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

Timberline Meats:  This business is now in the midst of a “soft open” to get their employees trained up and all the kinks in their processes worked out.  However, they seem to be open for most of their posted hours now, and so far the response from the community has been fantastic.  (When I went in to make my first purchase on the Saturday of Mountain Festival weekend, there were five people ahead of me!)

The store is very clean and bright, and the staff was selected primarily for their superior customer service skills.  Their meat is sole sourced from ranches in Oregon (pork), Washington (beef) and northern California (poultry), and the spice/condiment rack is stocked with products local to Oregon as well.

Timberline Meats will be hosting their grand opening event on July 17^th from 6:00 to 7:00 PM (right before our City Council meeting!), and will have samples of many of their products available as well and beer and wine tasting.  Many thanks to Mayor King for stopping by to cut the ribbon.

Sandlandia:  We have another cart up and operational in June, giving us a grand total of six carts now in operation.  Taqueria el Jaliscience (“of Jalisco!”) is the new orange cart serving Mexican fare, and is owned and operated by the gentleman that owns the food truck in Boring.  He comes to Sandy with a reputation for fantastic food and a built-in regional following.

Sandlandia’s carts are starting to acclimate to the ebbs and flows of our community – hours seem to be getting more stable, and summer help is getting trained up.  A few of the carts did stay open later during Mountain Festival weekend and ended up reaping the benefits of that decision.

Sandy Community Action Center:  We now have enough project bids to move forward with a façade project if the Action Center has the funds to match.  If current bids hold, the Sandy Urban Renewal Agency will end up paying for about 57% of the project.  They are currently fundraising for the match, and I am working with the executive director of the organization to help make this happen.

With the removal of the old houses on the neighboring Connelly property, their building is much more visible than it used to be.  This increases the urgency for a façade improvement, as their west-facing wall is also the surface most badly in need of repair.  Fortunately, their board seems to be as keen on this project as we are, so the likelihood of the project moving forward is good.

The project will replace the glass in their front door that was shattered during an attempted break-in earlier this month.  It will also repaint the building green, but the orange trim will be repainted a nice shade of tan to more closely match the brick façade in the front of the building.   Most of the rest of the work will be to make repairs to damaged parts of the exterior and to place protective bollards on the rear building corners to protect from people running into the building with their vehicles

Sandy Shell Station:  Complete.  Very nice upgrade to the west entrance to downtown Sandy….an area that is getting a lot more notice now because of Sandlandia and the Mount Hood Farmer’s Market.  The “Sandy Style” features are very prominent.  Fantastic use of urban renewal dollars from an economic development perspective.

Project work: 

• Aquatic/Recreation Center project: Earlier in June, the special selection committee looked at the five responses to our RFP for this project and narrowed them down to the top three.  We then met on June 27^th to view presentations from and interview the remaining three design candidates.  Results are not fully tabulated yet, but it seems that a clear favorite has emerged.  UPDATE: It appears that the steering committee has selected Opsis (our sole Portland-based bid) as our preferred design contractor.
• NorthStar – branding project: The branding committee met with Benjamin Stansell from Northstar and his marketing specialist via web/conference call last week to take the next steps on this project.  We looked at a lot of logo, font and tagline (they call it “strap line”) examples to try and give them an idea about the style we’re looking to develop.  For what it’s worth, they said we were one of the most opinionated and verbally communicative groups they’ve had in quite some time, which was exactly what they were looking for.  Will be concentrating on the strap line a bit more at our next meeting on August 1.

Conferences/training:   Nothing this month.

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

La Bamba “Nuevo”:  Opened for business on May 26th.  There are a few minor Building Department issues to be resolved yet with this project, but they are in process.

Timberline Meats:  Work has started on the interior of the building (see below), so you can start to get an idea of how the store is going to be laid out.  The interior surfaces are very bright and clean, with subway tile on the walls and faux hardwood floors.  Contractors are working on forms for the driveway and remaining concrete work as I type this.

