Trades District Phase II designs take shape, with $20 million still to find

EAST WENATCHEE — Two months after port commissioners spent a meeting defining what the Trades District has become, architects returned Tuesday with three ways to build what comes next and a roughly $20 million challenge to pay for it.

ALSC Architects presented refined designs, floor plans and cost estimates for Phase II to the Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority. Each concept would add about 29,500 square feet near Pangborn Memorial Airport, with spaces for both storefront businesses and trades operations.

The presentation followed a July discussion in which commissioners focused less on buildings than on the people already using the district. They asked for places where children could play, groups could gather and visitors could walk safely between the existing businesses and the expansion. They also wanted the next phase to remain affordable for entrepreneurs, the purpose for which the Port originally built its business incubator.

Those priorities appear in all three designs. The layouts differ in how much they spread out the buildings and how much room they leave for a central public space.

Commissioners showed the most interest in the architects’ “Gateway” design, which would place eight retail spaces and five industrial spaces in two main buildings around a large plaza. A smaller third building would provide public restrooms. The plaza could accommodate larger events, while the adjoining businesses could open onto patios and gathering areas.

Gateway’s estimated construction cost is about $16.7 million, the lowest of the three concepts. “Village” would divide 12 tenant spaces among six smaller buildings, closer in scale to Phase I, for about $18.1 million. “Campus Quad” would provide 12 spaces in four buildings for about $17.1 million.

The estimates include contractor fees and contingency. All three concepts would also require a separate parking project estimated at about $1.69 million.

In July, Commissioner Donn Etherington warned that the Port needed to bring down building costs if the incubator model was to work for future tenants. “We can't be building at this price again,” he said then.

ALSC’s comparison presented Tuesday puts Gateway at about $571 per square foot, compared with about $622 per square foot for Phase I after adjusting its construction cost to projected 2027 prices. The larger Phase II project would still require substantially more money overall.

Port CEO Jim Kuntz told commissioners the agency would need to assemble a funding package of roughly $20 million. He discussed seeking federal and state assistance and considering tax increment revenue for eligible infrastructure. No design was selected and no construction funding was approved Tuesday.

The architects also addressed a mismatch between what the Port first expected of the district and what businesses have needed. Phase I’s mix of tasting rooms, food businesses, shops and other tenants helped turn the property into a destination. The new plans retain room for those uses while adding more durable, larger shop spaces with service access behind the buildings for contractors and other trades businesses.

Commissioners questioned how visitors would move between the two phases, particularly where pedestrians now share lanes with vehicles. They also returned to concerns raised in July about shade. A proposed parking area accessed from South Union Avenue could give drivers a clearer arrival point and reduce traffic through the center of the district.

Even before Phase II is built, existing businesses want more people to find Phase I. Leticia Pulse, the owner of Heirloom Baking Company, told commissioners that customers still say they did not know the district existed or assumed it was farther from town. She said the bakery would like to open more days but needs enough sales to support additional baking and staffing.

Pulse urged the Port to improve signs leading to the district and promote it beyond social media. Port staff and commissioners discussed wayfinding along Grant Road as part of the work still to be done.

Commissioners also raised the possibility of developing additional industrial space elsewhere on the property while crews and infrastructure are in place. That space is not included in the three designs or their estimates.

The board expects to revisit the designs and funding strategy at its Oct. 28 retreat. Selecting a concept would allow ALSC to finish its preliminary design report and begin detailed work. Architects discussed a possible 2027 bid, dependent on the Port’s decisions and its ability to secure funding.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media