Pullman board approves five-story downtown apartment structure

Fields Holdings, LLC architect Steve Rigor explains the Evolve on Main project the development group proposed in downtown Pullman to the Board of Adjustment Thursday, March 9, as they look toward the presentation (top). The board unanimously approved the five-story structure at the corner of Main and Paradise streets.

Several Pullman residents attended last week's Board of Adjustment meeting regarding the decision for a 42,000 square foot mixed-use apartment and retail structure on Main Street. The board heard the proposal from Fields Holdings, LLC, a Los Angeles-based development group which has built several mixed-use developments near universities across the United States. At the end of the three-and-a-half hour session, the project was unanimously approved.

“The staff finds the application acceptable,” Pullman Planning Director Pete Dickinson told the board prior to public testimony. “So long as certain conditions are applied, it meets the standards and conditions.”

The subject nearly every testimony centered around was parking. The downtown structure will be on the corner of Main and Paradise streets, at the current location of Washington Federal Bank, and plans include a two-story parking structure with 112 parking spaces. City of Pullman downtown parking enforcer Gary Labusoh was present, and he presented his testimony acting as a citizen rather than a city employee. He said 112 parking spaces were not enough for an apartment structure that will ultimately include 290 bedrooms.

“I walk these streets 49 to 50 weeks a year, all day, every day,” said Labusoh. “I have always been a big pro growth person. But there's a difference between being pro growth and pro stupid.”

Labusoh contended that there already is not enough parking in downtown Pullman, stating that one of the main reasons why there is adequate parking on Main Street is because he enforces it.

“Don't tell me we have lots of parking,” he said. “Seven years ago, you couldn't park downtown. I keep it moving.”

Labusoh also said it is not the developer's place to say if someone should own a car or not. Developer Eran Fields said if he was to add more parking to the project, residents would be more likely to bring their cars.

“We specialize in building these types of projects around university towns, and we've done this numerous times over several years,” he said. “These developments push residents not to use cars. If you build parking, it will bring the cars. If you don't, they don't.”

Fields also contended that Pullman's downtown is very walkable, and he would like to be able to encourage that even more.

“If you are looking to activate the downtown and get people out walking, you don't want to maximize the parking,” he said. “Do we want to incentivize driving? … If you don't, and make it difficult for them, they just won't. If they want to bring their car in and they're so insistent on it, then we're not the product for them.”

Daniel Owens, a Pullman resident who lives near downtown, spoke in favor of the project.

“Paradise and Main flow smoothly,” he commented. “Parking, I don't see it as that much of an issue in Pullman. There was a five-story hotel on this very spot until '73 with no parking.”

The Washington Hotel was on that site downtown until the flood of 1972. The building was demolished following the flood.

Fields Holdings also had to obtain a flood variance from the board to be able to construct residential units in a flood zone. The board approved that variance, noting that the project complied with the city's 100-year flood plan.

Bob Cady, owner of the Coug, Munchy's and a portion of Bagels & Bottles on Pullman's College Hill, also spoke in favor of the development. He stated that he already lives downtown.

“There are a lot of people who want to live downtown,” Cady said. “It does help business.”

Ultimately, the 42,000-square foot project was approved with six conditions. The first condition stipulates that 112 off-street parking stalls need to be included in the project. Those are included in the plans on the first and second stories of the structure. Also on the first story is 8,000-square feet of retail space. Washington Federal has signed a lease to occupy a portion of that space, and the bank plans to temporarily relocate during construction, as the current building will be demolished.

The second condition states that 200 spaces designated for bicycle parking are required on the property, and the third condition mandates the owner to include a covenant in the lease for each apartment that restricts parking of tenant vehicles at or near the property for tenants who have not been designated an on-site parking space.

The fourth condition has the developer paying half the cost of a minimum of 20 Pullman Transit passes that will be offered annually to tenants upon request, as well as half the cost of a minimum of 10 WSU Red 3 parking permits that will be also be offered annually to tenants upon request.

This condition is considered the subsidization program stipulated in the fifth condition, which is that the owner must promote the opportunity in each apartment lease.

The sixth condition states that if three or fewer Pullman Transit passes or three or fewer WSU parking permits have been issued in a 12-month period, the owner may terminate the subsidization program.

The program will have to last at minimum for two years following the final certificate of occupancy, according to this condition.

In total, the structure will include 82 apartment units – starting on the second story – that will include a mix of two, three, four and five bedroom units. The board also approved a variance to double the number of apartment units allowed in a downtown structure. Current code sits at 41 apartment units.

Fields Holdings plans for construction to commence in April and conclude by August of 2018.