Vancouver Waterfront development: See the first phase take shape September 15, 2017

Courtesy Gramor Development

Courtesy Gramor Development

Phase 1 The first phase of Gramor Development's massive Vancouver Waterfront project is slated for completion next year. The $250 million first stage includes a park, a pier, and six buildings that will house restaurants, offices, apartments, condominiums and hotel rooms. The 32-acre, $1.5 billion development sits just west of the Interstate 5 bridge, within walking distance of Vancouver City Hall and Esther Short Park.

Courtesy Gramor Development

Block 9 Block 9, which is situated on the waterfront, has more than 15,000 square feet of rentable space, enough for two full-services restaurants. WildFin American Grill, a Seattle-area seafood restaurant, has signed on for half the space.

Courtesy Gramor Development

Block 12 Block 12 sits next to Block 9 along the waterfront, and offers more than 28,000 square feet of space for up to four restaurants. So far, Ghost Runners Brewery and Twigs Bistro and Martini Bar have signed leases for the building.

Courtesy Gramor Development

The view from Grant Street This rendering shows blocks 9 and 12 and the pier from Grant Street, looking southwest, toward Portland. Gramor Development announced Thursday that it had secured a $14.8 million construction loan from Banner Bank, which will finance the two restaurant buildings.

Courtesy Gramor Development

Blocks 9 and 12 This rendering shows the strip of development closest to the water. The pier will jut out over the Columbia, evoking a ship's bow. A park will run along the waterfront, and low-slung buildings housing restaurants will sit in the forefront to avoid blocking views of the taller buildings planned behind them.

Courtesy Gramor Development

Blocks 6 and 8 These blocks, located behind the restaurant blocks, will house three buildings occupied by 263 apartments, office space and ground-floor retail. MidiCi The Neapolitan Pizza Company and Sotheby's Real Estate have signed retail leases. Pictured: Block 8 – apartments and retail.

Courtesy Gramor Development

Block 4 Gramor recently sold this block to Vancouver-based Kirkland Development. The block, situated on the east end of the development next to the park, will house a 138-room boutique hotel, 40 condominiums and three restaurants, including a sky bar on the top floor of the hotel.

Courtesy Gramor Development

Construction This Sept. 1 drone photo shows progress at the construction site, previously home to the Boise Cascade paper mill. The waterfront property had been inaccessible to the public for more than a century, until the city in 2014 spent nearly $45 million to dig under a railroad berm and build roads underneath it, connecting the waterfront with Vancouver's downtown.

Courtesy Gramor Development This photo shows the pier and the two restaurant buildings under construction. Barry Cain, president of Tualatin-based Gramor Development, said the area is transforming quickly, especially with the The AC Marriott Hotel coming to the Port of Vancouver’s Terminal 1, just east of the Gramor project. "This has been a long project in the making and in just under a year, phase 1 of The Waterfront Vancouver will be open for business," he said, noting that the city is becoming a destination for residents and tourists.