Vancouver City Council extends Tower Mall moratorium

Development at the Tower Mall site will have to wait until next year. The Vancouver City Council voted Monday to extend a moratorium on development of the site.

The moratorium first went into effect immediately after the city purchased the site in June for $5 million. The council extended it for six months, the maximum allowed without the need for further public hearings.

“The purpose of the moratorium was to allow the city time to develop a subarea plan,” City Attorney Bronson Potter said. “We did not want development occurring that might be inconsistent with the vision of the subarea plan.”

Vancouver is seeking a subarea plan for 204 acres at Mill Plain Central, which encompasses the old mall property, rather than just for the 12-acre Tower Mall site. The city has received six proposals in response to a request for proposal to develop the plan. Those proposals are under review by city staff, and a consultant team should be selected in December.

Teresa Brum, economic development division manager, said the city has quite a few goals for the area.

“We have a vision for a real vibrant urban center,” Brum said.

Affordable housing will likely be at the center of the plan. The city also wants to integrate transit and multi-modal connectivity.

Public outreach on the plan has already begun, Brum added. The planning process for the subarea should begin in January.

“If (the planning process) takes longer than six months, we will be back for another continuation,” Potter said.