| Former Hazel Dell inn coming down |
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Demolition has begun at the site of the former Ferryman's Inn, which opened in 1976 in Hazel Dell. The property is west of Interstate 5 near 78th Street. Redevelopment is still in the planning stage, according to owner C.E. John Co., which purchased the inn property and its adjoining restaurant for nearly $2.5 million last July. The purchase added to the company's holdings nearby, including the Safeway-anchored J-M Plaza. C.E. John partnered with Gramor Development of Tualatin, Ore., to develop the $28 million Hazel Dell Square south of the Ferryman's site. |
| Real estate firm moves into Vancouvercenter |
Commercial real estate firm NAI Norris Beggs & Simpson has switched downtown Vancouver offices, moving from the West Coast Bank building to Vancouvercenter. The move coincides with the company's new role as manager of the three-tower Vancouvercenter, which is east of Esther Short Park. The company has increased its Vancouver staff from 15 employees to 23 brokers, property managers and support staff, said Roger Qualman, executive vice president.
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| Permits for single-family homes down compared to 2007 |
Clark County builders were issued 74 permits to construct single-family homes in April, a 28.9 percent decline from the 104 permits handed out in April 2007. This year through April, 273 permits have been issued for new home construction in unincorported Clark County worth $55.1 million. In the first four months of 2007, 432 permits worth $89.2 million were issued. |
| Construction barred on 2,500 acres slated for growth |
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My weekly link round up is coming a little later in the day than usual, but I think you'll agree it was worth it when you see what's coming in Sunday's Columbian. Until then, here are links of interest to Clark County businesses, working people and anyone who cares about money, gathered from around the Web. This week I'm very consumer-oriented.
First: Get a free McDonalds sandwich with a drink purchase on Thursday, info at the Around the Sun Blog.
On the subject of food: Your wallet may not be the only thing your job fattens, says the Portland Business Journal, which reports that 45 percent of workers have gained weight at their current jobs.
Apartment rents are likely to rise as housing prices fall in Portland, according the Daily Journal of Commerce. Perhaps we'll see the same thing in Clark County?
If you have student loans through Sallie Mae, an error from the large lender may have damaged your credit rating, reports personal finance blog Get Rich Slowly.
Some folks think we've dodged a recession, according to the Columbia Journalism Review. Maybe, maybe not.
Either way, consumers are cutting back on unneeded expenses, according to this discussion at the Portland Housing Blog.
Businesses are cutting back, too - selling 2 pounds 13 ounces of margarine in a 3 pound tub, for example, according to this Poynter Institute blog. And restaurants are using cheaper ingredients, according to another entry on the blog.
Tips on finding affordable health insurance when your boss doesn't provide it, from Get Rich Slowly.
Why did the mortgage crisis happen? Economist Bill Conerly takes a multi-day look.
The Clark County Chamber's book club tomorrow will discuss “Duct Tape Marketing - The World’s Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide,” according to the Vancouver-based Market Accelerators blog.
Happy clicking!
-- Courtney Sherwood
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| Residential project planned near Vancouver Lake |
Vancouver has received a proposal to change plans for an approved 31-lot single-family housing development to a 37-lot project called the Cove at Vancouver Lake. The project could break ground this summer on a 9-acre parcel on the west side of Northwest Whitney Road, just north of Northwest 69th Street. The development is being proposed by Joel Sterling, of Sterling Design Inc. in Vancouver.
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| Historic Trust to manage reserve duplexes |
Two groups, each interested in providing historic lodging on the western half of Vancouver Barracks, have decided it doesn't make sense for both to provide the same service. The Vancouver National Historic Reserve Trust, the nonprofit organization empowered to manage city-owned properties on the 366-acre historic reserve, will manage seven duplexes on the west barracks, as part of a larger project to operate a historic inn on the former Army post. The trust had been leasing the duplexes to the International Air and Hospitality Academy, which operates hospitality and culinary education programs at the west barracks.
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| Local gasoline prices remain near record highs |
Gasoline prices continued to hover at record levels this week, according to a new AAA survey. The average price of regular unleaded at Vancouver stations was $3.78 today, up from $3.72 a week ago. Oregon's gas prices statewide averaged $3.74 with Washington at $3.81. The U.S. average is $3.73 per gallon.
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| Demolition of old police station start expected |
Developers are preparing to demolish Vancouver's old police department building to make way for a planned six-story structure at 300 E. 13th St. Prestige Development of Vancouver plans to build a $30 million six-story building with ground-floor retail and upper floors of market-rate apartments, with construction starting in 2010. A demolition date for the old building has not yet been scheduled, pending final approval from Vancouver officials. The city will collect comments on plans to destroy the structure until 5 p.m. May 28. Sent comments to jon.wagner@ci.vancouver.wa.us.
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| University offers energy saving schedule change |
An energy-saving option of a four-day work week is being offered to faculty and staff at the Washington State University Vancouver campus as part of a new summer initiative. Effective from May through August, all WSU campuses statewide will offer employees the option of working four 10-hour days. The Vancouver campus employs about 275 full-time employees. WSU employs approximately 6,000 statewide.
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| Coping with tough times? Find help here. |
| Jobless rate at 6.1 percent |
Clark County's unemployment climbed to 6.11percent in April, from 5.3 percent a year earlier, the state announced today. Unemployment was at 6.7 percent in March. The nation's jobless rate is 5 percent.
For the 12 months through April, local employers have added an estimated 2,200 new jobs for a 1.6 percent annual growth rate, but that wasn't enough to keep up with the area's continued population growth.
Retailing, pictured above, has added 200 jobs in the past year. Statewide job growth also is running at 1.6 percent. Both county and state trends are well above national job growth of just 0.3 percent. In April, there were an estimated 199,620 Clark County residents collecting a paycheck with 12,920 seeking work. Get more details about the job situation in Wednesday's Columbian. |
| Already biggest computer maker, HP turns to tech services |
Hewlett-Packard today confirmed plans to purchase technology company Electronic Data Systems Corp. for $13.9 billion, a deal first reported earlier this week by the Wall Street Journal. The acquisition will help transform HP from a company defined by its products to one defined by its technology services, and will turn the firm into the world's second largest IT services firm, after IBM. What this means for product-oriented divisions such as printing and imaging, which employs at least 1,000 people in Vancouver, remains unclear.
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| Retail project planned near 99th Street Applebee's-McDonalds |
| A small retail project could break ground this summer on the west side of Interstate 5 at Northeast 99th Street. Submitted by Vancouver-based Hazel Dell Properties LLC, the development would add 5,080 square feet of retail space to the southeast corner of Northeast Seventh Avenue and 98th Court. The proposed project would be built on a half-acre site, just south of McDonalds and west of Applebee's. |
| New Edge expands Whitehall Jewelers network |
Vancouver-based New Edge Networks today announced that it has expanded its agreement with Whitehall Jewelers Inc., a chain with stores in shopping malls across 39 states. Building on a long-standing business relationship, New Edge will manage and maintain Whitehall's existing private network, and will expand the network to 78 recently acquired jewelry stores. The 375-store network, when complete, will be valued at $1.6 million. New Edge is a subsidiary of Georgia-based EarthLink Inc. The company employs about 250 people in Vancouver, 65 elsewhere. |
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