Chambers Prairie Grange May Be Saved – Again

Above: Chambers Prairie Grange building owner Tom Schrader arrives at his property at the intersection of Yelm Highway and Henderson Boulevard in Tumwater. Instead of demolishing the former grange, Schrader now plans to turn it into a Starbucks. He is in the process of purchasing the adjacent property, above, from The Farm Homeowners Association.

Starbucks Still in the Picture, Possibly in the Grange

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

http://www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com
A Little Hollywood Land Use Investigation - Continued

In late April, Little Hollywood broke the news that Chambers Prairie Grange property owner Tom Schrader was planning to demolish the 107 year old former grange and that he had entered into negotiations with Starbucks to build a new 4,000 square foot building on the Tumwater property.

The news surprised, confused, and angered many Tumwater city officials and community members.

In early May, City of Tumwater Mayor Pete Kmet and several city staff members met with Schrader to discuss the future of the building and negotiated a series of understandings regarding right of way, new building requirements, a rezone of the adjacent acreage currently owned by The Farm Homeowners Association, a proposed drive thru, and setbacks.

Schrader has not yet filed a formal land use application or submitted final designs to the city but now, instead of demolishing the grange and building a stand-alone building, the grange is expected to be turned into a Starbucks, says Schrader.

Time will tell. The building is not listed on any historic register.

In his haste to move the project along, Schrader had filed a request for an emergency rezone of adjacent property belonging to The Farm in June but Mayor Kmet and the city didn’t see a way to declare it an emergency if Schrader was going to raze the grange and build a new building. 

City staff negotiated several sticking points with Schrader so, as far as the city is concerned, the former Chambers Prairie Grange can stay where it is, and does not have to be moved to accommodate future expansion to the Henderson Boulevard and Yelm Highway intersection.

Schrader purchased the grange building in 2015 and announced he wanted to save it and convert it into a neighborhood coffee and sandwich shop. After verbal miscommunications with the city and receiving a rezone of the property in late 2016, he declared that the building could not be saved and began dismantling the interior.

As part of the negotiations to spare the grange from outright demolition, the Tumwater city council approved the sponsoring of a comprehensive plan map amendment and the associated rezone of an adjacent property owned by The Farm Homeowners Association, but not without some questions and comment, at their meeting Tuesday evening.

Getting the amendment and rezone on the city’s work docket allows staff to study the issue.

The Farm and a Proposed Rezone

The area being considered for a rezone is part of The Farm Homeowners Association property to the west and south of the grange on Yelm Highway.

Once an agricultural area, the grange is now surrounded by a tangle of different zoning categories.

Schrader has long been interested in this property in order to have more space to develop his property.

The purchase is still not final, but The Farm Homeowners Association community approved the sale of its property to Schrader in concept on May 25. The vote was 81 to 8 in favor of the sale, said Schrader.

Depending on the outcome of a property survey, the property is between 18,000 and 22,500 square feet in size and will cost Schrader about $100,000.

A developer agreement between Schrader and The Farm is also being prepared and expected to be finished next month. The city is drafting the agreement and must approve it before the rezone is granted.

The proposed amendment would change the Comprehensive Plan map designation of a portion of the parcel from Single Family Low Density (SFL) to Public Institutional (PI) and the zone district designation from Single Family Low Density (SFL) to Community Services (CS) to match the comprehensive plan amendment and associated rezone done for the former grange property in 2016.

Once the docket becomes final, staff will review the proposed amendment as part of their 2017 long range plan work program. The final docket review will start with a Planning Commission review and recommendation process that will begin in September.

At Tuesday night’s meeting, Councilmember Nicole Hill wondered about setting a precedent for rezoning an open space tract to a different use. Staff agreed that the question was a “worthwhile concern,” but said that it is not clear from the record how it became open space, and that it is a remnant area fenced off from The Farm subdivision.

Members of the council and the Tumwater Historic Preservation Commission have been polite, but have indicated that they felt duped into the 2016 rezone from single family low density to community service, having been swayed by Schrader’s enthusiasm and promise that the grange and its historic character and integrity would be saved.

