Bellingham Dharma Hall
 Property Purchase or Rental Research - Fall 2004 - Spring 2005

When

2-5-04

Who

Tina at

Company

Dream on Futon

Contact Info

Dharma Hall contact

Bob P/Chris B

 

Where and what:

Bob: The new owners of the building evicted them and are hush hush about plans. Dream On's rent for the space went up over the last few months from their long standing sweet deal $1500 to $4000/mo. 

Chris: see below for info re new owner

Site address:  1107 N STATE ST
Legal Description:  NEW WHATCOM LOT 10 BLK 50
Owner:  STATE STREET PLACE LLC
1012 CAROL DR #8
WEST HOLLYWOOD CA 90069-3164
Taxpayer:  STATE STREET PLACE LLC

When

10-04

Who

Richard Eggemyer, Commercial Realtor

Company

Coldwell Banker

 

Contact Info

734-3420

Dharma Hall contact

Jean

 

Where and what:

Jenny Cottrell suggested Richard as a Buddhist friendly commercial realtor (there are only about a dozen c.r. in town). He said he was too busy to work with us, but that perhaps his associate (Jim Lackey) would have time. Richard had lots of info:

  1. if you want 1500 sq feet, this is too small for most commercial realtors to be interested in
  2. If you want to buy, your best bet would be to find a house on the fringe area of downtown that you could buy and remodel. Figure around $300K to buy and another 100K to remodel. Figure 25% down and find a way to finance the rest.
  3. If you want to buy commercial property you probably need to buy a bigger building (like 4000 sq. ft) and plan on being a landlord, with all that that implies.
  4. If you want to rent, figure $6-12/sq ft. $6 gets you an open warehouse and not much else. $12 gets you some sort of modification.
  5. Richard suggests talking to all the c.r. and see who the chemistry is best with. “Go with the chemistry.”
  6. Richard does know of a possible property of interest. He will check with the owner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When

2-4-05

Who

 

Company

Contact Info

Dharma Hall contact

Jean

 

Where and what:

Just to get a ballpark figure I checked on a friend’s office at 1316 King St. For 1300 square feet (large waiting room, 3 offices) they pay $1354 base, plus $331 triple net for a total of almost $1700/mo

 

Triple net lease: A lease in which the lessee pays rent to the lessor, as well as all taxes, insurance, and all other landlord expenses that arise from the use of the property. These may include but are not limited to landscaping, general maintenance, maintenance of heating and cooling systems, cleaning, utilities (electricity, gas, w/s/g) for the common areas. The tenant may additionally pay for utilities for their specific space.

The amount is first calculated for the entire building, then divided (either by # of renters, if all offices are the same size, or by amount of square footage the tenant has. The triple net can change from year to year; often there is cap (often 5%).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When

2-8-05

Who

Erin Sundean

Company

Bedford Group

Contact Info

Dharma Hall contact

Gretchen

 

Where and what:

The bank property at Northwest and E. Maplewood (which Freda had mentioned) is 3280 sq. ft.  Rents for $17 per sq ft., which includes triple-NNN (net) expenses, plus utilities; wants 3-5 year lease. I figured it to be about $5480 per month plus the utilities.

When

2-8-05

Who

Erin Sundean

Company

Bedford Group

Contact Info

Dharma Hall contact

Gretchen

 

Where and what:

Erin has another location off Meridian, in area of Horizon Bank, carwash. 1768 Sq. Ft. at $13.00 per sq. ft. which is about $1915 plus triple NNN (net) expenses utilities...Has large conference rooms, plus several smaller private rooms.

When

2-8-05

Who

Erin Sundean

Company

Bedford Group

Contact Info

Dharma Hall contact

Gretchen

 

Where and what:

Space in the Irongate area, which was "Mother Baby".  3784 sq. ft.  at $2500 per month, plus utilities.

When

2-8-05

Who

Erin Sundean

Company

Bedford Group

Contact Info

Dharma Hall contact

Gretchen

 

Where and what:

Erin said he has another meditation type group (with someone coming from Seattle to check on space).  This group will be renting space at the old Trillium Headquarters on Cordata Blvd; there is a similar space available next to this group if we are interested. It sounded very expensive without his ever saying anything about the price.
I gave him my name and number; he will call if anything else comes up, and
he would be happy to make an appointment with us to view any of the above
listings.

When

2-9-05

Who

Jim Lackey

Company

Saratoga

Contact Info

734-3420

Dharma Hall contact

Monica A

 

Where and what:

Monica had called Richard. He’s still too busy, again suggests Jim Lackey. Jim called Monica on 2-10:

“I just talked with Jim Lackey, Richard Eggemeyer's associate, and he said he would be very happy to work with us on space to rent, lease, or buy. He said he had just worked with a Buddhist group (I believe he said SGI) that decided to lease property in the Cordata area.

Points Jim made:

1) as a church we could be in either residential or commercial zoning, but we will need a conditional use permit (unless the property we get already has a conditional use permit).

