Port refines redevelopment plan for Cashmere mill site

CASHMERE — After nearly two decades of investment and cleanup, Chelan-Douglas Regional Port Authority commissioners are refining their strategy for the former mill site in Cashmere, balancing redevelopment goals with the realities of contamination and market limits.

Port staff told commissioners on April 28 that about $9 million has been invested in the property since 2008, much of it tied to environmental remediation and site preparation. Roughly $5.5 million of that total came from grant funding, offsetting a significant portion of the cost.

Today, the site is divided into parcels with very different futures.

Some areas, particularly in the north and south sections, have been cleared for development and are being positioned for sale. Others, especially in the central portion of the site, present ongoing challenges due to remaining contamination and the cost of further cleanup.

Staff said certain parcels would be difficult to sell on the private market because lenders are unlikely to finance development without additional environmental assurances. Pursuing those assurances could require significant additional investment, with no guarantee of return.

With all of this in mind, commissioners signaled support for a far more selective approach to how they might deal with the remainder.

Rather than pursuing costly cleanup in all areas, the Port is expected to continue marketing parcels that are ready for development while holding others for long-term use. In those cases, the focus would shift toward leasing space or developing Port-owned facilities instead of selling land outright.

That approach reflects both financial realities and community priorities.

Commissioners noted that earlier redevelopment efforts at the site were intended in part as a public investment to improve conditions and support future economic activity, even if full cost recovery was not possible.

At the same time, the Port sees an opportunity to use portions of the site to support smaller-scale business growth.

Discussion during the meeting pointed to interest in creating space for trades, light industrial tenants or small businesses that may not be able to find suitable locations elsewhere in Cashmere. That type of incremental development, commissioners said, aligns with community preferences and could help build on recent successes at the site.

Other parcels remain constrained by environmental conditions.

In some areas, contamination extends beneath existing infrastructure, including roadways, complicating cleanup efforts. In others, the depth of remaining material and proximity to groundwater make remediation technically difficult and potentially cost-prohibitive.

For now, commissioners indicated there is no urgency to resolve those challenges, emphasizing that the Port can take a long-term view as opportunities evolve.

The site, once home to industrial activity and later considered a liability, has already seen significant transformation. Port leaders described the work to date as a substantial improvement for the community, even as questions remain about how much of the remaining land can be redeveloped.

Future decisions are expected to focus on matching each parcel with a realistic path forward, whether through sale, lease or continued public ownership.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media