Elks on Broadway Update
You might be wondering about that Elks on Broadway update we promised you this week…
The update scheduled for this week’s study session was pushed out two weeks, so we’ll have to wait to hear the status of the development of the property adjacent to the Elks building itself. But an article in The News Tribune today sheds a little light on the situation, including a little good news.
The original mixed-use (including the McMenamins hotel) project planned to top the City-owned parking structure was derailed when the developers were unable to line up financing by the deadline last September. So now they’re working to develop a scaled-down version of the project, which will likely still include retail and apartments, but not the hotel space. Hopefully the update in a couple weeks will clarify plans, as well as some of the dollars and cents kinds of questions.
Despite the ongoing bumpy road for the city property, the McMenamins plan to move forward with their project in the actual Elks building, beginning work late this month, with planned completion in the first half of next year. According to the TNT, the McMenamins aren’t too worried about the pace of development (or lack thereof) of the parking next door. They will, however, be looking for more space for hotel rooms, beyond the approximately two dozen rooms planned in the Elks building itself. With the slow and uncertain movement on the City project, they may be looking to surrounding properties to fill that need. Hmmm… Are there any nearby properties that could become additional hotel space? We can think of a few ideas…
Read more about the Elks on Broadway from The News Tribune.
Filed under: McMenamins Elks Project
5 comments
R RR Anderson January 12, 2012
SAVE OLD CITY HALL!
T Tonya January 12, 2012
Old City Hall would be a natural!
J Jesse January 12, 2012
Nix the hotel inside the Elks building. Weren’t they going to use tha ballroom space for hotel rooms if the deal with moses/pleasants fell through? Tragic.
Just go across the street to OCH for your hotel… or perhaps a joint deal with someone to restore the Winthrop.
J joe-nate January 13, 2012
Who says historic preservation doesn’t pay? If only former City Manager Eric Anderson had been wiser about the Luzon Building to try to leverage new development on the site of what had been the Lower Pacific Avenue National Historic District. He took an easy route there instead—and now he’s gone, too. Now, McMenamin’s of Portland is leading the charge for private-sector driven historic preservation in Tacoma. One hopes much of the private funding package for the delayed Pleasants/Moses apartments project next door remains intact. McMenamin’s success with the Elks can only enhance renewal prospects for Old City Hall. Newer cities don’t have such heritage buildings that draw tourist spending. Near Old City Hall, Tacoma’s blight is now becoming its economic strength, providing needed construction jobs and longer-term employment and tax revenue.
J Jesse January 14, 2012
I always thought it’d be cool to get all the property owners together on Pacific Avenue and recreate what was there as facades to buildings — maybe like most of it. Ya, buildings would be taller but you could set the facade forward a foot or so… still time to do this on Park Place North renovation and a few other buildings/ empty lots…