2) The number of parking spaces is determined by the square footage of the space. I told him we have 50 people attend special events and many would be using alternative transportation.

3) Jim did ask about our lease. He was concerned if we sign a year lease and then find a property, then we'd be paying on both properties.

4) Jim is going to do some research and put together some listings that he thinks will fit what we are looking for. It is great that he just did this process for the other Buddhist group so listings are fresh in his mind. He'll email me the listings and I'll forward them to you Jean and Gretchen. We could then go look at the properties. Then Jim said he would like to meet with us in person (I'd love it if the 3 of us could meet with him together) and go over the listings and tell him what we liked and didn't like so he can focus in on what we are looking for. He said it will take him a few days to pull the info together and email it to me. I said we were in no rush and appreciated his time very much. 

Jim never asked me about funds that we have available, BUT Richard Eggemeyer did. I think we should have that information ready to give to Jim when we meet with him in person.

 

When

2-10

Who

ECO-Bell

Company

Contact Info

Dharma Hall contact

Monica

 

Where and what:

Some of you may have heard that 1515 I Street and 1514 J Street are being put on the market. (attached info via email). Updated 02/17/2005, MGJ: looked at 1515 I Street property. J Street property was taken off the market.

See 2/17/2005:

1515 “I” Street

Size: 3,800 sf

Price: $499,9900 With $10K cash back if buyer is interested in continuing sustainable urban intentional community. MGJ: 3 story older home (1990) in residential area on 8,000sf lot on the Old Village Trail. 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. Remodeled with more to come – new roof. Doesn’t have large enough room to be used as meditation hall. 2nd floor has 4 bedrooms and 2 baths. 3rd floor is a large bedroom and bathroom. Garage. Yard is permaculture vegetable and flower gardens. Eco intentional community. On-street parking only.

 

From Chris Burkhart re what it would mean to get a conditional use permit for I street:

 

“Both 1514 J Street and 1515 I Street are residential uses. A church could
move into a residentially zoned and used property after meeting certain
conditions:

Conditional Use Permit (Public hearing)
Parking (1 space for each 100 square feet of assembly space [this excludes
kitchen, storage, restrooms, etc])
Disabled access, disabled parking, disabled accessible restroom facilities.
Exiting (2 exits are required from the assembly space)

Each location needs to be reviewed on a case by case basis.

When

2-16-05

Who

Jim Lackey

Company

Saratoga Commercial RE

Contact Info

510-2353

Dharma Hall contact

Monica

 

Where and what:

1339 St. Paul

Size: 2,068 sf

Year Built: 1992

Price: $289,900

Existing house just off Lakeway. Parking would be a problem. There are many houses

like this available, if we determine that converting an existing residence is the way to go.

MGJ: house in middle of a neighborhood, with small yard and only street parking. Neighborhood doesn’t seem like a fit for us. On the other hand, it’s closer to town than a lot of properties we’ve seen.

When

2-16-05

Who

Jim Lackey

Company

Saratoga Commercial RE

Contact Info

510-2353

Dharma Hall contact

Monica

 

Where and what:

3400 Broad

Size: 2,072 sf

Year Built: 1898

Price: $324,900

This old house in south Bellingham comes with an acre of land that could be used for

parking. It sounds like the house needs a little work, but this could be a good spot for

you. Large lots within the city are going fast right now, so if this is of interest, we should

take a look soon.

MGJ: Couldn’t find the property to look at it. Monica is checking with Jim Lackey on location.

 

 

When

2-16-05

Who

Jim Lackey

Company

Saratoga Commercial RE

Contact Info

510-2353

Dharma Hall contact

Monica

 

Where and what:

2013 34th

Size: 2,078 sf

Year Built: 1979

Price: $295,000

This is just off Old Fairhaven Parkway. Parking would probably be a problem.

MGJ: Basically, there is no parking. Also very far out (just past freeway on Old Fairhaven Pkwy.

 

When

2-16-05

Who

Jim Lackey

Company

Saratoga Commercial RE

Contact Info

510-2353

Dharma Hall contact

Monica

 

Where and what:

2130 James St

Size: 1,435 sf

Year Built: 1906

Price: $224,950

This old house is a bit small, but it is advertised as having good parking (not sure what

that means).

MGJ: parking means a couple of spots in back, tho there is street parking. The house is too small and very old…renovating it would cost more than it’s worth, we think.

When

2-16-05

Who

Jim Lackey

Company

Saratoga Commercial RE

Contact Info

510-2353

Dharma Hall contact

Monica

 

Where and what:

1525 Lincoln St

Size: 1,500 sf

Year Built: 1969

Price: $245,000

This used to be a day-care. I’m skeptical about parking, but it might be worth a look.

MGJ: right under freeway, highway noise is a factor. House is too small for our needs we think. Parking probably okay because there is a lot of street parking.

