Hiring a manager or consultant is a great idea because it capitalizes on current community excitement over the redevelopment plan and keeps the issue on local radar and the project moving forward.
The 175 acres of brewery property sits abandoned today, a reminder of the glory days and the gradual demise of a once cherished local institution.
After decades of successful management by the Schmidt family, the iconic brewery went through a stormy period when it was sold first to Pabst Brewing Co. and later to the Miller Brewing Co. Without much community notice, Miller closed the brewery in June 2003, sending about 400 employees to the unemployment line. At the time, economic development officials said for every 100 terminated brewery employees, 224 local spin-off jobs were lost in retail and other economic sectors – for a total loss of 1,300 jobs.
It was a terrible blow to Tumwater and the entire South Sound community.
Residents and city officials were so shell-shocked they were willing to jump on just about any idea that was floated for future use of the property.
L. Eric Whetstone and his All American Bottled Water Corp. purchased the land and buildings, backed by money from a California-based lender. The plan was to use the brewery’s water rights to package and sell bottled water, since Miller attached a clause to the deed that said the property could not be used as a brewery.
The water bottling plan never materialized, and soon Whetstone and his association with the brewery property were embroiled in controversy and bankruptcy proceedings that took years and years to resolve.
While South Sound cities successfully negotiated for brewery water rights, local developer Tri Vo owner of Triway Enterprises announced plans to construct 335 condos, two restaurants and more than 200,000 square feet of office and retail space on 42 acres of brewery property. It seemed at long last, someone had come forward with a concrete plan to reverse the downward slide.
Then the economic recession hit and Vo abandoned his plan.
The brewery property continued to deteriorate and the whole issue hung like a dark cloud over the City of Tumwater.
Then, at the urging of The Olympian’s editorial board, the Tumwater City Council used a $90,000 grant to hire Lorig Associates, a Seattle-based consulting firm, to do community outreach and develop a conceptual plan for the property that straddles Capitol Boulevard and is adjacent to the Deschutes River.
While the City of Tumwater does not own the property, city officials play a pivotal role because they can shape the future of the site through zoning and land-use regulations.
The consultants were charged with the duty to answer the question of how the property should be transformed. More than 700 comments helped shape the final vision, which is now in the hands of the City Council. The plan largely recommends a mixed-use development, but acknowledges that current economic conditions make it difficult to proceed anytime soon.
The remarkable thing is the entire community has rallied around Tumwater’s efforts to breathe new life into the brewery property. The effort is gaining traction and it’s getting exciting.
Hoping to capitalize on that momentum, the City Council recently put forth a plan to hire a property manager who will be charged with executing an action plan, marketing the property and working with property owners. Tumwater administrator John Doan said a funding proposal for the position is part of the city’s mid-biennial budget amendment process later this month. The request is for $150,000 in one-time funds to hire a staff member or consultant for the project, but the funds also would be used for marketing.
Mayor Pete Kmet said it best: “Somebody’s gotta keep people’s feet to the fire and make sure this stuff is happening.”
We couldn’t agree more.
The manager can look for grants, identify possible funding sources and work with banks to determine if money for development can be leveraged. That will make the property much more marketable to would-be developers.
The manager also could spearhead the land use and zoning changes necessary to bring the vision for the property into reality. The manager also can look to the experience in Milwaukee, Wis., which is following a similar path with development of former Pabst Brewing Co. property.
Tumwater officials are right to put this project at the forefront of the priority list. Hiring a manager is the next logical step.
