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Bus or bust
BY UNSIGNED
Moving a business forward means balancing every detail
Ron Frederiksen
RSV Construction Services
Owning and managing a growing business has its share of challenges. Over the past 25 years, I have developed a few mental pictures that help me focus and provide an answer to the constantly asked question, "Am I paying attention to the right things?"
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Building competition
BY UNSIGNED
Centex Homes enters the market with small infill, planned site in Brush Prairie
It may look small, but the implications are not.
Following a foray into the Camas market, with the completely sold Hillshire development, Centex Homes’ first Vancouver-area venture at 6210 N.E. 84th Street, called Walnut Corner, offers only 20 homes – a little outpost in a land of large tracts of residential property. It’s not the first time the national homebuilder has put houses on Clark County soil, but the development can be considered an advance scouting party for the 50-year-old builder’s designs on the Vancouver and Clark County market, a market that has seen a 26.6 percent drop in home sales over the past year, selling 910 homes in fiscal year 2006.
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Building a Better Image
BY UNSIGNED
Skilled labor offers an alternative to the typical four-year college degree
"Construction is not a dirty word."
That is the message the construction industry is trying to convey to young people and teachers, through apprenticeships and other training programs.
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Investing in your neighborhood
BY RALPH R. WILLSON
How a historic neighborhood east of Officer’s Row was revitalized
Ralph R. Willson
LSW Architects
Investing in my neighborhood began over twenty years ago, when my wife, Kathy, and I found an old, run-down house with loads of character, history and potential. All it needed was a family and a lot of elbow grease to make it a home.
Over the years, we had seen some pockets in our neighborhood improve, but often it was by outside developers with minimal investment who were mainly concerned with maximizing returns. We felt our neighborhood was at a tipping point. It would either begin declining or something would have to be done to strengthen the quality of projects developed. Nearly four years ago, a small group of neighbors concerned with past and current development got together. We decided that if opportunities came along, we would try to shift new development toward a higher standard.
When a parcel adjacent to our home went up for sale, we purchased the land to develop 12 upscale row houses. The following are my ten rules for investing in your neighborhood:
Rule # 1: No outside developer understands or cares for your neighborhood as much as you do. While developers will have more know-how and experience, a large amount of their motivation is profit. That alone can cloud what is best for a neighborhood. Ensuring the quality of life of the neighborhood is the responsibility of the residents.
Rule #2: Learn about the zoning codes in your area. Visit the city planning department. Know what each zone designation means. For our project, the R-30 zone designation meant the possibility of a 17-apartment complex poten-tially 50 feet tall, on a small triangular-shaped block.
Rule # 3: Think about the future. What would need to happen over the next five years for you to be happy with your neighborhood? For us, this meant more owner occupancy and a stronger sense of stability and community.
Rule #4: List all the obstacles and dangers that need to be eliminated. Our main issues were eliminating transients from squatting in a vacant house, preventing a developer from constructing an apartment complex that would be detrimental to home values and our lack of property development experience.
Rule #5: List all the opportunities that need to be captured in your neighborhood. Our opportunities were that we could have some control over the quality, look and feel of our immediate neighborhood, we could enhance the existing building landscape and we could increase the values of the homes in the neighborhood.
Rule #6: Write down the strengths that need to be reinforced or maximized.
The main strengths were the great location near the Historic Reserve and the unique historical character near the site. We were also able to reinforce the city’s density objectives while respecting the heritage of the neighborhood.
Rule #7: When you sense an opportunity, look at the larger context. The lot and derelict house came up for sale across the street from our home. The land was zoned R-30, which meant 30 units per acre. We knew our proximity to Officer’s Row would attract developers whose interests might conflict with neighborhood values.
Rule #8: Know your own strengths. Each of us has gifts and talents. Visit with your architect about what needs to be done in the process and make an honest assessment of your unique skills, and then identify the areas that will frustrate you. While I had some construction experience and led many projects, my talents lay within the creative design process, not the construction process. I needed a partner.
Rule #9: Develop your team. For us, it was a matter of using our network to assemble our team. Our team was made up of a realtor to purchase the property, LSW Architects to take our design concept and get the project through the planning and permitting process, an attorney to create our developing entity, a business partner to run the endeavor, a builder to construct the project, a lending institution to finance the endeavor and someone to market and sell the homes. We also partnered with a local custom builder, who filled the roles of business partner, developer, builder and trusted advisor.
Rule #10: There will always be those who will oppose change, even when it strengthens a neighborhood. Know that vision will create opposition. Though some may not approve, never lose sight of your vision and the potential to make positive change.
Ralph R. Willson, AIA, is a principal with LSW Architects and a twenty-two-year resident of the Historic Hudson’s Bay neighborhood.
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The Columbian looks to future
BY UNSIGNED
New space is built to suit, and gives newspaper flexibility in a shifting industry
It wasn’t a hard decision for The Columbian Publisher Scott Campbell to begin looking for a new home for his newspaper. The Columbian’s Frankenstein-like building on Eighth Street in downtown Vancouver had grown from 23,000 square feet to 110,000 square feet following a number of additions after its initial construction in 1955.
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Top projects shine at event
BY UNSIGNED
The heat didn’t keep away about 250 attendees on July 20 for the Vancouver Business Journal’s 2006 Top Projects event. Top Projects recognizes Southwest Washington’s 25 largest construction projects each year. Construction costs for this year’s projects totaled nearly $300 million.
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Let’s raise the bar
BY RON FREDERIKSEN RSV Construction Services
Contractors, consumers and tradespeople need to expect more of each other
Ron Frederiksen
RSV Construction Services
Before you start to read this article, pause and look at your surroundings. Everything you see has been conceived, delivered, built, installed and maintained by people who work in the construction trades. Construction generates more than 4 percent of America’s Gross Domestic Product.
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Longview’s legacy
BY JODIE GILMORE For the VBJ
The booming Cowlitz County seat is still a community by design
Just over 80 years ago, Longview began life as the largest planned community of its time built by private funds – every sidewalk and street name was planned before construction began. Today, Longview continues that legacy of community by design by participating in the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) program, administered through the AIA’s Center for Communities by Design.
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Grand Openings!
BY UNSIGNED
New Tradition Homes opens new headquarters
New Tradition Homes was to have celebrated the opening of its new corporate headquarters at Union Prairie Business Park Friday, June 9 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The new building is located at 11815 N.E. 113th St. in Vancouver.
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Mold Growing Under Your Toes?
BY BRADLEY ANDERSON Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt
Builders and Homeowners should know how to protect themselves against this damaging and dangerous problem
Brad Anderson
Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt
Mold-related damages have recently plagued the construction industry. In addition to direct damage to property, some experts contend that mold and mildew can cause health problems. Not good. As a result, contractors, homeowners, remodelers and potential homebuyers should take steps to prevent or mitigate these risks. Because the insurance companies have tightened their policies to limit coverage, prevention versus cure is key. There are also legal ramifications for builders or owners of homes with mildew problems.
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