At a previous council meeting, Kmet admitted they all should have asked more questions and asked for a developer’s agreement at the time of the rezone of the grange property.

Schrader says Starbucks is willing to wait for the proposed rezone process to be complete. A few months ago, they did not prefer to be in the old grange building, but now, he said, they may be open to ideas.

Schrader went to Seattle on Tuesday morning to meet with Starbucks representatives to discuss his latest architectural drawings and ideas. Schrader says he wants Starbucks on the top floor of the grange, and he will keep the basement for parties and events.

Above: The basement of the Chambers Prairie Grange as seen in November, 2015.

Along with other changes, Schrader says that he has already taken out the floor and walls, and the stage will be taken out. In a 2015 interview, Schrader said he would save the stage.

With the historic integrity of the building and its surroundings slated to be dramatically altered, including the cutting down of at least three large Douglas fir trees and one maple tree to make a drive thru, it is uncertain whether or not the deal will be worthwhile to some historic preservationists.

At their last meeting, members of the city’s Tumwater Historic Preservation Committee discussed their desire to tour the property and see the inside of the grange.

Mike Matlock, community development director for the City of Tumwater, says the city is only interested in exterior appearances.

Dave Nugent, president of The Farm subdivision, says members of The Farm want the exterior appearance of the grange retained as a notable landmark, saying the grange is integral to his neighborhood.

Grange members built the hall on land donated by the Wickie Family, completing the structure in 1910, one of the first in Thurston County.

When Nugent was informed that Schrader visited Starbucks representatives with designs showing Starbucks in the grange, the news concerned him.

“Putting Starbucks in the grange without losing its historic integrity is something. The more he starts to modify the building the more he’ll lose the protections the city has offered him….It’s certainly gone back and forth. It is our hope that the grange is kept there. We want to see that corner taken care of,” said Nugent.

Nugent said Schrader has a lot to get done before The Farm sells their property to him, but strongly believes Schrader always intended to save the grange.

As for the building’s interior, he hopes Starbucks will want to tell the story of the grange and its history through pictures and design.

Nugent says he knows some trees will be lost and doesn’t think the neighborhood will be impacted. With the proceeds from the sale of the property, The Farm intends to create a barrier between the subdivision and the property to minimize noise and light pollution, and make other safety and beautification enhancements to the neighborhood.

“The sale of our property (to Schrader) is fortuitous. Neighbors are looking forward to the whole idea of going over there to get coffee and pastries and have it be a gathering spot,” said Nugent.

Above: A lot of traffic passes in front of the Chambers Prairie Grange on Sunday afternoon at the intersection of Yelm Highway and Henderson Boulevard. Construction is ongoing for an active senior living facility across the street.

The Art of the Deal...Tumwater Style

In a development process that sounds a bit like learning how sausage is made, communications between Schrader and the city have improved in the last few months, particularly after an early May meeting resulted in negotiations laid out in print.

In a May 6 email, Mayor Pete Kmet wrote Schrader that if he wants to preserve the current building in place, the city is willing to support a vacation of a portion of the city's right of way on Henderson that the building encroaches on, in exchange for additional right of way on Yelm Highway where the stairs are, with removal of the stairs.

The city is also willing to support a waiver to the twelve foot sidewalk requirement along Henderson and Yelm Highway and reduce this to a six foot wide sidewalk and support a waiver to reduce the ten foot building setback and landscaping requirement so the grange does not need to be moved.

Regarding a drive thru, city code prohibits the placement of a drive thru window between a building and the street. Kmet said the city would not support a variance from this requirement. 

“With acquisition of the Farm’s parcel, it appears possible to achieve sufficient queuing to enable provision of a drive thru window on the west side of either the existing or a new building,” he wrote. 

The rezone of The Farm parcel and vacation of a portion of the right of way on Henderson Boulevard are dependent on city council approval. Similarly, any variances depend on a hearing examiner decision.

Schrader is thrilled with the negotiations with the city, and if he gets the rezone, says his intent is to combine the properties and provide full service access points with left and right ingress and egress on both Yelm Highway and Henderson Boulevard.

