Apparently, developers Urban Partners wanted to make themselves loud and clear, so they brought roughly a half dozen representatives with them to the May 4 Kenmore City Council session.
Chosen by the city, Urban Partners is the lead developer for the presently stalled Kenmore Village by the Lake mixed-use development. But the message of the evening seemed to be that the work is indeed delayed, but indeed not forgotten.
“In terms of the project itself, we at Urban Partners are still committed and excited,” said Urban Partners Chief Financial Officer Matt Burton.
Burton several times said the project had run into an economic “buzz-saw.”
“As everyone knows,” he said, “we’ve been faced with some difficult events in the capital market and in real estate in general.”
Burton reiterated what Urban Partners and city officials have said in the past, that finding an anchor retail tenant is key to the success of the development. He added the project had generated some interest from retailers, but no one was willing to sign on the dotted line at this point.
“Everyone is sitting tight,” Burton said.
For the most part, Burton and Urban Partners’ overall message seemed well received by council. Mayor David Baker praised the company for sticking with the project. Deputy Mayor Milton Curtis said city officials ultimately will be judged by how well whatever development emerges stands the test of time. He said if the project is a success in the long run, few people even will remember the delays.
“Everybody understands money is tight and businesses aren’t expanding,” Councilman Allan VanNess said after the meeting. “Once things start turning around, they (Urban Partners) will be in a position to move.”
Councilwoman Laurie Sperry agreed.
“Everyone wants to know when they’ll be breaking ground, but that’s not a question anyone can answer at this point,” she said.
Burton said he was impressed with the amount of activity going on in the city surrounding what is planned to be the site of Kenmore Village, basically about 10 acres stretching from the corner of Northeast 181st Street and 68th Avenue Northeast to the Park-and-Ride lot near Northeast 185th Street. Burton referred to the just-begun construction of Kenmore’s new city hall, pending construction of a new fire station and the potential for a new city library.
City Manager Frederick Stouder recently confirmed the city, Urban Partners and the U.S. Post Office are in talks that could have the Kenmore post office moving across the street and into the current City Hall. City officials would have to make do with temporary facilities, probably in the existing Kenmore Village, but the move would make room for construction of a new Kenmore library at the site where the post office now sits. Burton said the post office could become a permanent part of a revamped Kenmore Village and that talks are ongoing.
In answering a question from council, Burton said there would be about a two-year lag time between the point an anchor tenant comes on board and the grand opening for that tenant. With that in mind, he said council might want to consider extending the leases of the existing businesses in Kenmore Village for up to a year.
Presently, those leases expire in October. Baker indicated he had no problem with that idea and council changes to the development agreement with Urban Partners could happen in the near future.
