Port to purchase shoreline property

The Port of Camas-Washougal Commissioners plan to spend $6.07 million in reserves, to purchase 13.25 acres in shoreline property at the former Hambleton Lumber Company site.

During their Nov. 6 meeting, the commissioners unanimously authorized Port Executive Director David Ripp to execute a purchase and sale agreement with Killian Pacific, LLC.

A portion of the land purchase at 335 S. “A” St., Washougal, includes the waterfront area to create a public trail.

“This parcel will enable the port to directly connect our existing land to the east and provide a way for the community to enjoy amenities along the length of the port-owned waterfront,” Ripp said.

The former lumberyard is zoned highway commercial. Permitted uses, subject to site plan review approval, include retail establishments; motorcycle, motor vehicle and manufactured home sales; rental or repair businesses; restaurants; and transportation terminals.

Other uses listed in the Washougal Municipal Code include amusement centers, athletic clubs, bowling alleys, churches, drive-in theaters, professional offices, lodging, community centers, and high density multifamily residential (condominiums and townhouses).

In all, the property sale from Hambleton Brothers Lumber Company, Inc. to Killian Pacific totals approximately 26.5 acres. The port is purchasing one-half of the parcel, including rights to tideland leases and the associated uplands area.

Lance Killian said Killian Pacific intends to continue to collaborate with the port on the eventual development of the area.

“We look forward to finding the right balance between market and community needs and contributing to enhancing the community through the development of this property,” he said in a press release.

Killian Pacific, a commercial real-estate development and investment company, has created The Crossing and Evergreen Marketplace, in Washougal, as well as the Grand Central and Riverstone Marketplace developments, in Vancouver.

The purchase and sale agreement with the port is contingent upon the execution of a settlement agreement with Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. Liberty Mutual will pay the port $256,142 to help cover the costs of cleaning up the site.

Ripp said the port will apply for a grant from the State Department of Ecology to assist with cleanup costs.

The contamination involves oil-based products.

“Fortunately, the contamination is only in the soil,” Ripp said.

In July 2011, the port received a $200,000 Integrated Planning Grant from the Department of Ecology to determine what environmental cleanup may be required.

The mill, which closed in the summer of 2010, was operated by Hambleton Lumber Sales LLC.

Ripp has said the property was owned by the port in the 1940s and leased to Hambleton from the 1950s to the 1970s. It was purchased by Hambleton in 1977.

“It’s back in the port’s hands,” said Port Commissioner Mark Lampton.

Mike Reinhart, a real estate consultant for Hambleton Brothers Lumber Co. LLC, has said a sawmill was on the land, prior to Hambleton.

Gary Simmons, a marina tenant for 29 years and member of the port’s Waterfront Advisory Committee, commended the port commission for a “job well done,” regarding the shoreline land purchase.

“It is the diamond piece,” he said.