“This is huge - now the entrance and exit for this corner is much easier for everyone….Things sometimes have a way of coming back around for the good. I will be keeping the grange, and buying the extra property…I can now go back to doing what I had always hoped for, and that is to restore and keep the grange,” Schrader said.

For more photos and information about the Chambers Prairie Grange and its history, and Tom Schrader, and go to Little Hollywood, http://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and type keywords into the search engine.

Chambers Prairie Grange Faces Demolition

Above: With his back turned to the former Chambers Prairie Grange, owner Tom Schrader says the building on the corner of Henderson Boulevard and Yelm Highway in Tumwater will be demolished. Schrader is in negotiations with Starbucks to create a new 4,000 square foot building with a drive-thru on the property. 

Owner in Negotiations with Starbucks for Property Use

Site Plans Still Uncertain

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

http://www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

A Little Hollywood Land Use Investigation

The 107 year old former Chambers Prairie Grange on the corner of Henderson Boulevard and Yelm Highway in Tumwater will be demolished, says building owner Tom Schrader.

Schrader’s decision to raze the beloved grange has caught many off guard, including City of Tumwater planning staff and the city council’s citizen advisory planning commission.

Members of the city council and the city’s historic preservation commission have not been formally informed of Schrader's new intentions for the building.

After weeks of hearing rumors, members of the city’s citizen advisory planning commission were the first to hear about the change in plans firsthand by Schrader during a public comment period at their March 14 meeting.

Their reaction, similar to that expressed by some city staff and others already familiar with the news, was one of confusion and disappointment, particularly since Schrader had wooed them all with his vision of saving the building and converting it into a neighborhood café and bistro.

The planning commission had recommended that Schrader receive a comprehensive plan rezone for the property from single-family, low-density residential to community service, which was approved by city council last October.

The prospect of tearing down the building is unthinkable for many Thurston County historic preservationists and community members who have generations of memories of the grange being used for community meetings, weddings, dances and other gatherings.

Schrader met with several local coffee businesses in the area to ascertain their interest in the property, but was unsuccessful in getting any of them to make a commitment.

At some point, Starbucks offered Schrader a contract on the property at 1301 Yelm Highway. 

Schrader gets upset at the suggestion that he obtained the rezone to increase the property’s value and says the contract is not a done deal.

“I met with Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters three times, Cutters Point Coffee twice, and everyone else at least once, so my effort has not wavered from that desire,” he told the city’s planning commission on March 14.

Schrader said he has also received offers from fast food restaurants such as Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and Chick fil-A, corporations that have all expressed an interest in the corner for years.

“I could have gone with any of those, but I said no to all of them. Starbucks is a coffee shop that has an area where people can meet, with a social community area, and that was my intent for the grange anyways, wasn’t it?” said Schrader. 

He has expressed considerable frustration with the City of Tumwater and sought clarification on what he could do with the property. Schrader's plans call for the building to be demolished, the basement to be imploded and filled in, and trees to be removed.

Misunderstandings continue between Schrader and the City of Tumwater about the grange’s physical position on the property and the regulatory setbacks needed for sidewalks, landscaping and public works needs. 

Above: Tom Schrader met with City of Tumwater staff at an epic, two hour site review planning meeting on March 2 to discuss Schrader’s plans to demolish the grange and determine what he can and cannot do on the property. Developers and their representatives present staff with preliminary plans at these meetings and staff review regulations that may affect those plans. These type of meetings usually last 45 minutes to an hour.

Schrader specifically mentioned in a previous interview with Little Hollywood that he did not want a Starbucks, a Texaco gas station, a 7-11, nor a Burger King.

“….I want something the neighborhood wants,” he said in an interview with Little Hollywood in November 2015.

Schrader is currently in negotiations with The Farm Homeowners Association to purchase property adjacent to the grange property, which he says would allow for a safer, better project. 

Since he purchased the property in 2015, Schrader has worked with neighbors and residents of The Farm to appease their concerns regarding potential traffic and noise.