Sandlandia:  We have added two more carts to the pod.  Captain’s Galley serves fish and seafood, and also sells whole fish out of their cart.   Gyro Grill serves gyros and Mediterranean food.  Both are now open for business, giving us a grand total of five active carts in the pod.

These cart owners are still in the process of figuring out our community and how best to serve it. Several cart owners have children or employees (or both!) that are still in school, making it difficult for them to post regular hours.  Cart owners were also not aware of First Friday, making for a disappointing scene during the Chamber’s last FF event in June, as several carts closed prior to the end of the event.

Mr. Carlson has rectified this situation (see post on Sandlandia’s Facebook page), and I have spoken to most of them directly about this as well.  I have also informed the cart owners about Sandy Mountain Festival and Music Fair and Feast, and to prepare for a busy 2nd weekend in July.  I intend to visit the cart owners with the Executive Director of the Chamber later in the month to see if they have any interest in officially taking part in First Friday, either as a group or as individual carts.

We have a sixth cart (Mexican cuisine) that has been approved to move forward and is waiting in the wings.  Once they have received clearance from the county health department, they may apply for a business license and get in the game.

Joe’s Donuts:  I am pleased to announce that we are very close to signing an agreement with the owners of Joe’s for a substantial façade improvement project.  The primary focus of this project will be to refresh the iconic paint job on the building with professional painters, ensuring that the lines are straight and all of the reds are actually the same color.  We also plan to make some needed repairs to the walls and roof soffits and fascia boards, remove all of the lighting and wiring that is no longer being used, upgrade the old air conditioning units and supports, replace the front windows and replace the 70’s-era planters in front with some updated street furniture and planters.  We are also looking at putting a concrete pad in next to their building on the City’s lot and put some bicycle hardware (bike rack, bench, and maybe a Dero Fixit?) on it to get the cyclists and their bikes out of the public right-of-way.

We have put together a scope of work for them for this project, and we are now waiting to get the requisite number of bids to get started.  More to come.

Sandy Community Action Center:  We are also close to a façade agreement to repaint the Action Center and replace the glass in their front door that was shattered during an attempted break-in earlier this month.  The building will remain green, but the orange trim will be repainted a nice shade of tan to more closely match the brick façade in the front of the building.  Other minor repairs to be made to the building as needed.

Sandy Shell Station:  95% completed.  I spoke with the contractor today about this project.  He is a local Sandy guy, and is very proud of the custom entry feature he has added to this building (and he should be – it’s beautiful!).  For the high visibility that this building has in our downtown core, this project is a fantastic expenditure of urban renewal funds from an economic development standpoint.

Project work: 

• City departmental webpages: Made some online forms for the Utility Billing Department for people to request or cancel service at their property online at their request.  Still waiting for the green light to work on the Finance page, but considering their appropriate focus on the budget process at the moment, I have placed myself in a holding pattern and can work on this project at a time that is more convenient for the Finance Department.
• Connelly demolitions: The work on this project is now mostly complete.  All 4 buildings are demolished and removed, utilities are properly capped, and properties are being graded and seeded per our contract.  We discovered a couple of old wells on the property – the smaller of the two we have already mitigated.  We have determined that the larger well is outside the scope of this project, and after proper capping we will leave this to the property owner to deal with.  We are in the process of wrapping up our involvement in this project, and I will give cost information and a final report in next month’s report.

Conferences/training:    Thrive at 25 (SHS) – May 4^th:  Another successful morning of scaring the wits out of high school freshman with the simple realities of household budgeting.  Tyler Deems accompanied me to this event and worked the “Taxes” table with me for the morning in the absence of our city manager (double-booked), so special thanks to the Finance Department for the assist.

