For 25 years, Mary Paris has looked out the same doors at Parkplace Books into the plaza. That may come to an end with plans for redevelopment after the Kirkland City Council approved the revised master plan for the redevelopment of Parkplace, as well as zoning amendments. Jim Neal, one of the principals for Talon Private Capital, said they are now preparing to submit their initial plans to the design review board. The first conceptional design conference is scheduled for May 18.

Although many businesses in Parkplace either hope or fully intend to remain once the redevelopment is over, for businesses like Parkplace Books, which has been there since 1986, the increased rent and costs of moving out and then back are too much. As a result, when redevelopment comes, they plan to find a new location.

“To move a bookstore is a huge task,” she said. “We wouldn’t want to do it twice.”

For Parkplace businesses, redevelopment has been a long-discussed topic. The numerous failed attempts, however, have left them uncertain of what might actually happen. The last attempt at redevelopment of the site was in 2010, when Touchstone’s master plan was approved by the city. The project was ultimately stopped due to financial reasons, and the property was sold.

Although developer Talon Private Capital says it is fully committed to making redevelopment happen this time, some Parkplace business owners say that similar announcements in the past have left them skeptical.

Like Paris, the owner of the General Nutrition Center also plans on moving permanently if redevelopment occurs, as it would be too costly for him to move the store back and it would cause too much confusion over where the store is located.

Much of the skepticism may be put to rest once Parkplace’s owners announce an official date for when redevelopment will begin, as all the business owners the Reporter spoke with said they have yet to hear from Talon concerning when or if any redevelopment might occur. Neal said after the initial design meeting they will reach out to the businesses to discuss what the schedule will look like.

Business owners like Paris, who has co-owned Parkplace Books with Rebecca Willow since 2002, are tentative about making renovations because of the constant rumor of redevelopment. In 2007, she said their store was flooded and the carpet needed to be replaced, but because they were told redevelopment was imminent they decided to leave the flooring bare.

“Things have kind of dragged on with no information,” she said. “As a renter you are not privy to what is going on.”

While they haven’t made any formal decisions, word has still gotten around, and Paris said they are already looking for new space downtown that can accommodate their space needs while remaining affordable.

“We want to remain within downtown,” she said. “We have a lot of people who walk to this location and want to provide that still.”

At the same time, many businesses, like Hoffman’s Fine Pastries which has been in Parkplace for 30 years, are eager to remain. Co-owner Eugenia Velez said they will have to wait until more details become available to them, but they are committed to staying. Hoffman’s offers European-style specialty cakes and baked goods and Velez said they maintain a loyal customer base stretching three generations at their location and wish to stay where they are.

Another business looking to stay is Tim’s Seafood.

“There’s a lot of questions going around,” an employee said. “It’s been years in the making.”