A large commercial development expected to bring millions of dollars in economic activity and nearly 1,000 construction jobs is coming to the Port of Kalama in Washington. But first, earth must be stabilized.

Around 315,000 cubic yards of sand will be shifted around in staggered stages on six sites over 42 acres near the intersection of Kalama River Road and Old Highway 99.

“It’s kind of cool how they have it engineered,” said Josh Brock, project manager with Battle Ground-based Tapani Inc., which was awarded the $1.2 million project.

Crews will first compact roughly 4 to 5 feet of sand, and then put an additional 10 feet on top of that. They’ll let that sit for eight months, or as long as necessary for it to settle alongside the native ground. Next, all of that material will be moved to the next site, fill will be added, and so on. At the last site, the whole area will be balanced.

The Port of Kalama’s effort to develop there has already taken about a decade to date, as properties have slowly been acquired. Two regional destinations are planned for the 70-acre site located north of the Kalama River and east of Interstate 5: 24-acre Haydu Park, and the Spencer Creek Business Park.

The business park project is planned to be built over 20 years, at which point it will provide 676,000 square feet of commercial space and 1,000 jobs, on top of around 1,000 construction jobs, according to Eric Yakovich, economic development manager for the Port of Kalama.

“Right now we’re kind of in an infrastructure phase of the project,” he said.

Geotechnical firm Columbia West Engineering designed the project. AKS Engineering is designing roads associated with the build-out.

The Port of Kalama is overseeing a lot of work. A $1.2 billion methanol marine export facility, planned across the interstate from the port, is in the permitting phase. And a McMenamins hotel and restaurant is being built near the port’s administration building.

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McMenamins Inc. has signed a lease to operate a new hotel and brewpub at the Port of Kalama. It’s the latest move into Washington by the Portland-based hospitality group.

Space for a 40-room hotel, meeting rooms, a restaurant, a brewery and a gift shop will be built. The rooftop brewpub will have a river view. A smaller 500-square-foot pub will be constructed nearby at Ahles Point.

The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2017. It will be McMenamins’ ninth Washington location.

The Port of Kalama is building the structures to suit McMenamins. The port will also construct the parking area and landscaping, and rough in electrical and mechanical infrastructure. The hospitality company will be responsible for the interior.

The port’s board of commissioners approved the lease last week.

Collins Architectural Group, of Longview, Washington, will design the new McMenamins development; the historic Pioneer Inn in Lahaina, on Maui, will serve as a model. The firm also designed the port’s administrative building.

The build-to-suit scenario is not unusual for the port, spokeswoman Liz Newman said.

“That’s actually our business model,” she said.

The port has two warehouses under construction for Steelscape LLC, a steel supplier for the construction industry.

McMenamins also has experience with build-to-suit projects, said Renee Rank, the company’s marketing director. McMenamins owns some of its properties, and leases others.

The Kalama development has been in the works for several years. The project was slowed by the recession, Rank said.

It adds up to a major new Kalama amenity that port officials hope will draw visitors.

“I think it will bring people off of I-5,” Newman said. “We have a beautiful downtown and some great parks down by the river, and I think it will raise the profile of both.”

The port has room nearby for smaller projects that would complement the hotel and brewpub, Newman said.

The Port of Kalama is squeezed between Interstate 5 and the Columbia River, with 5 miles of riverfront property. The BNSF and Union Pacific railroads serve the port, which also has ready access to I-5 and Columbia River shipping.

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