Oregon Economic Development Conference (Florence, OR) – June 7^th:  A one-day conference focusing on economic development topics.  Most of the programming was not particularly relevant to Sandy, but it was an opportunity to network with our county-level Economic Development and Travel Oregon folks as well as some of my counterparts in other cities.  Note: the Travel Oregon folks were very, very, very interested in picking my brain about SandyNet and how they may be able to replicate this in other smaller cities on the other side of the mountains. (I gave them Joe Knapp’s contact info for further discussion…)

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

La Bamba “Nuevo”:  Project looks fairly close to completion.  Exterior seems to be complete (parking lot has been resealed and restriped; streetscape improvements complete; exterior storage awaiting inspection).  The business owner is planning to move equipment into the new location right after Mother’s Day, and we are working towards final inspections during that week as well.  Mr. Vicenttin is aiming for a grand opening event before the end of May.

Timberline Meats:  Work continues on this project as well.  Exterior is getting closed to completion, both on the main building pictured here and on the stand alone garage.  Exterior of the buildings are close to completion with the exception of landscaping and ADA requirements.  Contractors appear to be focusing on the interior of the building now.  Potential June opening.

Sandlandia:  Up and running!  We currently have three carts operating (Melt It! [mac & cheese], Crepes Plus, Alpine Sliders), and cart owners are extremely happy thus far.  They are surpassing their most rosy estimates regarding the amount of business they were expecting, and they tell me that Sandlandia is a much preferred location to the one they left on 82^nd Avenue in Portland because security issues are virtually non-existent in Sandy.  The stories they tell about theft and property damage caused by the transient population at their former location are disturbing.

Cart owners are also hearing fantastic reviews from their customers, and this is in line with the reviews I have been hearing as well.  Every city staff member that has tried the carts (I’ve spoken to 15+) has had positive reviews of the food — both Melt It! And Crepes Plus have received the unofficial “City of Sandy Public Works Crew Seal of Approval” for their food quality.  The only complaint I have heard is that it sometimes takes a while for food to be prepared, but this is understandable considering the unexpected amount of business they have been receiving thus far.

Another unexpected benefit of carts in Sandy is workforce development.  One of the cart owners tells me that she has hired three SHS students to work in her cart, and is training one of them right now to cook.  She also tells me that she could use one or two more cooks, and would hire today if she found the right people.  I gave her contract information for Travis over at AntFarm Youth Services and let her know that AFYS is a non-profit dedicated to matching youth with jobs and job training, and she seemed delighted to learn about this option.  Travis will be contacting them this week.

Finally, I did get some feedback from the cart owners stating that the rules regarding carts are a bit onerous.  However….they actually said that this was a good thing, because it keeps the less professional, more fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants carts on the sidelines.  I did suggest that perhaps the Planning & Building and Economic Development Departments sit down with them after hours a bit later in the summer to discuss cart regulations and perhaps some suggestions from the more experienced cart owners as to how we can streamline our processes without sacrificing the look and feel of Sandlandia – the owners of Melt It! and Crepes Plus agreed that this would be a good idea.

Scooter’s Sports Bar & Restaurant (Sandy Marketplace):  This business is now open.  It has been a little bit of a bumpy ride so far getting their processes ironed out, but this should not necessarily be unexpected with a new restaurant.  However, the building looks fantastic inside and out, and the owners are determined.  We look forward to a grand opening event with Mayor King soon.

Sandy Shell Station: This business is currently undergoing a façade improvement project.  A stone wrap base is being added to the building, and new siding will be added above that.  They are also adding a gabled metal roof feature over the entrance.

Project work: 

• City departmental webpages: Making some minor upgrades (department directories, reorganizing and updating departmental information, etc.) and beginning to work on online utility connect and disconnect forms for the Utility Billing Department.  Ready to update Finance Department page when they are.
• Connelly demolitions: Fencing has gone up, and environmentally hazardous materials are currently being removed from all structures at the site.  Timeline has been extended due to miscommunication about the removal of utility service lines from the structures. Property owner is currently scheduling this work (still to complete – PGE, NW Natural; Frontier scheduled for 5/10), but timelines are not yet known.  Once these two things are complete (hazmat mitigation scheduled to be complete 5/11), Konell Construction tells me that the actual demolitions and debris removal shouldn’t take very long at all.

Conferences/training:    Nothing this month.

