Jackson Building Ugliness Continues
The saga of the Jackson Building at South 25th and Yakima is get a bit more complicated. The TNT is reporting that the bank is suing the developers for fraud. In the meantime, the project continues to sit.
Link to The News Tribune
Previously on Exit133: Jackson Building Grinds to a Halt
Filed under: General
22 comments
J Jenyum April 30, 2010
Would the UWT have any interest in using it for student housing? I can’t see how it would pencil out for a for-profit developer right now, but it would be a great location for the University. There’s even space at the bottom for a mini-hub and student convenience store. If they took the husky card it might be motivation for students to walk up the hill.
C CA April 30, 2010
Not a bad idea Jenyum. Although, it is kind of a long walk.
E EDC April 30, 2010
I don’t think it’s a long walk but it sure isn’t a safe one. Would be nice to finally get some attention on 21st. Mabye it should be added to the city’s 6 yr transportation plan with continuous sidewalks and no pot holes at least to Yakima, Jst preferably. That hill has some major moguls on it!
J Jesse April 30, 2010
Move the Winthrop people there so the Winthrop can be restored to a hotel.
S spyder April 30, 2010
I’m all in with Jesse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Move Winthrop people and watch downtown prosper in future. That area is the key to future downtown development. Get that crowd out of downtown.
C crenshaw sepulveda April 30, 2010
The real estate people claim that neighborhood is a mere two blocks from the UWT campus, how could this possibly be too far a walk for healthy UWT students?
M Mofo from the Hood April 30, 2010
This is a project that needs a stimulus loan now to complete the building.
Working people in Tacoma need apartments that rent in the $400.00 a month range, and this building could provide that service.
Every day that this building sits empty risks thousands of dollars in lost income opportunity.
$400.00 a month too low?—-This is a constructive and creative solution in the context of the economic times—-Anything is better than nothing.
C CA April 30, 2010
It’s more than two blocks. It’s up the hill and over to 25th.
A Altered Chords April 30, 2010
At cal state long beach the walk from the parking lot to class was longer than the walk from the jackson bldg to uw.
M MrsS April 30, 2010
I love the idea of UW housing. It would be a breath of fresh air for that neighborhood. Think of all the good bringing in new, young families has done for Hilltop.
While the walk up the hill would be brutal, but a bus route from that went from UW nearby would easily fix that.
J Jesse April 30, 2010
Hey now!!! The walk up the hill wouldn’t be brutal! That’s why we have cable-cars here… oh… wait…
J Jenyum April 30, 2010
Well, the great thing about student housing is that it is what it is. With market rentals you are at the mercy of renters’ preferences, whereas if this were the only available campus housing many might take it even if it weren’t ideal.
Student housing at UW Seattle can be pretty far from classrooms, I think.
C Christine May 2, 2010
Freindly Chevrolet (the company that was across the street from Stadium Thriftway) once advertised that it was “just North of the Tacoma Dome.” The Tacoma Marathon announced on it’s website that showers were available at the YMCA, 1 block south of the start which was at 9th and Market. There is a preponderance of people who can’t read a map, but realtors are often the worst.
M Mofo from the Hood May 3, 2010
The banks and the real estate business had their boom time with the overvalued property prices, and it was great while it lasted.
Yakima Avenue was enhanced with much new residential construction and a fair mix of design styles.
But why the post boom experiment in anti-style semi-construction at 25th Yakima Avenue? The Jackson Building with its uninspiring profile and low budget window treatment is certainly no beauty queen; and furthermore it clashes with its next door neighbor, high-concept McCarver Village.
Anyone remember the recent attempts to build a new hotel down the hill on Foss Waterway and the design plans nixed by the Tacoma City Style Council? Same city, different neighborhood, way different standards for production quality and contextual coherence.
What’s semi-done at 25th and Yakima Avenue is semi-done. There is a need for $400.00 rentals in Tacoma. Get the Jackson Building construction done, try the $400.00 pricing, and it may turn out so successful that the price model could also (fingers and eyes crossed) save Foss Waterway.
J Jesse May 3, 2010
I see Mofo doesn’t have a business degree. $400 NEW apartments? Riiiiggghhhhttt….
N Nick May 3, 2010
I don’t know the whole story, but it seems silly for a bank to sabotage the value of their collateral by halting at this stage. Why not provide some incremental funding to at least stabilize the state of the building before spending months in litigation?
M Mofo from the Hood May 3, 2010
Okay. $300.00. We’re talkin’ deep Hilltop. Don’t need no Harvard MBA to explain that.
J Jesse May 4, 2010
Ok, Ok, $275, a Pitbull puppy, and some gold rims… spinners!
I can see that.
M Mofo from the Hood May 4, 2010
You know what that corner needs?
A SUPER Graffiti Garage.
J Jake May 4, 2010
“and furthermore it clashes with its next door neighbor, high-concept McCarver Village. “
mofo, McCarver Village itself has a planned midrise as part of the project. Drive down I Street and you will see a gap between the townhomes. That is where a 5+ story condo/apartment building was to go.
J Jake May 4, 2010
The Ingels/MRED/405 6th Avenue LLC are now suing Frontier Bank for pulling the plug on the funding for The Walker.
Horizon Bank was the Jackson Building lender.
M Mofo from the Hood May 5, 2010
Frontier Bank is now Union Bank.
Jake, if McCarver Village pushes ahead with a 5-story building of any type, I would at first guess that the place would have some styling cues to unite it with the area.
The Jackson Building, which I’ve been watching since the first concrete pour, took a direction in styling that makes it a stand alone project.
That highly visible corner was suitable for styling similar to Chelsea Heights, which also has 1st floor windowed commercial space and parking.
What happened, happened because a bank (nearly) financed the Jackson design.
Did anyone protest the styling? Apparently it wasn’t a priority. The place mainly served as an instrument to transfer funds between bank accounts.