RIDGEFIELD — The Hillhurst Commercial Development project, a new commercial retail project at the corner of Southeast Hillhurst Road and Southeast Sevier Road in Ridgefield, will possibly be underway by next construction season, according to Ridgefield Community Development Director Jeff Niten.
Niten described the Hillhurst project as a “neighborhood commercial project,” and said the proposal is for three buildings on 2.25 acres. The way the area is currently zoned, Niten said developers could put a variety of things on the property, including something like a specialty goods production facility (like a bakery), a daycare facility, a typical small retail store, office space or other small retail businesses.
“The area isn’t for anything really large scale,” Niten said. “We want to keep this very neighborhood oriented. They (developers) are looking at doing an outdoor plaza on the corner that would offer outdoor seating, space for some public artwork, benches for people to sit on, pedestrian connections, possible electric vehicle charging stations, etc.”
Niten said all of the building will be right next to the road, so all of the parking available will be on the interior of the site. Just south of the site is a residential district.
Niten said he isn’t sure when construction on this project will begin. Wilson Architects, the developers of the project, did receive site plan approval from the city, something Niten said is generally applied for about a year in advance. He said it’s possible construction may begin during the next construction season, as it usually takes about four to five months to go through the land-use process and obtain all the proper building permits.
“It (the city of Ridgefield) definitely keeps growing,” Niten said. “We just want to make sure it’s done right. When we have a next door residential neighborhood like this, we like to keep the commercial properties and the residential working together. We are looking forward to providing some retail places there. I’m sure this will be the first project of many.”
Until the value of all of the construction is known, Niten said it is unknown how much new revenue this project will bring to the city of Ridgefield.
