[Vision2020] Hawkins' Development in a "Holding Pattern"

[Ted Moffett]

Some may think this bad news, others good news, depending on views regarding
the economics or ecology of water and sewer services being sold to Hawkins
by the City of Moscow, or more global economic, environmental or political
issues, or the overall positive or negative economic impact on Moscow of a
huge mall opening just across the border in Whitman County.  However, given
my misgivings as expressed in this Vision2020 Post from February, 2008, I
find the delay in the Hawkins's development only too predictable:

http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/2008-February/051869.html

>From the post above:

However, that the issues of...., fossil fuel depletion, and sustainability,
do not appear to have been substantively addressed, is irresponsible, in my
opinion, and in the long run may have deleterious economic impacts. The
economic issues probably can't be answered with certainty given the
uncertainty of what will happen to the US economy and world oil supplies...
---------------

Note that since I wrote this post, gas prices soared to over 4 dollars a
gallon, which contributed to the current economic slump, though now this
recession is mostly blamed on a financial market bubble in various forms.
It is inevitable that gas will again go over 4 dollars a gallon and higher.

http://www.individual.com/story.php?story=101645724

>From website above, sourced from the Moscow/Pullman Daily News:

Whitman County officials are confident Hawkins Companies still plans to
build a large-scale shopping center just inside the state line despite a
series of delayed start dates.

County Commissioner Greg Partch admitted Hawkins' proposed
700,000-square-foot retail development in the Pullman-Moscow corridor is in
a "holding pattern," primarily due to the state of the national economy.

Hawkins spokesman Jeff Devoe did not return repeated calls seeking comment.
Last year, he estimated the company would have at least part of the
development in place by summer or early fall of this year, with a Lowe's
hardware store as the centerpiece.

But the slumping economy and Whitman County's uncertainty over how much
state financing it would receive to develop public infrastructure at the
site led Partch to estimate construction could start in July 2010 at the
earliest.

"Everybody is kind of taking a wait-and-see approach right now with the
economy being the real guiding factor here," he said.

Whitman County officials are confident Hawkins Companies still plans to
build a large-scale shopping center just inside the state line despite a
series of delayed start dates.

County Commissioner Greg Partch admitted Hawkins' proposed
700,000-square-foot retail development in the Pullman-Moscow corridor is in
a "holding pattern," primarily due to the state of the national economy.

Hawkins spokesman Jeff Devoe did not return repeated calls seeking comment.
Last year, he estimated the company would have at least part of the
development in place by summer or early fall of this year, with a Lowe's
hardware store as the centerpiece.

But the slumping economy and Whitman County's uncertainty over how much
state financing it would receive to develop public infrastructure at the
site led Partch to estimate construction could start in July 2010 at the
earliest.

"Everybody is kind of taking a wait-and-see approach right now with the
economy being the real guiding factor here," he said.

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Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett
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