County’s first fast track project, a lush industrial park, nears completion
Local developer Genteel Investments LLC is nearing completion of its 40-acre Cold Creek Industrial Park, which at this point, looks nothing like an industrial park.
Local developer Genteel Investments LLC is nearing completion of its 40-acre Cold Creek Industrial Park, which at this point, looks nothing like an industrial park.
The park – all rolling fields of grass, walkways, ponds and ambling one-way roads – is about a month away from getting final plat and possible tenants are showing interest, said project manager Roy Heikkala.
When completed, 15 plots of land of various sizes starting at three acres and four acres will be up for grabs. Genteel plans on retaining at least 60 percent of the project to lease and the rest may be for sale. But the developers may end up keeping the whole thing, Heikkala said.
It sits at the intersection of N.E. 47th Avenue and Northeast Minnehaha Street, just east of Northeast St. Johns Road.
So far, four or five proposals have been put together for prospective tenants. Genteel Investments is marketing the property itself.
When tenants commit, Vancouver-based Colf Construction will erect their buildings to suit their needs.
And the aesthetic is key.
Most industrial parks, such as those that sit quite close to Cold Creek, are big-block, bare-bones buildings on acres of concrete.
"We took great care to have curb appeal," Heikkala said. "We are going to maintain it in this park-like, natural setting."
Colf Construction landscaped the acreage for about $2.5 million. Genteel bought the land from the Vancouver School District three years ago for about $3.5 million. The once-agricultural land had been tapped for a high school, but the logistics of that project never worked out.
A drainage ditch ran almost straight through the land, but developers opted to work with it. Vancouver’s PBS Engineering & Environmental designed a unique stormwater detention system that allows road runoff water to seep into manmade pond areas and be treated. No more unsightly catch basins, Heikkala said.
The engineering company handled all of the project’s civil engineering, including roads, grading, geotechnical work and permitting.
Genteel also will require solid fencing to shield stacks of materials from view. Tenants will pay for the upkeep of the grounds.
"Many businesses have a fair amount of office associated with warehousing, which are white-collar-type jobs," Heikkala said. "Customers who come to you don’t want to see old smoke stacks, and you want to feel good about where you’re working."
Because the developers had to choose between light manufacturing and business park zoning and opted for the former. As a result, there will be a limit on the amount of office space tenants will be allowed to have.
Life in the fast lane
The park was the first to run through the county’s fast track process for industrial projects that create industrial jobs. From the time of submittal to approval of the subdivision, the process took 110 days.
"We galloped through very fast and have been very happy," Heikkala said.
On the fast track, full engineering plans are submitted to the county for review at the get-go, so 95 to 100 percent of the work is done on the front-end, said Steve Gramm, PBS Engineering & Environmental design engineer.
Another figure who has been with the project since almost its inception is Bud Van Cleve, president of the N.E. Hazel Dell Neighborhood Association. Van Cleve sat in on the pre-application review with the county and developers. He liked the plan from the start.
"I think this is going to be the best industrial park we’ve seen in this area," Van Cleve said. "It’s a good use for the property, I like the approach – building the facility around Cold Creek – and the zoning is good and it offers improvement to the area."
Neighbors will be able to walk on the paths around the creek without the interruption of traffic, eat lunch on the picnic tables and take in the natural setting, he said.
Van Cleve hopes the project will set an example as what industrial parks can be.
"What you go through to get there is so ugly," he said of the industrial parks surrounding Cold Creek. "I hope this is the future of business parks here."
