Upscale Shoppers Targeted With Multimillion Dollar Projects in Downtown Washougal

Affluent suburbanites along with upscale travelers lured from scenic state Highway 14 are the targeted patrons of more than $50 million of new construction in Washougal planned over the next three years.

Work either planned or under way east of the city’s 15th Street exit is expected to bring a host of new shopping options to the town’s core, with retailers such as Ann Taylor and Ethan Allen possibly among the mix. In addition, Pendleton Woolen Mills officials are exploring the idea of “Pendleton Mill Village,” a project that would transform the company’s Washougal outlet store on mill property near the highway.

Construction has begun on Washougal Town Square, rising on one full block bordered by A and B streets and 17th and 18th streets. The $14 million project is set to open this summer with nearly 50,000 square feet of ground-floor retail shops and second-floor offices.

First of several

The square is the first phase of $45 million in downtown redevelopment projects planned by Lone Wolf Development LLC, owned by Washougal resident Wes Hickey. Designed for trendy boutiques and services, Washougal Town Square could coax residents of the city’s new suburbs into the downtown area to shop and spend time, said Nabiel Shawa, city administrator.

It’s all part of renovation planning that started with public input in 2004. “The city wanted the downtown area revitalized and energized,” Shawa said.

Among other projects:

• The city is spending $6.5 million to improve downtown streets and transform the town’s centerpiece Reflection Park with a brick plaza and 70-foot-tall “Campanile” tower.

• Three additional projects are planned by Lone Wolf to surround the park with a mixture of ground-floor shops, live-work units and upper-floor apartments.

• In 2008, the city expects to spend $2.5 million to rebuild 17th Street as a pedestrian walkway from Front Street south to Highway 14, where 17th will tunnel under and connect the town with the Columbia River waterfront.

• “Pendleton Mill Village” would include an expanded and remodeled Pendleton outlet store along with other shops and a pedestrian-friendly environment on 3 acres between Front Street and the highway.

Shawa predicts the projects will produce a handsome return on investment for the city. “While residential developments yield about 80 cents for every $1 of services they demand, retail contributes about $1.25 of tax revenue for every $1 of services,” he said. “That’s why we have a keen interest in expanding our retail base.”

Washougal’s retail magnet potential was revealed by a $60,000 city study by Buxton Co., a Texas research firm. The analysis found that more than 10.6 percent of consumers who live within a 15-minute drive of the downtown area are “affluent baby boomers” who would shop at a target list of retailers such as Ann Taylor, Brooks Brothers, Ethan Allen and J. Crew.

That doesn’t surprise those who have watched Washougal’s population double in the past decade, growing to about 12,350. A good portion of newcomers dwell in the town’s new hillside subdivisions of high-end homes, said Brent Erickson, executive director of the Camas-Washougal Chamber of Commerce.

“They want to be able to dine and shop here and not have to go to Portland or Vancouver,” Erickson said. Downtown Washougal could also attract nearby Camas residents and visitors traveling Highway 14 through the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area. “It’s in a great position to capture those visitors,” Erickson said.

Northwest mix

Marketers working for Lone Wolf hope to draw a mix of national and Pacific Northwest-based retailers and restaurants to Washougal Town Square. The project’s largest, 4,000-square-foot space could house an art gallery, said Brett Irons, a project leasing agent from Coldwell Banker Commercial Jenkins-Bernhardt Associates in Vancouver.

“We’re looking for inviting sights, sounds and smells” to serve office users in spaces above the shops, Irons said.

Office suites ranging from 200 square feet to 3,000 square feet have drawn tenant interest from medical, dental and chiropractic users and law firms, said Mark Atteridge, also with Coldwell Banker. “We’ll need a café or coffee shop to support them — maybe even a small fitness facility,” he said. Plans for Washougal Town Square include shower facilities for bike riders and underground parking.

What’s next

A spokeswoman for Lone Wolf Development said the company plans to launch another Washougal development next year. “We’ve submitted the plans but don’t know which one we’ll start first,” said Chris Gering. She said the company would either break ground on a project planned to take up three-quarters of a block between B and C streets, or begin simultaneous work on two smaller, one-quarter-block projects. City planners envision a ground-floor organic grocery store tenant for the three-quarter-block project, a modern replacement for the town’s former Thriftway, which was torn down for redevelopment.

Retail remake

A remake of the Pendleton Woolen Mills outlet store is also in the works, said Charles Bishop, vice president of the mill division of Portland-based Pendleton. The company, which has operated its downtown Washougal mill since 1912, plans to transform the store and its parking area into a new retail complex.

“We visualize a pedestrian-friendly envi-ronment for businesses that complement our Pendleton brand,” Bishop said. He couldn’t estimate project costs but said work could coincide with the pedestrian tunnel construction, slated to start in 2008.

Erickson said work in downtown Washougal is likely to grow outward, beyond the key downtown projects.

“It’s like the domino effect,” he said. “One thing starts, and the rest follows.”

WASHOUGAL’S TOP PROJECTS: Washougal Town Square is a $45 million downtown redevelopment project by Wes Hickey, doing business as Lone Wolf Development LLC. Reflection Park is a city-sponsored $6.5 million upgrade to downtown Reflection Park, which includes construction of a 70-foot high “Campanile” tower. The 17th Street Pedestrian walkway will connect downtown Washougal to the Columbia River waterfront with construction of a city-sponsored $2.5 million effort to rebuild 17th Street as a pedestrian walkway from Front Street south to Highway 14, where a tunnel will connect to the river. Pendleton Mill Village would include an expanded and remodeled Pendleton clothing factory outlet store on 3 acres between Front Street and Highway 14. Lone Wolf projects are planned to surround Washougal Town Square and would include a mix of ground-floor shops, live-work units and upper-floor apartments.