Too many small bits of insufficient moment for a full post! (Plus, lots of it'll make you cranky - but there are a couple of bits of sunshine in here...)
The paper's helpfully posted
the slide deck and
handout brochure from the Commercial Real Estate Economic Forum at the Conference Center yesterday.
It's really interesting to see how the presenters at the forum frame stuff and what they comment on.
One tidbit that was especially interesting is more on the Boise project. The other parcel north of the creek apparently has substantive plans and at least one actual tenant.
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| Movement on Phase II at Boise! |
Apparently
Marquis Acute Care Rehabilitation is going to put in a clinic here.
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| CB|Two is doing this clinic apparently |
It's a low-rise strip office building behind a parking lot, though. Kinda reminds me of
Vista Place. CB|Two has been developing concepts for Marquis in
Newberg and
Tualatin as well. At any rate, it's another thing on the surburban model rather than the urban mode fronting the sidewalk. It'll be interesting to see what they do about traffic - if the right-in, right-out driveway remains or they try to do something else.
But is this the kind of tenant and development that will draw people to want to live in the condos in the Boise shell? This doesn't exactly scream, "downtown living!"
In less detail is a 4-story office block on the east-most (bottom) part of the lot.
In the commercial real estate development update part of the presentation, it's amazing what passes for good product.
One noteworthy item is that there's plans for a VA clinic next to
the Social Security Office. I'm sure that Veterans who use wheelchairs or who might be missing limbs or have other disabilities will just love the lack of sidewalks and transit. (For more, see the
Esquire piece on the way we treat Veterans.)
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| VA Medical Clinic on McGilchrist and no sidewalks or transit! |
Love the love for strip malls and fast food. It's especially great that a remodeled Micky-Dee's is a year-end highlight.
#smalltown.
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| Strip Malls in 2012 |
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| More Strip Mall and Chains in 2012 |
How about more of this?! (Though it's also amusing that you'd call Courthouse Square a "redevelopment" project instead of "abatement" or "recovery" or "calamity.")
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| Local Business and Re-use in 2013! |
Over the weekend, saw an ODOT house for sale in Englewood. But in a move that would surprise no one, ODOT may show more succor for its managers than those "displaced" or impacted by its highways - like those at
Pioneer Village.
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| ODOT Home for Sale in Englewood |
When ODOT transfers a manager to a region more than a reasonable commute from their current home, they can invoke the "
Management Home Purchase Program."
On January 1, 1984, the Department began a program to help ODOT employees relocate when accepting a promotion or transfer to a management or executive service position.
This program is a tool that is used by management at its discretion to encourage the best-qualified
employees to apply for positions requiring relocation.
The program helps ODOT maintain the high professional standards expected by the public and management.
Information on the house
here.
Hallie Ford's been changing up some of the regular exhibit, and there's at least one bike themed work!
They're finally pressure washing the marble cladding on the Capitol, which had got awfully black and grey and dingy.
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| Finally Pressure Washing the Capitol! |
The bike crossing at 12th and Chemeketa might be finally done. Folks have seen some cars go through the bike channel, and they have finally put down the bike guy striping, and put up signs, bollards, and reflective wands.
Look for more on the quiet zone this spring!
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| Bollards, wands, signs and bike guy striping at 12th and Chemeketa |
And walking across the Center Street bridge this weekend, you could see tire marks where someone had done lots of cookies in the soft, wet grass and mud. At the junction with the path under the Marion Street bridge, trolls had also left many piles of garbage, both on the paths and in the brambles.
The dead zones under bridges just invite mayhem and mischief in addition to ordinary levels of camping.
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| Tire ruts and cookies in the dead zone under the bridges |
1 comment:
A few takeaways from my first glance at the handouts. Industrial sales are still stagnant, propped up by two large transactions but no other activity. The market for suburban office space has tanked with a vacancy rate of 30%. The strongest demand for office space being downtown. The strong demand for multifamily housing and our corresponding shortage is once again confirmed. All those factors should point to a more compact and urban development pattern. I get the impression that our development community is sticking to what they know instead of adapted to a changing market.
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