Esther Short Commons, even from a downtown Vancouver enthusiast’s perspective, has never quite matched its performance with its preceding fanfare. But as newer and spiffier residential developments take shape on the Columbia River waterfront and elsewhere downtown, Esther Short Commons’ retail component can claim a milestone achievement of sorts. That’s because, to the best of anyone’s memory in the project’s roughly 17-year history, the 20,000 square feet of retail space is about to be filled.