City sets its sights on taller buildings/Goal is to get retail, offices and homes under a single roof
Published 10:51 am Thursday, December 11, 2008
By Kevin Hanson -The Courier-Herald
Civic leaders and urban designers across America are increasingly looking at their downtown core as a place to live, rather than simply as a place to conduct business - and it's a trend being embraced at Enumclaw City Hall.
Members of the City Council, following staff recommendations, last week made it easier for developers to consider multi-story buildings that can put retail shops, office space and housing under one roof.
“We've had it as a discussion point for years,” said Mayor John Wise, noting a favorable shift toward mixed use is part of the city's Comprehensive Plan and has been identified as a goal in economic development strategies.
“More and more people are wanting to live downtown,” Wise said. And that's seen as a desirable element by urban planners who strive to create healthy, vibrant city centers.
Enumclaw codes have allowed mixed use - or buildings that combine commerce with private life - but last week's City Council vote makes things more attractive to developers, Wise said.
“This takes it to the next step and incorporates the housing element,” he said, noting previous rules allowed buildings no taller than 35 feet downtown. Now, buildings can to go to 50 feet, which could allow for a four-story building.
The mayor is an unabashed booster of such development, envisioning downtown buildings that would boast retail space on the ground level, a second story of office space and then, perhaps, two stories of apartments or townhouses.
More importantly, Wise said, he isn't alone in his desires.
He told a gathering of the Enumclaw Chamber of Commerce last week that several developers have shown an interest in mixed-use projects. Plans are already in the works for such a building on the east side of Cole Street, to be situated between two existing buildings, he said. And the new owners of a long-vacant lot at the highly-visible corner of Cole and Myrtle Avenue have expressed an interest in a multi-story building, he added. Similar plans have been talked about west of downtown, along Griffin Avenue in the Highpoint area.
Wise suggests the city might even jump into the game. The city owns the parking lot at Cole and Initial Avenue, including the building occupied by the Chamber of Commerce. That lot could be turned over to a developer, he said, with the city retaining ownership of the land.
The bottom line, Wise said, is “we want retail. We need more retail in our downtown.”
Kevin Hanson can be reached at khanson@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/courierherald.
