3 Questions with WIl Fuentes - Guest Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle

Brought to you by the 18th Legislative District Democrats with your host Wil Fuentes and our special guest City of Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle talking about the I-5 bridge replacement, plus plans to create affordable housing. 

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Welcome to Three Questions, sponsored by the 18th Legislative District, Washington State Democrats. I'm your host, Wolf Wentis. My guest today is City of Vancouver Mayor Ann McInerney Bogle. Mayor Ann, welcome to the show, Three Questions. I've heard you're a big fan. You watched every single episode of tonight, right? Okay, that's multiple times. Several. Okay, great, great. Well, you know how it works? Uh I'm here to ask you three questions, and you're here to answer them. Uh, we want to know a little bit about you. Um, so why don't we get right into it? Question number one. Mayor and for folks who may not follow city government closely, how do you define your role as a mayor? Okay. And what kind of leadership do you try to bring to Vancouver as it continues to grow? Well, first of all, I am what they call a mayor, city manager form of government, not a strong mayor. People think of that role that we, as the mayor, I have all the power in the world. Right. That's not the case. I am one vote out of seven. Right. So for any policy to move forward, we need four or more votes to make anything happen. So that really sets the tone because I need to collaborate with my colleagues. As a retired educator, I still educate. So as we look at this, we're looking at not just our local but our region, and that collaboration crosses the Columbia River into the Portland metropolitan area to our sister cities, to the county. As we're moving forward, whether it's transportation or housing or economic development, it's my responsibility to help move the conversation forward and to chair the council meetings, but to also serve as a partner on a number of different boards and commissions and help the council determine what their policy is. But remember, it takes four or more votes. Right, right. And just to clarify uh before we move on, um, and thank you for mentioning that the the current local government is not a strong mayor form of government, uh, which means that you have as much power as your other six councils. I am one vote. Okay, okay. And we hire one employee, the city manager. Right. That person then hires the other 1,500 employees. So we do not direct the department heads, we do not direct the chief of police, the chief of fire, or anything else. We only direct the city manager who implements our policies. Right, right. Now, um a lot of us see you out and about. You know, in the city of Vancouver, you're constantly, and we'll we'll get to the interstate bridge replacement in a moment. Uh, but you're in Washington, D.C., you're out lobbying, you're talking to people, you're across the river. Uh, tell us a little bit about you know that that part of your role. And that's the ceremonial part, but it's also the public face. Right. When people think of Vancouver, they tend not to think of the city manager. They tend to think of the mayor. So I am out listening at neighborhood and business meetings, I am out on those boards and commissions, I will I do speak for the council. Right. So that is why you might see me on KGW or you might hear me on Coin or something like that. But my responsibility is not to manage the city, but to be a spokesperson for the council and to help the council move forward. But I also am the listener. Right. So I'm in the community listening because, as you know, not everyone comes to the council to share their ideas or sends an email or writes a letter. But if I'm out and about, then I can hear them, I can listen to them, and I can share what we're doing and how we're doing it, and have them involved in that decision-making process. And I love that. And you are, you're out there listening, I've seen you in action, you're at neighborhood associations, you're out cutting ribbons. I've seen somebody do that as well. Pulling weights and planting trees, absolutely. Absolutely. Well, thank you. So let's move on to the next question. Question number two. Mayor Ann, let's talk about your favorite project. Absolutely. Let's talk about the IBR, the Interstate Bridge Replacement. Uh, a project that's been in work for about 30 years. Now, the IBR program is one of the most significant pieces of infrastructures in our region, right? It is. What does success look like for Vancouver and what concerns do you still have as the project moves forward? So the big reason why we're even replacing the bridge is safety. Right. Many people think it's steel and bedded in um bedded in bedrock, steel and concrete, it's not. It's Douglas fir trees wrapped and sunken mud. So as we say, it's like pretzels and chocolate pudding. Oh wow. That is why the bridge bounces, because it's some of those pilings are floating. What we're looking for is something a little sturdier. Right, right, right. So knowing that it's a bit fragile in that aspect, the safety issue is the seismic piece that we're trying to build for. Um, it's the feeling of all the engineers and such that if we have a major earthquake, it'll go down. Right. And people will say, well, bridges go down. But the river is so deep, so fast, we're not going to find the cars, we're not going to find the people. They'll end up in Astoria, whatever. It's not like when the bridge went down in the Mississippi. So building a bridge that doesn't lift is the economic piece of all of this. So safety is one thing, resiliency is another. When we heard the Coast Guard gave us the opportunity to build a fixed bridge. And that just happened recently, correct? Yes, 116 feet. And people new to the community would say, Well, what do you mean? I said, Well, you do know the bridge goes up and down. Right. They said, No. And I said, Oh, you must be new. You haven't got a big thing. They've been lucky enough not to be caught. Yeah. Or you're on the east side and you use 205. Right. So when it goes up and down, the whole world stops. But $132 million of commodities goes across that bridge every day. So it's not just the commuters, but it's the economy of the region into the