Construction of a new Interstate 5 bridge connecting Vancouver and Portland is still several years off. But it already has brought the possibility of relocation to the minds of at least 300 property owners and their tenants.
In August 2007, Columbia River Crossing staff sent a brief letter notifying owners in Vancouver and Portland that they could potentially be displaced under one of the CRC’s four project alternatives that involve new construction.
Only 59 of the properties lie in Portland, primarily in the Jantzen Beach area, but 242 potentially affected properties are in Vancouver’s downtown and northern districts. Of those, 113 are commercial properties, 89 are residential, 20 are for public use or community service and 19 are vacant.
The Columbia River Crossing team released this information in its Draft Environmental Impact Statement May 2, which is up for public comment through July 1. One of five alternatives for the I-5 bridge will be selected by July 7 by a task force representing the Washington and Oregon state departments of transportation, the Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council, Metro Regional Council, C-Tran, Tri-Met and the cities of Vancouver and Portland.
Estimated costs for the project’s construction alternatives range from $3.1 billion to $4.2 billion. It looks likely that a full replacement option with light rail extending from Portland will get the nod.
“We had a conversation with the task force where each member stated which alternative they preferred, and most leaned toward total replacement,” said Carolyn Sharp of CRC’s public outreach office in a May 8 presentation to Vancouver’s Downtown Association.
After officially choosing an alternative, CRC will submit an application for federal funding and will wait for federal approval of a final EIS before more detailed financial and mitigation plans can be developed.
The CRC staff is being careful to keep property owners informed about the situation, holding public meetings with Vancouver’s public entities, community groups and industry organizations, such as the West Vancouver Freight Alliance, and the CRC office doors are open to constituents who want to meet individually.
Staff also is working closely with the Washington State Department of Transportation, which administers benefits to those who are displaced under eminent domain.
For many businesses at the addresses listed in the CRC’s public Draft Environmental Impact Statement, the looming chances are slim for even partial displacement, which would mean CRC could give property owners fair market value for a portion of their land in active use. But for at least nine Vancouver businesses, full displacement and relocation is a distinct possibility.
Shop talk
Karam Singh owns 39th Street Mini Mart, which is on land that could be up for full acquisition. The 35-year-old store and its parking lot at 210 E 39th St. in Vancouver’s Lincoln neighborhood could be acquired if the new crossing involves altering Main and Broadway streets. Singh leases the space from Kim Tae Sik and Hwa Ja of Clackamas. The 0.48-acre property’s total value is $359,500, according to Clark County property records.
On a recent Friday afternoon, Singh served a steady stream of customers at the store he’s owned for the last five years. With a windowfull of growing traffic behind him, Singh said he’s in favor of I-5 improvements overall.
“People spend a lot of time on the freeway,” he said. “They waste a lot of gas, they waste a lot of time. So I don’t know why they wouldn’t want it.”
Relocating would be hard, he acknowledged, but could be for the greater good.
“My hands are really tied,” Singh said. “I can’t go against the city. … It’s hard to do what they ask but we don’t have any choice.”
He would be in favor of partial acquisition of the land if it meant his business would be near a possible light rail extension. He predicted that with more mass transit in the commercial-residential neighborhood would come more people, police and safety and certainly more customers at his store.
At neighboring Eco Auto and Tire, Penny Baldwin sees things differently. She manages daily operations of the business and has worked there since its owner, Don Orange, opened it in 2003. The property is leased from the Maxine Burns Credit Trust of Vancouver, and is worth $152,100, according to Clark County property records.
The auto shop at 3800 Main St. in Vancouver could be up for partial displacement if Main and Broadway streets are altered. While the business would be able to stay put, Baldwin said it would cause a tight squeeze that could hurt.
“We can’t afford to lose part of the property,” she said. “We’re on a postage stamp now,” she said of the 6,300-square-foot space.
“It just wouldn’t work.”
Relocating the business also could hurt.
“I’d hate to relocate because this neighborhood is our customer base,” Baldwin said. “If I relocate, I would lose part of that.”
She has an agreement with Orange to eventually buy the business when he retires, but wonders if CRC would make that option less viable for her.
“I don’t want to buy the business knowing that in five years they could demolish my building,” Baldwin said.
Displacement assistance
Property owners and tenants who are displaced under eminent domain receive fair market value for the land, said David Harjo, real estate services manager for the Washington State Department of Transportation. The state provides an independent appraisal and allows for a property owner to get a second opinion.
Relocation also involves help from WSDOT in relocating to a comparable spot and recovery of many expenses or losses related to a move, such as printing new business cards and stationary. He said coverage can range from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars for a business.
“(Benefits) really depend on the conditions they’re in,” Harjo said. “We try to find the best place that makes it comparable for them to continue operations.”
There are 12 WSDOT employees handling appraisals, acquisitions, relocations and property management, according to Harjo, and he predicts the equivalent of six full-time employees will be dedicated to CRC property issues.
Currently, the department is working with owners of nine mobile homes that are being relocated for a project at state Route 500 and St. John’s Boulevard in Vancouver. The process for acquisitions and relocations can take more than two years, especially with a massive project like the multi-billion-dollar CRC.
“Typically the projects we are involved with (require) acquisitions more so than relocations,” Harjo said. “We try to align our projects to miss folks to the extent possible. … We’re not going to come in and try to bully people because we understand how the project will affect folks.”
Vancouver business sites up for possible full acquisition include:
39th Street, Mini Mart 210 E 39th St.
4 C’s, Clark County Computer Consultants 4500 Main St.
Eagle Street Automotive Inc., 300 Washington St.
Eco Auto and Tire, 3800 Main St.
Janet L. Strong, MD, 300 E. 37th St.
Mainstreet Consignment, 4506 Main St.
U.S. Bank, 1607 Main St.
Walt’s Quality Auto Detailing, 3714 Main St.
Wilcox Electric Inc., 300 Washington St.
Source: Appendix D, Columbia River Crossing Draft Environmental Impact Statement, VBJ research
Learn more
Public hearings and open houses
5 p.m. to 8 p.m., May 28, Red Lion Hotel at the Quay, Vancouver
5 p.m. to 8 p.m., May 29, Portland Expo Center
Informal Q&A sessions
9 a.m. to noon, June 7, Firstenburg Community Center, Vancouver
12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., June 14, Beaverton Main Library
6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., June 19, Clark Public Utilities, Vancouver
More information is available at www.columbiarivercrossing.org
Charity Thompson can be reached at cthompson@vbjusa.com.
