EDITORIAL: Reconnecting residents to rivers has benefits
Plans for a 9-acre waterfront park in Ridgefield are more than a symbol of the city's transformation. They also represent the reinvention of American cities, the reclamation of waterfronts and the need for environmental regulations.
As The Columbian reported recently, the Legislature this year approved $100,000 toward a park along Lake River in Ridgefield. The park will inhabit the former site of a wood-treatment facility that used chemicals to pressure treat telephone poles and railroad ties.
As with many long-ago industrial operations throughout the country, the facility left behind significant environmental contamination when it closed in 1993. Since then, Port of Ridgefield officials have been working on a reclamation project for the 41-acre site, hoping to include a park that will return riverfront access to the public.
"We are getting ready to, after 30 years, develop the waterfront, which has been a plan since we took on the cleanup," Port of Ridgefield Executive Director Ethan Perry said. "We have to put the property back into taxable use."
For decades, in conjunction with the state Department of Ecology, the port worked to clean soil to a 2-foot depth, replace the stormwater system and raise the area above the flood plain. The work is reminiscent of the decades of effort that were required before the development of The Waterfront Vancouver.
That project has transformed the site of what once was a Boise Cascade paper mill along the Columbia River. In 2018, The Columbian noted, "The last time the public could set foot there was 113 years ago." Now, the area is home to businesses, offices and residences, in addition to being a popular destination for sightseers.
For most of the 20th century, American cities had a shortsighted habit of limiting access to their waterfronts. This was somewhat understandable, as river access typically was required for industrial applications - such as sawmills and railroad connections. But it also is aggravating to the modern eye, one that views waterfronts as having more value for quality-of-life amenities than for industries that often are now outdated.
But getting to that point can involve arduous cleanup following years of environmental abuse. Waterfronts typically would attract heavy industry during a time of loose regulatory oversight, creating a devastating and costly legacy. Despite the need, federal and state funding for the cleanup of former industrial sites has declined over the past quarter-century. And while the work is underway, the local tax base is diminished.
Once the environmental cleanup is completed, the benefits of the transformation go beyond the aesthetic - including a broad range of businesses that can rejuvenate the tax base. As the Urban Land Institute writes: "Today, public- and private-sector leaders are redeveloping waterfront properties as parks and open space to reconnect residents to the water, provide health and environmental benefits, and increase citywide resilience to the impacts of climate change."
Whether in a large, midsized or small city, the relatively new approach to waterfronts is having a significant impact on how Americans interact with their natural amenities.
Plans in Ridgefield call for a small office building, a boutique hotel, and a mixed-use building with apartments and retail space. But it is the park that will draw the most attention and will allow residents to connect with Lake River. In the process, those residents will benefit from decades of forward-thinking work in the area.
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