You might say Randy Radtke is the last man standing at Dollars Corner.
S&R Floor Covering, the business he owns with his wife, Shirley, has seen a lot of changes at the intersection of state Highway 502 and Northeast 72nd Avenue. The ongoing expansion of the highway forced numerous businesses to close there in recent years, some leaving nothing but empty space behind.
A tavern next door to Radtke’s business was demolished to make room for the highway. So was a gas station on the other side of 72nd Avenue. Across the highway, the former home of O’Brady’s Drive-In remains boarded up more than two years after the restaurant closed in 2012.
S&R Floor Covering was able to convert its old warehouse into a showroom and stay at the Dollars Corner location. Next door are two other businesses that now rent part of the space — and not much else.
The changes have left a void at the landmark intersection outside of Battle Ground. But the question of who will rebuild Dollars Corner — and how — remains unanswered.
Radtke and others in the area say they’d like to see more activity come back to the area when the highway project is over. But Radtke, for one, who says his business is “better than ever” despite the construction, isn’t sweating the outcome.
“It’s going to work out,” Radtke said. “You just can’t worry. Got to keep moving forward.”
The Washington State Department of Transportation is widening Highway 502 between Interstate 5 and Battle Ground to improve safety and relieve congestion along the corridor. The $85 million project is mostly shut down for the rainy season, but is scheduled to ramp up again in May. The entire project is slated for completion in 2016.
Before construction started, WSDOT acquired at least a portion of about 180 properties along the corridor. But it doesn’t expect to keep all of them. The agency has identified about a dozen parcels that could be sold as excess properties when the project is done, said WSDOT real estate services manager Mike Palazzo.
At least two of those are at the Dollars Corner intersection. If they’re sold, the previous owners would be contacted first and given the opportunity to buy them back, Palazzo said. Otherwise, they’d be put on the market and sold by auction, he said. But each would have to go through a review before being declared excess properties, said WSDOT spokesman Bart Treece.
Beyond that, WSDOT won’t play a major role in shaping any future development at Dollars Corner. Still, the agency expects growth and welcomes vibrant places along its highways, Treece said.
“The whole reason we started this project was to improve safety for a growing community out there,” he said. “We always like to have good neighbors.”
Dollars Corner is currently in unincorporated Clark County. In the future, it could be brought into Battle Ground’s urban growth boundary or city limits, said Erin Erdman, the city’s community development director. The properties around the intersection are zoned as a rural center commercial district, according to county records.
Amid the turmoil, the area has seen two new businesses open next door to S&R Floor Covering in recent months: Vape-N-Flavr, a vape shop offering e-cigarettes and other products, and Dollars Corner Indoor Gardening Supplies.
Joe Johnson, who owns Vape-N-Flavr, said access hasn’t been a major problem during the few months his business has been open. He’s hoping it stays that way, and said he’d like to see other businesses open around the intersection once the project wraps up.
“Once they’re done with all the construction, it’s going to be nice,” Johnson said.
The work has caused some people to shy away from the area, Radtke said. Dollars Corner would benefit from new business arrivals and increased foot traffic, he said.
S&R Floor Covering’s customer base has still supported the business even as things have changed, Radtke said. Through all the uncertainty, he attributes his shop’s continued success to God.
“It’s nothing I’ve done,” Radtke said. “He’s kept me going through this whole thing.”
Eric Florip: 360-735-4541; twitter.com/ericflorip; eric.florip@columbian.com
