6/05/08

Haller Point project is growth done right

by Beckye Randall

Spending an afternoon with Tasha Branch is a little like being in the eye of a hurricane. The ideas fly around your head, whirling in a complex yet sensible mixture of technical expertise and environmental sensitivity. It’s impossible to deny her enthusiasm and passionate attachment to her hometown of Arlington.

As hard as it might be to reconcile, some rural landowners may consider her the enemy. Branch is a principal owner of Ronin Northwest, a land development company with offices at Paine Field and rural development projects around north Snohomish County.

Yes, Ronin Northwest has built rural cluster housing developments. The small company has about a half dozen rural cluster projects under way and has worked on everything from a three-lot plat to a 64-unit development, according to Branch.

What sets the company apart from the crowd is its commitment to low-impact development techniques and environmental sustainability, and its continued efforts to inform and involve community members in its projects.

But Branch’s focus these days is on an urban project that, when complete, will effectively transform the city of Arlington.

Working with landowner Hank Graafstra, Ronin Northwest is planning a multi-purpose complex, called Haller Point, on 13 acres at the end of East Gilman Road that formerly housed the Country Charm Dairy operation.

With a mix of retail, commercial and residential uses, Branch envisions the project as a traditional village concept. The center will support shops, cafes, professional offices, schools and artists’ studios within walking distance of a diverse population.

Homes in Haller Point will be a mix of cottages, rowhouse-style townhomes, live/work spaces, community living designed for seniors, lofts, traditional single-family homes and duplexes.

“We modeled our plans after the creative work being done by The Cottage Company in Kirkland and Redmond and by the Serenbe community in Georgia,” said Branch.

A boundary issue must be resolved before development can begin, but Branch hopes they can break ground at Haller Point late in 2008 or early next year. Initial costs to prepare the land may run as much as $10 million.

A lifelong Arlington resident, Branch is personally invested in the project’s success. “I want to be proud of this,” she said. “Within five years, this could change the face of Arlington.”

She has already enlivened Sundays at the old dairy farm. Haller Point Market is an open-air collection of produce stands, fresh flower growers, artists and craftsmen, musicians and retailers of other local products. Open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each Sunday through September 28, the market is an inviting destination for all ages.

The old Country Charm store, located inside the iconic red barn, is also a vibrant daily destination for local shoppers. The store carries a variety of local products, from handmade pottery and watercolor paintings to goods from Island Bakery, Dutch Highland Farms and Blue Stilly gourmet coffee.

In addition to the housing and retail development, Branch is also one of the founders of the Stillwater School, an expeditionary learning kindergarten located in the yellow house at the front of the Graafstra property at 605 North Alcazar.

“This type of learning, which is an outgrowth of the Outward Bound program, is one of the top five public school reform models in the U.S.,” said Branch. “It’s built on hands-on, project-based learning. Students can connect math, writing, science to real-life experiences. The concept nourishes life-long thinkers and learners.”

While the idea of a private school came in response to the WASL testing controversy, Branch explained, “Students who attend expeditionary learning schools are very successful in standardized testing measurements because they know how to integrate knowledge into everyday life, rather than being forced to memorize unconnected concepts.”

Stillwater School is currently enrolling kindergarten students for its first full school year. Each year the non-profit organization hopes to add a grade level, eventually serving grades K-8.

“Our goal is to have 10 students enrolled for the fall,” said Branch.

Even though the group is committed to affordability, the private tuition is still out of reach for many Arlington families. Stillwater School has held a fundraising auction to subsidize tuition costs and is seeking scholarships and sponsorships to allow more local students to attend the program

.

One of Tasha Branch’s favorite sayings is painted on a wall inside the schoolhouse: We are crew, not passengers.

“We have to be proactive, to look for opportunities and create our own future,” said Branch. “That starts here, in the classroom, and continues throughout our lives.”

“My passion is kids,” said the young mother of two, “and that is reflected in everything I do.”

Ronin Northwest has several other projects on the table, including a 120-acre parcel designated as a Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) receiving area between Tveit Loop Road and Burn Road. Progress on the TDR project, which is designed to provide compensation to farmers while allowing them to retain their traditional farmland, has been slow because it’s a new concept, Branch explained.

“Mayor Larson is doing everything she can to support the program,” said Branch, “but because of all the players, it’s a complex process.”

Complex is a word Tasha Branch knows well. An innovative thinker, she naturally sees connections between seemingly diverse concepts and finds a way to bind them together. The incredible synergy of Haller Point is a perfect manifestation of the vibrant, creative team of professionals she leads at Ronin Northwest.