WASHOUGAL — The crunching sound of 14 gold-plated shovels digging into the dirt signaled the official start of a community development project that has been 15 years in the making.
The Port of Camas-Washougal and Portland-based RKm Development held a groundbreaking Oct. 31 at Washougal Waterfront Park for Hyas Point, a master-planned community that will feature a mix of residential units, services — 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 President Roy Kim said in a statement. “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 photos and gave speeches, then dug shovels into the ground at the site of the first phase of construction.
This phase will feature several new streets, including a 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.”
Hambleton mill closes
Keister and Ripp talked about the history of the project, which dates to 2009, when the Hambleton Bros. Lumber Co. mill along the waterfront closed.
“I believe it was 2010 when we kind of started that path of strategic planning 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.”
In late 2012, the port purchased 13.25 acres of the former Hambleton property from Killian Pacific, a Vancouver-based real estate developer that bought the 26.5-acre mill 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 said, adding the port’s goal for the Hambleton property was to ensure continued public access to the Columbia River.
The east end of the property became the Ninebark apartments, which opened in 2023 with 246 units.
Keister said port leaders continued to conduct community outreach to gauge interest in the future of the site.
“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 said.
Ripp, who served as the port’s CEO from January 2008 to September, praised the vision of former port commissioners Mark Lampton, Bill Macrae-Smith and Bill Ward, as well as efforts of past and present employees.
“I’m just happy to be a part of this team and a part of this whole project,” Ripp said. “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 construction of similar developments in Portland, Gresham and Beaverton in Oregon, said Hyas Point will be different.
“One, we are going to continue to respect the community,” Kim said. He said research showed how the land was perceived by Indigenous people and later by settlers. “We looked at the old pictures. We took that into account.”
Kim promised his company 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 said.
Keister said he expects the first phase of construction should be completed by the fall of 2026, which is when leasing will begin.
“That will start to bring revenue to the city of Washougal … and revenue into the port from our land lease,” he said.
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.
