The owner of Vancouver-based Peninsula Glass Co. has submitted a preliminary application to build a new 36,100-square-foot manufacturing warehouse in east Vancouver.
The tentative plan calls for the new warehouse to be built on an undeveloped 4.2-acre property along Northeast 147th Avenue, near the intersection with Northeast 63rd Street.
“We’re at a point now where we’re using every square inch of our facility,” owner Tom Kemp said.
Peninsula Glass is currently located on Northeast 121st Avenue, near where state Highway 500 meets Fourth Plain Boulevard. The company was founded in 1975 and was originally located in the Peninsula area of North Portland. It moved to Vancouver in 1980, and Kemp purchased the company in 1998.
The company specializes in tempered glass, which is glass that is heated to about 1,100 degrees and then rapidly cooled, resulting in a product that is several times stronger and shatters into small bits rather than large shards.
Nearly all car windows are made from tempered glass, and a majority of Peninsula Glass’ business involves replacement or custom windows for cars, boats, motor homes and other vehicles. The company also manufactures tempered glass panels for fireplaces, tabletops, shelves and other furniture.
The new warehouse would include about 3,000 square feet of office space and a 2,500-square-foot conference room and mezzanine area, although those numbers could change slightly during further design work, according to the application.
The application was submitted by PLS Engineering on behalf of Pen Glass Properties LLC. A pre-application conference with the city has been scheduled for 9 a.m. Jan 1.
In previous interviews with The Columbian, Kemp said he’s pursued a cautious growth strategy for the business. In a 2005 article, he stated that he expected the company to eventually outgrow its 13,000-square-foot space on 121st Avenue, although at the time he said that relocation or expansion was still a ways off.
He’s also worked to diversify the business. Peninsula Glass has grown to include four subdivisions: One Day Glass, which makes custom glass replacement pieces for furniture; Motion Windows, which supplies windows for specialty vehicles; Sanders Re-Pro Glass, which focuses specifically on car windows; and Stock Glass, which produces wholesale glass components for furniture.