port of Vancouver, into the port of Portland. And those truckers need to have the confidence that they can get across in a timely manner and keep going, whether they're going north or south. It's that stop sign between Canada and Mexico. People have heard that before. But we need the reliability to know that if you leave the port of Vancouver, you can get up and over and keep going. Right. That you're not going to get caught at the bridge lift. That is a fantastic opportunity. As we're looking at this, our concerns center around the same thing. You'll notice, and if people have any questions, they can go to the website and is all there. A great website, a lot of great information, resources. Yeah. The concern is everything. When you look at the cost, you'll see a chart that says the base cost will be this 6.7 to 7.8 billion. And then you see another section, and it's called risk. $4.2 billion for risk. What does that mean until it means that there are 400 different ways this could go to hell in a basketball? She's and think about it. Well, the workforce isn't there. Right. The steel doesn't come through on time. The concrete isn't mixed. The river floods at the wrong time. The salmon are swimming upstream. Something hits the current bridge and it goes down and you have to remove it. 400 different ways that this could not move forward. Right, right. And so the engineers and everyone that work on this had to identify all of that risk. Will you be able to maneuver through um in a snowstorm and construct because it snows in Vancouver? Right. All of that are those concerns that we might have. Yeah. Well, we need to make sure is that the money that has been allocated to this bridge so far stays there and isn't shifted to another state for political reasons. And that in itself is a risk. It is. Yeah, that in itself is a risk. Probably number 398. So as we look at this, we need the reliability that this is going to move forward. Are there concerns? Yes. Um lots of concerns. But we need our neighborhoods, downtown and on the Oregon side too, to continue to thrive through construction. We need to make sure that the river is used safely because it's not just tidewater barges that are going up and down all of this, but we need them to continue. We need to make sure the airplanes are flying over the top safely, that we don't interfere with a crane and get into their airspace. That BNSF is able to maneuver through and they have airspace on top of everything. There are so many concerns. So much to consider. Oh my gosh. When planning to build this bridge, let me ask you this. Governor Ferguson, a couple of weeks ago, and you were there at this press conference, he said, we're gonna get this damn bridge built. I don't hear the governor swear very often. I don't either. But I felt very confident, you know, that that he he is he is being truthful. Uh he is committed to to this piece of infrastructure, which we needed for a number of reasons, right? Uh primarily safety, uh, and of course karma's crossing across, you know, uh the Columbia River. Um light rail. Is it gonna happen? It is going to happen. It's gonna happen, yeah. But people think this is such a unique bridge because it's between two states, right? Two cities, two ports, two transits. That is unusual, right? And that is why it has taken so long. My concern with transit is where is it going to stop? Right. So when you look at the four core essentials that are happening with the bridge, the bridge is the first piece. Transit is a part of that, they will get on and off the bridge easily, and then they'll have to remove the old structure because all of those pilings are in the water, and tide water needs to maneuver around the old ones and the new ones, and they're deep, and they're deep, they're very deep, yeah. But it's the transit piece that says they're bringing it to Vancouver. Yay! Because we want that option, yeah, but we want transit to come to the library square, to Evergreen. Right, yeah, because that is where the light rail and the CTRM buses transition. People have the option then of taking a bus in, roll off, roll right onto light rail, and keep going. Those options happen at a transit station, not at a waterfront stop. So as we're working with them, they're not even going to start that for five, six years. Okay. We have time to figure out that gap between light rail and C Tram buses at Library Square at the Evergreen Transit Station. But that is the opportunity where we also have a lid over I-5 right there at Evergreen Boulevard. And Senator Murray gave uh the project $30 million for that lid. Okay. She also put in $100 million for light rail to come in for that transit system. We have the piece of property south of the library for underground parking. Yep. The elevator to the basement and the tunnel under the ground are all ready to rock and roll. There's already work being done. There you go. And then we have, well, that's probably some staging for other projects. Got it. But we own that. Yeah. So we can have that plaza on the main and then affordable housing up above. Oh, that's fantastic. Yeah, it's very European. Well, I'm excited. You know, this region, including Portland and of course Clark County, is uh projected to grow 700,000 people over the next two years. Uh 20 years, excuse me. And frees are not gonna widen, right? There's no no place for them to widen. So people need to get across, right? Commerce needs to get across. And we need a reliable bridge to make sure that makes that make sure it happens. So I'm excited. I think we're all looking forward to it. And we appreciate all the support from the county. Absolutely. Good. Question number three. Mayor Ann, I know you love talking about infrastructure. Yep. Uh, and uh, as the city continues to grow, uh, we're gonna add another 80,000 over the next 20 years in the city of Vancouver alone. We're looking at roughly 200,000 people in Clark County, right? And of course, the heart of the county is the city of Vancouver. So I want to talk about a specific project that will allow to increase uh housing that is absolutely needed. Uh the heights. Right. Right? Now, the redevelopment of uh this district is a major investment for the city of Vancouver. How do you ensure you and uh uh the city ensure that this project delivers on its promises, especially around affordability, economic