The City of Tacoma is now reviewing the five responses it received to its Request for Proposals regarding the adaptive reuse of Old City Hall located at 625 S. Commerce St. in Downtown Tacoma.
“We are delighted that developers throughout the Seattle-Tacoma region have responded to our Request for Proposals for the adaptive reuse of Old City Hall. This demonstrates the strength of our marketplace and great interest in repositioning this unique structure to meet community needs for the next century,” said Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards.
“The renovation of Old City Hall will add to the vitality of the evolving St. Helen’s District, which will celebrate McMenamins’ opening in 2019,” said City Manager Elizabeth Pauli.
Photo by Morf Morford
Below are summaries of each of the proposals the City received. All are mixed-use development projects.
Bentley Kensington, Inc., Tacoma, WA
Gerald Allan Hennessey, chief executive officer of Bentley Kensington, Inc. has proposed a mixed-use development with 46 market-rate loft apartments (34,311 square feet), approximately 17,084 square feet for a micro-retail marketplace and the remaining 9,088 square feet for a bar and grill as well as the Tacoma History Museum. The development team consists of Ferguson Architecture, Swenson-Say-Faget Structural Engineering, Gene Grulich Planning Services, Absher Construction, First Western Properties, BRC Acoustics & Audiovisual Design and the Intrepid Law Group.
Commencement Bay Development, LLC and
Heritage Group Land Company, LLC, Tacoma
Eric Cederstrand, president of Commencement Bay Development, LLC has proposed a mixed-use project with 40,000 square feet of historic Class A office including shared work space with best of class communication and laboratory facilities, 5,000 square feet of retail and 5,000 square feet of food and beverage space. The developer has formed an advisory board comprised of key representatives from University of Washington Tacoma, and the information technology and real estate sectors.
Greenspring, Tacoma, WA
Donald M. Golden, chief executive officer of Greenspring, has proposed a mixed-use development with an art gallery and artist studio space on Pacific Avenue, small retail on Commerce Street with office space on the Pacific Avenue side, research facilities on the second floor, a total of 20 units of affordable housing for artists’ live/work studios on the third and fourth floors, and a wellness studio in the penthouse. Nathan Schlundt and Associates will be the historic preservation expert.
Surge Tacoma, Tacoma, WA
Eli Moreno, managing member of Surge Tacoma, has proposed a mixed-use project with a restaurant in the basement and bar on Pacific Avenue, nearly 20,000 square feet of retail space on the first and second floors, more than 20,000 square feet of office and co-working space for a technology center on the third and fourth floors, 40 micro apartments on the fifth floor (10-20 market rate and 20-30 affordable units), two rooftop restaurants and event space in the clock tower. The development team consists of Harlow & Falk LLP, NBS Financial, Pacific Engineering, Easyway Contractors, CBRE and Artifacts Consulting, Inc.
Urban Villages, Inc., Seattle, WA
Grant McCargo, chief executive officer of Urban Villages, Inc., has proposed a mixed-use development with City-leased and managed business incubator space on the first floor of Pacific Avenue and Commerce Street as well as the City’s economic development offices, approximately 110 furnished micro short-term housing units on the second, third and fourth floors, and food, beverage and event space on the fifth floor and in the clock tower. The development team includes Chinn Construction, Swenson-Say-Faget Engineering and Heritage Consulting Group.
The City expects to complete its review of these proposals by September 2018.
More information about the City’s Community and Economic Development Department is available at makeittacoma.com as well as cityoftacoma.org/ced. More information about the City’s progress toward its Tacoma2025 goals is available on the Results253 page at data.cityoftacoma.org.
– City of Tacoma
