*Due to some delays as a result of the smoky air in Clark County last week and some other health issues at the VBJ office, our video presentation of the Top Projects Awards is not quite ready to launch. Please stayed tuned for it on our website and Facebook this week!
2020 is a year for the history books. Contractors have had to adapt and change in unprecedented ways. Across Clark County and throughout Southwest Washington, builders have created innovative ways to move forward, paving the path for growth in the region, even in the face of enormous obstacles.
Contractors have banded together with designers, engineers, developers and suppliers to uncover the safest ways to get jobs done, sharing knowledge with each other and advocating for the industry at all levels. Ongoing education and cooperation has been paramount.
This year, we see growth in multifamily dwellings and residential subdivisions. Commercial developers continue to fill in the gaps downtown Vancouver and make steady progress on the remarkable Waterfront development. Schools again dominate the public projects category, with the top three projects being new built schools across three districts.
It’s hard to say what 2021 will bring, but we can be certain construction will continue to advance our region, driving economic recovery and prosperity.
Our commercial projects category includes a new Vancouver Clinic, a new Columbia Credit Union Branch and yet further development in our region’s current hotspot, Ridgefield. 
The top commercial project in 2020 is ilani’s $50 million, 2600-space parking garage, featuring state-of-the-art technology and a large rooftop section that is structurally enhanced to support outdoor events. To allow for access to and from Cowlitz Way, numerous improvements were made to the roadway such as a lane expansion and an auxiliary access road. The ilani parking garage is slated to open in the fall of 2020.
Our public projects category features five new schools and additions across three school districts. There are also several road and sewer infrastructure projects, spanning all parts of the county.
The top public project in 2020 is the new $36 million La Center Middle School. The school includes an 80,000-square-foot building, two parking areas, vehicle and bus access, plaza areas, a grass field and frontage improvements. PBS Engineering and Environmental designed a regional pump station that will serve the school and the surrounding neighborhoods, as well as coordinating a wetland restoration and mitigation plan.
The pump station involved analyzing the sewer basin to propose a regional pump station in lieu of a private pump station serving only the school. This new feature allowed the City to plan for full build-out within the sanitary basin. The wetland restoration and mitigation plan, required coordination and approval from the Army Corp of Engineers and Washington State Department of Ecology. Due to the pesticides used during the agricultural use of the site, contaminated soils were found on-site requiring the engagement of the geo-environmental group to provide contaminated soil and stormwater management.
Our multifamily projects category includes many large-scale developments, adding hundreds of market rate units in Vancouver, as well as two affordable housing projects, adding 64 new units of subsidized rentals.
The top multifamily project is The Columbia (Block 20 Apartments) at the Waterfront, a $63 million apartment project spanning over an acre on the west end of the Vancouver Waterfront Development, next to the Vancouver Waterfront Park. The seven-story structure will offer 250 units, with a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, all with a view. The second floor features an open deck with a pavilion and pool, and parking is below ground.
Our residential subdivisions category continues to expand with homebuilders leading the way for growth in Clark County. Subdivisions in Ridgefield and Vancouver continue to dominate the category with single family homes and townhouses.
The top subdivision project is the $42.6 million Ridgefield Crossing, which includes 134 single family townhomes located in the Ridgefield Junction neighborhood.
New this year, we are featuring Residential Single Homes as a stand-alone category. These innovative, custom built homes showcase the best of what our local contractors, home builders and designers have to offer.
The top project in Residential Single Homes is The Brazadian, a $1.7 million private home in Ridgefield. This eclectic four-bedroom custom home features 4,500 square feet of one-level living – including a grand foyer, two bedrooms, a parlor and an office – and 1,500 square feet of upper level living. Outside is 1,600 square feet of open-air, 300 of which is covered, intertwined with native, edible vegetation. The entire main level of the home is nestled in earthen geo-thermal heated floors and special attention was placed on the home’s energy envelope and air handling systems. Its energy needs are completely met by a solar panel bank partnered with three Tesla batteries, giving it an off-the-grid designation.
The 2020 top project overall is the Angelo Tower, located on Mill Plain Boulevard in downtown Vancouver. This six-story, 180,000-square-foot mixed-use building will include a variety of retail, office and residential uses, complete with structured parking. The complex replaced an older one-story retail space that has at times held a take-out pizza place, a long-standing local music store, a tax office and a variety of other businesses. The apartment market has been tight for years in Southwest Washington, driving rents up. The Angelo tower follows the suit of several other developers adding market-rate units downtown and at the waterfront, adding much needed density to downtown Vancouver.
