Plans are in the works to develop 17 acres of vacant land east of the Grand Central shopping center, which could potentially hold four buildings and 576 parking spaces. An office building and mixed-used building are likely to be under construction in the spring. Amanda Cowan/The Columbian Photo Gallery
Construction is expected to start in the spring on two more buildings at Convene, the Vancouver business park where the Home Depot QuoteCenter opened this summer.
Under plans submitted to the city, a 62,000-square-foot, three-story office building would be built on the site as well as a 39,000-square-foot, two-story building with about a third of the space set aside on the ground floor for retail and restaurant use.
Both structures would be part of a second phase covering about 17 acres. The proposed development also would include a 48,000-square-foot, three-story office building, an 11,000-square-foot, one-story building for a possible day care center as well as a 4,800-square-foot, one-story covered play area. Nearly 580 parking spaces would surround the structures.
Representatives for Vancouver-based Killian Pacific, which owns the property and is the developer, are expected to present the second phase plans to city development officials on Dec. 13.
A master plan previously submitted to the city calls for a third phase with three additional office buildings. When fully built, the 22-acre project would have approximately 300,000 square feet of space, occupied primarily by companies in technology and life sciences. An economic development study conducted by Killian Pacific says 3,000 jobs could be located there, with an average annual wage of $69,000.
The Home Depot QuoteCenter occupies all of the space in the first building, located at the east end of the development, north of Highway 14 near the intersection of Blandford Drive and Columbia House Boulevard.
The 45,000-square-foot brick building serves as the national headquarters for the HDQC division and is anticipated to house 200 employees, ranging from entry-level technical support to senior engineers, analysts, user experience designers and product managers.
QuoteCenter is a software application used by Home Depot store associates in more than 2,000 locations nationwide to facilitate large product orders by professional contractors. QuoteCenter initially launched as a startup in east Vancouver.
Talks have been underway with potential tenants for the office building that would be constructed in the spring. “The project is positioned to provide a unique product that is totally new for Vancouver,” said Michi Slick, development manager for Killian Pacific. Slick declined to name potential tenants for the next building.
“We are talking to a number of tenants,” she said. “We have enough interest that we feel confident in the ability to move forward with the project on a leased basis.”
City officials said they’ve not been told the potential tenant’s identity.
The next office building will be designed to be an appealing place to work, Slick said.
“There is a need for workspace that really caters to the lifestyle for future talent,” Slick said. “I think companies recognize that … to get the right talent they need to strategically think about their real estate.”
About 25,000 square feet of the other office building would be dedicated to offices, perhaps as co-working space, she said. The ground floor would offer a mix of retail and restaurant uses.
Morning Briefing Newsletter
Get a rundown of the latest local and regional news every Mon-Fri morning.
