Ridgefield Mayor Don Stose speaks at Overlook Park during a “State of the City” address video.
Growth in Ridgefield continues as more commercial and public safety spaces come to the city. The trend was highlighted in a virtual “State of the City” address led by Mayor Don Stose.
On April 30 the video — a change of pace from the usual in-person event hosted by cities and Clark County in the past — went over a number of ongoing or planned developments underway in Ridgefield this year.
The Ridgefield Police Department hired two officers in 2020, an officer this year, and are looking to add a fourth to the department’s ranks, chief John Brooks said. RPD also recently received a police car through a donation from the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. The department is planning to move into a larger station in a new development under construction at the corner of Mill Street and Main Avenue once it’s completed.
Clark-Cowlitz Fire & Rescue Chief John Nohr spoke from the site of the department’s new Ridgefield fire station at the corner at South Hillhurst and South Royle roads. He said the station is currently in the planning process for a roughly 14,000-square-foot structure with living quarters and four apparatus bays, adding that building permits could be approved in the next year.
The fire department also saw an expansion in personnel and equipment with six new hires, which include three new positions that started at the end of April, Nohr said. The department has acquired a new brush unit for rural fires, a new fire engine was delivered in February, and two more are on the way. He noted CCF&R also received a fourth engine from a grant through the Cowlitz Indian Tribe.
Introducing the education aspect of Ridgefield’s progress, Councilor Jennifer Lindsay said her daughter was one of the first students to walk into View Ridge Middle School for the first school year of the new building which was completed in 2018.
“The tradition of placing value on education is one of the many things that make the Ridgefield community so special, and one of the many reasons I love calling Ridgefield my home,” Lindsay said.
For K-12 education, Ridgefield School District Superintendent Nathan McCann highlighted Wisdom Ridge Academy, an alternative learning experience school for all grade levels that will begin in the fall. McCann said the option will benefit families in the district who found remote learning works for them after virtual learning was mandated because of COVID-19.
Higher education is also coming to Ridgefield, as Clark College President Karin Edwards announced the approval of $52 million by the Washington State Legislature to begin construction on the first phase of Clark College at Boschma Farms on the city’s east side. The first building on the campus is a 70,000-square-foot structure which will serve as an advanced manufacturing center for the college.
In infrastructure development, councilor Ron Onslow said more roundabouts are coming to the city, with two planned on Pioneer Street and one on Royle Road, intersecting with Wells Road. Port of Ridgefield Commissioner Scott Hughes brought up the under-construction Ridgefield rail overpass, “a project that was 20 years in the making” that will allow access to the city’s waterfront without at-grade crossings with the railroad.
Hughes also said the port is hoping to have its fiber optics “backbone” project completed by the end of the year, which will allow for gigabit-speed internet in the area once a provider moves in.
Ridgefield continues to see commercial development this year.
Scott Higgins, a broker for Fuller Group, touched on development at Pioneer Village at the corner of Pioneer Street and Royle Road, which already has a Starbucks, and a Papa Murphy’s coming soon. He said a pet store, four restaurants, a gym, hair and nail salon, and medical practices are also slated for the new development.
“We really wanted this center to feel homey, to feel like you were in a park-like setting, a village setting,” Higgins said about the development.
Dean Maldonado, principal broker for FDM Development, touched on the nearby Discovery Ridge phased project which already includes Rosauers. He said Phase 2 is moving forward with another 10,000-square-foot building in the fall. A mixed-use development with commercial space and attached housing is already planned for Phase 4.
Maldonado added that apart from housing Ridefield’s police, the 15,000-square-foot building on Mill and Main will have office suites on half of the second floor alongside the police station, while the developer is in talks with some groups about taking the 5,000-square-foot top floor.
Downtown Ridgefield will see the return of public events in 2021. Ridgefield Main Street Executive Director Marykay Lamoureaux said the organization is planning events beginning with a Ridgefield Raptors tailgate in June featuring shuttle service to downtown, Main Street Day in July in connection with the opening of the new Ridgefield Community Library, and the city’s annual Oktoberfest celebration.
Ridgefield Raptors General Manager Gus Farah said the West Coast League team will play a 2021 season, though there will be occupancy restrictions. The team will also use a mobile application to order concessions from seats and is looking at a touchless ticket system.
The new Ridgefield library will quadruple the old facility’s space to 8,000 feet, branch manager Sean McGill said. The new space, set for a grand opening on July 9, will feature a lounge, increased book space, more computers, a larger children’s area and community room for after-hours meetings.
McGill said there will also be a study room adjacent to the teen area which he said is a solution to a request from frequent teen users of the old facility for somewhere to go after school where they can be louder than what is expected in a typical library setting
“The new library in Ridgefield is going to be the best in all of Southwest Washington,” Stose said.
He added the city has plans for a full-service YMCA facility including a swimming pool, the only one open to the public in North County.
“Ridgefield is at the top of its game,” Stose said.
