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Thea Foss Waterway has a museum where visitors can watch glass being blown. Why not a facility where people can ski any time of the year?
Steve Rodrigues thinks it would be a big draw and would drive people to visit Kalakala, the aging ferryboat he purchased several years ago. Rodrigues wants to spend between $80 million and $100 million on what is arguably the most unconventional idea yet proposed for Tacoma’s downtown waterfront.
Rodrigues clearly has a deep affinity for Kalakala. Once a grand vessel that shuttled people across Puget Sound for decades, it later fell on hard times. It was used for a time as a canning ship in the fishing industry in Alaska, eventually being abandoned.
Another man bought it and returned it to Puget Sound, with hopes of restoring it to its former glory. He eventually ran out of money and needed a place to keep the deteriorating ship. Rodrigues ended up purchasing it and several years ago brought it to Tacoma, where he found a temporary home for it on private moorage on Hylebos Waterway.
Now he envisions it as a part of an ambitious attraction for Thea Foss Waterway. Rodrigues wants to build an 11-story structure that would house ski runs, waterslides, skydiving, restaurants, hotel rooms and a health club.
Adjacent to it would be smaller buildings with retail shops.
Kalakala would be in the center of it all, restored to an extent that people could take tours of it. The ship would either sit in a trench on the land, or inside a special structure that would keep it out of the nearby water. Part of it would be a museum, while other areas could be rented for private parties.
Next to it would be a tank for dolphins and floating docks for future passenger ferries.
Rodrigues presented his proposal to Mayor Bill Baarsma, who steered him to the board of Foss Waterway Development Authority (FWDA). He made a presentation to the board on March 18.
Rodrigues is interested in site 4, located between the Esplanade and Thea’s Landing condominium buildings. Robert Thurston, a businessman who operates a boutique hotel at Pike Place Market in Seattle, had secured this parcel for a hotel/condominium building. His efforts have met numerous delays as the market for condos has gone downhill and he has found financing difficult to come by.
According to Rodrigues, Thurston is ready to abandon his plans. He told the board he has negotiated a deal with Thurston to purchase the land from him. “He is willing to sell the property to us,” Rodrigues said.
Rodrigues discussed the Queen Mary, a luxury liner that was purchased by the city of Long Beach, Calif., and is now a popular tourist attraction. He sees Kalakala in a similar light.
The ship has much historical significance, Rodrigues explained. “It should never be sunk, or cut up, or left to the history books,” he said. It should be restored and made accessible to the public. “It does not belong to a private enterprise like Steve Rodrigues.”
He told the board he has a business plan, which he did not delve into during the meeting. Rodrigues said the hotel can turn a profit, but the indoor ski area will be the major revenue generator of the project. “We will never make it on history alone,” he said.
He expressed interest in altering the plans to add another three floors of condominiums to the main structure. It would have 200 underground parking stalls. Rodrigues mentioned three nearby sites that could provide additional parking.
The board saw several architectural renderings created by a London firm. One showed Kalakala turned nose-first into the land along the shoreline. The second depicted it with its side facing the land.
Rodrigues said one partner he has lined up for the project did the indoor ski area in the Persian Gulf nation of Dubai.
Rodrigues mentioned several firms not involved with his venture willing to provide an independent analysis on the feasibility of his plan.
Rodrigues said there are public-sector and private-sector sources of funding for the project.
If he cannot work a deal in Tacoma, he said he has an alternate site on Puget Sound for Kalakala, as well as a different, undisclosed site for the ski attraction. “If you do not want our snow, if you do not want our hotel, we can take it somewhere else.”
FWDA Executive Director Don Meyer said Rodrigues has brought an interesting concept to the board, during a time when several developers have more traditional mixed-use projects planned for the waterway that have gotten bogged down in the recent downturn in the economy. “He is stretching our imaginations a bit,” Meyer observed.
Meyer and other staff will further examine Rodrigues’ business plan and report back to the board at a future date.
