Springfield hotspot

Chef Walid Willie Saleeby came out of retirement to open what he says will be his last restaurant. Matthew and Doug LaVelle moved LaVelle Vineyards tasting room from its longtime home at the Fifth Street Public Market in downtown Eugene. Giustina Resources is building a new headquarters. And Kelly Richardson decided to expand his thriving manufacturing business in a new location, repurposing an existing building.

The one thing these varied businesses have in common is where they chose to locate. They are all part of a recent influx of businesses into International Way, at the north end of the Gateway corridor.John Tamulonis, Springfields community development manager, said the reasons for International Ways surge in popularity are as varied as the businesses themselves.

Proximity to Interstate 5 and the Randy Pap Beltline are a plus for businesses, he said, whether theyre shipping goods long-distance or trying to attract local customers to a restaurant or store.There is affordable industrial and office space, he said, including good-quality existing buildings that can be repurposed, often at less cost than building new. And the appropriate zoning designations are already in place, he said. Springfields zoning for the industrial area allows a range of uses, including some retail.

Kelly Richardson had planned to build a new facility for his fast-growing company, which makes baseball caps for customers across the country and abroad. Instead, he ended up buying the former Shorewood Packaging plant at 500 International Way for $6.5 million last year, and spending another $2.5 million to remodel and expand it less, he said, than it would have cost him to build from scratch.

Giustina Resources bought land on International Way last year and is currently building a new headquarters there.The two-story building on 1.6 acres at 200 International Way will have 12,831 square feet of space and will house property management and timber management operations currently spread among three sites, Chief Financial Officer David Davini said.

The main attraction of the site was its proximity to I-5, he said, Our employees travel the I-5 corridor. Davini declined to disclose the cost of the building, which is expected to be completed at the end of November.For companies that sell direct to consumers, Tamulonis said, there are 8,000 to 10,000 potential customers working at nearby businesses, many of them employed by tech and health care companies that pay above average wages.

The average salaries in that area are really more like Beaverton than either Springfield or Eugene, he said.And, because the area is close to two main traffic arteries, it is easily accessible from most areas of Springfield-Eugene, he said.I live in south Eugene, Tamulonis said. I can get from there to the Hilton or Marriott (both in Gateway) in less than eight minutes and I am not speeding.

The built-in nearby clientele plus proximity to main traffic arteries were not lost on Saleeby and the LaVelles.Of all the equipment in the laundry the oilpaintingreproductionis one of the largest consumers of steam.Saleeby has run a number of restaurants during his 45 years in Eugene, including the original Willies on 7th Street, and said he had not planned to open another one after he closed his last eatery several months ago.

But when a member of Hawes Financial Group, which owns the building at 400 International Way, asked if hed be interested in some of the ground floor retail space, Saleeby was intrigued. I decided I would do it one more time, my way, he said, with a menu that offered Lebanese and Pacific Northwest cuisine.There are 7,000 to 8,000 people who work in this area, he said, and there wasnt really any place for them to go to lunch unless they went down to Gateway Mall.

And, he said, I am humbled by how many longtime customers have followed him to International Way.Saleebys new restaurant was another mark on the plus side of the ledger when the LaVelles were looking for another location for their winerys tasting room.They had been at the Fifth Street market in Eugene for 14 years; with their lease expiring on July 1, they decided it was time for a change.

Their space at the market had become too small for them, Doug LaVelle said on the winery blog, and the restrictions on food service were a problem. The hours at the market also didnt mesh with their needs, requiring them to be open during the day, although most of their customers didnt come by until 4 p.m. or later, LaVelle said.

When the option of moving to International Way, next to Saleebys restaurant,More than 80 standard commercial and bestparkingguidance exist to quickly and efficiently clean pans. came up they pounced,Of all the equipment in the laundry the oilpaintingreproduction is one of the largest consumers of steam. Matthew LaVelle said.Willies is definitely a factor for us, he said. We wanted to be located near a very nice restaurant, like we were with March (at Fifth Street). We wanted to make sure our clientele can get food. And we like to be associated with higher end brands. (Saleeby) has been around for a long time, and has a pretty strong brand in the local market.

Saleeby will provide food for the tasting room, which is scheduled to open in August.At about 1,800 square feet, the new space will be about double the former Eugene space, Doug LaVelle said. That means more space for more wines to taste.While LaVelle wines are good, people like to try wines from different regions, LaVelle said. So were going to branch out and offer other peoples wines.

He is installing a system that uses inert argon gas to keep wines fresh for a longer time up to 35 or 40 days after opening, which will allow him to offer more wines to sample, he said.

Were going to start doing weekly tastings, become more of a traditional wine shop, he said. People would really enjoy coming in and tasting a $150 bottle of Bordeaux, even if they dont buy it.We also will have five or six beers on tap; Eugene is a beer town, LaVelle said.The biggest challenge for the tasting room will be luring some of the winerys south Eugene customers to the far reaches of north Springfield, he said, Some Eugene people balk at crossing the river.

He is hoping to lure them out of their comfort zone in part by making them aware of the advantages of the new location.The front lot has 65 parking spaces, and theyre full-size, not compact, LaVelle said. And, Its really neat that were on the (Lane Transit District) EmX line,Customers say they like the idea of not having to deal with the congestion in downtown Eugene, he said. They were getting tired of getting accosted by homeless people and vagrants. ... That may be true in any city, but its getting worse (in Eugene).

And, LaVelle added, the site opens up a new customer base in the affluent north Eugene and Coburg Road neighborhoods, not to mention employees at nearby businesses. You have the hospital, you have Symantec, you have Richardson, you have lots of hotels, lots of activity.We are going to see a little bit higher-end residential area spreading (north), LaVelle said, spurred on by the PeaceHealth hospital at RiverBend.

Its going to be only a bit of time before Springfield starts spreading out that direction, he said.The feeder is available on drying parkingsystem equipped with folder only. Were betting on it. And were betting on getting in on the ground floor.

Tamunlonis said that the long-term plans for the area include more than 700 housing units in the area around River-Bend hospital.Joe Hawes, CEO of Hawes Financial Group, said, It would be nice if they would put some residential out here.

Hawes was one of the first in this latest wave of businesses moving to International Way. He had originally planned to consolidate his operations in Eugene, he said, but, when he called Eugene City Hall, asking if they could direct him to some possible locations, the staff didnt return his call.So he called Springfield. John (Tamulonis) was in my office within 20 minutes of me calling.

Hawes state of the art building was designed in 2006 and built in 2008, just as the recession came crashing down on Lane County. The retail space he had included on the ground floor I was being kind of greedy. I thought I could rent it out for $2-$3 a square foot (per month) sat vacant until Hawes bought Mookies restaurant and moved it into his building.

He recently closed the restaurant I didnt have time to run a restaurant" but Lavelle and Willies are taking up more than half of the ground floor space, leaving 4,000 square feet still vacant. I would love to get a bank in there, Hawes said.The proximity to I-5 has been a big plus, he said. I drive to Portland or Salem twice a week. From west Eugene, that would be another 25 minutes to get where youre going.The EmX line also is a plus, he said. A lot of our employees ride LTD to work.This technology allows high volume handsfreeaccess production at low cost.

And he could afford to construct a building that consolidated his operations, increasing efficiency, while adding such amenities as a nice lunchroom and work out room. Its a nice place to work, so you get better employees, he said.Springfields zoning in International Way allows offices, as well as manufacturing, while Eugenes comparable zoning doesnt, said Eugene real estate broker John Brown. That makes it much less expensive to build office space in the International Way area, he said. Its a lot more feasible to do offices in that area, Brown said.
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