 

When

2-16-05

Who

Jim Lackey

Company

Saratoga Commercial RE

Contact Info

510-2353

Dharma Hall contact

Monica

 

Where and what:

Ennen’s Corporate Office

Size: 2,286 sf

Price: $12.00/sf/yr + NNN (unknown) = $2286 a month plus unknown NNN plus utilities

This is next to Whatcom Falls Park, and could potentially be converted from office space

to suit your needs. I think the parking situation would be OK.

MGJ: off street with lots of parking. It looks like there is a central reception area and then space on 2 floors, with stairs going up from reception area. Huge windows and good light.

When

2-16-05

Who

Jim Lackey

Company

Saratoga Commercial RE

Contact Info

510-2353

Dharma Hall contact

Monica

 

Where and what:

Hannegan Square

Size: 2,000 sf

Price: $0.52 - $0.70/sf/mo + $1.50/sf/yr NNN

There is already a church in this retail center at the corner of Hannegan and Bakerview,

so I know it can be done. MGJ: Did not go look at on 02/17/05 because it is too far out of town.

 

 

When

2-16-05

Who

Jim Lackey

Company

Saratoga Commercial RE

Contact Info

510-2353

Dharma Hall contact

Monica

 

Where and what:

Iowa Business Center

Size: 2,614 sf

Price: $11.00/sf/mo + $2.25/sf/yr NNN = $2396.17 a month for lease, plus $490.13 NNN/month = $2886.29 plus utilities

This is worth looking at: tons of parking and an open floor plan. The other church group

I am working with wanted this space, but they didn’t want to apply for a zoning variance,

so we moved our search up north into the county zoning, where churches are allowed

outright.

MGJ: he’s so right.  Lots of space – there are 3 suites for lease. All have a large open room and small rooms in the back. One (maybe more) had a kitchen. Lots of parking. Off the street and reasonably quiet. There’s a small grassy space behind the back building that could be used for walking meditation.

 

When

2-16-05

Who

Jim Lackey

Company

Saratoga Commercial RE

Contact Info

510-2353

Dharma Hall contact

Monica

 

Where and what:

Majestic

Size: 2,200 or 2,636 sf

Price: $12.00/sf/mo + NNN (unknown)

This building is a good option too. It is located downtown so you can take advantage of

street parking. The floor plan is very open.

MGJ: the space is right under the dance floor, so it would be very noisy (tho a lot of fun) most of the times we would be sitting. Plus, the dance space is rented out for weddings and parties, so that would affect many weekends.

 

When

2-16-05

Who

Jim Lackey

Company

Saratoga Commercial RE

Contact Info

510-2353

Dharma Hall contact

Monica

 

Where and what:

Property beside the Majestic

Size: 2,600 to 3,600 sf

Price: $2,500 mo.

MGJ: When we went to look at the Majestic the people who run the dance studio offered to show us the property adjacent to the Majestic that is for rent. Big open main room 45’ X 30”, 2 unfinished bathrooms, 2 medium size rooms 15’X 30’. No heat in the building but electrical outlets for electric heat a possibility. Owner will finish remodeling as leasee desires.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When

2-16-05

Who

Jim Lackey

Company

Saratoga Commercial RE

Contact Info

510-2353

Dharma Hall contact

Monica

 

Where and what:

Haskell Business Center, Bldg F, #5

Size: ??

Price: ??

MGJ: Saw the sign for lease in the window as we drove by. Lots of parking. Stopped and looked at. Monica has contacted Jim to find out more.

 

When

2-16-05

Who

Jim Lackey

Company

Saratoga Commercial RE

Contact Info

510-2353

Dharma Hall contact

Monica

 

Where and what:

2211 Elm Street

Size: ??

Price: ??

MGJ: Drove by and looked at property Jean knew about. There is a medium size home for lease and right beside it is an office building with suites for lease. We could rent the house and lease office space beside it. There is some parking for the office building suites. Monica has contacted Jim to find out more.

 

When

2-16-05

Who

Not for sale

Company

Contact Info

Dharma Hall contact

Monica

 

Where and what:

Not for sale but a good example of how a vision can be brought into manifestation.

2224 Woodside Spiritual Center (Church of Religious Science)

Size: 7.5 acres approx.

MGJ: Monica showed. Beautiful large sanctuary is remodeled industrial building that was on the property. Large parking lot. Montessori school shares space for their school building. Lawn has open spaces and walking trails in woods.

 

 

When

2-16-05

Who

Shirley

Company

Port District

Contact Info

 

Dharma Hall contact

Monica

 

Where and what: building on Cornwall

Size: 3000 sf

Price:  1500/mo + tax + utilities

Two floors, bathroom and Kitchen on each floor. There are huge power lines right beside the building. The Port District has purchased it from GP.

 

 

When

3-39-05

Who

Abe

Company

none

Contact Info

310-704-9522

Dharma Hall contact

Monica

 

Where and what: former church in York neighborhood

Size: 3300 sf

Price:  1500/mo + tax + utilities. If we sign a 5 yr. lease he would take $1200/month the first month.

2 floors, kitchen and dining area. Abe said call him if we are interested in seeing the inside. He will show it to us. Parking in the neighborhood is VERY limited.