Ridgefield Community and Recreation Center

A Recreation and Community Center is coming to Ridgefield!

The City is partnering with a developer and the YMCA of Columbia-Willamette to build a facility in Ridgefield that will serve as a Recreation and Community Center.

In the meantime, the YMCA is offering day camps and other activities in Ridgefield to help meet our community’s growing need for recreational activities.

As the City of Ridgefield grows, one community need the City is actively working to meet is building a community hub that provides space for recreation, connection and belonging. The plan is to partner with a private developer and the YMCA to build a facility in Ridgefield that will serve as both a Community and Recreation Center.

Project Background

A feasibility study for a YMCA in Ridgefield was conducted in 2016. The study concluded that there was a very high level of interest for the Ridgefield YMCA and identified features that would be critical to success. The City began searching for property that could be used for a YMCA.

In 2020, the City was contacted by a local private developer who expressed interest in assisting community with building a Recreation Center. A Public/Private Partnership was re-evaluated with the following considerations:

• City provides the land for recreation center, and funds the site plan design
• YMCA funds building design and manages facility with option to purchase
• Private developer builds facility and leases back to the Recreation management partner with purchase option

The coronavirus pandemic and associated economic instability led to significant construction cost increases and market changes from 2020 to 2023 that delayed the ability to begin construction. The City then began to work with the team to explore the possibility of creating a Community Center, to replace the one lost with the library expansion, alongside the Recreation Center to tie together both of these vital community assets and create a feasible funding structure for the project.

In 2023, the project team presented the current plan to build two separate centers, a recreation center and a community center, operating as one. The Ridgefield Community and Recreation Center will still be constructed by the private developer, the Recreation center asset will be purchased by the YMCA and the Community center asset will be purchased by the City. The entire facility will be managed by the YMCA. Early design features a LEED certified, two-story 43,000 square foot building with large, south facing windows, two pools, an indoor gym with elevated track, fitness center, locker rooms, programming space and a Community Center with features still to be determined. The site is designed to maintain a natural park like setting complimented by a beautiful facility featuring exposed wood, solar panels, a trail and outdoor areas open for programming.

Next Steps

The Ridgefield Community and Recreation Center is currently in the final stages of design. At this time, our rough timeline includes breaking ground in late Fall 2025, with construction beginning in full swing in Spring 2026.

The YMCA is a great nonprofit organization already working in our community that wants to be a partner to make this project a reality, but they need your help to make it happen.

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