prosperity, and community benefit? Well, I would like to say we have total control over everything, but we don't. But when you said it's the heart of the community, it truly is central Vancouver. And it's the highest point in Vancouver. Right. So as we look at that, we'll have one of the major buildings in the center. When you go up to enjoy the view, you'll see Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Mount Hood, all of the Columbia River and the hills of Portland. It will be a placemaker because it is the highest point of Vancouver. And just to clear uh uh to uh clarify one thing is this is the reason that neighborhood is called the Heights. That's right. Because it is the highest point, and it most people don't know that. Oh, I didn't know that. Oh well, most people know it as Tower Malls. Right, yeah, the former Tower Mall. Yeah, so when it came up for sale, we didn't want it to go to storage units. Right. We wanted to do something special with it, so we bought most of the we bought the mall and some other little pieces and put it in a sub-area plan, had all of the eight neighborhoods around it work with our staff to design a new neighborhood. So when you talk about affordability, there are certain parcels that we can control, and that's how we ensure that they stay affordable so that land can stay in a trust. There are two parcels on the north end of it, right next to Mill Plain, right, that we have worked with developers on, and they should be starting here this year 2026 to start building permanent affordability. And then there are two parcels on the east side next to the cemetery that we're looking at 70 plus townhouses for ownership. For ownership. For ownership. Oh wow, that's incredible. And that's new for us. Yeah, yeah. With the idea that we will work with individuals so that they can start building it in equity, get a mortgage, and start that ownership process, which is very new for us. But this is affordable ownership, right? It's not market rate, so you're not paying $750,000 for a townhouse. But they will be involved, and it's all in phases. So as we started with these four parcels, we can take a look at what is our process. And you served on the oh the commission. The Heights, uh, the Heights Commission. Investments. Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah. That was a while ago. I no longer sit on it, but yes. But that is that was how we can involve the community in that. So you had businesses that were up in the heights, the dentists and that. You had architects, you had individuals who served on Vancouver Housing Authority at one time and Washington Housing Authority, individuals who had worked with this type of population and this opportunity to help us do the right thing with everything there. That sub-area plan is lovely because it does have private and it does have public. We get to bring the federal money in. So once again, the federal money for the grand loop and the public area in the middle of all of that. So the plaza with this nice loop in the center. You have commercial down below, you have residential up above, and we'll do it pretty much like we did the waterfront. Right. Take it slow and easy, have lots of transparency with the investment committee, commission, and have that opportunity to let everyone know how we're doing and what's happening. But we don't control the private development, we can control the public development of that. And hopefully, as we as they see construction going up, the momentum will continue and more and more people will want to come in and be a part of that project. That's exciting. And I know that there are already a couple of uh projects uh in the pipeline, and as you mentioned earlier, uh they will be breaking ground this year. Uh, and for folks who don't know exactly where this is, it's only what intersection are we looking at? So you have Millplane and you have MacArthur. Right. And that little intersection right there where MacArthur and Mill Plain meet. We're working on that this spring summer to redo that intersection. So we'll start with the development in the north and the east and continue building the grand loop in the middle. And that section to the south is more private development. But we want to get MacArthur ready to rock and roll. We are making some changes there, putting in new trees, transitioning some road over, and then building up a pedestrian bike area that strengthens that whole mode of transportation up and down MacArthur. But people may not remember. We have a bus rapid transit operation. Right, on a plane, yeah. So we can use that transit-oriented development opportunity, bring those BRTs right into those two affordable housing complexes. What a great opportunity. It is an incredible project that I've been following uh for quite some time since I set on the commission or the committee. I don't remember which one of the two it is. Um high density, uh much needed housing, hundreds of uh housing units uh will be brought into this project uh over the next 20 years. Uh there will be parks, it'll be commercial, access to public transportation, and more importantly, affordability, right? A lot of these units will be affordable uh to community members. And that's a good point, Will, because if anyone has a question about it, just type in the heights, Vancouver, Washington. There's a spreadsheet that shows what our target goals are for very low income, low income, moderate, and market rate. Right. So you can kind of see how many of each and where that might fall. And it's a wonderful opportunity, but it's land that we own. Right. That's why we can control a lot of what happens there. Yeah, the Heights Vancouver, uh, people can search for it, they'll find information. It's constantly being updated. Um, and so May Rat, thank you so much for spending uh some time with us talking about some of the amazing projects that are happening here in the city of Vancouver. Uh, it's really, you know, turning us into uh a cosmopolitan city. Oh, yes, we're not a bedroom anymore. We're not a bedroom community anymore. Uh once again, thank you for being on the show and I'll see you around. Thank you for the opportunity. Absolutely, thank you. Folks, that is our show for today. Don't forget to hit like, subscribe, leave a comment, and hit the notification bell. We will see you next time.