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Council hears plans to reimagine Urky building as food‑focused hub, staff audit projects revenue upside
Summary
City staff and community partners proposed renovating the riverfront Urky building in phases with a food hub/co‑working emphasis, running a financial audit, and exploring revenue options including market‑rate leases and grants to make the building budget‑positive.
Twilight, the presenter on the reimagining effort, told the council four guiding goals: phased renovation of the building, a financial audit of current rents and potential market‑rate income, stakeholder engagement to determine highest‑and‑best use, and consideration of a rename or rebrand for the facility.
Twilight said early audit work indicates current rental income is about $10,000 annually but that full market occupancy could raise that figure toward an estimated $53,000. That potential, staff said, would make the facility mostly revenue‑neutral or positive for the city while leaving room for community programming.
Councilors discussed waterfront and recreation uses, including a seasonal container for gear, kayak rentals, and a possible waterfront restaurant; staff noted basement flooding and storage limits that constrain some options. Members also flagged grants and partnerships (food‑system grants and thriving‑communities programs) as avenues to pay for programming and infrastructure improvements.
Council asked staff to continue the financial audit, to run leasing options, and to evaluate tradeoffs between revenue generation and keeping community‑oriented programming such as a farmers market or commercial kitchen.
