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The new owner of a former mill site in Oregon City has big dreams for its redevelopment. George Heidgerken, a Tacoma, Wash.-based developer who in May purchased the ex-Blue Heron Paper Co. property for $2.2 million, thinks its location on the banks of the Willamette River, slightly downstream from Willamette Falls, has great potential.

鈥淭hat site has incredible opportunity for kayakers and riverboats of all kinds,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e’re willing to spend a lot of time and energy designing a really cool situation for the kayaks and the people watching them.鈥�

Heidgerken said he and his sons are all avid kayakers, and he thinks Willamette Falls and the river below it could become a popular kayaking destination if there were direct access to the water and a way to navigate the 40-foot-tall falls.

鈥淭he problem now is we can’t get them over the falls, but we’re already in talks with people who are in charge of water to see how we can change that,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e want the kayakers not to be hidden, but to be a big part of the show for people who are sitting right there.鈥�

Heidgerken envisions part of the 23-acre property becoming restaurant and pub space from which diners could watch kayakers running through courses. Those eateries would be as unique and historic as their location, he said.

鈥淲e want to create something substantial that may be (a throwback) from the past,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are all kinds of special restaurants that were really good in their time and people wonder why they closed. If we could bring some of them back we’d like to do that.鈥�

One example Heidgerken offered was the long-closed Pixie Kitchen in Lincoln City that touted serving 鈥渉eavenly food on the Oregon Coast.鈥�

鈥淲e’re not just looking at the site and the legacy of what occurred there; we’re looking all over the state,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is a special place; that’s the reason you pick up a site like that is to figure it out and make something special out of it.鈥�

Christina Robertson-Gardiner, a city planner in Oregon City, said the Community Development Department has been working closely with Heidgerken, but said he hasn’t informed the city of any specific plans. Officials are in the final stages of working out an easement plan with Heidgerken in order to move forward with the Willamette Falls Riverwalk project.

鈥淗e is free to go forth and figure out what he wants to do,鈥� Robertson-Gardiner said. 鈥淗e’s trying to find investors, and we’re excited to see if any of his ideas come to fruition.鈥�

The Oregon City Commission on Nov. 5 approved the second reading of a zone change proposal from traditional industrial to a combination similar to what is used in Oregon City’s downtown.

鈥淭he big picture planning started before George came in, but now he’s obviously included,鈥� Robertson-Gardiner said. 鈥淒eveloping the site would almost double our historic downtown area, so these are two parallel paths we’re going to be walking over the next few years.鈥�

Heidgerken said his next step is to bring in a historian to assess the site and determine which buildings are historically significant and which should be razed. Oregon City did the same thing when creating a master plan for the site, but Heidgerken said he plans to do it anyway.

鈥淲e don’t intend to do anything without approval from the public because we want to stay out of trouble with everybody,鈥� he said. 鈥淢etro has a head start on us with the vision, and we don’t want to throw a wrench into anything they want to do.鈥�

The city identified five structures that must be preserved during any development. Heidgerken said his team has identified others that aren’t historically important. He said he’d like to demolish those and clean the place up.

Robertson-Gardiner said that the city and Heidgerken seem to be on the same page in regard to development and that, at this point, he can start applying for traditional land use permits when he’s ready to move forward.

鈥淭he reason this site sold is that we were looking for someone who had a high tolerance for risk and also had money, but those people are few and far between,鈥� she said. 鈥淔inding someone who has both is difficult, but that is George.鈥