County staff brief commissioners on Fairgrounds master plan, Hillsborough proposal to add RV park

Washington County staff on Feb. 11 told the Board of Commissioners that the City of Hillsborough has offered a concept to develop an RV park and related facilities at the county fairgrounds, a plan that would affect the county'adopted Fairgrounds master plan and the site'operated ball fields.

Leah Perkins Hegley, venue manager at Westside Commons, told the board that “the ball fields are county owned property that, are operated by the city of Hillsborough under a long term lease agreement that began in 1975.” Greg Wyman, Washington County facilities division manager, said the city's concept would require environmental and infrastructure work and a negotiated intergovernmental agreement (IGA) that spells out financial terms and responsibilities.

The project would alter elements of the three'phase master plan the board adopted in February 2019. Wyman said the plan'as adopted envisions, in phase 3, “an 80 stall RV park with an overflow parking lot ...” and that in the adopted plan those RV stalls would replace the ball fields. County staff described a concept plan submitted by Hillsborough that currently shows 89 stalls; staff also said past negotiations had considered 100 stalls.

County staff listed several items that would need resolution before construction: a wetland redelineation, a revenue IGA for development of the ball fields, specification and installation of utility services (including sewer and electrical hookups), and updated terms for the 1975 lease. Wyman said staff'level next steps would be to negotiate terms with Hillsborough and return to the board with proposed agreements and a description of benefits to the county.

Commissioners pressed staff on several design and operational details. Commissioner Jason Snyder asked whether RV hookups would include sewer and electrical service; staff said initial conversations have included sizing utilities large enough to support those hookups and that final utility requirements should be specified in any agreement. Commissioners asked that design decisions address the placement of restrooms and tent camping areas so those uses are proximate to shared facilities.

Staff also noted transit access: there is a TriMet stop adjacent to the proposed RV site and existing sidewalks on Veterans Drive provide pedestrian access to the fairgrounds. Staff said the fair currently offers dry RV parking during the county fair for livestock exhibitors and vendors but that the proposed RV park would be a permanent, revenue'generating facility that could support events and transient lodging tax revenue.

Chair Catherine Harrington and several commissioners emphasized that the county does not have funding set aside to build the RV park now, and that approving negotiations with Hillsborough would not itself commit county construction funds. Wyman and other staff reiterated that the county would return with detailed proposals before any agreement or county expenditure.

The presenters also reminded the board that the Wingspan Event and Conference Center, the master plan'cornerstone, was built after an update process during which about 4,200 residents participated; Wingspan construction began in February 2018 and was completed in December 2020. Staff said the current Hillsborough concept has evolved from intermittent discussions over roughly the last decade and that the county remains open to other funding partners or alternative phased approaches.

What's next: staff said they would negotiate an IGA scope and return to the board with proposed terms, utility requirements, and a clear summary of the county benefit before the board would be asked to amend the master plan or approve construction funding.