By Jeff Ackerman,
jeffa@theunion.com
May 1, 007
OTHER
NEWS.....
Tech Center Expands
(The Union - December 3, 2007)
Technology & Trees
(PDF)
(Nevada County Business News - December 2007)
2Wire eyes
bigger slice of tech area
(The Union - May 2, 2007)
Building a Future for Our Children
(The Union - May 1, 2007)
Tech firms promise shining future
for Nevada County
(The Union - January 16, 2007)
Tech Center to open offices in
Spring
(The Union - September 9, 2006)
A good fit for Larkspur
Landing
(Marin Independent Journal - August 25, 2005)
|
BUILDING A
FUTURE FOR OUR CHILDREN
OK ... so we all know by now that western
Nevada County is getting older (we are already one of the oldest counties in
the state) and that younger families have pretty much been priced out of the
market because there aren't enough good-paying jobs to make ends meet.
Enrollment at some schools has been declining (more than one is in danger of
closing) and that if we aren't careful, there won't be enough young people
to take care of the old people (like me). And if I've said it once, I've
said it a thousand times, I don't want to wake up one day and see 50,000
Jeff Ackermans (old, white, gray-headed or bald) staring back at me. A
community void of diversity (old, white people) is just plain boring, no
offense to the old, white people who are actually fun to be around.
That's why I'm thrilled to see projects such as the
Nevada City Tech Center come along. It's exactly what the doctor ordered.
Beginning of the Nevada City Tech Center
The Nevada City Tech Center is located on 44 acres off
Providence Mine Road. Originally timber and mining property, the former
Grass Valley Group (now a subsidiary of Thompson Multimedia) purchased the
original 110 acres in 1982 and then, over a three- to four-year period, went
through the planning process (environmental, traffic studies, etc.),
culminating with a 420,000-square-foot campus in 1985. The company would,
over the next eight years or so, construct around 150,000 square feet of
buildings, nowhere near the 420,000 square feet they got approval for. Grass
Valley Group then went through a series of acquisitions before realizing it
would not need all of that space and decided to sell half of it (210,000
square feet). That's when Lock Richards and his commercial real estate
company (Sperry Van Ness Highland Commercial) stepped in.
"I originally approached some local developers about the
project, and their response was pretty similar: 'Are you crazy?'" explained
Richards. "They believed it was impossible to develop a project that size in
Nevada City, given the political climate at the time, even after I told them
that the entitlements (approvals) were already in place."
Nevada City has a
reputation for making it nearly impossible to build anything without years
of studies and meetings; even then, approval is never a sure bet. That's why
it's time to give the Nevada City "fathers" and "mothers" some kudos. They
had the foresight to recognize the need to create the kind of tech jobs and
companies that could provide the kind of wages folks need to live here. They
also recognized the need to ensure that our communities maintain a good
balance of old and young.
Richards would eventually hook up with a company out of
Marin County called Campus Properties and with a man named Robert Upton. "I
showed him (Upton) the development agreement, and they were impressed,"
remembered Richards. "They had been working on a project in Larkspur and had
been hitting a wall. I told them that we had a project they could acquire
and not have to go through all of the brain damage, and they said, 'let's do
it.'"
"After Lock told us about the property, we looked at it
and started the due diligence process and saw that the 210,000 square feet
of buildings had already been approved and set in stone as part of the
development agreement," said Upton from his office in San Rafael. "We needed
to get additional approval to subdivide because the property was essentially
one parcel, and we knew it would be almost impossible to find anyone who
needed 210,000 feet of building."
Sounds easy until you realize that it typically takes
six months or so to get approval to do that. "We met with Nevada City
officials (City Manager Mark Miller and others) in mid-December and
explained that we wanted to buy the property, but that we wanted to get the
parcel split (it is now 10 parcels) before the deal closed," said Upton. "We
got approval on Feb. 14 and closed escrow on March 7. They (city officials)
really did a fantastic job and, there were no shortcuts. All the work (EIR,
etc.) had already been done, so the city was totally within its powers for a
subdivision. We did not get one extra square foot of space."
2 Wire, Inc. becomes anchor tenant
Richards, who moved
to Nevada County 11 years ago to be a stay-at-home dad to his now-teen
daughter, decided to return to the brokerage business (his previous career)
in 2000. "I didn't know if I could specialize in commercial only up here
until I started meeting some people (such as Charlie Litton) and got
involved in the Litton Business Park," he said. "I eventually hooked up with
Sperry Van Ness, an Irvine-based company that is one of the fastest growing
commercial real estate firms in the nation. They are hot on technology."
Right off the bat, Richards and Upton had an anchor
tenant for their first building (two-story, 29,000 square feet), set to be
completed in a couple of weeks. "The company is called 2 Wire, Inc. and they
make modems and broadband technology for companies such as AT&T," said
Richards.
"We are going to employ 30 people at that new location,
and our plans are to expand to maybe 50 or 60 employees within the next 18
months," said 2 Wire's Vice President of Engineering Steve Maher. "We have a
smaller facility in Grass Valley, and most of our work force is made up of
engineers and operations."
Maher said his company has been around for more than
seven years and is doing very well for itself. "We have some pretty big
customers," he said. "AT&T will do around $150 million in business with us
this year." Maher has two young children and is hoping his company will be
able to recruit engineers from the Bay Area who are also looking to enjoy
the quality of life (great schools, etc.) western Nevada County offers. "2
Wire gave me the choice of working in San Jose or up here," he said. "The
decision took me a nano second to make. We offer the same compensation and a
better lifestyle here."
Locals design, build center
What is also very cool about the Nevada City Tech
project is the fact that Upton used local talent to design and build it.
"You have some of the best people in the business right there in Nevada
County," said Upton. "Our builder is Tim Brady of Tru-Line Builders, and
Brent Daggett, of Daggett Designs, in Grass Valley, was the architect."
"We are hoping we can do one or two buildings a year and
be built out in five or six years," said Richards. "We'll start construction
on our second building next month."
More projects encouraged
Nevada City Manager Mark Miller, himself a former
engineer, is excited to see the project's continuing success. "They (Upton's
group) have been fantastic to work with," he said. "The property is
gorgeous, and the thought of attracting young families with schools (Seven
Hills is within walking distance) right there is just terrific. We've loved
having Thompson there. There is nothing better than doing what you like to
do in an environment like Nevada City. That's just great. And that's the
future."
The future is what this is all about. If we are to
maintain the quality of life most of us came here to enjoy, we need to make
sure we are doing what we can to ensure our children have that same
opportunity. To do that, we need to encourage projects such as the Nevada
City Tech Center and recognize those folks who are working cooperatively to
make it happen.
For more information on the
Nevada City Tech Center, contact Lock Richards at (530) 470-1740. He said
he'd be more than happy to provide a personal tour. His Web site is
www.svnhighland.com
Jeff Ackerman is the
publisher of The Union. His column appears on Tuesdays. Contact him at
477-4299,
jeffa@theunion.com, or 464 Sutton Way, Grass
Valley 95945. |