When asked by Little Hollywood if the city or a private entity could purchase the building and save it, Schrader bristled and asserted that the building cannot stay where it is. 

Schrader said he doesn’t want to hear any “bleeding heart stories” about the loss of the grange.

“I'm really not feeling too bad about whatever I do with the old grange because nobody gives a damn! Where was everyone who cared when I needed them? I have over $15,000 invested in architectural plans - remodel plans already submitted to the city - a gas meter, electrical engineering, new electrical meters, and I bought new cedar roofing.

“The building is in City of Tumwater right of way and they will not let me remodel or keep the building where it currently is - if I move the building, I will lose the basement, and the building won't survive the move,” Schrader said angrily.

“I've had building movers and general contractors do inspections on the structure, and they will not guarantee the building would survive a move. In fact, they wouldn't touch it unless I signed a waiver saying if the building imploded or fell over, I wouldn't file a claim against them.”

Although the outside looks intact, Schrader has a carpenter inside the former grange, salvaging part of the floor, which he says is not the original fir flooring. A maple floor was put over the old fir floor, maybe in the 1960-70's.

Schrader says he is keeping a lot of the old grange materials and is working with Starbucks on a possible design.

During a March tour of the grange, Schrader said that the new building will look like a grange, and wants it to be positioned lengthwise along Yelm Highway, using the grange’s exterior wood paneling.

Inside, several new water leaks were seen dripping from roof to floor.

Schrader, who says he doesn’t like to visit the property anymore, or even call it “the grange” because the situation is so depressing, rushed to find containers to catch the drips.

Schrader asked Little Hollywood to not take any interior photos.

Above: On what was a forested lot last year, the new Starbucks and its drive-thru located on Cooper Point Road in Olympia is now surrounded by impervious surface. This Starbucks design is similar in size of what could be accommodated on Schrader’s property in Tumwater. Schrader has presented several architectural designs to Tumwater city staff and the parties have wrangled over setbacks and access to the site. 

Property Use Disputes

According to Schrader, the City of Tumwater is making him move the building in 10 to 20 years, because it is three to eight feet within the city's right of way.

The city has future intentions of adding another left turn at the intersection of Henderson and Yelm Highway.

“The city won't give me a break on reducing the setbacks. Any new building will be at least 20 feet from the sidewalk, which puts the building in the middle of the lot, so you don't have room for parking and the storm pond,” said Schrader.

The city says, yes, the building is in its right of way, but they were making regulatory exceptions, and working with Schrader to allow the building to stay in its current location.

When Schrader took city staff off guard by unexpectedly presenting them with preliminary plans to demolish the grange and replace it with a new 4,000 square foot building and parking lot, the project became a typical new development that must adhere to current setback and other development regulations.

The proposed Starbucks will have a drive-thru, which was just one major sticking point at a March 2 meeting between Schrader and the City of Tumwater development review committee.

Several city staff members met with Schrader for a two hour meeting to examine Schrader’s latest architectural drawings and design requests. 

Staff’s confusion on how Schrader got from Point A, saving the grange, to Point B, demolishing the grange, was palatable, with at least one staff member blatantly saying that he wanted the grange to be saved.

Schrader says a drive-thru is a mandatory feature for Starbucks and says the corporation is willing to wait for as long as it takes to get through the land use and design process.

“I need the city to help me design a project that’s good for Tumwater,” said Schrader.

City of Tumwater Perspective

The City of Tumwater has a different perspective on the whole matter but believes Schrader was sincere in his desire to save the building during the comprehensive plan and rezone request process last year.

“Tumwater has always been and continues to be supportive of retaining the grange building if possible. That being said, there is no city requirement prohibiting demolition of the building. That is a decision for the property owner,” said Michael Matlock, community development director for the City of Tumwater, in an email to Little Hollywood last month.

“….Retaining the grange building was much discussed during the comprehensive plan and rezone request process and I believe all parties have a strong interest and desire to see that happen. 

“The city did not require him to demolish it. A portion of the structure is in the city right of way. Initially, we told Tom he would need to remove that portion from the right of way. We negotiated that point and subsequently allowed that portion to stay in the right of way. Tom told me that he had some further structural analysis done and it was just not possible to retain the building,” said Matlock.