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

La Bamba “Nuevo”:  Work continues as Mr. Vicenttin shoots for a Cinco de Mayo opening.  Unclear as to whether or not this will occur, as there is still quite a bit of work to be completed here.

Timberline Meats:  Work continues on this project as well.  Exterior is getting closed to completion, both on the main building pictured here and on the stand alone garage.  Interior utility work is mostly done, and counter construction will begin shortly. Exterior of the buildings are close to completion with the exception of landscaping — concrete (ADA ramps) and asphalt work are in process.

Carlson property:  This project is very close to completion now.  The site has been paved and striped, and a new monument sign (see below) has been installed at the site.  As of this writing, there are three carts currently on site (not open for business), but the owner tells us that he anticipates most if not all slots being filled on opening day, which should be before May Day.  (Depending on how successful this project is, it is possible that parking could become an issue of contention with this pod in one manner or another – we are monitoring the situation as the pod goes live, and will keep Council informed of any issues that arise)

Scooter’s Sports Bar & Restaurant (Sandy Marketplace):  The body of the building has now been painted red with a gray trim, and the roof will get a coat of charcoal paint once the weather dries out.  All signage is installed.  The business owner is getting close to completion with this project, and is projecting a May opening date if all goes well.

Rias’ Bar/Sandy Family Restaurant:  This building is currently being re-roofed by the owner as part of a regular maintenance schedule.  The wood shingle roof is being replaced by a metal roof that is becoming increasingly common around the City.

DQ:  Updates to their free standing signs triggered “Sandy Style” upgrades in the form of stone wraps for the base of both signs (see below).

Project work: 

• City departmental webpages: The Planning & Building page has now been updated to incorporate input from the new Planning & Building Director.  This will conclude the updating of this department page for now, although we might discuss more changes and a possible complete redesign later in the year when both of our “to-do” lists are not as full.
• Planning & Building Department: Work on incorporating updates and improvements to process within this department continue, but we are making a good amount of progress on all fronts.  We have reviewed the façade program, culminating in the changes we brought to Council at the 4/3 meeting, and are much more comfortable with the operation of the program now.  The same is true of procedures for urban renewal assistance with streetscape improvements, and webpage improvements are complete.  Working now on food cart issues (VIJ Eatery to move down to AntFarm Outdoor Building space; managing rollout of Sandlandia), potential outreach to breweries and a façade upgrade for Brad Picking’s building across the street from City Hall.  I also plan to work with this department to develop strategies to further beautify and improve the downtown business district (Blade sign grant program to replace A-frame program? Increased use of code enforcement to “encourage” compliance with code?  Assistance from City to help business/building owners fix small maintenance issues?)
• Connelly demolitions: Konell Construction submitted the winning bid on this project ($43,707), and I have begun coordinating with them to prepare for demolition.  The next stage will be the removal of environmentally hazardous materials from all four buildings – the hazmat mitigation subcontractor will begin work on or around the 24^th of April.  Konell tells me that the actual demolition and removal process will begin very quickly after that and should not take them long to complete, so there is a possibility of this project being completed by May Day or shortly thereafter.  (The Police Department has decided against conducting training exercises in these buildings as originally intended.)

Conferences/training:    Nothing this month.

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

Goodwill Industries site (formerly Oja Lumber):  Open for business.

La Bamba “Nuevo”:  Nothing new to report at this site at the moment, other than we have been working with Carlo to close a couple of open façade grant projects.  The sidewalks are now complete and Mr. Vicenttin has received his façade outlay for that project.  We have also given him a majority of the remaining outstanding funds for his larger façade grant in the interest of being “business-friendly” and helping him with his cash flow.  Mr. Vicenttin seems very happy with these developments, and work continues.

Timberline Meats:  This project seems to be kicking into high gear at the moment.  Mr. Drucker’s biggest concern with this project was the availability of good contractors – with the economy storming along as it has been for the past few years, it seems that decent contractors of all stripes that are available are hard to nail down.  However, judging from the picture below, it seems Mr. Drucker has solved this problem.

