The non-profit group started by Asian community members fouryears ago says the building will help preserve the heritage of theregion's immense Asian population and at the same time promotetrade and business with Asian Pacific countries.

The center, to be constructed on a surface parking lot at SouthNinth Street and Broadway, will be the first of its kind inWashington, accommodating efforts on behalf of 58 Asian and PacificIsland countries. APCC board member and Colliers International vicepresident Eric Cederstrand is helping the group forge a developmentdeal with DotCom Associates, the owner of the parking lot.

"The site for the APCC is in the Broadway District where we havepurchased several buildings," explains Cederstrand, who manages theDotCom Associates property. "We are working to create a high-techcampus and the plan was to build a 150-space parking lot on theproperty to facilitate the campus. As a board member for APCC, Iwas looking for a site and we realized that partnering with DotComAssociates would be ideal. APCC will utilize the airspace above andbelow a four-story parking lot that we plan to build. It kills twobirds with one stone, and solves the parking problem for the APCC,which saves them several million dollars in constructioncosts."