Asked about the drive-thru element, Matlock says a drive-thru is allowed under the current zoning, but would be subject to stringent design guidelines regarding placement and screening. It will not be allowed between the building and the sidewalk.

“This is a challenging site to develop because of its size and location. While we have had many discussions with Tom, we have not yet begun the site plan review process to work through these issues,” said Matlock.

City staff say that the new Starbucks, which includes a drive-thru, on Cooper Point Road near Haggen’s grocery store is very similar in size to the preliminary plans they have discussed with Schrader.

Grange Building History

Located on the former Route #2 in Thurston County, the Chambers Prairie Grange No. 191 was built in 1910 on land donated by the Wickie Family. 

The grange served as a vital community center for the area's farmers and their agricultural, social, educational and political activities. 

The wooden, one-story, 5,668 square foot building sits on .91 acres and is remarkably sound, despite its age. It has been untouched by vandals and still features the original wavy glass windows. The basement still contains long wooden tables suitable for dining and entertaining.

The building is not listed on any historic register. 

It sat vacant for years, but continued to be owned by the Washington State Grange until Schrader and his wife Tiffany bought it in late 2015. 

Since then, Tom Schrader has worked to clear the grange property of blackberry brambles and brush, scraped moss off the roof, hauled away old appliances, and provided electricity and natural gas to the building.

The rezone to community service last October allowed 22 permitted uses but limited commercial development of the property.  

The area has built up around the grange.

Northwest of the grange is the Briggs YWCA and the 137-acre Briggs Village. 

Northeast of the grange was once the Briggs Nursery. It is now Briggs East Village and a 200-unit development for active senior adults called Silver Leaf.

East of the grange is the Tsuki Nursery, which is on the market, listed and represented by Schrader, a commercial real estate agent for ReMax/Parkside.

That latter property is currently in Thurston County with Olympia Urban Growth Area jurisdiction zoned residential 4 – 8.

Jay Eaton, director of public works for the City of Tumwater, said in a past interview that the Yelm Highway and Henderson Boulevard intersection is currently operating at an acceptable level of service.

“The projections out to 2040 show that, at some point, the intersection level of service will fall below desirable,” he said.

About 30,000 vehicles per day currently use the intersection.

Above: With a simplified, hand drawn sketch, Tom Schrader shows his vision for the future site of the grange property. He says he will use portions of the grange's exterior wood paneling for the outside of a new building. Pending the possible sale of an adjacent piece of property to Schrader, siting logistics and details for the new development is still uncertain. 

Editor’s Note: This story chronicles just a small part of a local land use project's complicated journey from idea to reality. Since late 2015, Little Hollywood has published three stories about Tom Schrader's ideas for the former Chambers Prairie Grange site. 

Little Hollywood spent three months investigating the update for this story, meeting and checking in with Schrader on multiple occasions, attending meetings, and communicating with city staff. 

The story is not over, but it would appear that the possibility of saving the building's structural and spiritual integrity, is now lost.

For more photos, information and previous Little Hollywood articles about the Chambers Prairie Grange No. 191, Tom Schrader, the City of Tumwater rezone of the property, and current and projected traffic levels at the intersection, go to Little Hollywood’s stories:

November 29, 2015 - www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com/2015/11/chambers-prairie-grange-in-tumwater.html

May 28, 2016 - www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com/2016/05/chambers-prairie-grange-rezone.html

November 4, 2016 – www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com/2016/11/chambers-prairie-grange-rezone-passes.html

Tumwater Acquires Historic Tower

Above: Brambles hang from an archway window of Tumwater's historic Old Brewhouse. City of Tumwater councilmembers entered into an agreement with owner George Heidgerken and his company, Falls Development LLC, to take ownership of the six story tower that is the visual symbol of Tumwater. Photo taken in October 2014.

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Tumwater city councilmembers approved a letter of agreement between the city and Falls Development LLC at a public hearing held Tuesday evening to acquire the six story, historic tower that is the symbol of Tumwater. 

