The erstwhile Chelan PUD campus on Fifth Street in Wenatchee is being reborn. Progress is evidently humming along, but certain challenges persist.

PUD officials on Monday discussed the next phase of redevelopment. No formal actions were taken. To summarize the first phase of redevelopment:

  • The YMCA, having finished demolition work, expects to break ground on its new facility next spring, but that's contingent on the satisfaction of fundraising goals
  • Also next spring, construction is slated to begin on Electric Avenue; for now the PUD is gathering bids
  • The former PUD Fish & Wildlife building, once modified, will be sold to Music Theatre of Wenatchee
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One possible sticking point is the building that formerly housed PUD headquarters. At 70 or so years old, the building is exceedingly high-maintenance, according to project managers David Lodge and Laine Heikel.

"The building is quickly becoming a liability," Lodge told PUD commissioners. "How long we maintain that is unknown. There are also some redevelopment challenges. The building was remodeled many times over the years, making adaptive reuse challenging - not impossible, but challenging."

"It doesn't have great site utilization with the current footprint. If we want to maximize how the land could be used, the building definitely constrains our possibilities. With the building not there, it would open up a ton more possibilities for densifying the area and achieving our community vision."

Lodge's solution? A $3.5M allocation in the 2025 budget. This would cover the costs of demolition and everything thereafter, including preparation for future development. According to PUD spokesperson Rachel Hansen, "The idea is to create a constructive-ready building site that could attract the broadest range of possible uses."

Says Heikel, "As we go through this process of design, and more things become known, our risk is going to go down. What you're seeing [in the proposal] is some unknowns; we've accounted for those in our contingency. But as we move through the process, we expect it to get tighter and eliminate some of those risks."

Click here to stream the meeting in its entirety.

Inside Durand's Historic RR YMCA Building

Take a look inside the historic Durand RR YMCA Building after its restoration

Gallery Credit: George McIntyre