A Timeline of SODO activities in Nov-Dec 2010

Until I come up with a way to log my discussions and next steps that is more interactive I'm going to capture what I can still remember here.

Nov 10. Toured the Stubbs Seed facility (Hwy 8 & 95) with Shelley Bennett (agent for the Legacy parcel) to understand a comparable property in the vicinity of the Legacy site.

Nov 15. Visit with students in Wendy McClure's architecture class. Their project involves the super block along 6th avenue. Students presented this work to the URA Dec 8.

Nov 17. Coffee with Rick Bebee, former owner of the parcel I'm exploring developing. Need to follow up with Gerard Billington, UI.

Nov 19. Tried to have impromptu meeting with Gary Reidner, but he was busy. Dropped in on Bill Beklnap instead. Bill provided a sketch he created to explore how the current ownership lines might be adjusted to accommodate the public right of way for Almon St and Main St extensions.

Dec 7. Lunch with Mark Mumford. Discussed the need for 50-somethings to have a place to bring aging parents that is a less restrictive environment than Bishop Place or Good Sam. This has implications for "mother in law" apartments and/or wheelchair ready flats.

Dec 7. Emailed with Gerri Saylor about My Own Home. Follow up after the New Year.

Dec 8. Attended presentation by Wendy McClure's architecture students to URA regarding development at 6th and Jackson and more generally the whole superblock to the west-south of that corner. Some of the designs captured the urban character that the City is seeking in the Legacy Crossing Overlay Zone design guidelines.

Dec 9. Meeting with Gary Reidner (Moscow City Managere) and Jeff Jones (URA and Moscow Econ Development). Discussed the project generally and how the City and URA might be involved, including Brownfields assessment and Inter-modal Transit facility.

Dec 9. Later in the day meeting with Laurence Rose, Design West. Learned that the NW end of the property I'm exploring in one of the top 3 sites being explored for Moscow's Inter-modal Transit facility.

Dec 9. Lunch meeting with Phil Waite, WSU Landscape Architecture. Phil gave me several books to read.

Dec 13. Pat Vaughan (County Assessor) emailed a spreadsheet listing all residential property in Moscow: year built, address, and residence type.  I produced this analysis to explore the age distribution of existing residences. The implication is that a residential zoning decision is likely to have an impact on the city land use that lasts more than 50 years.

Dec 14. Meeting with Karen Lewis (Moscow Realty) to learn about market for townhouses. Karen provided some sales data for townhouses (closest thing Moscow has to a row house). Karen suggests that I "need a web page" for the project. I confirm that she is advising that I work the problem in public.

Dec 16. Lunch with Dan Rathmann (retired engineer) to explore his thinking about the Dumas facility on A street and to share what I know about the Legacy Crossing site. Dan is father of Kurt the strawbale guy (and architect) currently doing design-build in Spokane.

Dec 17. Meeting with Aimee Shipman (LEDC), who pointed me to a couple articles about college towns doing town-gown-retiree developments to attract alumni and retiring boomers.

Dec 20. Posted Huffington Post article on adult children living with parents. This has implications for design of spaces to support 2nd unit for live-in family member.

Dec 21. Meeting with Shelley Bennett to explore her thoughts about working the project in public. Shelley points to the successful use of the strategy at Eastside Marketplace (public input needs analysis), and more recently by the Anderson Group for the grain facility at 6th & Jackson. Shelley mentioned another project that is failing to get off the ground and is not taking her advice to build momentum in public. I asked Shelley to alert to owner of the Legacy parcel that I would have a public strategy up by New Years.

Dec 23. Launched SODO blog and Facebook group, see previous post.

List of next steps:
UI people to meet. Goal, learn more about how UI would be a neighbor/ partner

• Gerard Billington - suggested my several people including Bebee & Billington
• Ray Pankoff - suggested by Phil Waite
• Steve Drown - suggested by Phil Waite (also on URA)
• UI Comprehensive Plan

 Finance People to meet. Goal, learn more about how the money works

• Lee Gibbs - Zions Bank - recommended by several. Zions financed the URA purchase of 6th & Jackson
• Craig Knott - US Bank

Go Nano. Goal, learn more about their space needs when they want to move from the business incubator.

• Tim Kinkeade - CEO. talked 12/28.

Get list of membership of URA. Find what other connections these people have.

Update financial analysis spreadsheet and explore how to apply what I learned from Shelley about Capitalization rate: Rent / CapRate = Sales price

Look for images and start some image sharing in SODO FB group started 12/29

Get a better site drawing and develop some questions about parking and access along creek side. First version done.