The final week of March was a fast paced end to the first quarter of 2018. Even as thousands of families finalized plans for spring break, businesses, government agencies, and commercial real estate communities were celebrating the completion of several significant projects.

• On Wednesday, the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce and the Red Coat Ambassadors, hosted a sizeable crowd for a platinum ribbon cutting. The event was complete with a catered lunch at HAPO Credit Union on 139th and SE Mill Plain Boulevard. HAPO, headquartered in the Tri Cities, with 150,000 members across Washington and Oregon has planted their flag here in Southwest Washington by opening their 18th branch in the Vancouver Financial Center.

• On Thursday, another sizeable delegation of elected officials gathered out on River Road at the Port of Vancouver Centennial Building, the crown jewel of the

Centennial Industrial Park. As Port commissioner Jerry Oliver stated in his welcome remarks, this project puts nearly 3 acres under roof. This state of the industry building has 32 foot clear height roof and will be a great asset to both the Port and the CREDC in sharing the story that Vancouver can be home to growing companies looking for the highest quality facilities.

• On Friday afternoon the GVCC – with another group of the always enthusiastic and committed Ambassadors – was at it again, late in the day in Uptown. We’ve watched over the past eighteen months as the site of the iconic Holland restaurant at the intersection of Main Street and McLaughlin Boulevard, was demolished. The parcel was then excavated for a two-level parking structure, and the crains visible from I-5 to begin the steady assembly of the mixed use, 6 stories in Uptown. The project has 167 apartment units, an interior courtyard, and a 6th floor rooftop terrace. The building is complete with 8,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor with the most recent addition of a steady stream of multi-family projects that continue to draw residents into the downtown corridor.
  This building was developed by Cascadia Development Partners, whose principal David Copenhaver leads an experienced group who have had a clearly positive impact on Vancouver’s downtown since they formed in 2014. This was a 42-million-dollar project, and it was evident from the beginning there was a local stamp, with local architects, general and sub-contractors in lead roles.

While in many quarters there is talk of being prepared for a slow down that after ten years of steady growth seems inevitable, the greater Vancouver and Southwest Washington region are enjoying the momentum and accomplishments of the past four to five years of consistent hard work, vision, and effort.