Meyer said it poses challenges on the development and environmental fronts. “There is a lot to be considered,” he remarked.
Steve Rodrigues thinks it would be a big draw and would drive people to visit Kalakala, the aging ferryboat he purchased several years ago. Rodrigues wants to spend between $80 million and $100 million on what is arguably the most unconventional idea yet proposed for Tacoma’s downtown waterfront.
Rodrigues clearly has a deep affinity for Kalakala. Once a grand vessel that shuttled people across Puget Sound for decades, it later fell on hard times. It was used for a time as a canning ship in the fishing industry in Alaska, eventually being abandoned.
Another man bought it and returned it to Puget Sound, with hopes of restoring it to its former glory. He eventually ran out of money and needed a place to keep the deteriorating ship. Rodrigues ended up purchasing it and several years ago brought it to Tacoma, where he found a temporary home for it on private moorage on Hylebos Waterway.
Now he envisions it as a part of an ambitious attraction for Thea Foss Waterway. Rodrigues wants to build an 11-story structure that would house ski runs, waterslides, skydiving, restaurants, hotel rooms and a health club.
Adjacent to it would be smaller buildings with retail shops.
Kalakala would be in the center of it all, restored to an extent that people could take tours of it. The ship would either sit in a trench on the land, or inside a special structure that would keep it out of the nearby water. Part of it would be a museum, while other areas could be rented for private parties.
Next to it would be a tank for dolphins and floating docks for future passenger ferries.
Rodrigues presented his proposal to Mayor Bill Baarsma, who steered him to the board of Foss Waterway Development Authority (FWDA). He made a presentation to the board on March 18.
Rodrigues is interested in site 4, located between the Esplanade and Thea’s Landing condominium buildings. Robert Thurston, a businessman who operates a boutique hotel at Pike Place Market in Seattle, had secured this parcel for a hotel/condominium building. His efforts have met numerous delays as the market for condos has gone downhill and he has found financing difficult to come by.
According to Rodrigues, Thurston is ready to abandon his plans. He told the board he has negotiated a deal with Thurston to purchase the land from him. “He is willing to sell the property to us,” Rodrigues said.
Rodrigues discussed the Queen Mary, a luxury liner that was purchased by the city of Long Beach, Calif., and is now a popular tourist attraction. He sees Kalakala in a similar light.
The ship has much historical significance, Rodrigues explained. “It should never be sunk, or cut up, or left to the history books,” he said. It should be restored and made accessible to the public. “It does not belong to a private enterprise like Steve Rodrigues.”
He told the board he has a business plan, which he did not delve into during the meeting. Rodrigues said the hotel can turn a profit, but the indoor ski area will be the major revenue generator of the project. “We will never make it on history alone,” he said.
He expressed interest in altering the plans to add another three floors of condominiums to the main structure. It would have 200 underground parking stalls. Rodrigues mentioned three nearby sites that could provide additional parking.
The board saw several architectural renderings created by a London firm. One showed Kalakala turned nose-first into the land along the shoreline. The second depicted it with its side facing the land.
Rodrigues said one partner he has lined up for the project did the indoor ski area in the Persian Gulf nation of Dubai.
Rodrigues mentioned several firms not involved with his venture willing to provide an independent analysis on the feasibility of his plan.
Rodrigues said there are public-sector and private-sector sources of funding for the project.
If he cannot work a deal in Tacoma, he said he has an alternate site on Puget Sound for Kalakala, as well as a different, undisclosed site for the ski attraction. “If you do not want our snow, if you do not want our hotel, we can take it somewhere else.”
FWDA Executive Director Don Meyer said Rodrigues has brought an interesting concept to the board, during a time when several developers have more traditional mixed-use projects planned for the waterway that have gotten bogged down in the recent downturn in the economy. “He is stretching our imaginations a bit,” Meyer observed.
Meyer and other staff will further examine Rodrigues’ business plan and report back to the board at a future date.
Meyer said it poses challenges on the development and environmental fronts. “There is a lot to be considered,” he remarked.
