Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

Goodwill Industries site (formerly Oja Lumber):  Exterior construction seems about 90% complete on both buildings – roofs are mostly complete and the exterior walls appear to be getting painted while they wait on window installation.

[Goodwill Industries projects a December 2016 completion date for both the new Goodwill building and the additional 4,000 square foot retail building.  The retail building has not pre-leased to anyone yet as far as I know – still 100% available.]

Timberline Meats (formerly Gifts of Past and Present): Plans have now been submitted for Sandy’s future meat market.  This 1,800 SF building on Proctor is getting a rather extensive upgrade both inside and out – the exterior will see “Sandy-style” features like exposed beam and metal brackets on the façade with stone base wraps on the corners and along the base, metal roofing and removal of the chimneys for a much more modern and commercial look.  The interior is a complete redesign converting the existing space into the traditional open floor plan with a wraparound counter that most butcher shops employ.  Parking will be limited due to the small size of the lot (6 + 1 ADA), but there should be plenty of street parking around the shop to accommodate customers.

This store is a pilot project of sorts for the owners – if it is as successful as they believe it will be, they will use this store as a model for building more retail meat markets for other small cities in the region, and perhaps larger cities as well…

“Free Land for Brewpub” site:  The property owner for this project intimated in a discussion I had with him late last week that the brewery was not planning on moving forward with this project.  I reached out to owner of the brewery – he has indicated that he will get back to me sometime this week.   I think that this is likely true, but I have some reservations regarding the reasons the property owner gave and am very interested to hear the brewery owner in his own words.

The research that I’ve done so far regarding SDC rates tell us that even with our methodology change regarding transportation SDCs, we were seventh most expensive when compared to ten similarly-sized cities.  We were also seventh most expensive out of 10 cities for total SDC cost.  So while I sympathize with the business owner that these charges are extensive, I don’t think he’s going to find substantially more favorable rates anywhere else – especially in a fast-growing city with 35,000 cars a day driving past the site.

Note:  I found a document on McKenzie’s website recently that shows SDC and permitting costs broken down for three different common commercial construction projects (4 story office, multi-tenant retail and warehouse) in 7 markets around the metro area (Beaverton, Hillsboro, Portland, Gresham, etc.)  I am trying to convince them to add a column for Sandy and let us post that on Sandy’s Economic Development page so we have some good information in place should this issue come up again.  More to come…

Carlson property:  In progress.  Work is continuing regarding the installation of utilities at this site – utility work, utility inspections and some structural work are continuing as I write this; awaiting final utility inspection prior to beginning of paving work.

Sandy Marketplace:  The western-most unit of this complex (currently occupied by One World Chinese Buffet) has been leased by a gentleman out of Damascus who intends to set it up as a family restaurant and sports bar called “Scooters”.  This gentleman has owned and operated seven different restaurant/bar businesses in the past, and feels that Sandy is the right place for his eighth endeavor.

The general plan right now is to acquire the keys to the building by sometime in November – he has already submitted all requisite paperwork to the City and OLCC regarding his liquor license, and was actually quite pleased that we turned that paperwork around for him as quickly as we did.  He then plans to do what sounds like an extensive 60-day interior remodel (paint, flooring, reclaimed wood on the walls, kitchen update, etc.)  He is shooting for a February 2017 grand opening.

Jody Argue building (former Riegelman’s site):  I am happy to announce that this project is officially complete.  After 2+ years of work, Ms. Argue finally has a lease-ready site up on the Available Commercial Buildings database – see link here.  This building is actually two sites in one — the downstairs back-facing suite is set up for a day spa or a beauty salon, whereas the upstairs suite is more of a general retail setup.

I am working on Ms. Argue’s behalf to help secure a tenant for both of these spaces.   She is asking what I would consider in this market to be a very reasonable lease rate for this space, making it likely that this building will not be vacant for very long.  More to come (very shortly…)

Project work:  

• City departmental webpages: Community Services (Community Center, Senior Center, Recreation and Parks) currently being revamped.  Finance and Planning will round out the remaining departments.  This project should be complete by the end of 2016.
• Trick or Treat Trail: Kudos to the Chamber for pulling off another fantastic event.  Last year the Library (our official kid counters) counted 856 kids coming through their doors – this year they counted 1,115!!!  Many thanks to the staff of the Library for stepping up to the plate as they always do!  Also, it says a lot about Sandy’s business community to see organizations like Rapid Fire Arms, AntFarm Café, Impact Learning Center, Farmers Insurance and U.S. West Coast Taekwondo (not even a downtown business!) put so much effort into making this an event to remember.  A massive success in 2016!

Conferences/training: 

Emerging Local Government Leaders (October 21 – Eliot Center, Portland):  One-day annual conference for ELGL, which is a networking group for young(er) people in local government organizations.  I am convinced that our former city manager, the city manager of Sherwood and I are the three oldest members of this organization.  Lots of discussion about millennials and succession planning regarding the pending retirement of department heads around the state.  Also got a chance to speak briefly with our former city manager about the fiber project in his city – he is remaining positive that this project will happen, and sooner rather than later.

Oregon Economic Development Association (October 23-25 – Sunriver, OR):  Another local economic development conference; mostly an exercise in networking with my peers.  I did get an opportunity to meet a number of folks that work for the McKenzie Consulting Group at this conference, and they are very interested in the RFP for our upcoming recreation center complex.  Also got to chat extensively with our Clackamas County economic developers.