The Ridgefield City Council is discussing what to do with the old Ridgefield Police Department headquarters, although councilors have ruled out leasing the building.
To lease and to sell were among options considered by the Ridgefield City Council during a presentation at its July 27 meeting. The council directed staff to narrow the potential options of the now-vacated building at N. 116 Main Ave. to selling or demolishing the property and using it for parking.
“This definitely helps us focus,” City Manager Steve Stuart said.
The Ridgefield Police Department relocated earlier this year to its new location in the lower portion of “The Bluffs,” a new 15,000-square-foot building on West Division Street that features the Port of Ridgefield and other tenants. Since then, the department’s old home has remained vacant.
The city-owned property under consideration includes both the land with the actual old station and a second parcel where the parking for the station is located, city Finance Director Kirk Johnson said. The building itself is roughly 1,300 feet. Both the station and parking lot could be dealt with separately if council wished.
The assessed value is $292,000 for the building parcel, and the parking lot is just more than $105,000, Johnson said.
He mentioned the property abuts the former site of a laundromat, planned for cleanup, to the north. Late last year, the city agreed to a “consent decree” with the Washington State Department of Ecology that allows for work on the property.
Although the land at the former Park Laundry site is only 2,600 square feet, the contamination from the laundromat’s operation covers a 22-acre area. Stuart previously mentioned cleanup was expected to cost between $1.5 million and $2 million.
Ridgefield Mayor Pro-tem Rob Aichele said he supported selling the parcel for several reasons.
He said the city wasn’t set up to be a landlord for leasing as the upkeep costs were too much. He added, the building would need work for most any tenant, and any remodel will require code updates.
He noted that the building was relatively new among others in the downtown area. It was built in 1998, second only to The Bluffs on Division Street as the newest buildings in the district.
“This building is not a historic or high-quality structure by any means,” Aichele said.
A few councilors pointed out the nearby cleanup would take several years and could impact the property. Stuart said the consent decree would be fully approved in mid-October. The city will then seek to acquire the contaminated parcel, which he said will be expedited with a “quit claim” deed. Given all the other processes, the approximately two-year cleanup won’t start until spring. Prior to the discussion, members of the Ridgefield Art Association asked about turning the space into an art gallery and potentially a space for other nonprofits.
Several councilors agreed that a space for the art association was warranted, just not at the old police station.
“I think there is a valid argument to be made for this community as we continue to grow, to have more of a community-centric space, whether it’s a community center, a gallery or something like that,” Councilor Matt Cole said.
He felt the space might be too small for multiple nonprofits but too large for a single one.
Councilor Ron Onslow said the building could cost at least $250,000 to remodel.
“I don’t think that a community-based thing or a retail person can go in there and remodel it,” Onslow said.
He was more in favor of demolition of the existing structures.
“I think that building is worth tearing down. I don’t think it’s worth fixing up,” Onslow said.
Mayor Jennifer Lindsay also wanted to sell the property.
“It’s kind of a money pit,” Lindsay said.
Stuart recommended getting an appraisal before knocking the building down and using it as off-street parking. He noted the parking area is contaminated, but it doesn’t need to be “moonscaped” as the main area for the reclamation project would.
“The [contamination] plume goes the other direction, but there’s a little bit under the parking area,” Stuart said.
That could potentially affect any sale. Stuart said that demolition cost varies based on aspects like what’s inside the building.
“If there’s asbestos, if there’s any sort of hazardous materials, there has to be an evaluation done for it to find out what the demolition costs are,” Stuart said.
He cautioned any sale should take into account the environmental work right next door, so as not to add “complexity” of the work.
“It’s been 20-plus years getting to this point,” Stuart said. “We need to keep it moving forward.”
Given the direction from the council, city staff’s next steps will be focusing on selling or demolition and potential use for parking, at least temporarily.
