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Council reviews North Mall redevelopment options; staff seeks direction on intensity and mix
Summary
City staff presented four redevelopment scenarios for the North Mall downtown site ranging from modest mixed-use to a high-intensity option; council signaled preference between options 2 and 3 and asked staff to refine plans and return with next steps.
Economic Development Director Joel Belden presented four redevelopment options for the North Mall that vary in residential intensity, retail square footage and hotel size and asked the council for direction on the preferred scale. The council discussed design, economic feasibility and historic context and generally directed staff to pursue an option between the staff-recommended options 2 and 3.
Belden said the study area (the “North Mall” retail blocks and city-owned parking lot) is roughly 7.8 acres; including the two-story Horvath office building increases the planning footprint to about 9.6 acres. The options show a range of residential units (about 138 up to 452), hotel rooms (roughly 108–224 in the higher-intensity options), and commercial space (about 73,000 to 179,000 square feet in staff diagrams). Belden emphasized that the downtown specific plan requires affordable housing on the site because prior uses and prior council commitments were funded from housing program dollars.
Council members praised the concept of mixed-use, highlighted the economic benefits of activating ground-floor retail and supported a strong hotel element given the nearby medical center. Several council members said they preferred an approach that would activate downtown without oversaturating commercial space in a single project, and some sought a larger hotel and more parking. Council member Tom Richins spoke in favor of a higher-intensity option (3) and urged careful design and historic standards; other council members suggested a compromise “2.5” option with a larger hotel and additional parking stalls.
A member of the public called the proposal likely to follow a market-driven “pencil” that will favor higher-density apartment projects; the speaker argued for clarity to avoid a low-quality outcome. Staff noted the process steps to follow: refine project economics, complete entitlement and environmental clearance, prepare technical studies (traffic, sewer capacity), request proposals from developers under the Surplus Lands Act if required, negotiate a disposition and development agreement (DDA), and finalize council action on the selected developer and project. Staff indicated tenant relocations are planned to start with demolition and that the city aims to commence demolition next week and to vacate existing tenants by fall.
Council provided clear direction to staff to move forward with additional analysis and design work targeting a project intensity between options 2 and 3 and to return with a refined entitlement package and RFP/disposition planning. Council asked staff to preserve downtown character through setbacks and façade design, require affordable housing per prior funding commitments and the Surplus Lands Act, and write clear development constraints into future DDAs so the final project matches council expectations.
