A proposed taproom at Goerig Street and Lewis River Road in Woodland is now more uncertain than ever as its developer seeks relief from more than $255,000 in city traffic impact fees — costs he says could determine whether the project moves forward.
Bobby Vickery, a medically retired military veteran and a self-proclaimed underdog, has spent the last two years working to develop the Paddle House Taproom, where second-floor seating would have a view of the Lewis River. The project is intended to provide a community gathering space that would include a small amphitheater, as well as space for other tenants.
But the mounting costs and currently required fees have complicated Vickery’s path to construction.
The proposed taproom would include space for community events, outdoor gatherings and seasonal activities. Vickery envisions family-friendly programming, including outdoor movie nights during the summer.
He also hopes the business could support local charitable efforts, including a holiday giving program inspired by one his core memories growing up.
“One of my core memories is being 8 years old and extremely poor …” Vickery said. “On Christmas Eve, the local community church rolled up in their church bus and came in with a bag full of presents for me and my brother and sister.”
He said that experience continues to shape the vision for the project.
“That is the type of impact that I want to see for community members,” he added.
Vickery bought the property, which exists as a residential property but is zoned commercial, a couple of years ago. But now, if Vickery is faced with hundreds of thousands of dollars needed forked up before putting a shovel in the ground, he will have to sell the property and move on from the venture in Woodland, he said.
The entire vision could be lost based on how unaffordable the initial fees could be.
“No matter what, I have a belief that I’m going to succeed at what I do,” he said. “Because having bought this property and to think that maybe this isn’t going to work, this would be the first real failure of my life. And that’s a tough pill to swallow.”
After learning of the total amount of traffic impact fees for his vision, and as time went on, Vickery said he felt he had to find a precedent of where exemptions have been successful before.
“City of Shoreline, you know, they had a small business impact fee exemption for nine years from I think it was 2016 to 2025,” he said. “I talked to their city developer, and they said, ‘Yeah, this was all about creating opportunities for small businesses.’”
Vickery also pointed out Ridgefield’s new ordinance for certain areas for economic growth, adding that he gathered up all the information from both Washington communities and handed it all to Woodland City Council during his public comment in the Monday, March 2 meeting.
“The answer, really it felt like the mayor was pushing back on me and the city council members really seemed to say, ‘Hey, we gotta be able to do something,’” Vickery recalled, adding Woodland Mayor Todd Dinehart continued to bring up aspects he wasn’t there to fill his five minutes with. “So when I walked into that meeting, I brought them the state statute, I brought them the Ridgefield city statute, and I brought them the city of Shoreline statue. The city of Shoreline statute even had exemptions specifically for tap houses and breweries.”
Vickery presented how traffic impact fees have been exempt in other cities. He said the reason, quite simply, is it can be done and has been done successfully.
Vickery said he felt that Dinehart didn’t want him at the March 2 meeting, based on the back and forth that occurred.
“He didn’t want to set a precedent that the city was going to give up any money to anyone else and that the regulations are the regulations,” Vickery said. “But I really don’t think that he’s thinking about what every single one of these community members, when they’re going to sit out on the second story overlooking that beautiful river. You tell me anywhere else in this town, where there’s something where someone’s going to go, ‘Damn, that is beautiful.’ There is a pride that’s going to come out there and people are going to walk away going, ‘Woodland is phenomenal.’
Vickery said his goal is to not create conflict over championing small business exemption possibilities with hundreds of thousands of dollars in traffic impact fees.
The experience has a feel that relates back to Vickery’s time in the military.
“My whole career in the military, the one thing we never say is ‘that’s the way it’s always been done,’” Vickery said. “That is never a statement we ever use. Because what that means is that you are not critically thinking about how to look at your problem and create a solution. So right now, there’s a lot of excuses, not solutions.”
Vickery did get to walk away from the stand in a positive light as Dinehart said he will work to create a workshop item for a future council meeting regarding Vickery’s request for exemption possibilities. Numerous city council members voiced their support during his public comment.
“What I have been excited about is that there are city council members who I have been in contact with ever since who say, ‘Hey, we’re going to figure out whatever the hell we can do to make this happen,’” Vickery said.
With a background that doesn’t come from money, to get to the point of arguing with city officials to help small businesses open in Woodland, like his own, it has been a grind.
“Being a guy that didn’t have a lot of money, I’ve had to liquidate everything in my life to be able to get here,” Vickery said. “The house that I raised my kids in, that’s my rental property. We took all the equity out of that. My current house that I live in, I took all the equity out of that.”
Those funds have been used to cover engineering work, architectural design, city planning costs and other fees needed to move the project forward. Vickery added that some friends have also invested smaller amounts to help fund the proposed development.