Carlson property:  Utility work seems to be complete, and the lot seems to be in the beginning stages of being paved.  However, no inspections other than backflow have been requested as of yet.

Scooter’s Sports Bar & Restaurant (Sandy Marketplace):  Had a chance to stop in and check out Mr. Detweiler’s progress on this space.  He seems to be about 65% complete with the interior remodel, and is shooting for an April opening.  He is also a Façade Grant recipient; grant funding will be covering a good portion of the exterior paint on the building and the roof.  Here’s a shot of where the interior is right now:

The Elusive Trout:  This business seems to be open again.  When I last spoke with the owner, she was considering making changes to the business, including operating with a skeleton crew and adding a video poker room.  I have not had a chance to speak with her yet since she reopened.

Project work: 

• City departmental webpages: We have recently heard back from EvoGov, and there are now promises of upgrades and training in the near future.  I am looking forward to scheduling this training when it becomes available.  I am also starting on revamping the Planning & Building and will be working directly with that staff to get their input on changes that they would like to see.
• Planning & Building Department: With the recent changes to this department, the City Manager asked me to work with the Interim Planning & Building Director to start cleaning up projects and procedures.  I have assisted with getting the Façade Grant Program running smoothly (reviewed contracts with BEH, rewrote program guidelines, installed improved procedures, worked to get all grantees current, started communications with potential 2017 grantees, etc.)
• Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant: Unfortunately, I was not able to procure this grant for the property owner on Pioneer Blvd.  Given that I found out about the grant fairly late in the process, and that the grant application was extremely complicated, it was going to be a long shot from the get go.  In addition, with the staffing changes that have occurred since my last report, I was called upon to assist the Planning & Building Department with projects until we can return to proper staffing levels over there.  Rather than rush to put together an unsatisfactory application, my suggestion to the property owner was that we try again next year, and start about a month earlier.  He was understandably disappointed, but understood the limitations.
• Connelly demolitions: We have received back bids, and Konell Construction was the winner at $43,707.  This is on the agenda for the 4/3 council meeting.
• Imagine Anything Art Gallery Grand Opening: Sandy’s newest art gallery had their grand opening on March 3, and it couldn’t have gone better.  The Ec Dev office and the Chamber both helped Allen and Brian publicize the event on social media, and as the Mayor can report, turnout was absolutely amazing.  We actually put the 5:30 pm ribbon cutting off until around 8:00 pm, as both owners were selling their wares nonstop until that time.  The owners told me that they sold over $3,000 in artwork that night.  Special thanks to Mayor King, Buddha Kat Winery and Khrys Jones at the Chamber for helping welcome a great new business to town!

Conferences/training:    Nothing this month.

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

Goodwill Industries site (formerly Oja Lumber):  This project looks to be 90+% complete.

[Goodwill Industries has announced a February 9th Grand Opening date – Festivities will start at 7:00 AM and are open to the public.  The additional 4,000 square foot retail building has not pre-leased to anyone yet as far as I know – still 100% available to the best of my knowledge.  However, there are rumors out in the community that this business or that has already leased the building.  I am attempting to get Urban Works to confirm availability for me, and will update when I have something to report.  At this time, I have no information to contradict available status.]

La Bamba “Nuevo”:  Nothing new to report at this site at the moment.  Work continues on both interior and exterior.  Grand opening on Cinco de Mayo, perhaps?

Carlson property:  There has been a flurry of work going on at this site over the last few weeks, but been no calls for final inspections yet.  It is starting to look like Sandy’s inaugural food cart pod may be open for the

Scooter’s Sports Bar & Restaurant (Sandy Marketplace):  Had a chance to stop in and check out Mr. Detweiler’s progress on this space.  He seems to be about 50% complete with the interior remodel, and the results are very encouraging so far.  The kitchen was in fairly bad shape when he started, and there are some pieces of equipment that will have to be replaced, but it will be significantly better once complete.  I am very impressed with the interior design work – very different from what was there previously, and seems well thought out.  Shooting for a spring opening…

The Elusive Trout:  According to the owner, this business is closed and on temporary hiatus due to some internal issues.  They intend to re-open sometime in February after making some minor changes.  We are working with the owner improved signage and visibility issues.

