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Just recently, the Hayden Urban Renewal Agency (HURA) purchased the Owl Cafe from Pearl Realty for about $880,000. The CdA press published an article last Sunday stating that the Owl "would" become a community center, but the article has since been changed to say it "could" become a community center.
April 8, 2024, HURA had two meetings. The 2PM meeting (not video taped) was a workshop on the fate of the newly acquired Owl Cafe property on Government Way. HURA's 3PM meeting was recorded and you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/live/eZD-TeNoQr8?si=W4k-CvBXjyOjtfyt
During the one hour long discussion about the future of the Owl, there were a lot of ideas thrown around: A senior center, a community center, a police station, etc. There were also many questions such as the current state of repair and what it would take to bring it up to code. The conclusion was that they need to do more research, maybe hire a consultant, and perhaps discuss it more at their next meeting which will be May 13, 2024 at 3PM, but no decision has been made. Keep watching here for the agenda: https://www.haydenurbanrenewalagency.com/agendas-minutes
This is yet another example of how HURA acts independently. My personal observation on this purchase of the Owl cafe for over $800k of taxpayer money was made without discussing it with the members of the Hayden City Council and without any spoken goal in mind. But whatever happens, I hope that this purchase of this iconic building will benefit the citizens of Hayden for years to come.
