Hmmm looky what we have here? One of my permit snoopers found something very interesting submitted to the city.
LDC13-00023, Evans Avenue Industrial, heard in a Planning Commission Meeting September 24. Not sure how this one slipped through the cracks, but the location is definitely downtown, and perhaps not coincidentally, within the Tessera Tourism Improvement District. It's a special use permit for a vacant space on the corner of 5th street and Evans, just north of Louie's Basque Corner. The architect is Cathexsis, the description includes 'the assembly of electronic equipment' and United Construction as the contractor.
The staff report includes vague elevation renderings of the building, which at least in these grainy renderings, is nothing too special in terms of industrial, though it would be sweet to see some real renderings. It appears it will be built out in two phases.
Anyway, anyone have any idea what it could be? It's difficult to tell when the applicant cryptically states in the staff report that the address will be the only sign on the building.
Whatever might be going in the new building (perhaps something that rhymes with Snapple), an apparent electronic manufacturing facility is an interesting start to transforming the northeast sector of downtown into an entirely new use.
If it's onshore electronics assembly (which has been shipped overseas for years due to cheap labor), then it must be high value devices (e.g. smart phone) in a highly automated facility (e.g. lots of robotics, and a few highly trained engineers). It makes sense for such facilities to be here, as the area is perfect for data centers and is in a foreign free trade zone.