Project work:  

• City departmental webpages: This project is on hold for the next few months while EvoGov does a site upgrade for us.  City manager, IT Director and I will be doing some training with EvoGov’s CEO involving our new platform on 2/7.  The look of the page should not change significantly, but we are being told that functionality will increase markedly.
• Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant: I am currently in the beginning processes of putting together an application for this grant for Alan Fleischman’s property across the street from the liquor store.  The purpose of the OMSRG program is to “a) acquire, rehabilitate, and construct buildings on properties in designated downtown areas statewide; and b) facilitate community revitalization that will lead to private investment, job creation or retention, establishing or expanding viable businesses, or creating a stronger tax base”.  The plan is to rehab the entire building and convert it into small commercial office suites, which would literally hit every single one of the above points.  The application is extremely long and complicated, and is going to require a good portion of my time for the next 5-6 weeks (due date: March 17).  However, I will have some assistance from ClackCo Business & Economic Development going forward.
• Economic Development Strategy update: In process.  This document requires a complete overhaul of entire sections that are no longer relevant.  I am also increasing the amount of relevant demographic data available.  As much of my time will be spent on the above project for the next month, look for this updated report in April.

Conferences/training: 

• January 19 – ICSC P3 Retail: Food Carts (Sentinel Hotel, Portland): seminar on food carts, micro kitchens and pop-up retail.
• January 31 – Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant workshop (Cottage Grove, OR): mandatory workshop for applicants.

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

Goodwill Industries site (formerly Oja Lumber):  Exterior construction seems to be mostly complete – finishing touches being put on roof, exterior paint complete; most activity seems to be focused on the interior of the buildings now.  Paving/striping/landscaping still pending.

[Goodwill Industries projects a January 2017 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):  Nothing new to report here.  There has been some contractor activity at the site in recent weeks, but unsure as to the extent of that activity.

La Bamba “Nuevo”:  Work continues on both interior and exterior of the building, building toward what the owner hopes will be a spring grand opening.  Mr. Vicenttin has a number of permits open right now, although work has been slowed somewhat due to contractor management issues.  The exterior of the restaurant is starting to take shape as well….you can definitely get an idea of what it’s going to look like when complete now.

Carlson property:  We have seen little activity (and have had no communication with the property owner) regarding this site for over a month now.  Utilities (including electric) appear to be installed, but the property owner has not scheduled a final inspection as of this writing.  Paving work has not yet started.

Scooter’s Sports Bar & Restaurant (Sandy Marketplace):  Mr. Detweiler has submitted applications for building permits for this location.  He has quite a bit of history doing this kind of work, and says he plans to be complete with his remodel within 30 days.

Jody Argue building (former Riegelman’s site):  This building appears to be fully occupied for the time being.  Due to some unresolved issues with the building regarding Lil’ Cubs Preschool, the school will be occupying the entire building until further notice.  Ms. Argue still intends to lease the front side of the building to another business, and says she has several suitors that are contemplating signing a lease later in the spring or summer, but nothing firm yet.

Project work: 

• City departmental webpages: This project is on hold for the next few months while EvoGov does a site upgrade for us.  Look for the Planning and Finance pages to be completed after EvoGov completes this project.
• SHS – Winter Term Mock Interviews: I assist with mock interviews quarterly for juniors at SHS at the request of Counselor Jennifer McNeil.  We were scheduled to do our 3^rd installment of these in December, but had to reschedule due to the snowpocalypse.  Second attempt was also cancelled due to inclement weather.  Waiting for 2^nd rescheduling attempt…
• AntFarm Board of Directors: I have stepped down from this board, effective January 1.  Happy to discuss the reasons why with you one on one if you wish.  This move means I will be able to spend more time with the boards I still serve (Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce, Mount Hood Economic Alliance)
• Economic Development Strategy: I am currently working on updating this Lazenby-era strategy document for Council review and comment.

