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Hyas Point leaders give update on construction, possible disruptions

Construction on mixed-use Washougal waterfront development began in late 2024

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With work on the Hyas Point development along the Washougal waterfront now underway, community members may have questions about possible impacts to nearby attractions, including the Port of Camas-Washougal’s marina and the popular Washougal Waterfront Park and riverside walking trail.

“We shouldn’t affect too much until we get to the end of the project,” Kelly Flynn, senior project manager for Central Bethany Construction told community members during a Hyas Point project open house held Wednesday, Jan. 15, at the Port of Camas-Washougal administrative building.

However, once construction starts on all four of the mixed-use Hyas Point buildings, Flynn said, disruptions may become more noticeable.

“That’s going to overload the marina for a little bit,” Flynn said. “As we go on, it will be a little more noticeable. We’ll be digging piers for the next two-and-a-half months, so that’ll be a little bit, I wouldn’t say disruptive, but loud. This project will have two tower cranes, and they’re big ones, and those kinds of things start to make people in small towns uncomfortable.”

Portland-based Central Bethany Construction began work along the Washougal waterfront in November 2024. The first phase of construction will build several new streets, including a thoroughfare stretching east to west along the Columbia River, and four mixed-use buildings that will house 276 apartments and 56,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.

The crews also will build a temporary parking lot at the northeast corner of the site for the 300 to 350 construction workers expected to be working at the site later this year. Project leaders hope the parking lot will alleviate pressure on nearby parking lots — including those at the Best Western Hotel, the Black Pearl Event Center, the Washougal Waterfront Park and Parker’s Landing Marina — as construction workers increase demand for parking in the area.

The construction crews will build another temporary parking lot on the site’s northwest corner to accommodate visitors accessing American Cruise Line (ACL) cruise ships at a nearby Port of Camas-Washougal dock. That parking lot will be constructed prior to the first ACL ship docking in April 2025, according to Central Bethany Construction Senior Superintendent Mike Wilson.

“That’s to accommodate all of the cruise traffic that (the Port is) going to have,” Wilson said. “We don’t want to impair that at all.”

The construction company plans to begin work on a roundabout slightly northwest of the proposed cruise line parking lot in mid-March, according to Flynn, who noted that a portion of Marina Way will need to close during the roundabout construction.

During the Jan. 15 open house, Flynn and Wilson answered questions and said they hoped to ease the community’s initial concerns.

Flynn said he and his team realize that the community may have issues with aspects of the construction work in the near future.

“It’s going to happen,” Flynn said. “Once we go vertical, once we start drilling piers, those kinds of things, (it is) going to start to disrupt people. … We wanted to get ahead of it. The idea is, ‘Let’s get ahead of it (and) develop relationships ahead of time,’ so that we can coordinate and communicate when those things come up.”

So far, however, the project has generated more friendly questions than complaints, Flynn said.

“We get a ton of foot traffic walking by, people talking to us through the fence. And, so far, everyone’s been overwhelmingly excited,” Flynn said. “In fact, we had to tell a few of our people to quit talking so much or give them a quick answer. It’s funny — I’m not used to a small town at all. I’lI go to lunch and people are like, ‘What are you doing?’ and I tell them, and they want to talk about it. So far, we’ve had nothing but a positive experience with people walking by. Usually, it’s not that way.”

Port of Camas-Washougal Commissioner Larry Keister said the local residents he’s talked to about the development have told him they are looking forward to it.

“At the beginning of the development discussion, traffic and parking were a concern,” Keister said. “As the development has progressed, I have not heard new concerns. Parking will be to county requirements, and as the development continues, a parking structure is in the plans. The development will be in phases, so the undeveloped area can accommodate parking. Traffic is a concern, but with the realignment of the roundabout and well-planned traffic flow, it should accommodate the traffic issues.”

Flynn said the construction work has encountered some minor obstacles, but is mostly going according to plan.

“At a site like that, it’s very common to have a lot of unforeseen conditions under the ground,” Flynn said. “We ran into some foundations that we didn’t know existed, so we had to excavate all of that. The contamination pool was a little larger than we originally thought, so it’s taking a little bit longer. We’ve run into some blips but, generally, we always do. The nice thing is that we’ve been able to work our way through.”

The first phase of the Hyas Point development 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 on 23 acres of Washougal waterfront property.

Phase two, which will begin after the first phase is complete, will include a senior living center and a full-service athletic club.

“It’s a perfect project,” Flynn said. “The package, the overall approach, the intent, the community integration, the design functions — it’s perfect. It’s such a great location … It’s just amazing. It’s going to bring business in. It’s going to bring revenue in. I don’t think it’d be that hard to sell these retail spaces right on the river.”