Laserfiche WebLink
Old Heat CERB Feasibility Study | 31 <br />The Old Heat project offers an opportunity to apply a deliberate, structured, and <br />research-informed approach to economic development in the Central Washington <br />region. Rather than accepting any growth as good growth, this model enables <br />community leaders to differentiate between business activity that merely <br />occupies space and activity that builds prosperity over time. <br />By serving as a funnel for attracting and building accelerative firms, Central <br />Washington can begin to generate the industrial dynamics, traditionally found <br />only in large metro areas, for regional communities on their own terms and in <br />alignment with their unique values. <br />ADAPTIVE REUSE: WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO A COMMUNITY AND WHY IT <br />MATTERS TO REGIONAL COMPETITIVENESS <br />In this project, adaptive reuse goes beyond the practice of giving historic <br />buildings a new life and purpose. Adaptive reuse offers a stack of dividends that <br />extend well beyond the footprint of any single project. It is a strategic investment <br />in existing public asset that generates long term economic and social returns. <br />Within the framework of the Old Heat Project, adaptive reuse embodies Objective <br />3: Adaptive use of State Resources. It does this by transforming an <br />under-leveraged State-owned facility into a productive hub for innovation, <br />workforce development, and technology commercialization. <br />SUMMARY The dividends of adaptive reuse of this facility extend beyond the footprint of <br />this single building. It will deliver tangible economic, cultural, and environmental <br />benefits that align with the state’s goals for sustainable and inclusive growth: <br />1. Local dollars and jobs stay local. Adaptive-reuse projects typically cost 15- <br />20% less and finish faster than ground-up construction, channeling savings <br />into higher-quality finishes, local labor, and small-business tenants. Revived <br />landmarks often spark a “halo effect” on surrounding property values and <br />commercial activity. <br />2. Culture, identity, and civic pride. Historic buildings are tangible storytellers; <br />keeping them visible anchors a community’s sense of place, honors craft <br />traditions, and offers residents and visitors alike a daily history lesson. <br />Successful projects — from century-old churches reborn as performance <br />halls to downtown warehouses re-imagined as food-hall incubators — <br />demonstrate that preservation and progress can coexist, attracting heritage <br />tourism and volunteer passion that brand-new buildings rarely inspire. Public <br />involvement meetings for Old Heat have confirmed this sentiment towards <br />the building. <br />3. Smarter, more resilient growth. Because many heritage structures sit in <br />walkable cores, reusing them reinforces existing transit, utility, and public- <br />space investments instead of pushing development to the fringe. Their <br />adaptable floorplates (lofts, high ceilings, big windows) invite flexible uses <br />as community needs evolve—office today, makerspace tomorrow—helping <br />cities weather economic shifts without repeated cycles of boom, blight, and <br />teardown. <br /> <br />4. A fast-track climate strategy. Reusing an existing structure preserves the <br />“embodied” energy and carbon already locked into its walls, foundation, and <br />finishes. Studies show that keeping — rather than razing—an older building <br />can avoid 50-75 percent of the carbon that would be released if the same <br />square footage were rebuilt from scratch, while deep-energy retrofits cut <br />future operating emissions as well. Because reuse also sidesteps most of the <br />raw-material extraction and landfill waste tied to demolition, it is one of the <br />most immediately effective sustainability tools available to cities. <br />Exhibit 1: Old Heat on the Business Model Continuum