Battle Ground | First Forty Feet

Battle Ground Revitalization

Project

Year

2024-2025

Location

Battlle Ground, Washington

Client

City of Battle Ground

The Challenge

How Do You Bring Old Town Back to Life—Without Losing What Made It Special?

The Bringing Old Town Battle Ground back to life isn’t just a matter of updating infrastructure or filling empty storefronts—it’s about restoring a place that still means something to the community. How do we re-energize Main Street without erasing the modest charm and historic identity that define it? Can we invite new investment while holding onto the sense of place that makes Old Town feel like Battle Ground?

The Subarea Plan lays out a framework for infill development, upgraded utilities, and public gathering spaces—but plans on paper only go so far. The real test will be in how these ideas are implemented: block by block, business by business, over time. What’s the right balance between cars and people, between history and change? We don’t pretend to have all the answers—but we believe the first forty feet is where the conversation starts.

Context & Analysis

"The Big Ideas"

The Battle Ground Old Town Subarea Plan responds to the core challenge—how to revitalize Old Town without losing its character—through seven Big Ideas. These include investing in storefronts, rebuilding East Main Street for walkability and safety, upgrading infrastructure, creating new public gathering spaces, encouraging infill development, improving neighborhood connections, and managing parking to support a “park once, walk everywhere” experience. Together, these strategies offer a practical, community-driven framework to bring new life to Old Town while staying rooted in its historic identity and small-town charm.

The Market Hall is envisioned as a vibrant, all-season gathering place near NE Grace and East Main, transforming the former Andersen Dairy site into a hub for local food, small businesses, and community events. With indoor stalls for vendors like a bakery or ice cream shop and outdoor space for dining and pop-ups, it builds on Battle Ground’s agricultural roots while activating Main Street as a lively social corridor. The hall would anchor Old Town with a space that invites people to gather, linger, and return.

Several infill sites in Old Town offer opportunities to add housing and bring new life to the district. Along NE 1st Street, vacant lots could support townhomes or small multifamily buildings that fit the neighborhood’s scale.

At SE Grace and Clark Avenue, mixed-use development could pair ground-floor retail with apartments above. All within a five-minute walk of Main Street, these sites support housing diversity while reinforcing downtown’s walkability and vitality.

Main Street in Old Town Battle Ground includes three distinct sections: Dispersed, Park, and Compact. The Dispersed area has gaps between buildings, offering space for infill and outdoor uses. The Park section, near Central Park and Woodin Creek, provides a natural setting for plazas and green space. The Compact section features edge-to-edge storefronts and a traditional Main Street feel, ideal for walkability and public realm improvements. Together, these areas create a varied and vibrant streetscape.

The Streetscape Concept reimagines East Main Street as a safer, more walkable corridor that supports both local businesses and community life. It includes wider sidewalks, curb extensions, improved lighting, and space for outdoor dining, retail displays, and public seating—creating a welcoming environment that encourages people to linger and explore.

Main Street Park Improvements

The improvements to the park at Main Street enhance its role as a central gathering space in Old Town Battle Ground. Upgrades include a new plaza entry, expanded seating areas, updated landscaping, and improved connections to the street and nearby businesses. These changes create a more welcoming, flexible space for everyday use and community events, reinforcing the park as a key anchor along East Main Street.

First Forty Feet OUT

The First Forty Feet Out refers to the crucial strip spanning from each building’s façade out into the street, where design elements signal vibrancy and invite engagement. By prioritizing this zone with welcoming storefronts, sidewalk cafes, pedestrian lighting, wayfinding, and lush landscaping, the plan ensures Old Town feels lively, safe, and distinctly “open for business.”

A clear pedestrian path on the sidewalk is essential for ensuring safe, comfortable, and accessible movement for people of all ages and abilities, especially in a busy, walkable district like Old Town.

Benches, café seating, umbrellas, planters, and signs activate the space in front of buildings, encouraging people to linger and adding life, color, and character to Main Street.

First Forty Feet UP

The First Forty Feet Up refers to the portion of a building’s façade—from the sidewalk up to 40 feet—that most directly shapes the experience of East Main Street. This zone includes elements like storefront windows, entries, signage, lighting, and materials that reflect Old Town’s character and help create a welcoming, human-scaled streetscape.

Canopies and awnings protect pedestrians and outdoor spaces from the weather in urban areas. Their size and form should complement the storefront while fulfilling their function. Ideally, they should offer 9' of clearance for signage.

25_0701 Battleground Splitlog coffee.jpg

The sides of buildings are as important as the front. Extend the building's base color and other treatments around the corner for continuity.

Existing Development

PACIFICLY YOU

The storefront improvements to Pacificly You served as a case study for the Old Town Battle Ground revitalization effort, demonstrating how small, strategic upgrades can make a big impact. By repainting the façade, adding new signage, and installing exterior lighting, the project restored the building’s historic charm and helped create a more inviting, pedestrian-friendly street presence along East Main Street.