This conceptual image provided by the Port of Centralia in 2013 shows what Centralia Station could look like when completed.
The economic environment of Centralia is on the verge of a massive change if the Centralia Station project comes to fruition; however, candidates and incumbents pursuing port and city offices in the general election are finding themselves on different sides of the issue.
The project, spearheaded by the Port of Centralia, includes plans for a major retailer as the anchor tenant — Fred Meyer has expressed interest — with 40 to 50 smaller storefronts and other businesses and offices surrounding it.
Port Commission candidate Jordan Peabody said he believes the station will help bring people into downtown Centralia after they get off the freeway to shop at Fred Meyer or eat at one of the restaurants.
“I’m excited … Any new opportunity for Centralia to engage what I feel is intelligent growth is a good thing,” said Peabody, owner of the Tiki Tap House in downtown Centralia. “To me it looks like minimum risk with a lot of great things coming down the pipe for Centralia.”
Centralia City Councilor John Elmore shares this position. He believes because it is designed to have a feel similar to the downtown corridor, it will encourage people to further explore the city and discover the real downtown area and its rich history.
His challenger for the District 2 seat, Rebecca Staebler, does not share the same stance. She believes the development could be a detriment to existing businesses further from the freeway.
“We have a downtown,” said Staebler, owner of HUBBUB. “I’m passionate about the downtown … That is where my heart is.”
However, she said she does not totally oppose the idea behind the project.
“I’m absolutely supportive of projects that bring new commerce and job opportunities to Centralia,” she said.
Her concern with the project is that it will never happen.
“I don’t believe it is wise to invest a lot of time in it,” Staebler said.
If the port is unable to secure the permits to install a new Interstate 5 exit-interchange at Mellen Street, then the project will not likely happen, The Chronicle reported in April.
Port Executive Director Kyle Heaton said the port has been going through the permitting process with the Washington Department of Transportation and its federal counterpart. He expects the permits to come through this winter.
Heaton added that before any plans or building can commence, the exit interchange has to be permitted.
Centralia City Manager Rob Hill said the city is waiting for those permits to come through before it starts planning utility upgrades that would be needed in the area, the largest of which is the sewer. It would need a complete upgrade in the area to handle the new load, he said.
If the project is built, it would create over 200 jobs, Elmore said.
“They are pretty good family wage jobs and a good start (for people),” Elmore said.
Elmore worked for Whole Foods in the early 1990s as a middle manager. He said the employees were unionized and had good benefits and livable wages. Starting out, he said he made about $14 an hour in the 1990s. According to the consumer price index, $14 in July 1990 has the same buying power today as $26.28.
The potential economic impact is not the only area of debate on the matter.
Port Commissioner candidate Peter Lahmann, who has yet to take a position on the project, said he is concerned not only with the economic side of the project but with the environment as well.
“I have concerns about filling in the floodplain,” he said.
He said he has not found enough information about the mitigation plans or other environmental impacts.
The port’s website has very little information available on it, Lahmann said. He has been able to obtain a few reports through public information requests but is not satisfied with the amount of information in them. Overall, he said he is not satisfied with the level of transparency he has seen in the port.
On the economic side of the issue, he is concerned about the amount of money the port has invested into the project so far.
“I’m interested in what is best for the taxpayers of Centralia,” Lahmann said.
Instead of acting alone, Lahmann said he would like the port to work with the Port of Chehalis and the Industrial Park at TransAlta to determine what projects will best benefit each area.
Finally, Lahmann is pondering how to balance quality of life with economic opportunity. Shopping centers similar to Centralia Station are found in larger cities such as Tumwater and Lacey, he said. People often live in Centralia and Chehalis because they are smaller communities that are different than Tumwater and Lacey, he said.
Lahmann said he is trying to determine how a shopping center like Centralia Station would impact the community as a whole.
“We have a big opportunity with the Centralia Station with whatever we do with it,” Lahmann said.
