Huntridge owner says AMS needs assessment shows strong demand; commission asks for contract and questionnaire

Jay Dapper, principal of Dapper Companies, told the Historic Preservation Commission on June 24 that an AMS planning and research team has nearly completed a phase‑1 needs assessment for the Huntridge Theater and that the firm interviewed more than 40 local performing‑arts groups and stakeholders. "From what I've seen so far, it looks like there's a tremendous need," Dapper said, adding that the study is being delivered in phases so the city can review early findings.

Commissioners repeatedly asked to see the executed professional‑services agreement and the questionnaire AMS used in its interviews. Commissioner Stodahl said the commission "has never received the actual contract" and asked staff to provide both the agreement and a blank questionnaire so commissioners can understand what the study asked local groups. Dapper and city staff said the city holds an appraisal and the executed contract for phase‑1 and that the questionnaire can be requested from AMS and distributed once city review is complete. "It's a public document," a city staff member said, noting staff would share it after internal review.

Dapper described a phased approach: phase‑1 assesses whether there is a local need for theatrical space and which user groups would use the facility; later phases will evaluate financial feasibility and capital strategies. He said the assessment will inform whether renovation should be completed in phases (for example, renovating the theater before constructing ancillary "black box" spaces) and will guide programming, fundraising and the proposed Huntridge Conservancy that would hold the facility as a nonprofit. "This assessment is the first step," Dapper said, adding that pro bono legal counsel and advisory‑board candidates have agreed to participate in the conservancy.

Dapper also said two appraisals exist — one he provided to the city and one the city obtained — and criticized the city's appraisal for treating the property as raw land rather than a historic structure. He suggested a new appraisal after the assessment is finalized. He acknowledged nearby public‑works staging has disrupted the site and said that, despite staging, short‑term commercial uses such as a recent video/filming project have occurred under NDA.

Staff and Dapper agreed to make phase‑1 materials available to the commission once Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs completes its review; commissioners requested the report before the next regularly scheduled HPC meeting if possible. No city commitment to purchase the theater was made; Dapper said the city had not made any such commitment and that acquisition details remain under discussion.

Next steps: staff said it will locate and distribute the executed phase‑1 contract and, where appropriate, the AMS questionnaire and final report after city review. Dapper said he will return with an update at a future meeting as the conservancy and fundraising strategy develop.