Jun 20, 2005. /Lesprom Network/. Boise Paper announced on Friday that the company intends to sell its riverfront property in Vancouver, Washington, and cease operations on that site by the end of the year. The 27-acre riverfront property is located on the Columbia River near downtown Vancouver. Boise currently operates a paper converting plant at that location. The decision comes as the result of a study by Boise to explore options for consolidating its converting operations in Vancouver and Salem, Oregon, and Northwest Regional SeviCenter (RSC) in Portland, Oregon. Boise has also been a member of the team developing the Vancouver City Center Vision plan which proposes options for expanding Vancouver's downtown redevelopment south to the waterfront and north to the Uptown Village area. The Boise property was a key piece of the expanded redevelopment plan. "This is great news for Vancouver," said Mayor Royce Pollard. "Boise has been a terrific partner over the years but with this move, we can now continue the momentum generated with the first phase of downtown redevelopment." "After exploring a number of options for our Vancouver operation, we have concluded that the best business case for Boise is to proceed with the sale of the property, which would allow for development of the site for higher and better commercial use," Miles Hewitt, senior vice president and general manager, Boise Paper, said. For Boise's existing coating/printing business at Vancouver, the company is exploring several options including relocating the equipment to another site or exiting the coating/printing business. Should the decision be made to relocate, every attempt will be made to keep the jobs in the Vancouver area. The Vancouver converting plant employs 67 persons. Regardless of the decision about the coating/printing business, Boise remains committed to its security papers business and will evaluate the most cost-effective means of manufacturing those products.