City officials anticipate construction on the first phase of Remy Park could begin in early 2027, as plans move forward for a community park serving Battle Ground’s underserved west side.
The city purchased the 80.2-acre Remy Park property from the Remy family in 2000, intending it for recreation and open space. Located west of the Walmart Supercenter, much of the land is wetlands managed through a mitigation project, which restricts development to the southern section. Currently, the site features a paved walking trail, benches and wildlife-viewing areas.
The Battle Ground City Council received an update on the park’s phased development plan during its Monday, May 4 meeting from Public Works Director Mark Herceg, who outlined the project’s history, design progress and funding outlook.
The city adopted a master plan for Remy Park in August 2024, outlining features such as parking, picnic shelters, restrooms, sports courts, an inclusive playground, a dog park, and more trail connections. Earlier council discussions replaced a proposed bicycle pump track with basketball courts. Of the four sites identified for future park improvements, Remy Park is the city’s top priority.
“Why was Remy picked as the first park out of that group to get started? It serves the underserved,” Herceg said. “The inclusive playground and the sports courts are good targets for especially RCO (Recreation and Conservation Office) grants. Additionally, the city has owned the property since 2000 with no improvement on it.”
The 2024 master plan estimated design and contingencies at about $3.65 million, with construction projected at $5.2 million, bringing the total estimated cost to $8.85 million.
City staff has divided the project into four phases. Phase one will build core infrastructure, including parking, picnic shelters, restrooms, lawn space, and standard play equipment. The second phase prioritizes the inclusive playground. Basketball and pickleball courts are planned for phase three, with the dog park and additional parking in phase four.
City staff is completing as much of the design work in-house as possible to keep costs down, according to Herceg.
The city has secured $1.5 million in state legislative funding for Remy Park, plus an additional $400,000 approved this year. Phase one is currently estimated to cost between $1.5 million and $2.5 million, while the inclusive playground is projected to cost between $1 million and $1.5 million.
“We kind of foresee phase one and phase two being built together. So it has that same early 2027 timeline,” Herceg said.
Permitting is a difficult aspect of the project, according to Herceg, made worse by wetland and archaeological review requirements at the site.
“Sometimes we get lucky and have a pretty smooth process,” he said. “Other times, we’ve called out the big guns to get a little bit of help with them. I’m crossing my fingers that things go smoothly, but it’s just something to kind of be aware of.
Council members raised concerns about pedestrian access from nearby apartments and neighborhoods west of Southwest 20th Avenue. Current sidewalk projects and planned rapid rectangular flashing beacons, or RRFBs, are expected to improve crossings and access to Remy Park, according to Herceg.
“As that park gets there, especially from that apartment complex, people are going to want to cross the street,” Herceg said. “That will (likely be) part of the first phase of the project.”
Mayor Eric Overholser praised the project’s direction, noting that only Horsethief Park, a small neighborhood park, currently serves that part of the city.
“I think this speaks to the requests that our community has for these open spaces and parks (for) play,” he said. “And I know living in that area with Horsethief Park, we could just do better. Remy Park, I think, is the answer to that.”
The city is seeking additional grant funding for the sports court phase. Herceg said Battle Ground recently applied for a $728,000 Recreation and Conservation Office grant but lost a scoring point because the city’s comprehensive plan update is delayed due to county-level planning issues. The comprehensive plan outlines how cities and counties will accommodate anticipated growth over the next 20 years. The Clark County Council postponed its comprehensive plan, under the state’s Growth Management Act, past the Dec. 31, 2025, deadline to include an agricultural lands study, after La Center and Ridgefield requested changes to protected agricultural lands to allow for employment and housing growth. As a result, cities are currently on hold.
Council members also considered amenities for the future dog park, including drinking fountains and covers for sports courts.
“We can have a lot of fun with the dog park, you know, fire hydrants and things for dogs to do, the drinking fountain,” Herceg said. “We’ll search for the best of the best and try to incorporate that into what we design.”
