What are they building off 192nd and Hwy 14? (Bridgeport: sales, 2015)

[Ttark]

And no one has any actual ideas what Koch Industries plans to do with the property or how polluted it actually is after a century of industrial activities at the site. For all we know they could intend to turn it into a giant coal export terminal or something.

Probably comparable to Boomsnub if not an order of magnitude worse (I mean, the mill *has* been active much longer). Figure it would be at least 20 years before it's cleaned up enough to be commercially viable property... assuming Camas' economy doesn't take a dump after the mill closes.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by Ttark

Probably comparable to Boomsnub if not an order of magnitude worse (I mean, the mill *has* been active much longer). Figure it would be at least 20 years before it's cleaned up enough to be commercially viable property... assuming Camas' economy doesn't take a dump after the mill closes.

It's also a MUCH MUCH larger site than Boomsnub and no doubt has much more complex groundwater risks being so close to the Columbia compared to Boomsnub which was in Hazel Dell.

Koch Industries and Georgia Pacific may just want to sit on the site indefinitely rather than dig around and find what's there, potentially opening themselves up to massive remediation costs. That is the big risk in my mind. That it just becomes a black hole sitting there forever without redevelopment.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

I wish they would retain the biomass power generation system at the mill. (one of VERY few left in USA, far more appropriate for PNW than NG turbines and stuff that we have to import fuels...)

Done correctly they could have a very high tech / innovative power generation showcase (like you find in Europe and Asia) / integrated community owned solution In Town!!! BIG bucks to help fund city / schools / technology, and drop taxes$$$ . Could figure out how to recycle ocean / recycled plastics into 'clean' power generation (not too tough to do)... Lots of options that would drive energy research and investment in the community. Would be a nice new segment / employment / investment to add to the region. (they should consider doing energy / innovation research hub in the empty offices / labs above the mill), lots of options to bring more high end employment, should they envision and embrace it. Likely NREL or PNNL would latch onto the idea.

Yes, that sounds exactly like the kind of thing that Koch Industries is known for.

[Ttark]

It's also a MUCH MUCH larger site than Boomsnub and no doubt has much more complex groundwater risks being so close to the Columbia compared to Boomsnub which was in Hazel Dell.

Koch Industries and Georgia Pacific may just want to sit on the site indefinitely rather than dig around and find what's there, potentially opening themselves up to massive remediation costs. That is the big risk in my mind. That it just becomes a black hole sitting there forever without redevelopment.

Yup. I think it's probably already a registered superfund cleanup site innit?

Chanes are full remediation might take a good 50 years if not longer (if ever). Basically, pretty much worthless for any safe commercial development.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by Ttark

Yup. I think it's probably already a registered superfund cleanup site innit?

Chanes are full remediation might take a good 50 years if not longer (if ever). Basically, pretty much worthless for any safe commercial development.

It can get done if they are motivated. I was living in Waco TX a few years ago when Baylor decided to build a new football stadium along the banks of the Brazos across the river from campus. Unfortunately part of the property was formerly the site of an old pesticide factory and the soils were steeped in a toxic brew of pesticides from decades of abuse. The city decided to take on the property and ended up hauling out hundreds or thousands of truckloads of soil to toxic waste remediation facilities and spent a couple million in the process. They then sold the property back to Baylor to build a sports medicine facility next to the stadium. It was a very Texan sort of back scratching deal. The whole process from beginning to end of building the stadium and remediating the superfund site took less than 3 years.

Of course this being the Pacific Northwest where we value "process" above all else it may take 50 years not three.

[Htayloha]

Industrial buildings converted to retail and residential are beautiful and keep history alive. I can invision the Camas Mill converted into "Old Mill Town"

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by Htayloha

Industrial buildings converted to retail and residential are beautiful and keep history alive. I can invision the Camas Mill converted into "Old Mill Town"

Yes, some kinds of old industrial buildings make great renovations for sure. However, I'm not so sure how much of the papermill is actually recyclable into "industrial chic". If you drive around and look at it, what you mostly see is a few cinder nondescript cinder block buildings and lots of metal siding structures that are mostly surrounded by industrial piping and tanks. I'm not really seeing much that could be re-used for shops, restaurants, and condos, other than the odd fixture, tank, and wall here and there. It's quite a bit different from and old mill or factory that has an interesting facade and big airy spaces. This is the front along the main street into Camas:




And this is the back side showing the whole property



I can see leaving the odd tank and piping here and there like Gassworks Park in Seattle but mostly it's just going to all have to be torn down I suspect. This is Gassworks Park in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle.

[MtnSurfer]

I really like what they did with Gassworks Park. Maybe that will be Camas someday. I could definitely see keeping some things around for historical purposes showing the towns roots. But I agree about most of those other structures, smokestacks, etc...

Derek

[waca]

Wow already seeing single homes lots being pending sale!

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by waca

Wow already seeing single homes lots being pending sale!

Might be local builders buying up blocks of lots to build on as I don't think the developers of this project are residential house builders. They are more commercial.