Community proposed for North Shore area of CamasSubscriber Exclusive

The city of Camas’ long-term vision for its North Shore area is coming into focus.

SunCal, a California-based real estate developer, has proposed a master-planned community that includes a town center, as well as residential and business development, for about 300 acres just north of Lacamas Lake.

The land is part of the former Johnston Dairy Farm property owned by Lynn Johnston.

“There’s transformative momentum because a lion’s share of what is to be developed out there … regardless of the design, is a significant investment into the community,” Robert Maul, the city’s planning manager, said during the Camas City Council’s Oct. 20 workshop session.

The Camas City Council reviewed SunCal’s development agreement and master plan documents during workshops in October and December. The council plans a public hearing and vote on the proposals, most likely in February, said Bryan Rachal, the city’s director of communications and public affairs.

The proposed 15-year development agreement allows for the crafting of specific development standards that will provide the city and SunCal with more flexibility than general zoning, Maul said.

“Development standards provide increased regulatory certainty,” Maul said during the city council’s Dec. 15 workshop session. “(The agreement) actually helps both the city side and the developer side because this is a long play. This is not an overnight project. This is a 15-year build-out, and we all know that anything can happen with economies, navigating pandemics and recessions and things like that.”

The site offers a variety of surrounding attractions, including Lacamas Lake Elementary School to the west, views of Mount Hood to the east and conservation land to the south, said Matt Keenen, a managing partner at SunCal.

“On this site, you’ve got some really good opportunities,” Keenen said during the Oct. 20 workshop session. “It’s an enclosed area, it’s got a nice tree line and little rolling hills, and it feels like you’re in a little village. We really wanted to figure out a way to take advantage of all of those assets in our plan.”

The master plan includes a 15-acre “commercial village,” with Fred Meyer as a potential anchor tenant.

“It’s a great community,” Don Forrest, a senior real estate manager for Fred Meyer, said during the Oct. 20 workshop session. “We’ve wanted to be here for a long time, and this seems like a great opportunity.”

SunCal is proposing a mix of housing types, including single-family detached/attached dwellings and higher-density apartments and townhomes.

“The big idea is to have higher-density duplexes on the outside and lower density in the middle, kind of a doughnut, and give it a town center kind of feel,” Keenen said on Oct. 20. “You get a feel of some density without the price of some density.”

In addition, the project will extend North Shore Boulevard from its current western terminus through the site to connect with neighboring developments to the south, and construct a plaza, envisioned as a “central gathering place,”
Keenen said.

“Our big idea on this property was to maximize connectivity, pedestrian connectivity, in particular, as it relates to open space, trails, parks and pocket parks,” Keenen said on Oct. 20.