The Port of Ridgefield recently submitted a request for statements of qualifications (SOQs) from highly qualified real estate development teams capable of working with the Port to plan, design, permit, finance, build and operate the Ridgefield Waterfront as a highly active, mixed-use destination that realizes the Port’s Waterfront Vision and has garnered high community support.
The redevelopment of Ridgefield’s Waterfront is a project that has been in the works for quite a long time, said Port of Ridgefield CEO Randy Mueller. From the mid-1960s to the 1990s, most of the Ridgefield Waterfront was owned and operated by Pacific Wood Treating (PWT), which produced various pressure-treated wood products and poles. According to the Ridgefield Waterfront website, the PWT facility closed in 1993 and by 1996 the Port had secured control of the properties and started cleanup of the facility.
At the time when the cleanup was completed, Mueller said it was the most expensive pollution cleanup in the state, costing more than $90 million and more than 20 years to complete.
“The first plan I had seen for redevelopment was in 2001,” Mueller said. “It continued to evolve overtime. When the cleanup was going on, it was kind of almost a hypothetical plan for redevelopment. Then it finally actually became a reality.”
Mueller said they are currently in the middle of the RFQ process. Developer SOQs are due to the Port by Thursday, March 28, at 5 p.m. He said they made this part of the process as easy as possible, no designs or financial analysis are required as a part of SOQ submissions. In early March, Mueller said a site tour was held at the Port for interested developers, which he said about 12 interested companies attended.
After the process of SOQ submissions, Mueller said the second stage of the redevelopment process will be to talk to those different development teams, have them read the requirements for the site and talk to the city about rules for the site, and then each team will be asked to submit a proposal detailing what they envision at the Port’s property.
According to a news release from the Port, the Ridgefield Waterfront sites comprise about 26 acres of buildable land, with mixed-use zoning that allows commercial, employment, housing, lodging and other uses. It’s adjacent to the Lake River shoreline, public boat launches, a planned nine-acre Waterfront Park, the 5,300-acre Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge and historic downtown Ridgefield.
Being right next to the wildlife refuge, Mueller said it’s really important to the Port that they’re thinking about how the design will work with the natural environment. “We want to be good neighbors and protect things like light and sound, and make sure the impacts of the development aren’t negative,” he said.
When the Port first launched its effort to redevelop the Ridgefield Waterfront in 2022, they started with a community engagement effort aimed at gathering the community’s vision, values and desired uses for the site. Some frequently requested amenities and uses included access to Lake River for water recreation, dining and entertainment, trails, shopping and entertainment activities.
In 2023, the Port started the next phase of the process by engaging Leland Consulting Group to conduct some visioning workshops with the Port Commission and developed a market analysis and development strategy for the Ridgefield Waterfront.
According to the Ridgefield Waterfront website, the business plan suggests that development and investments in the Waterfront should be screened against the following criteria: provides “triple-bottom-line” benefits (economic, social and environmental) to the greater Ridgefield community; creates economic development and high-quality jobs; provides enhanced community spaces; provides and improves public access to the public areas of the Waterfront; brings the Port headquarters office back to the Waterfront; be financially feasible and beneficial for the Port and the Port’s project partners; breaks ground as soon as possible, but also takes a patient point of view towards development.
“I started out as an intern here (at the Port) and now, back as CEO, it’s great to see the property move forward and put back into productive use,” Mueller said. “Our Waterfront used to be the place to work, it was an employment hub, and to be able to bring jobs back, we’re really excited.”
Developer SOQs are due via email to ridgefieldwaterfront@portridgefield.org no later than 5 p.m. on March 28. To learn more about the Ridgefield Waterfront development, visit portridgefield.org/Ridgefield-waterfront.
