Waterfront Park
The City and Port of Ridgefield are working together to create a Community-Focused Waterfront Park.
The City of Ridgefield and Port of Ridgefield are excited to announce the adoption of the Waterfront Park Master Plan, marking a key milestone in the development of a vibrant public space along Ridgefield’s only shoreline. The Master Plan, which spans roughly 8 acres and stretches across 1,500 feet of scenic waterfront, outlines a vision for a park that will serve as a hub for recreation, nature viewing, and community events.
Both the City and the Port have long envisioned a waterfront park that not only enhances recreational opportunities but also boosts economic vitality to support Ridgefield’s growth. Recognizing this shared goal, the City and Port formalized a partnership in late 2023 to collaboratively design a master plan for a community-focused waterfront park.
“Our shared mission with the City has been to create space that both benefits our community and promotes economic opportunities that can strengthen Ridgefield’s future,” said Port Commission Chair Bruce Wiseman. “With this Waterfront Park, we’re achieving both goals—honoring the community’s needs and wants while creating a vibrant space that drives recreation and economic prosperity in our region.”
The Port has been engaging the Ridgefield community around waterfront redevelopment priorities since 2022. Through a series of outreach events, workshops, a survey and public comment period, the community voiced a strong desire for increased access to open spaces and a waterfront park. This feedback led the Port to prioritize the park in its 2023 Waterfront Business Plan, setting the stage for the development of a plan aligned with the community's vision.
Building on this input, the Master Plan process kicked off in January of this year, beginning with listening to the community’s vision and values for a park on Ridgefield’s waterfront. Public participation was at the center of this process. The project team engaged in direct consultation with key stakeholders, held three community open houses, conducted three online community surveys and engaged with attendees at Big Paddle, a large community event focused on human powered watercraft, that takes place at the waterfront and on Lake River. This engagement work led to three guiding principles: respect and enhance the natural setting, support recreation, and reflect Ridgefield culture, art and history.
The final concept integrates these features with careful consideration for the site’s unique physical and environmental conditions. The Master Plan is deliberately flexible, allowing the park to adapt alongside future development on the adjacent waterfront property. This adaptability ensures that the park and surrounding mixed-use spaces evolve together, creating a unified and harmonious experience for future visitors to Ridgefield’s waterfront.
“This is a living, flexible plan,” said Ron Onslow, Mayor of the City of Ridgefield. “The goal is for the Waterfront Park to seamlessly integrate with the surrounding development. As the plan evolves, so will the park, ensuring the whole waterfront is a space for all community members to enjoy and be proud of.”
The plan envisions two distinct areas within the park: an active zone to the south, near the motorized boat launch, and a passive zone to the north, closer to the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. The active zone vision features a flexible event space, restrooms, water access for hand-launched craft, enhanced beach access, and a unique, inclusive play area. The passive zone vision includes open lawns, additional restrooms, picnic shelters, trails, an art walk, and accessible overlooks and water access.
As the project advances into the design and development phases, the Port and City remain committed to ongoing community engagement. The next step involves collaboration with all key partners, including the Port, the City, and Palindrome Properties Group, the Port’s recently selected preferred developer for the waterfront. Together, these entities will work to create a cohesive vision for transforming Ridgefield’s waterfront into a vibrant community space for local residents and regional visitors.
For additional information on the Ridgefield Waterfront, please visit www.RidgefieldWaterfront.com.
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May 16 Community Meeting Materials
Share May 16 Community Meeting Materials on Facebook Share May 16 Community Meeting Materials on Twitter Share May 16 Community Meeting Materials on Linkedin Email May 16 Community Meeting Materials linkThe community of Ridgefield provided feedback on three design options for the Waterfront Park Masterplan. Each design option suggested alternatives site access and circulation, programmatic elements and the locations of activity spaces. From March 5 – April 3, the community provided feedback through an open house and online survey. The feedback received has directly informed the master plan development and has been incorporated into the preferred master plan concept.
Key Takeaways from Community Feedback
- Concept 3 was popular, followed by Concept 2.
- Path to the water from vehicles should be as short as possible to facilitate access for all users.
- Some community members had questions about boat storage.
- Event space should be far from the refuge, and large enough to facilitate a variety of events.
- Stakeholders felt a few program elements should be considered for inclusion in the master plan:
- Playground
- Picnic shelter
- Second restroom
- Seating
Park Zones
The overall site organization of the preferred plan focuses active uses to the south of Division Street and passive uses to the north, providing an easy drop-off point for all park users at the end of Division Street, with central access to restrooms and other supporting park amenities. By keeping the active uses to the south portion of the site, it provides maximum separation between large community events and the sensitive refuge area to the north.
Added from Community Feedback
In response to the community feedback received, the following elements were added: Play Area, Picnic Shelters, Event Space at the south, Meandering paths, Future additional restroom location.
Events and Play
This concept includes a large event lawn with amphitheater style stepped seating built into a large berm. The event lawn is located south of Division allowing for easy access to parking from existing and proposed public lots. The concept provides a space for a stage at the NW portion of the amphitheater so that projected sound will be aimed away from the refuge, and attendees at events will enjoy views to the water. This same area will also work as staging for water-craft related events, and a rigging zone for hand-carry watercrafts. A large central play area is located just south of the event lawn, and is planned to be large enough to include big sculptural climbing elements, swings, slides, or other play elements at different scales. A play area at this scale will include synthetic or natural surfacing for safety.
