BPA Leasing 130,000 SF in Vancouver

VANCOUVER, WA-The Bonneville Power Administration has leased nearly all of Two Park Place, an 84,000-sf office building here at 7500 N.E. 41st St., and plans to lease space in a few other buildings in preparation for a surge of work connecting new power plants to the power grid, according to a story in The Columbian, a local newspaper.

GlobeSt.com was unable to confirm the story prior to deadline Thursday afternoon, but the the agency is also said to have leased or negotiating for space at One Park Place, 2100 N.E. Parkway Drive, Parkway Plaza and Park Plaza I & II.The BPA was reportedly shooting for 130,000 sf of space to house some 500 employees. About 290 BPA employees will be moving from offices in Portland. Another 120 will come from the BPA’s Ross Complex in Vancouver, and the rest will be hired. The moves will begin in October.

The Portland, OR-based federal power agency estimates it will make a $2-billion investment in its transmission system over the next five years to accommodate an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 additional megawatts of power–one-fourth to one-third of the actual amount being proposed–that is scheduled to come online in the region during that period.