The tower is currently owned by developer George Heidgerken and his company, Falls Development, LLC.

The acquisition commits the city to the rehabilitation of the Old Brewhouse structure with an estimated cost of $5.6 million. The acquisition includes easements to access the property and construct trails.

The city will now embark upon a historic preservation strategy that will include finding funding grants and partners to protect the building, and create trails. 

Rushing through the public process, the draft letter of agreement was publicly available and posted to the city’s website on Friday afternoon. Corrections to the letter of agreement were made at the hearing, including sections quoted by Little Hollywood in its story posted April 1.

Details were not reviewed by councilmembers in a work session or council meeting prior to Tuesday evening, leading them to ask questions and learn new information during the public hearing.

Jim Cary of Cardinal Architecture presented information about the tower which is an unreinforced masonry structure. He said it works well when dry, but when wet, and in the process of freezing and thawing, the mortar is loosened. The tower is highly exposed to the elements.

A temporary preservation plan estimated to cost $425,000 would provide immediate protection due to the building’s rapidly deteriorating condition. Cary recommended skipping that step and moving on to the $1.6 million dollar phase that provides more permanent protection, puts a roof on the structure, provides ventilation to keep the building dry inside, repairs the mortar, and cleans up and removes hazardous elements.

This work and financial amount is included in the final $5.6 million dollar cost that prepares the tower for an intensive seismic retrofit plan.

Construction management is not included in the cost.

Comparisons of the historic tower to the Space Needle and the Smith Tower in Seattle, Crusader castles, castles on the Rhine, and the Statue of Liberty were eloquently and persuasively made throughout the evening.

Several members of the public spoke to the proposed letter of agreement, some in favor, some not.  

More than one person was suspicious of the city working with Heidgerken, a developer with a history of committing environmental offenses, even on this property. 

All considered the tower to be a regional asset and a regional responsibility. All councilmembers spoke to the issues.

Councilmember Joan Cathey abstained from the final vote, saying the draft agreement letter was vague. She said she counted five places where it says the city will have “future negotiations,” with the developer.

“I’m not saying I’m against it, but it’s a leap…I don’t think the city is ready to take on this project…I don’t feel totally good about it. I have concerns. We’re financially stepping out farther out on a limb than we ever have before,” said Cathey.

She also wondered why there was a rush to sign the letter of agreement.

Answer: Once the tower is in the city’s hands, the city is eager to take advantage of this current cycle of state heritage grant funding. Applications are due May 19. If the city doesn’t meet the deadline, or does meet the deadline and doesn’t get a grant, then they will have to wait another two years to apply.

Councilmember Nicole Hill questioned a point in the letter that states that the city will pursue funding for a pedestrian bridge across the river to the property. She thought, as did several members of the public, that that idea was taken off the table as unfeasible in the Planned Action land use scenarios currently under consideration by the council. Another public hearing for that process is April 19.

Assistant city administrator and brewery project manager Heidi Behrends Cerniway said the city didn’t include the bridge in the Planned Action environmental impact statement because it was not detrimental, adding that it is not an entirely impossible concept further in the process. Whether or not the answer was satisfactory, Hill voted for the purchase of the tower.

Councilmember Ed Hildreth was absent. Mayor Pete Kmet said Hildreth told him he would vote against it. There is no provision in Tumwater rules that allow voting by correspondence or proxy. A telephone vote requires full capacity to hear the meeting, so Hildreth’s opinion was not counted.

Under Tumwater’s type of council structure, the mayor does not vote. Mayor Kmet said that nothing we do is without risk and if he could vote, he would vote yes.

Staff said the structure could ultimately be a museum, brew pub, offices, or an outlook, depending on the adjacent activities in the other buildings that are currently owned by Falls Development LLC.

Calling the finer points in the letter of agreement with Falls Development “incentives,” the letter of agreement is seen by some as a giveaway to Heidgerken and his company. The agreement offers Heidgerken the right of first refusal for the actual use of the building.

