Port of C-W turns attention to Grove FieldSubscriber Exclusive

The Port of Camas-Washougal has launched an effort to develop an airport master plan that will create a long-term road map for aviation improvements and future economic development at Grove Field. The plan, which will take 18 to 24 months to create, will guide the airport’s development during the next 20 years. It will address technical aspects, including aviation layouts, as well as broader considerations such as new technology, energy and economic development. The goal is to “use the airport as a catalyst to build out jobs,” Port CEO Trang Lam said during a June 3 open house at the port’s administrative office. “That’s everything from new technology and electric airplanes to new hangars and commercial development,” she added. The port hired Lake Oswego, Ore.-based Century West Engineering Corp. to develop the plan. Port officials expect Grove Field to be added to Camas’ urban growth boundary this summer, which will enable the port to work with the city on key infrastructure improvements and strengthen the airport’s role as a community asset and a driver of local economic growth. “It’s a shared benefit,” Lam said. “We can create more economic development, strengthen emergency management and connect to city infrastructure to build out the airport in a way that’s up to standard.” The port hired another company — ECOnorthwest, a Portland-based independent economics firm — to examine Grove Field’s present and future impact on Southwest Washington’s economy. The study will examine how the airport and port properties currently support jobs and local businesses, explore what kinds of new economic activity could realistically grow at the airport, and help chart a course that keeps Grove Field financially healthy. The port received a $450,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration for the master plan in February. “Grove Field Airport is a jewel in the rough for eastern Clark County,” former port commissioner John Spencer, a member of the port’s airport advisory committee, said in a news release. “There is so much potential there to help grow our economy. This funding will enable a cohesive plan for development of the airport so that we can make this jewel shine.” Grove Field began as a small airstrip in 1945 and became part of the Port of Camas-Washougal in 1961. Today, it’s home to a small but growing aviation community with 77 port-owned hangars for lease, 23 privately owned condo hangars, 16 tie-downs for lease and more than 20 spaces for visiting aircraft, as well as a local flight school. Fern Prairie residents — many of whom live near the airport — have expressed concerns about the port’s plans in recent years. They argue that development at Grove Field would create unwanted traffic and noise, raise property taxes, and disrupt the natural beauty of the area. Lam said the master plan is a framework for potential projects, not an authorization for immediate development. She emphasized the importance of community engagement throughout the planning process and beyond to ensure transparency and realistic expectations. “I think there’s two sides,” Lam said. “You also see the pilots and the aviation people saying, ‘This is an opportunity to make the airport better.’ And you also see the neighbors saying, ‘What does this mean for us? How is this going to impact us?’ We have to answer those questions. I used to live at an airport, so I know what it is like.”

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