Officials celebrate groundbreaking on Washougal waterfront

The crunching sound of 14 gold-plated shovels digging into wet dirt signified the official start of a community development project that is 15 years in the making and designed to honor and celebrate East Clark County’s unique history and natural environment.

The Port of Camas-Washougal and Portland-based RKm Development held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday, Oct. 31, at Washougal Waterfront Park to commemorate the groundbreaking of Hyas Point, a master-planned community that will feature a mix of residential units, services — including medical, office and retail — and restaurants, while showcasing views of the Columbia River and Mount Hood.

“Hyas Point is the product of many years of community engagement and meaningful discussion,” RKm’s president, Roy Kim, stated in a news release. “We have many people to honor for their tireless support of this project.”

The event featured speeches from Kim, Port Commissioner Larry Keister, former Port Chief Executive Officer David Ripp, and Washougal Mayor David Steube, all of whom later posed for photos while putting shovels into the ground on the site of the first phase of construction, which will include several streets, including a main thoroughfare stretching east to west along the Columbia River, and four buildings that will house 276 apartments and 56,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.

“This is so epic,” Stuebe said. “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.”

Keister and Ripp talked about the history of the project, which dates back to 2009, when the Hambleton Bros. Lumber Co. mill, then located on “A” Street along the waterfront, decided to close.

“I believe it was 2010 when we kind of started (down) that path of strategic planning (for) what could this site be,” Ripp said. “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, and people come here because of that and the amenities on the waterfront.”

In late 2012, the Port purchased 13.25 acres of the former Hambleton property from Killian Pacific, a Vancouver-based real estate developer that had bought the 26.5-acre sawmill site from Hambleton earlier that year.

The Port purchased 2.25 acres in 2017, and 11 more acres from Killian Pacific, which in turn bought 8.5 acres of the Port’s Hambleton property with the intention of building an apartment complex. That complex, later named Ninebark, opened in 2023 with 246 apartments.

“That property was what 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 said, adding that the Port’s original goal for the Hambleton property was to ensure the public continued to have access to the Columbia River.

He said Port leaders continued to conduct community outreach to gauge people’s interest in the future of the site and found most community members wanted the site to focus on open space, being pedestrian-friendly, taking advantage of the site’s incredible view and access to the river, creating a destination location, providing economic benefit for the community, and opening spaces for new restaurants, offices and retailers.

“But the biggest thing (was), ‘How do we complement downtown Washougal with our development and work together with the City?’ That was very important to all of us,” Keister said. “The Port and RKm is presenting a well-planned project and vision that will produce economic benefits for our community and provide jobs.”

Ripp, who served as the Port’s CEO from January 2008 to September 2024, praised the vision of former Port Commissioners Mark Lampton, Bill Macrae-Smith and Bill Ward, as well as the efforts of past and present Port employees.

“I’m just happy to be a part of this team and a part of this whole project,” Ripp said. “It takes a team to make this project happen. 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.”

Kim, who has overseen the construction of similar developments in Portland, Gresham and Beaverton in Oregon, said Hyas Point will “be different in two ways.”

“One, we are going to continue to respect the community,” Kim said. “The research we (conducted informed) how this land was perceived and used by the natives before we showed up, and what happened when the first settlers came. We looked at the old pictures. We took that into account.”

Kim promised his development company was going to “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 said.

Keister said he expects the first phase of construction should be completed by the fall of 2026.

“(At that point, we’ll begin) leasing property,” Keister said. “That will start to bring revenue to the city of Washougal … and revenue into the Port from our land lease.”

In August 2024, RKm officials announced that the second phase of construction, which will begin soon after the first phase is completed, will include a senior residential center and a full-service athletic club.