A different way to develop

CAMANO ISLAND – Jeff Ericson rejects the strip-mall concept. He would rather give his Camano Island neighbors a place to slow down, smell the coffee -and the fish and the pizza – and just hang out.

The 42-year-old Internet coffee mogul is about to realize that dream.

Construction is well under way on Camano Commons, an unusual commercial village at Terry’s Corner, a 16-acre triangle that forms the island’s prominent northeastern gateway.

The $20 million project will probably open in October, Ericson said.

The project will combine Ericson’s business, Camano Island Coffee Roasters, with other locally owned businesses such as Alfy’s pizza and Brindles Meats and Seafoods.

Tying this village together in the center will be a grassy commons where people can gather to appreciate Camano’s active arts community. Local musicians, painters, sculptors and actors will all be welcome.

“This becomes an empty palette for the community to create whatever needs to be created,” Ericson said.

To him, strip malls are designed to move people in and out quickly. Aesthetics get short shrift, with ugly parking lots placed front and center. Cars are king, and pedestrians better keep their heads on a swivel.

Instead, visitors should feel a sense of discovery, he said. They should feel compelled to wander under clematis-covered porticos, past large chessboards into a “village” of shops, open-air patios, street theater, cafes, high-speed Internet portals, fish markets, folk music, sculptures and island breezes.

Ericson insists the vision came more from the community than from him. Early in the design phase, he asked people what they would like at Terry’s Corner.

Camano Island is mostly rural, with little commercial development. That’s a large part of its appeal for residents. But it can also feel secluded, he said.

“They told me, ‘We need a connection spot,’ ” he said. “I think that’s what people yearn for.”

Community is boss

Ericson was a natural for the project. He fell in love with Camano Island instantly 12 years ago while traveling on business from his home in Tucson, Ariz. On an impulse, he bought some land before leaving the island. He and his wife, Jodi, moved here soon after.

Four years ago, he founded Camano Island Coffee Roasters. He earnestly touts the company’s environmental and social missions, selling only certified organic, shade-grown, “fairly traded” coffee, primarily via Internet subscriptions.

He cringed at the word “developer” but admitted that’s the role he took on with the Camano Commons project.

He got a huge boost when Alfy’s co-owner Brett Olsen and Brindles Market owners Don and Bonnie Brindle joined as partners.

All have homes on Camano Island, and they are hoping to fill up to eight more retail spaces in one of five buildings with other local businesses.

“What we need is more people who are passionate about where they live,” Ericson said. “Your real bosses are the community, and that’s what other developers forget.”

Early reactions

Camano Island resident Theresa Metzger offered her services to Ericson as a business consultant. “These buildings are great, but the heart of this place is all the different opportunities just to hang out,” she said.

Once the buildings started going up, some people began to voice concerns.

“One question we’re getting from the community right now is, why is this so big?” Metzger said. “Once it’s landscaped, it will begin to look like a village.”

Doug McLaughlin said he and his artist wife, Avonne, are pleased with how it looks.

“I think it’s great, because it introduces people to Camano Island in a better way,” he said. “Before, that area was just a bunch of blackberry bushes.”

Although Ericson is confident the place will become a popular hangout, he admitted the huge financial commitment was “pretty scary.” He hesitated when asked if he would do it again.

“I was definitely in way over my head,” he said. “I probably should have had way more developer knowledge.”

He kept going because the community kept egging him on.

Now that the end is near, he’s glad people kept pushing him.

“Everybody should do something like this. Once,” he said.

Reporter Scott Morris: 425-339-3292 or smorris@ heraldnet.com.

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