Anthem Park at Uptown Village

Transcription

1 Anthem Park at Uptown Village Vancouver, Washington Project Type: Mixed Use Two Uses Volume 39 Number 18 October December 2009 Case Number: C PROJECT TYPE Anthem Park at Uptown Village is a mixed-income, mixed-use infill project located in Vancouver, Washington, on the northern bank of the Columbia River across from Portland, Oregon. Occupying a city block, the project comprises 22 for-sale townhouses, 58 workforce rental apartments, and 2,500 square feet (232 sq m) of ground-floor retail space arranged around a public park. The project sits atop a 119-space underground parking garage, which allowed for the density required to both make the project financially feasible and free up one-third of the site to be preserved as open space. LOCATION Other Central City SITE SIZE 1.5 acres/0.6 hectare LAND USES Workforce Housing, Townhouses, Main Street Retail, Urban Park, Underground Parking KEY FEATURES Infill Development Mixed-Income Housing Urban Regeneration Residential-Retail Development

2 WEBSITE OWNER/DEVELOPER Vernon L. Rifer Real Estate Development, Inc. Portland, Oregon ARCHITECT LRS Architects Portland, Oregon (503) LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Mayer/Reed Portland, Oregon (503) GENERAL DESCRIPTION Occupying about a city block in the Uptown district, about one half mile (0.2 km) from downtown Vancouver, Washington, Anthem Park is a mixed-use, mixed-income development that combines an apartment building targeted to workforce residents, for-sale townhomes, retail space, underground parking, and a public park all on a 1.5-acre (0.6-ha) portion of a larger 5.2-acre (2.1-ha) urban site. The project was developed by Vernon L. Rifer Real Estate Development, Inc., a Portland, Oregon, developer with more than 30 years of experience that specializes in urban, mixed-use, and mixed-income projects; in particular, it has a record of completing complex and controversial projects. SITE HISTORY AND APPROVALS PROCESS The site is bounded on the east by Main Street, a commercial thoroughfare lined with single-story shops. To the south is 24th Street, lined with single-family bungalows and cottages on small lots. To the north lie 25th Street and the Vancouver Housing Authority (VHA) office, and to the west, sharing the same block as Anthem Park, is Columbia House, a ten-story, 150-unit, 1970s-era apartment building for seniors. Diagonally to the northwest is the Fort Vancouver Apartments. Much of the surrounding community is single-family residential on small lots. The commercial district consists of one- and two-story buildings, many surrounded by surface parking. The Anthem Park site had once been home to the Vancouver High School athletic field. During the 1970s, the school was torn down and the playing field became a de facto park for the neighborhood. Older residents had fond memories of the playing field and, over time, local residents felt a kind of ownership of this green space and did not want to lose it to development. In fact, they had previously appealed and sued the city three times to prevent redevelopment of the site.

3 The property had been rezoned from 18 dwelling units per acre (R18) to community commercial (CC) in conformance with the comprehensive plan. CC zoning is designed to provide access to goods and services within a residential neighborhood. This zoning designation required retail space along Main Street, and mandated that at least 60 percent of the ground floor of all buildings must be retail. However, it was soon recognized that the neighborhood could not support such intensive retail development. Instead, the zoning was revised to include retail space only at the two Main Street corners (24th and 25th streets), which are the most viable and visible locations for retail. In addition, the residential units along Main Street are zoned as live/work units so that owners have the option of using front, ground-level space for a small, nonretail home business. The rezoning also required at least one half acre (0.2 ha) of open space on the site. Neighboring residents also expressed interest in more owner-occupied housing. A broader goal was to use the site as a springboard to create a more vibrant, diverse, mixed-use community. The development plan was the result of the city, the VHA, neighbors, business owners, neighborhood organizations, and the developer all working together to address the needs of all stakeholders. Once the plan was approved, all parties involved had to sign off and agree that they would not appeal or sue to stop development once it went forward. There were numerous conflicting interests to be considered: The Vancouver Housing Authority, which now owned the site, wanted workforce rental housing along with for-sale housing; neighbors wanted a park and for-sale housing; the local business community wanted more Main Street retail; and the neighborhood association wanted the open space to be an accessible urban park. Rifer listened to the concerns of the various stakeholders and, based on their wishes, along with what was feasible, he drew a back of the envelope rough plan for a mixed-use project that combined six distinct elements on the 1.5-acre (0.6-ha) site. Once it was clear that it met with unanimous approval, he took the concept to designers who fleshed out a plan. Initially, the VHA owned the entire site. After development, the housing authority continues to own the apartments, the open portion of the garage, and the courtyard, while the 22 townhouses, their garages, and the two retail spaces are in condominium ownership. The retail spaces are leased to tenants. PLANNING AND DESIGN Anthem Park helps unify and revitalize the neighborhood and provides transition between single-family homes and mid-rise structures. An apartment building located at the northwest corner of the site, adjacent to Columbia House, provides a stepping down in height from ten stories to four. From there, buildings step down to one and two stories on the remainder of the site to complement the single-family character of the surroundings to the south and east of the site. The project also integrates the residential and commercial components of the neighborhood. By introducing commercial space at the two Main Street corners, the development brings activity, and helps knit back together the neighborhood s retail core. The developer was required to provide a half-acre (0.2-ha) park that would be accessible to the public. In response, the designers created a central landscaped plaza over the underground garage, complete with a stream and waterfall. Pathways lead into the space from all sides of the property, allowing pedestrians to cut through the space. The neighboring seniors apartments were provided special access via an elevated open-air bridge. The townhouses line three sides of the site and back onto the plaza. Each unit has a deck and small yard facing the open space. The project consists of 22 for-sale townhomes and a four-story rental apartment building comprising 57 units, a mix of studios and one- and two-bedrooms. The two corners on Main Street feature retail space: the single-level northeast corner houses a Starbucks as of December 2009 and the southeast corner has a Subway sandwich shop on the street level, with two townhouses on the upper levels. Sidewalks at the corners are wide enough to allow

