YAKIMA — The former Boise Cascade mill site next to Interstate 82 in Yakima might look quiet, but road construction and environmental projects are planned this year with lots of activity behind the scenes.
James Carmody, the attorney representing the mill property ownership group, said his clients are working closely with the city of Yakima on right-of-way issues and are “anxious to get started.”
“The project is incredibly important to the economic future of Yakima,” he said. “When complete, it will provide an entire new corridor of opportunity, which will give the city an opportunity to get back on the economic map.”
The Cascade Mill Site Development Project features 225 acres from the former Boise Cascade Mill property for redevelopment of mixed use, commercial and light industrial purposes. The site includes property on both sides of Interstate 82, extending to the Yakima River and taking in the Yakima Greenway trail and other habitat and riparian corridors.
Converting the old mill site requires road construction, environmental cleanup and collaboration between the city of Yakima, Yakima County, the state Department of Ecology, the Federal Highway Administration, the Washington Department of Transportation and the mill site property owners.
The city of Yakima’s website says work on the project is expected to last through 2025. Stakeholders in developing the former Boise Cascade mill site are actively working to acquire right-of-way permission and otherwise stay on track with construction projects starting this spring.
Here’s an update on where the various agencies are in their tasks related to the redevelopment:
Road work
Joan Davenport, the city’s director of community development, said Yakima is working with the county on final layout design and details of the streets and roundabouts planned for the mill site. She said the city hopes to select a contractor for the first phase of construction, an extension of Bravo Company Boulevard, in early 2021.
Davenport said the city is working toward acquiring needed street right of way so construction on the new streets can begin. No applications have yet been filed with the city for new projects on site, she said.
Yakima County is the lead agency on street designs for the East-West Corridor, a road project that has been in the works for more than 20 years and will provide a second connection linking the Terrace Heights area to Yakima. WSDOT will head construction on improvements to I-82, ramps and bridge structures.
County Engineer Matt Pietrusiewicz said the county’s share of the road work from Terrace Heights, over the Yakima River, and touching down into the mill site, is broken into three phases.
He expects Phase 1, involving construction on Butterfield Road, to start this spring. County staff are first working to make room for utilities, he said. The county also has been working for months to acquire private property along the selected route and compensate the owners.
“We’re moving forward and trying to make progress every week,” Pietrusiewicz said.
David Mosley, a spokesman for WSDOT-South Central Region, said engineering staff are reviewing the planned interchange improvements for compatibility with existing structures. Agency staff also are meeting with city and county officials as they complete the environmental documentation and design of their projects.
Mosley said WSDOT’s timeline for its share of the project is dependent on the city’s and county’s efforts, as well as the transportation budget passed by the Legislature. The agency’s funding for the project is coming from the Connecting Washington funding program, he said.
Based on the latest budget, Mosley said WSDOT has tentatively scheduled the I-82 construction to start in 2024.
The agency hasn’t planned community engagement efforts at this point but will be coordinating with the city and county and will be available for any planned events, he said.
Environmental cleanup
Part of the environmental cleanup needed at the site is in an old landfill west of Interstate 82 in the southeast corner of the former Boise Cascade log yard.
The city of Yakima and Ecology announced plans to remove waste beneath the landfill in light of the new roads being planned near the site. Inspections have found pollutants in the soil and groundwater, including diesel and heavy oil.
Ecology’s interim plan for the site includes testing the waste for hazards and disposing of the nonhazardous materials. Any hazardous materials would be sent to an approved off-site facility, according to a notice from Ecology. The comment period on the agency’s interim plan ended Jan. 30.
The landfill is an area within the larger mill site, which is privately owned. Mary Monahan, Ecology’s site manager for the Boise Cascade mill, said the entire mill site is being investigated under a contract between Ecology and the site’s private owners.
Current work includes sampling soils, groundwater and landfill gas. The owners’ private consultant also has sent Ecology an initial draft of the environmental investigation report about contaminants, which Ecology is reviewing, Monahan said.
The consultant will continue to collect data at the mill site for the next four to six months. Costs for the remedial investigation will be covered by the private owners, she said.
Monahan said Ecology will conduct a comment period after the remedial investigation report is completed.
“Once comments are received for the draft remedial investigation report, Ecology will issue the final report,” she said.
Upcoming
Davenport said the city anticipates a Yakima City Council study session on the Cascade Mill redevelopment project sometime this year. No session has yet been scheduled, she said.
