By WENDY MADAR Gazette-Times reporter
Friday, January 28, 2000
In Our Town: A dream's brewing downtown The beans are out and the dreams are in - not fantasies, but a solid vision born of good intentions and venerable planks and beams. When I learned some months ago that the warehouse across from The Beanery on Second Street was being vacated by Allann Brothers Coffee Co., I was shocked that a landmark was about to disappear. Beanery owner Allan Stuart's assurance that the new location near Interstate 5 was more practical for his coffee roasting and storage headquarters didn't help, but when I discovered the who and what of the warehouse's new fate, I cheered right up. The building has been bought by partners Jerry Davis, director of parks for Benton County, John Evans, former community development planner for the Cascades West Council of Governments, and Kent Daniels, co-director of operations for International Research and Development at Oregon State University and a former Benton County commissioner. Pulling funding together for the deal proved difficult because the three are committed to some New Urbanism ideas that some bankers have yet to embrace, but that are right for Corvallis. On Tuesday, I met John and Jerry at The Beanery to hear details and tour the 1930s warehouse. In simplest terms, they hope to transform the two-story blocky structure into four floors, with businesses on street level, offices above, and two-story apartments on top. This "mixed use" development would add yet another ingredient - subsidized housing along with regular-cost units. The handsome design sketch shows large, open doorways along Second Street where the loading bays now are, with plants spilling out onto the sidewalk. Although the design is still a work-in-progress, and the partners welcome ideas for businesses, it looks as though the main one on the ground floor would be a home and garden store largely supplied by Down to Earth in Eugene. It also may offer gardening books and periodicals in partnership with Grass Roots Books & Music, coffee service using Allann Brothers brew, and so on. As we walked through the chilly warehouse where the smells of coffee, tea and chocolate still linger, it was easy to picture the transformation as John and Jerry described their plans to sandblast old beams and use existing planking and architectural features as much as possible to maintain the rustic character. Rusticity is a symbol of a whole set of values at work here: The partners want a project that is community based, environmentally friendly, esthetically inviting and suited to the location. They see it as representing the opposite of urban sprawl and mall mania. Some readers may be weary of the subject of downtown, but only because real, consistent effort has gone into preserving it has Corvallis avoided the mistake of letting the city center die. This means the town can build on what's here already - we're well positioned to ride the New Urbanism wave, which represents a return to an earlier, pre-shopping-strip mode. How the project will take shape depends, in part, on money. These aren't rich investors but townspeople with, in Jerry's words, "a passion" that has led them to visit mixed-use projects elsewhere and help bring in speakers on urban design that emphasizes community. Despite their considerable experience, they've been surprised by the obstacles. "The system is set up to build traditional projects," said John. "Despite all the talk about high density, mixed use and so on, city codes and banks aren't set up for urban renewal or anything very different from the usual, single use ... As planners, we always told people mixed use is the way to go. Now we're putting our own money where our mouth is." The partners name Gary Feuerstein, founder of Endex Engineering, as a mentor because of his numerous projects with partner Dave Livingston remodeling old downtown buildings, most recently the one housing Great Harvest Bakery and Iovino's. "It's just exciting to convert an old warehouse with no current presence to something that could be a lively contribution to Corvallis," Gary said of the Jerry/John/Kent project. Community members interested in the partners' renovation plans and ideas are invited to an open house Saturday, 3 to 5 p.m., at the warehouse. Despite Jerry's warning that the old-fashioned building with balconies is just an artist's conception, I'm tempted to switch my retirement spot from a riverfront bench to an apartment with a river view. If they pull off the low-income housing option even a baguette lady might be welcome. Wendy Madar, longtime Corvallis resident, can be reached by telephone at 752-5211 or by mail at 529 N.W. 31st St., Corvallis, OR 97330. Her opinions do not necessarily represent those of the Gazette-Times management or employees.