4 for outdoor tables, creating a neighborhood gathering place. At the waterfall entrance, a smaller bulb-out helps to identify the entrance. The architecture draws its cues from the existing neighborhood. The apartment building is faced with brick and siding, with black metal railings accenting the balconies. Similar black metal patterns are used on the gateways to the landscaped interior plaza. Townhouses have an urban village feel. Faced with brick, siding, and shingle, the architecture, with steep pitched roofs, is reminiscent of earlier craftsman and cottage styles of the Pacific Northwest. Unit interiors in both the apartments and townhomes make use of open floor plans and large windows for light and airy living spaces. A completely concealed underground parking garage was constructed with a concrete deck to support the plaza above. The gated garage serves all residents and is accessed by way of a driveway at the southwest corner of the property. Apartment dwellers use assigned spaces, while townhouse owners have private, enclosed, two-car garages with doors within the larger garage. The garage includes 64 open spaces for apartment residents and 19 private garages for the townhouses. The underground garage is a key component to the overall plan. First, it allows for enough density on the site to make the project financially feasible. It also creates a space for the plaza. And it sets a new, more urban aesthetic for the neighborhood in which buildings are sited right at the sidewalk, rather than being surrounded by a sea of surface parking. At the time the project was built, sustainability was not as prominent an issue as it is today. Still, the units made use of Energy Star appliances. But the big efficiency is the site itself, which is a densely developed infill site, close to town, transit accessible, and within walking distance of shopping and other services. THE PLAZA The project looks both outward and inward. While buildings connect the project to its surroundings in terms of scale, style, and materials, a landscaped public park at the center invites the neighborhood in. The developer s concept was to provide underground parking with housing around the perimeter. This offered a central plaza the lid of the underground garage to be used as a public park for the neighborhood, as well as an amenity for Anthem Park residents. Designed by Mayer/Reed, a landscape architecture firm based in Portland, Oregon, the plaza offers full public access, with pedestrian entrances on all four sides. In addition, an elevated walkway connects Columbia House senior apartments to the plaza and provides safe and easy access to the neighboring retail district. The designer sought to create a space that is welcoming to the community, but at the same time brings a level of privacy and ownership to townhome residents, whose units all face the plaza with rear gardens. The solution was to plant low hedges and fencing to suggest privacy, while still allowing residents to look out onto park. This gives them expanded outdoor views, while enabling them to provide eyes on the park for security of this public space. It is challenging to build a landscaped space on the roof of a garage. Trees need to be grown in raised planters so that enough depth is available for their roots. Weight is an issue; wet soil is heavy, so planters must be located directly above the garage s load-bearing columns. The plaza is at street level, except for the southwest corner, where 24th Avenue slopes, causing the plaza to be elevated. This resulted in the need for a staircase from the south side of the plaza down to the sidewalk, creating the opportunity for a waterfall feature cascading along the staircase. The water feature runs across the plaza and helps activate the space and the waterfall segment provides a signature entrance at 24th Avenue. Designer Carol Mayer-Reed is pleased with the end results. Occupancy is good, the café is busy, people walk through the plaza, and residents use their gardens, she says.

