That Jay Heights project looks great. Hope it gets built!

That will be good height going north if Jay Heights gets built. Hope it happens.

More construction updates
 

Yeah, as long as it isn't gaudy (like Chelsea Hts) I want very much to see Jay go up. Perhaps getting something over 200' to go up will trigger more taller development? Can only hope so.
I can't help but see an inconsistency though... their site claims a height of 207' and has 21 floors. With a high lobby ceiling and of course structural/mechanical needs as well as likely high penthouse ceilings, I'd think the height would be somewhere more along the lines of 225 to 240 feet. Anyone else think so?

Some more pics... Midtown Lofts this time. Taken right in front on Fawcett. 3 floors down, 4 more to go!

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/4933/midtown1dg3.png

Crane action!
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/6816/midtown2ge0.png

A lot of people in this town have lost faith in Prium so we will see if they can make a come back.
So far:
- They said Jay Heights was on hold
- Bought the Winthrop Hotel with plans to convert into a 4 star hotel. First have to build replacement low-income housing. Received loan from city.
- City gave them a deal on land south of downtown for replacement housing.
- Chelsea Heights had no action going on for months in the middle of construction first stirring bankruptcy rumors
- Showroom on Pacific Ave. shuts down
- Announced Hanna Heights was going apartment
- Announced Chelsea Heights was going apartments
- Fall behind numerous times on deadlines to buy land on Foss Waterway from Foss Waterway Development Assoc.. But get this they spent $1,000,000 on cleanup and grading prior to owning the site.
- Raised Rents in their Downtown Tacoma office building (Bank of America Building)
- Put the Bank of American Building on the Market

Did I miss anything?

Oh and great pics.

I am excited for the MidTown Loft project and the TRA HQ across 13th. A once dead zone will have some activity soon.

Thanks for the updates. I'll be in Tacoma (my home town), tomorrow. I'm going to the Java Jive!

emails and such
 

The Java Jive? Right on!
I'm not a drinker so I don't go there often. But I always like driving by.

--------

A Jay Hts update. I emailed another person and got this response:
"We are probably a couple of years away on this project. If we have any
updates we will put them on the web site. But I doubt that much will
happen for a couple of years."

So either it's the waiting game or this guy isn't too much in the loop. Admittedly, since this is not even April yet, a late 2009 finish is "about" a couple of years. Given the housing market lately, it looks like a wait might just happen. :(

more tomorrow
 

With all the residential and commercial projects 'round town, seems like folks are forgetting the fairly major additions going up at Tacoma General. I got a bunch of cool pictures in the snow, I'll post 'em tomorrow when I'm not so tired.

Here's one shot taken from over on 1st and Tacoma Ave. You can see the two big cranes just looming over Wright Park.
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/4186/tg11st3.png
More tomorrow!

Prium probably bit off more than it could chew. We all have our own story on doing that too.

Maybe if other people in Tacoma start developing they would spread the risk.

Elks
 

Here is the sketch for the Elk property in Downtown Tacoma. William & Dame of Portland bought it in I believe 2006. They wanted to build a tower next to the Elks building but couldn't figure out what to do with the actual Elks building. With the RE market getting tuff they decided to put the property on the market..

TNT Bizz Buzz Entry

For Sale Flyer

Here is a sketch of what the high-rise might have looked like:

http://www.exit133.com/images/1543.jpg
Pic from Exit133.com


Some in the community are pushing for the Children's Museum of Tacoma to buy the property for a new location. I do like the idea but I would have liked to see a high-rise go in the vacant lot next door.

nibble
 

I don't know Prium's finances or anything about their business plan/goals/etc.
It would seem to me that the Winthrop is a far bigger investment than they thought. If you factor in the replacement housing for the over 200 low-income people there, that alone is a significant cost and a large project in and of itself.
Considering that Hannah and Chelsea came to fruition (even though not as Condos) I'd like to hope that Jay will go up once the Winthrop is under control. But I'm skeptical for now.

Lower Tacoma General
 

TG currently has two projects going on now. Up on MLK we have the new emergency room and down on I we have the new boiler plant.

The rendering for the Boiler plant
http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/84/tg5hh2.png

From Wright Park, the walls for the plant are going up nicely. Dig those half-moon shapes... looks like it's near the final height already.
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/5835/tg1rz5.png

A little bit on the inside. Those walls are thick! I'm sure it has to be regulations since there are going to be some hefty boilers in there.
http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/6189/tg2yh1.png

One more view. Kinda makes me wonder why they have such a large crane for the building.
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/984/tg3jq2.png

And what a large crane it is! Not the biggest around town, but sure looks like overkill when compared to that render...
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/6980/tg4at2.png

Upper Tacoma General
 

Up on MLK is the new emergency room. I can't seem to find a render for it. If anyone can, please post it. I want to see how this is supposed to turn out.

