When complete at the end of 2001, the housing authority willpurchase the studio and one-bedroom units and make them availableto people earn 60% of the area's median income. Kassab will retainand lease the ground floor commercial space. Jim Heitert, projectmanager for Kassab's Prestige Development, tells GlobeSt thatspecifics of the ultimate transaction have not yet been hammeredout with the housing authority. "It's far enough along thateverybody is comfortable talking about it, but there's still a lotof work to do on the (post-construction financial) details," saysHeitert.

The only potential deal killer is if the City of Vancouver forsome reason chooses not to give one of more of its typicalkickbacks for downtown revitalization, which isn't likely. In thepast, those incentives have included a 10-year break from propertytaxes, a waiving of development fees and free roadway and sidewalkimprovements.

Assuming the city capitulates, the project will have a Lewis andClark theme, inside and out. Inside, there will be life-sizestatues of the famed explorers, as well as replicas of Sacajaweaand her husband Charbonneau. In addition, Eight brick columns onBroadway and Seventh would each have a bronze medallion detailing aportion of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and bronze footstepsembedded in the sidewalks would be engraved with the names ofhistorical figures. The statues will be designed and built by JimDemetro, whose previous work includes the Capt. George Vancouvermonument outside city hall.