Water Access
Direct access to the water is provided by stairs with large steps that face west and can double as seating on along the water. The steps will include a boat slide that allows people to guide their boat up or down the stairs, without needing to carry it. A sloping pathway is also provided to allow access to the hand-carried boat launch and future beach area. At the top of the stairs in the master plan shows a small support building that could house outdoor showers, boat lockers, and boat wash station. Just to the south is a pavilion overlook with views to the river.
North - Natural/Passive Zone
The northern area of the park has a more natural character with a series of pathways and overlooks providing unique views and access to the shore. A passive lawn is located at the center of the northern park area, with a picnic shelter and potential future restroom to support small gatherings and picnicking. The northern part of the site will focus on quieter activities such as picnicking, walking and running. The area is envisioned to include native and adaptive plantings as well as large trees to provide shade in the summer months. Further north, the pumphouse is shown as an overlook with potential seasonal pop-café. This layout would support an art walk or outdoor sculpture program.
Preferred Master Plan Concept
We are seeking additional community feedback on this Preferred Master Plan before finalizing the Master Plan process. Please complete the online survey by Sunday, June 16 to share your feedback. View the Preferred Master Plan (PDF).
View the full presentation slides (PDF) from the Community Meeting on May 16.
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January 30 Open House Online Materials
Share January 30 Open House Online Materials on Facebook Share January 30 Open House Online Materials on Twitter Share January 30 Open House Online Materials on Linkedin Email January 30 Open House Online Materials linkIntroduction
Project Description
This masterplan will lay the groundwork for a new public waterfront park for the City of Ridgefield. The community’s direct engagement will be instrumental in creating a design vision for the park and will inform the park programming and design elements.
The master plan will explore the overall design for the park as well as connections to future development, improvements to the trail connection to the refuge, opportunities for redevelopment of the pump house, and establish the park programming goals. The final masterplan will serve as a record of the community’s vision and a guide for future design and development phases.
Project Steps & Timeline
- Site Investigation & Opportunities, Community Meeting 1 (We are here)
- Preliminary Concepts, Community Meeting 2, Port Commission & City Council Presentations
- Preferred Concept, Port Commission & City Council Approval, Community Open House
- Approved Park Master Plan
Project Schedule
Past Plans and Studies
- 2023 Comprehensive Operations and Maintenance Plan
- 2023 Comprehensive Scheme of Harbor Improvements
- 2023 Ridgefield Waterfront Market Analysis & Development Strategy
- 2020 Parks and Rec Open Space Plan
- 2016 Downtown / Waterfront Subarea Plan
Site History & Remediation
Pacific Wood Treating Company in 1990
Contemporary reconstruction of a Cathlapotle plankhouse in the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge.Prehistory & Early Western SettlementThe original inhabitants of the Ridgefield area were a Chinook tribe whose village was located at the confluence of Lake River and the Columbia River.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition visited the area twice, once in 1805 en route to the Pacific Ocean and the next in 1806 on the return voyage. The Chinook Indians stayed until 1876 when they relocated to the mouth of the Lewis River.
The Shobert House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in downtown Ridgefield.Settlers were drawn to the gently sloping land extending from elevated highland to the banks of Lake River.In the late 19th to early 20th century, steamboats fed the city’s economy, laboring up and down the regions rivers. The settlement became known as Shobert’s Landing, as the Shobert family accommodated steamboat passengers traveling up and down the river.
The Mascot Steamboat, pictured above on Lewis River, ran between Portland and Ridgefield in the late 1800s.Port of Ridgefield and Site Remediation
Aerial view of the Pacific Wood Treating Company site in 1990.The city’s growth in post-war years can be credited to the Port of Ridgefield, established by voters in 1940 to encourage economic development in the city.The Pacific Wood Treating Company opened a plant in 1964 on 40 acres of the Port’s Lake River Industrial Site, providing the city with several hundred jobs. The company closed its doors in 1993 leaving behind a severely contaminated site. Cleanup and remediation began in 1995 and was completed in 2015, with removal of contaminated surface soil and capping of the site with a thick layer of uncontaminated soil and dredging of the river. Native plantings along the edge of the river help to prevent erosion along the riverbank while the site awaits future development. The site today is safe for public use.
The Site Today
The Pump House
Boat Launch and Pier
Kayakers Visit the Waterfront
Pioneer Street railroad overpassSite Analysis
Opportunities & Constraints Map
Aerial map of Ridgefield Waterfront with the proposed project boundary outlined and the following features marked: Carty Lake Overlook, Refuge Entrance, Pump House, Kayak Launch, Tope of Bank, Boat Launch and Parking/Vehicle Access.
Environment
Aerial map of Ridgefield Waterfront with the proposed project boundary outlines and the following features marked: Tree Grove/Upland Understory, Grassy Bank, Osprey Nesting Pole, Top of Bank.
Refuge Wildlife
Dusky Canada Goose, Pacific Lamprey, Mountain Whitefish, Painted Turtle, Pied Billed Grebe, Beaver, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Columbian White-Tailed Deer, Sandhill Crane, Red-Tailed Hawk, Riparian Brush Rabbit.
Now that you have reviewed the materials that were available at the Community Meeting, we welcome your feedback on your vision and values for the park. The survey will be open for 1 week following the meeting, please complete by Tuesday, February 20. Share your feedback.
Note: In order to allow for additional time for community feedback, we have extended the survey deadline to Tuesday, February 20.
