for this project! It's great to have good quality, transit-oriented edge city development like this. Maybe they can put in the final contract that the developer can wait until light rail is coming to Federal Way TC before embarking on the project.

[rj2uman]

Not that I don't want this to happen but I just don't think that it will happen. http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/l...y/1073513.html