A plan that would transform the site next door to downtown Tacoma’s historic but tattered former Elks Temple into a structure including a garage and apartment building took a big step forward.
The City of Tacoma and developers Grace Pleasants and Rick Moses announced Monday that they’ve picked a Bellevue construction company and a Seattle architectural firm to design and build the garage, retail and apartment structure adjacent to the venerable lodge building near Old City Hall.
The design-build team of GLY Construction Co. of Bellevue and Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects of Seattle will design the new structure and manage its construction if the Tacoma City Council ratifies the selection next month.
The GLY-ZGF team was among four contractor-architect groups that responded to the city’s request for qualifications to create the project.
“We were very pleased at the expertise and experience that the two firms will bring to this project,” said Ellie Walkowiak, project manager for the city’s Community and Economic Development Department.
Pleasants, one of the co-developers for the Elks project, said the two companies have an extensive portfolio of major projects they’ve created.
“Grace and I are beyond pleased to have such a highly qualified team working on the Elks project,” said Pleasants’ development partner Rick Moses in an e-mail. “GLY and ZGF are the best in the business, and we are confident they will deliver an outstanding product for the City of Tacoma.”
GLY has built much of Microsoft’s corporate headquarters campus and is currently building the first phase of Amazon.com’s new headquarters near Lake Union. ZGF has designed Safeco’s corporate office expansion; major university buildings at the University of Oregon, the University of Arizona and Washington State University; the Oregon Convention Center; and Portland International Airport’s expansion.
The Elks project has three major partners. The City of Tacoma will build the 280-stall garage north of the former Elks Temple. That garage will support a six-story retail and apartment structure that Pleasants and her partner, Southern California entrepreneur Moses, will build.
Oregon-based McMenamins, a hotel and entertainment company, will remodel the old temple into a hotel, restaurant, brewpub and entertainment venue.
The city-owned garage will serve the hotel, the apartments and the retail space, which Pleasants and Moses hope to lease to an upscale grocer.
The total project cost is expected to be about $42 million – $12 million for the hotel, $9 million for the garage and $21 million for the 70-unit apartment structure. The GLY-ZGF group is expected to design and build the apartment-retail complex that will sit atop the garage. McMenamins has selected Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects of Portland to design the hotel and entertainment center.
If the council approves the contract, said Walkowiak, design work will begin with a groundbreaking for the new structure set for November. Construction contracts for the structure will be bid this summer.
Before the groundbreaking can happen, Moses and Pleasants must secure financing for their portion of the project. Pleasants said the two are making good progress in securing financing and a grocery store tenant. Two grocery chains are considering the Broadway level as the site for a 25,000-square-foot store, she said.
Moses said the two are looking for a federal Housing and Urban Development loan guarantee.
If the new project breaks ground in November and the McMenamins portion of the project begins somewhat later, both should be ready to open their doors in 2012, Pleasants said.
John Gillie: 253-597-8663
john.gillie@thenewstribune.com
