Tokola Development has proposed vacating part of an alleyway behind Tony’s Town and Country, which several businesses like Lab Man Distributor depend on to operate.
Tokola Development has proposed vacating part of an alleyway behind Tony’s Town and Country, which several businesses like Lab Man Distributor depend on to operate.
City of The Dalles staff met with more than a dozen business owners last Friday to hear concerns about vacating the alleyway behind Tony’s Town and Country to accommodate Tokola Development’s proposal to build 50 apartments as well as retail outlets.
Project Manager Daniel Hunter said the concerns centered around alley access for trash pickup and delivery of supplies. Other business owners brought up the impact of construction like dust, parking and noise, which Hunter said would be addressed in any contract.
He gave the example of Crestline Construction, which signed a contract when it repaved Second Street and maintained a good relationship with the surrounding businesses.
“It was a good meeting in that it allowed businesses to voice concerns and know they’re being heard,” Hunter said. “A lot of the concerns were things we knew were going to be issues.”
The meeting was scheduled because businesses along the alleyway hadn’t been heard.
At a March 15 Urban Renewal Agency Advisory Committee meeting, Greg Weast, representing the Port of The Dalles, added the alleyway to the agenda.
“I was led to believe by staff all of the issues about closing the alleyway were addressed and taken care of and talking to local businesses they didn’t know anything about it until last week,” Weast said. “I still maintain, even though that development is a wonderful thing, that closing the alleyway will be disastrous to property owners and businesses that are accessing that alleyway. City manager [Julie Krueger], I’m not a happy camper, at all, because it makes me and everybody on this board look like an idiot.”
Krueger, who shared the businesses’ concerns with Tokola at an already scheduled meeting on Thursday, March 17, told the Chronicle, “We dropped the ball and didn’t have a neighborhood meeting with those businesses.”
Weast also asked if Fire Chief Rob Palmer had been made aware of the proposal and wondered how Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue would access the buildings if the alley was closed.
Krueger replied there wasn’t yet a site for Palmer or any other
agencies to review.
“I haven’t climbed up on the desk yet so I’ll try and cool it,” Weast said. “It makes no sense to me at all and we were assured it was taken care of and it hasn’t been.”
John Nelson, who also serves on the advisory committee, said he wasn’t in favor of closing the alleyway either and had asked when it was initially proposed if there was a way to design around that. Nelson said he was told no.
“I think it’s no because they don’t want to go to the trouble to do that,” Nelson said.
“I’m not sure of that. I think architecturally it is possible to design a building where you don’t have to close that alley off. Everyone sees the trouble that will happen east of there.”
Mark Nygaard, owner of Lab Man Distributor, spoke at the March 15 meeting.
His business, located in the Petty John storage building, depends on that alleyway.
Nygaard buys directly from Hershey, Mars and Old Trapper. While he doesn’t have public hours and gets minimal foot traffic, Nygaard receives four or five pallets dropped off at his warehouse two to four times a week.
“My lifeline is through that alley where they can make a tight turn, not with a 53-foot trailer but I have restrictions down to a 32-foot trailer,” he said. “I don’t see any other way of making this work if that alley is shut down.”
Other businesses in the alley include an antique shop and a contractor.
The city will know if the Tokola Development proposal has changed and the concerns over the alleyway have been addressed when a construction plan is submitted.
If it hasn’t, the city council has the power to deny any request by Tokola.
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