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Council reviews preferred concept for West Railroad industrial area tied to Basalt Creek plan
Summary
City staff and consultants presented a blended preferred concept for the West Railroad area that aims to maximize employment land while preserving habitat and trail connections; council asked about access, phasing around an existing material pit and a costly Graham's Ferry undercrossing.
City staff and consultants presented a preliminary preferred concept for the West Railroad area of the Basalt Creek planning area and asked for council feedback at an April 20 work session. Chris Myers, the city's senior planner, said the graphic is meant to balance long-term job growth with environmental stewardship and to link employment areas to the Ice Age Tonkan Trail.
"The concept aims to balance economic development potential with environmental stewardship by maximizing employment land while preserving key natural resource areas," Myers said as he introduced the consultants.
Lauren Scott of MIG walked council through the preferred concept, which shows purple 'developable' land intended for a mix of industrial park uses from manufacturing to warehousing, a preserved central habitat core, and an internal north'south local industrial street. Scott said the site layout is aspirational and that detailed alignments will be refined as planning proceeds.
Transportation consulting firm DKS provided a 20'year traffic analysis that assumed the Basalt Creek Parkway extension and other planned improvements. Staff said the baseline analysis conservatively omitted a railroad crossing at Cahalen Road, while still showing it on the concept for its long'term circulation benefits. Scott said Washington County and the railroad operator have been engaged about Tonkan Road access and the potential Cahalen crossing.
Council members repeatedly pressed staff about staging and access. "How is the material pit and the business that operates in that northern section going to play into all of this?" asked Councilor Cunningham, who noted development timelines could span decades. Staff said the internal street alignment was drawn to jog around existing operations and that right'of'way acquisition and cooperation from current operators could be required.
Costs for a separate infrastructure item also drew questions. Councilor Skull asked about raising the Grahams Ferry railroad undercrossing to accommodate tall trucks; staff said a previous estimate for that project is about $35 million, with design funds available in the Coffee Creek urban renewal plan but not construction dollars.
Multiple council members praised the blend of natural resource integration and employment potential in the preferred concept while urging attention to job creation and to keeping Basalt Creek implementation on schedule. Staff said the intent is to bring West Railroad to the same readiness level as Basalt Creek before fall adoption hearings.