Conferences/training: 

Nothing in December.  I will have my second ICSC event coming up in January in downtown Portland, and have invited the Planning Department to accompany me if they wish.  More to come…

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

Goodwill Industries site (formerly Oja Lumber):  Exterior construction seems to be mostly complete – roof is up; entire building is painted; windows & awnings are in; some roof and siding work still to be completed.  Focus seems to be turning to the interior now.  Out building seems to be slightly behind the main building as far as the exterior goes.

[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):  Construction is beginning very soon on this project – plans for the exterior are complete, but the owner is having difficulty finding contractors to do some of the work, as local trade contractors seem to have more business than they know what to do with.  Plans for the interior are still “in progress”, but the basic layout is fairly simple and shouldn’t change.  Owner is anticipating a spring opening if everything goes smoothly, and he is very optimistic about this business model and its potential for success.

La Bamba “Nuevo”:  Work continues on both interior and exterior of the building, moving toward what the owner hopes will be a spring grand opening.

Carlson property:  Still under construction.  Utilities are (mostly) installed but have not completed a final inspection yet.  Looks like project completion in the spring is likely.

Scooter’s Sports Bar & Restaurant (Sandy Marketplace):  Mr. Detweiler is set to receive the keys to the unit early in January now.  According to him, most of what he is planning should not require permits (solely an interior remodel) and should not take long to do, but he plans to come into City Hall after key acquisition and chat with us about his plans to confirm that he is doing everything correctly.  I believe he is still shooting for a February 2017 grand opening.

Jody Argue building (former Riegelman’s site):  I am happy to announce that Ms. Argue has signed a lease agreement for the back of her building.  Lil’ Cubs Pre School (the pre-school of choice for a number of city staffers) is the business in question, and they would like to occupy the space and open for business in January of 2017.   This deal solves a number of issues for both parties, and they both seem to be very happy with the terms.

Project work: 

• City departmental webpages: Community Services is now complete.  Finance and Planning will round out the remaining departments, although both departments are very busy right now and have requested that we hold off until workloads lighten a bit.  Update: I am meeting with Finance during the week of 12/12 to begin their page!
• Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony (Dec. 2): Another well attended and successful event this year.  Special thanks to the following: the Sandy High School Choir, which had about twice as many members as last year; the local Girl Scout Chapter for volunteering to serve cocoa to the community and doing it with loads of holiday spirit;  DJ Anderson of Suburban Chevy, who MCed the event again for us; community member Jim Allison who played Santa for us again this year; all of the businesses that donated food and beverage (Mtn Moka, Tollgate Bakery, Starbucks, Busy Bee Catering, and Chariteas), the PW Crew for locating, cutting and installing the City’s tree (and Bill Knapp for donating it!) and the ladies from the Decorating Committee (Lisa Foster, Connie Knittel and Debbie Grimes) who helped me set up and take down.

Also, an extra special “thank you” to the Sandy Historical Museum, who stayed open during the Ceremony and provided hot apple cider, salted caramel fudge and a hugely popular kids crafts room upstairs, along with clean restrooms and their usual collection of historical exhibits.  Museum staffers tell me that this event is now their busiest day of the year, and we couldn’t be happier that we can drive so much business through their doors….even if it is only for a night.  Anyhow, a fantastic job done by all, and another successful holiday celebration!

 […and although the tree was much bigger this year and this was appreciated, it has been “suggested” to me from many sources that we should return to a shaped noble fir next year….even if we have to sacrifice some height.  So noted.]

Conferences/training: 

None in November.  I did participate in an annual retreat and the 2016 Annual Meeting for the Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce, and will be heading their Economic Development Committee for the foreseeable future.

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.

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

Goodwill Industries site (formerly Oja Lumber):  It appears that the roof on the primary building is installed and that they are starting to put in lighting and electrical on the interior of the building.  Walls of the out-building are up.  Exterior construction seems about 70% complete on the primary building, and about 50% complete on the out-building.

