PORT ANGELES — The city of Port Angeles is planning to sell a historic building and staff members can’t wait to see what developers do with it.
“We are very excited to see what developers come up with and excited to see what the future uses are in the coming years,” Housing Administrator Jalyn Boado said.
The city announced last week that the historic fire hall at 215 S. Lincoln St. is for sale, and the city is seeking creative proposals for the redevelopment of the building. Proposals are due by Feb. 13, and the city plans to prioritize affordable housing and historic preservation of the landmark property, according to a news release.
“We think it is a good time to sell the building,” Boado said. “The maintenance costs are too much for the city, and we think it’s a great opportunity for a developer to purchase the property and either develop it for affordable housing or for mixed use.”
The city tried to sell the building in 2011, Boado said, but it couldn’t find the right developer.
“Now is a good time because we have so many more affordable housing programs and structure to help and assist any developers in the process once we sell the property,” she said.
The historic fire hall is a 6,768-square-foot building listed on the National Register of Historic Places and features art deco fire hall designed by William Aitken in 1931, according to the news release.
“Originally part of a planned city government campus, it has served multiple roles over the years, including fire hall, city hall chambers, jail, juvenile home, YMCA, sanitation department, senior center and cafe,” the news release states.
The building is zoned for commercial, multifamily and mixed uses, according to the news release.
“This property offers a unique opportunity to restore and redevelop a historically significant site into a mixed-use development offering affordable housing and ground-floor commercial use,” the news release stated. “It is strategically located within walking distance of Veterans Memorial Park, Safeway, City Hall, the Clallam County Courthouse and downtown Port Angeles.”
The building needs a lot of work, Boado said. The city’s request for proposals, at tinyurl.com/PDN-Historic-Fire-Hall, includes a condition report that’s about 100 pages, she said.
“The building has been vacant for a few years and has been without electricity since then,” Boado said. “There are improvements needed to bring it up to code and to turn it into habitable living spaces.”
The condition report includes what a developer would have to do in order to bring the building up to code as well as different options for improvements and some ballpark estimates of how much the work would cost.
To help increase interest in the building, the city has planned a walk through for any developers at 1 p.m. Jan. 26 at 215 S. Lincoln St.
“They can come in, do a walk through, see what the building looks like, and they’re welcome to bring any building professionals in with them at that time,” Boado said.
The plan is to meet in front of the building, but Boado said developers are welcome to let the city know they plan to attend by emailing ced@cityofpa.us.
Proposals for the building will be evaluated on several criteria, the news release stated. Those criteria include:
• Proposed future use(s) of the property.
• Proposed purchase price.
• And the proposer’s willingness to work with the city to achieve affordable housing, mixed-use and historic preservation.
“The city aims to sell the site to a qualified individual or entity who will restore, preserve, finance, operate and maintain the site as an affordable housing development,” the news release stated.
All proposals are due by 5 p.m. Feb. 13. Questions and proposals can be sent to ced@cityofpa.us.
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Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached by email at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.