5 FINANCING Bank of America s community development arm handled most of the financing for the townhouses and retail, acting almost as a partner. The bank also financed the apartments for the VHA. Due to the pioneering nature of the project, the bank agreed to a 60 percent loan-to-value construction loan, with the developer being required to come up with 40 percent equity. The VHA provided deferred land purchase and gap financing. MARKETING The developer had to understand the market for this kind of development. He realized that this kind of project would not appeal to suburbanites, so he focused marketing efforts on homebuyers who preferred an urban lifestyle and were drawn to the convenience of the location and diversity of the community. We knew we wouldn t get suburbanites to move here, so we concentrated on attracting people who appreciate an urban lifestyle and are drawn to such places, said Rifer. Sales agents emphasized the appeal of the neighborhood. It is a desirable area, with an eclectic, funky business district. Buyers tended to be in their 30s and 40s. The developer has considerable experience with mixed-income apartments and believes that the key to success is to provide really good management. EXPERIENCE GAINED Rifer believes it is important to let everyone feel that they got what they wanted. Given the history of the site, he felt he had to return something the community would feel comfortable with. The plaza opens up to the neighborhood and replaces the vacant field that residents had grown attached to and the entrance with a waterfall that invites people in. Today, the plaza is used by seniors from the apartments next door, nearby office workers, neighbors from surrounding houses, and, of course, residents of the Anthem Park townhouses and apartments, becoming the focal point of a real community. At first, the neighborhood resisted any change at all. It is important to listen to the community and understand what they want. That makes the approval process easier, but even more important, these are some of the people who will ultimately be the buyers and renters of the development, so understanding their desires makes the project more marketable. Rifer says, In the development business, there s making money and there s making community. Building buildings is easy; building community is harder. PROJECT DATA LAND USE INFORMATION Site area (acres/hectares): 1.5/0.6 Gross building area (square feet/square meters): 77,400/7,190 Gross density (units per acre/hectare): 80/197 Average net density (units per acre/hectare): 53.3/132 Retail gross leasable area (square feet/square meters): 2,500/232 Number of parking spaces: 119 LAND USE PLAN Use Area (Acres/Hectares) Percentage of Site Buildings 1/ Landscaped areas 0.5/0.2 33

6 Total 1.5/ RESIDENTIAL INFORMATION Unit Type Number Area (Square Feet/Square Meters) Studio / One-bedroom/one-bathroom / Two-bedroom/one-bathroom / Two-bedroom/two-bathroom 4 918/ Townhouse 22 1,200/ Percentage Rented/Sold DEVELOPMENT COST INFORMATION Site acquisition cost: $280,000 Site improvement cost: $474,000 Construction costs: $9,914,000 Architecture/engineering: $738,000 Project management: $366,000 Marketing: $348,000 Legal/accounting: $46,000 Taxes/insurance: $99,000 Title fees: $25,000 (townhouses and retail) Construction interest and fees: $99,000 (townhouse and retail) Permits, development fees, miscellaneous: $845,000 (some VHA fees not included) Soft costs: $13,234,000 Total development cost: $16,182,700 (includes VHA direct costs) DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE Site acquisition: December 1995 Planning started: June 2001 Construction started: September 2002 Sales/leasing started: July 2003 Project completed: September 2003 DRIVING DIRECTIONS From Portland International Airport: Head southwest on NE Airport Way toward NE Cargo Road. Turn left to merge onto I-205 North toward Seattle, and take exit 27 toward Vancouver. Merge onto WA-14 and take for 5.7 miles (9.2 km). Take exit toward City Center and then merge onto C Street. Turn left at East 15th Street, and then take second right onto Main Street. Make a left at West 25th Street; destination will be on the left. Driving time: 20 minutes in nonpeak traffic.

7 Adrienne Schmitz, report author Theodore Thoerig, editor, Development Case Studies David James Rose, copy editor Colleen DiPietro, online production This Development Case Study is intended to serve as a resource for subscribers in improving the quality of future projects. Data contained herein were made available by the project s development team and constitute a report on, not an endorsement of, the project by the Urban Land Institute. Copyright 2010 by the Urban Land Institute 1025 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW, Suite 500 West, Washington, DC Occupying a city block, Anthem Park at Upton Village comprises 22 for-sale townhouses, 58 workforce rental apartments, and 2,500 square feet (232 sq m) of ground-floor retail space arranged around a public park. The project, developed by Vernon L. Rifer Real Estate Development, Inc., a Portland, Oregon, developer, includes workforce housing reserved for those earning up to 60 percent of the area median income.

8 Along Main Street, retail uses are situated at the most visible and viable retail locations, and the adjacent townhouses are zoned as live/work units so that owners have the option of using front, ground-level space for a small, nonretail home business. The interior park which includes a waterfall and stream is welcoming to the community, but through strategic landscaping also brings a degree of privacy and ownership to townhome residents, whose units all face the plaza with rear gardens.

9 Illustrated site plan.