[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.]

The Junker Building: This building is once again 100% full.  The end unit (A Place for Your Face, Ox and Marley) was recently leased by our old Psychic Shop friends who seem to have found their way back to Sandy.

Not sure how the Paola Bros. manage to keep finding tenants so quickly for this building, but kudos to them for doing so.  No doubt that the general shortage of commercial space in this community and the very reasonable leasing rates for this building are two factors….

“Free Land for Brewpub” site:  Had a very productive discussion with Mr. Benson last week.  He will have a personal acquaintance begin day-to-day management of the AM/PM store within the next couple of months that will act as his representative here in Sandy.  He seems very positive on the site these days, and informs me that while we have not heard much from Mr. DeSantis lately, plans are continuing for a brewpub to be proposed for this site and that we should hear from him about that before too long.

He is also still interested in additional development on the property, and bounced a number of ideas off of me.  He still seems to be enamored with an incubator space of some sort on the site, and I continue to encourage him to build along those lines.  Mini-storage also seems to be part of the future plans here, but he is looking at ways to make any mini-storage there less visible from the freeway.

Carlson property:  Property owner moving forward with paving the site.  Construction work in process.

Old Crawlers space:  Had a very productive conversation with the “new” owner of this building a few weeks ago.  He is mulling over several ideas right now, but the most promising seems to be a quality taproom with a decent food selection.  He was considering a food cart or two on this site as well, but the current layout of the site would make this difficult as parking is limited as it is and I asked him to discuss any plans of this nature with the Planning Department prior to enacting them.

The building owner is in the restaurant business and is aware of the requirements for this type of use and the demand for this type of business in the local market.  He has the experience and resources required to do this type of business correctly, and I am looking forward to seeing what he comes up with here.  The only drawback is that he will have to pull out all of the unpermitted work the previous tenant did in this unit – particularly with the “kitchen” – and redo it because according to him it “was all done incorrectly anyway”.  [note: the Building Official did not order him to pull out the previous tenant’s kitchen work – the building owner told me he was going to do this of his own accord because of the incompetent nature of the previous build out.]

Anna Zell property:  Ms. Zell’s offices are now fully occupied by her contract tenants, and everybody involved is extremely happy with the results of the remodel.  Another Sandy success story!

Project work: 

• City departmental webpages: The Finance and Public Works department new departmental page is complete, and Chief Y tells me that she is getting a lot of positive feedback on the new PD page as well.  Next up – Community Services and Finance.  Check out the two newest City department pages here:
  • Sandy PD – http://www.ci.sandy.or.us/Sandy-Police-Department/
  • Public Works – http://www.ci.sandy.or.us/PW/
• I am working on a Sandy version of the City of Beaverton’s Tenant Improvement Program for Council discussion. In progress.
• “Vacant buildings” ordinance: we do have a second version of a draft ordinance prepared and awaiting a Business-Friendly meeting for discussion.

Conferences/training: 

International Council of Shopping Centers (Oct 12, 13 – The Nines Hotel, Portland) – I have been hearing from multiple sources for months now that I really need to join this organization and start attending meetings.  Those sources were absolutely 100% correct.  This was my first exposure to this organization, and despite the name, it was mostly local medium to large commercial developers, regional and national retail brands, and engineering firms specializing in commercial and municipal projects.  There were a few cities that attended this event (Kent, WA; Pasco, WA), but I was the only municipal economic development professional there from the state of Oregon!  When I inquired why this was, the developers I talked to all looked at each other and said “We have no idea.  We keep telling them to come, but they don’t for some reason…”

This was the audience I have been looking for, and they seemed really happy to have me there.  I made some great connections, and there is a group of “young gun” developers that focus on Clackamas County that are extremely eager for me to start coming to their local gatherings out here (as am I!).  Also got a chance to talk up some of our local projects and bounce some ideas off of them (they really like the TI incentive program!)

Best.  Conference.  Ever.