WASHOUGAL — The crunching sound of 14 gold-plated shovels digging into the grime signaled the official begin of a group growth venture that has been 15 years within the making.
The Port of Camas-Washougal and Portland-based RKm Growth held a groundbreaking Oct. 31 at Washougal Waterfront Park for Hyas Level, a master-planned group that may characteristic a mixture of residential items, companies — medical, workplace and retail — and eating places, whereas showcasing views of the Columbia River and Mount Hood.
“Hyas Point is the product of many years of community engagement and meaningful discussion,” RKm President Roy Kim mentioned in a press release. “We have many people to honor for their tireless support of this project.”
Kim, port Commissioner Larry Keister, former port CEO David Ripp and Washougal Mayor David Stuebe posed for pictures and gave speeches, then dug shovels into the bottom on the web site of the primary part of development.
This part will characteristic a number of new streets, together with a thoroughfare stretching east to west alongside the Columbia River, and 4 buildings that may home 276 flats and 56,000 sq. toes of retail and restaurant house.
“This is so epic,” Stuebe mentioned. “I mean, I use that word a lot, but this project right here is going to bring so much, for not only our communities, but for people coming to visit and to see what we have to offer — the gateway to the Gorge is such a beautiful place. What an amazing, exciting day. We finally got here.”
Hambleton mill closes
Keister and Ripp talked concerning the historical past of the venture, which dates to 2009, when the Hambleton Bros. Lumber Co. mill alongside the waterfront closed.
“I believe it was 2010 when we kind of started that path of strategic planning what could this site be,” Ripp mentioned. “The mill had shut down and 50 jobs were gone. Did the public want to see another light industrial park right on the river? The answer was ‘no.’ Through public outreach, we determined that mixed-use commercial development would be perfect for this spot. The Columbia River is the anchor of this development.”
In late 2012, the port bought 13.25 acres of the previous Hambleton property from Killian Pacific, a Vancouver-based actual property developer that purchased the 26.5-acre mill web site.
“We had the purchase-sale agreement with Killian worked out, so he got the east property and the port got the west end, close to the port offices and marina,” Keister mentioned, including the port’s objective for the Hambleton property was to make sure continued public entry to the Columbia River.
The east finish of the property turned the Ninebark flats, which opened in 2023 with 246 items.
Keister mentioned port leaders continued to conduct group outreach to gauge curiosity in the way forward for the location.
“But the biggest thing, ‘How do we complement downtown Washougal with our development and work together with the city?’ That was very important to all of us,” Keister mentioned.
Ripp, who served because the port’s CEO from January 2008 to September, praised the imaginative and prescient of former port commissioners Mark Lampton, Invoice Macrae-Smith and Invoice Ward, in addition to efforts of previous and current workers.
“I’m just happy to be a part of this team and a part of this whole project,” Ripp mentioned. “My wife, Sue, she could attest, every time I drive by, I’m looking, and she’s like, ‘Pay attention to where you’re driving.’ I’m drifting over as I’m looking at this hole getting filled. I will watch this project for a very long time.”
‘Respect the site’
Kim, who has overseen the development of comparable developments in Portland, Gresham and Beaverton in Oregon, mentioned Hyas Level can be completely different.
“One, we are going to continue to respect the community,” Kim mentioned. He mentioned analysis confirmed how the land was perceived by Indigenous folks and later by settlers. “We looked at the old pictures. We took that into account.”
Kim promised his firm would “respect the site — the river view, the trees, the gateway to Gorge.”
“That’s a gift that we received, and we will make sure the development is as sustainable as we can get it, as in tune with nature as we can get it, and it does what it hopes to do — bring the community closer to the beautiful setting that we have,” Kim mentioned.
Keister mentioned he expects the primary part of development needs to be accomplished by the autumn of 2026, which is when leasing will start.
“That will start to bring revenue to the city of Washougal … and revenue into the port from our land lease,” he mentioned.
The second part of development, which can start quickly after the primary part is accomplished, will embody a senior residential middle and a full-service athletic membership.