Heidgerken has owned the property for several years. To help move him along, the letter of agreement says the city will negotiate future agreements to share proportionate costs of construction for the utilities and access road necessary to rehabilitate the Old Brewhouse.

It is also offering to reward him with one million dollars for infrastructure improvements if he files a complete building permit application for the warehouse building by January 1, 2019 and obtains a certificate of occupancy by January 1, 2021.

During public comment, Donovan Cathey spoke, saying he grew up in Olympia. His father and grandfather retired from the Brewery.

He said he wanted to see the tower stay but urged the council not to make a decision that evening, expressing concerns that partnerships may not pan out. He said the agreement was full of contradictions and inconsistencies. 

“…Reconsider transferring liability from the owner to the city. Is it really the city’s responsibility to take on that liability? If the private sector thought it should be done, they would have….”

Cathey said he represents the Tumwater firefighters union and a higher city priority is making repairs to two fire stations.

Rob Kirkwood, president of the Old Brewhouse Foundation, says the process to obtain the tower has been a rollercoaster ride.

“Today it feels like we’re on top,” he said. He said the city is making progress, and while the Foundation supports Tumwater acquiring the tower, it has concerns.

Describing the area’s history and use for thousands of years, he said the area deserves a high level of protection beyond what maximizing the return on financial investment can provide. He called upon the council to sign the agreement and form an interjurisdictional group to finance and manage the facility.

Kirkwood said the Foundation has been recruiting volunteers and has received offers for donated crane services from Snell Crane, engineering services from McSquared, and possibly window restoration work.

Several spoke to the environmental assets of the property which will be ruined if Heidgerken gets his way and is able to build a 1,000 vehicle parking garage into the hillside behind the brewery.

Gretchen Christopher Matzen says she grew up on Governor Stevens Avenue and learned to swim in the Deschutes River near the brewery. She said the brewery needs the backing of the trees, and called the view breathtaking. She questioned the lack of details in the agreement and suspects that Heidgerken will take advantage of the city’s preservation of the iconic tower to promote his own development.

“I’m wondering why the developer couldn’t afford to preserve it himself,” she said.

Heidgerken was not present at the hearing.

Jon Potter, representing Falls Development, said that the property was not purchased with the idea that this was a business opportunity. He says Heidgerken lives in Chehalis and is on site every day and that a developer, and characterizing Heidgerken as one, is a misnomer.

“If you can’t have the lending industries support your ideas, your vision, you can’t develop…The property has to pencil out….Lending institutions need to see how they are going to get paid back by lending money for a project…obviously, we can’t demonstrate that today….”

He said that a public-private partnership would create a joint vision to restore the historic complex to its original grandeur. He painted a pretty picture: 

“…That’s the vision of George Heidgerken…that’s the goal… and it’s a tremendous tribute to what the city has done....There’s an opportunity to represent the entire craft brewing industry… in the State of Washington. And through the city’s efforts, the opportunity is to create a craft brewing center....The tower is emblematic of that effort. It is the cornerstone for that to happen. So there's an opportunity to go beyond just the restoration....It's much bigger than just the City of Tumwater, more than the region. It's a statewide initiative,” said Potter.

At that point, Councilmember Oliva jumped in, asking if Heidgerken is willing to be the host of a craft brewing and distilling center.

“That was something I had not heard before,” said Oliva.

“Absolutely. Anything that can be done to support the funding that is absolutely necessary to restore the structure is on the table....Wouldn’t it be neat if you could put those buildings back into use for what they were originally designed for? Then you’d have national recognition,” said Potter. 

Judging by the clucking in the audience, maybe that was going too far.

After all, at one point in the hearing, Heidi Behrends Cerniway said she was out at the property just that day.

“It is still salvageable, but it won’t be like that forever. From last year, it’s changed significantly.”

For more photos and information about the  Old Brewhouse, Tumwater, George Heidgerken, the stop work order, groundwater monitoring, and the proposed planned action for the property, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and type key words in the search engine.

For more information from the City of Tumwater, go to their website at www.ci.tumwater.wa.us.

Above: A new window of opportunity has been opened for the Old Brewhouse Tower. Photo taken October 2014.