WASHINGTON: With concrete trucks and cranes converging on the Waterfront Vancouver project, developments are inching along for the Port of Vancouver’s own waterfront development. The port awaits an official recommendation on its Terminal 1 master plan, a 10.37-acre property near the former Red Lion Hotel Vancouver at the Quay. Port officials met Thursday with land use hearings examiner Sharon Rice, who reviews similar projects for cities and counties throughout the state of Washington. Rice must issue a recommendation before the Vancouver City Council can vote on the project and development can begin.
The recommendation is due May 18. If recommended, the city council could hear the project in June. Port officials said Friday they are expecting a positive outcome. “It went well, we appreciated the opportunity to talk with the hearings examiner, and this is part of the process,” said port spokeswoman Abbi Russell. “We do expect to hear a recommendation from the examiner and we look forward to that.” Similar to the Waterfront Vancouver, Terminal 1 imagines a mix of residential, office, retail and restaurants. The property shows four developable blocks bisected by Columbia Way, building up to 355 residential units, 62,000 square feet of retail and 200,000 square feet for office space. The old Red Lion Hotel, which closed October 2015 and was partially demolished in March, will be converted into a visitors’ office, port offices and continue to house restaurant WareHouse ’23. Plans call for a marketplace there, as well.
The easternmost blocks of Terminal 1, which would abut Columbia Street, are both proposed as mixed-use office spaces with ground-floor retail. One block has plans for parking, the other would include apartments. The block in the property’s northwestern corner is proposed for residential use with parking. South of that block would be the home of The AC by Marriott, a 160-room hotel planned to be built by Vancouver-based Vesta Hospitality. Ultimately, a recommendation from the city council will not grant any building permits, however. City planners said in the meeting that, should Terminal 1 be approved, projects will undergo the usual application processes.
