The price tag for Tacoma’s planned Urban Waters laboratory has more than doubled since last spring’s estimates, going from $18 million to more than $40 million.
The building is bigger than originally planned, which partly explains the increase. The latest plans call for a three-story, 56,000-square-foot waterfront lab and office building on the east side of the Thea Foss Waterway. Earlier plans envisioned a two-story, 40,000-square-foot structure.
But it will also be a state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly building, complete with a plant-covered roof, natural ventilation, rain garden and underground heat pump, Tacoma City Council members were told last week. City officials say it will meet LEED Platinum standards, the highest level on a green building rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The building would be the first of its kind in the country to earn the status, said Karen Larkin, assistant public works director.
At least one councilman had sticker shock. “To my mind, $580-a-square-foot is a breathtaking cost,” Councilman Mike Lonergan said at Tuesday’s council study session.
But other council members are throwing their support behind the building, even with the higher cost.
Mayor Bill Baarsma said building to strict environmental standards increases the upfront cost, but will yield 30 percent to 35 percent annual savings in utility costs. In addition, Baarsma said, the building is a symbol of the city’s commitment to environmentally responsible construction. “There’s a statement that’s important to make,” he said. “It reflects climate change and global warming, and our commitment to building the most sustainable building we can.”
Councilman Jake Fey, who manages energy efficiency and renewable energy sources for his job with Washington State University, agreed that the city is trying to make a statement with the building. “Urban Waters is all about sustainability and living in our environment,” Fey said.
City officials and a representative of the architecture firm working on the project also defended the price.
That figure is a total project cost, and it includes more than just construction, Larkin said. Joe Borden, senior project manager for Lorig Associates, the developer chosen for the project, said the laboratory part of the building is complicated. “I don’t think the numbers are out of line at all of the kind of science that will be done in the building,” Borden said.
The City of Tacoma’s Environmental Services Department will use the most space, about 43,500 square-feet. The Puget Sound Partnership, a new state agency charged with cleaning up Puget Sound, will lease about 7,500 square feet, and the University of Washington Tacoma will lease approximately 5,000 square feet for a researcher and staff. Professor Joel Baker, the first Port of Tacoma chairman, will conduct research and teach classes at UWT and serve as science adviser for the nonprofit Urban Waters.
The city is using ratepayer money to build the lab. Although money is set aside from an earlier rate increase, a future rate increase may be needed, Lonergan said. “I would like to go back and see what we could build without a rate increase,” he said.
Lonergan also questioned the plans for parking. Only 35 parking spaces will be constructed for the lab, which is expected to house 140 employees plus visitors. The idea is to promote public transportation and carpooling, Baarsma said.
The city is partnering with the nonprofit National Development Council to build the lab, a move that was supposed to speed up construction and possibly lower the overall cost. The group formed a separate nonprofit, Tacoma Environmental Services, for the purpose. For the first 30 years, the nonprofit will own the lab and the city will lease it. After 30 years, it will revert to city ownership.
The City Council is scheduled to hear a first reading Dec. 11 of the final agreements with the nonprofit. Final reading and a council vote is expected Dec. 18.
The lab is expected to be finished in April 2009.
Jason Hagey: 253-597-8542
jason.hagey@thenewstribune.com
blogs.thenewstribune.com/politics
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