Here we have crane #2. Check out the boom on that thing! It's insanely long. This expansion probably won't be really tall, but probably pretty big.
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/3000/tg56pt4.png

Here is some equipment hiding behind a dirt mound.
http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/2984/tg7mh0.png

A glimpse into the hole. There is a lot of netting on the fence, so it's real hard to see down into the pit. I'll try to get a shot from the garage across the street when I get a chance.
http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/5585/tg8tj0.png

Loading up some cement!
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/5811/tg9sl0.png

And away goes the cement to a destination I can't see through the netting.
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/119/tg10ei4.png

Breaks my heart kinda. I still have hope and all, but boy is it dwindling for the moment.

Multicare has taken a lot of heat for those projects. First tearing down a historic church. The story behind that is pretty interesting:
It was announced Multicare was buying the church. Some people raised concerns because the church was historic but not on the register. Deal closed. People tried to get it on the register once it was in a for profit companies ownership. Multicare put the property back into the churches name ( I guess churches are protected from being registered historic by the public) and tore down the building. Then the property went back into Multicares ownership.

Then came the boiler plant. Many folks were not to happy about a large boiler plant with HUGE stacks going in across from one of Tacoma's signature parks, Wright Park. Multicare did work with the community to come up with a design that was a bit easier on the eye.

LeMay: America's Car Museum
 

The TNT had an article in todays paper updating us on the LeMay Musesum.

Looks like construction should start soon:

Hold your horsepower – for one more month. The board of the Harold E. LeMay Museum will likely vote May 2 to break ground on Phase 1 of a $100 million campus near the Tacoma Dome.

Today, three contractors who bid for the job have been selected to compete for final selection. The museum board will meet in Detroit on May 2, and along with selecting a final contractor, members will be asked to vote on a date to break ground on what now is a parking lot of the Tacoma Dome.

The end of the wait – and thus the real beginning of the museum – is nearer than ever before.

New Building Information: Click Here

Phase II Building:
http://www.lemaymuseum.org/files/lib...cf96b18f99.jpg
pic from LeMayMuseum.org

Phase I:

Madeira says that when complete, the Phase 1 building will in itself be the world’s largest car museum.

LeMay architect Alan Grant says the 190,000-square-foot building – 400 feet long, 45 feet high and 80 feet wide on two levels – will contain a formal display area for 100 cars; a cafe; a banquet facility; two large club rooms; storage for 600 museum-owned vehicles (which will be on view to the public); 80 private storage bays paid for by collectors; classrooms; a research library and administration area; a boardroom; and a retail shop, all tied to the 3.5-acre show field where clubs and collectors can gather to share their automobile romances.

le may
 

It's about time the LeMay project got going! Seriously, despite being next to the Dome I have been anxious for this thing to get going.
Any renders on Phase 1?

In the meantime a few pics... not too exciting, but still.

Check out da BIG crane! This view from South M
http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/9561/crane1kp7.png

Now from North M
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/452/crane2js8.png

Tacoma Condo Tour

Saturday, April 19
Sunday, April 20
10am to 6pm

http://www.mynorthwest.com/tct/lg_tct.jpg

Condos featured during the tour:

505 Broadway

City Steps

The Commencement

Esplanade

Granville

Marcato

McCarver Village

Metro City Homes

Midtown Lofts

Point Ruston

Roberson

Stadium 302

The Walker

More info at the Tacoma Condo Tour website

schweet
 

Oh man... I got awful credit and no money, but I still want to go to that thing. Not only for curiosity about seeing the insides of the finished ones... I'd be all over a hard hat tour of 505 Broadway. That would be freaking AWESOME!

Must put on calendar....
Thanks Jake!


And in gratitude, 2 I took from Brown's Point (I haven't been up there in ages). Pardon the poor quality of my 4x zoom.

Cranes @ TG
http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/1667/tg12gi0.png

Downtown, shot is from the corner of Le Lou Wa and Hyada.
http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/189...spoint1yj7.png


I drove through Townhome City yesterday and got a few pics. Anyone want to see them? 3 story condos aren't too exciting but I believe the statement that there are 600 units.

I like seeing Tacoma get crane action. Thanks for taking these and sharing. BTW, those are very cool named streets "Le Lou Wa"/"Hyada".

Hey Tacoma Boy I would like to see all the townhomes in "Townhome City" aka Tacoma Mall Mixed Use Center.