After three years of planning, community engagement and work to secure funding, La Center community members and area public officials gathered Thursday, Sept. 17, to break ground on a project city leaders say will shape the community for generations.
The groundbreaking for La Center Downtown 2.0 marked the beginning of a long-planned expansion of the city’s downtown, with plans calling for new commercial opportunities, housing, pedestrian spaces, recreational areas and connections to the East Fork Lewis River.
The vision for a new downtown development project will take place west of Northwest Pacific Highway along West Fifth Street in La Center.
“This is a very exciting project for the city,” La Center Public Works and Planning Director Tracy Coleman said during the groundbreaking ceremony.
The project grew out of years of community planning and engagement. Coleman said the city adopted its subarea plan in June 2025 following open houses, tabling events, public meetings and meetings before the planning commission and city council.
The vision, she said, is to expand the existing downtown while maintaining the character of La Center. Visitors at the ceremony also had the opportunity to highlight their three favorite architectural appearances for the future development project.
The city will continue to seek public input on the architectural design. Coleman said the first of three planned open houses is scheduled for Oct. 13 at 6:30 p.m. at city hall following the planning commission meeting.
Residents will have an opportunity to provide feedback on the look and design of the future downtown at the open houses.
“Our vision is to expand our current downtown to provide additional jobs, as mayor said, boost tax revenue and strengthen this community,” Coleman said. “The addition will add a distinct character to our city and specialize in services that big chains cannot offer.”
The project also incorporates a large forested recreational area intended to connect the new downtown with the existing downtown core and the Lewis River. Plans include family-friendly trails, picnic areas and an ADA-accessible boardwalk extending from the future plaza into the forested area.
Coleman said environmental work already underway focuses on tree canopy management, native plant recruitment, habitat diversity and erosion control.
“We combined this vision with creating a premier urban forested recreational space that you can see in front of you or behind me, and family-friendly trails, picnic areas, and park settings that seamlessly connect the Lewis River to this new downtown and our old downtown core,” Coleman said.
The site is currently closed to public access because of active construction and heavy machinery. Coleman said the city will announce when recreational access is available.
Another major component of Downtown 2.0 is preserving the history of the property.
The land was purchased by the Barnhart family in 1912 and later became a homestead where the Barnhart family raised cattle and harvested apples. The property also included a popular swimming hole along the river that Mayor Tom Strobehn said served as a gathering place for residents.
“Years later, when an uncle of Eddie Barnhart was asked who used to come down to that swimming hole, he answered with one word, everyone,” Strobehn said during his speech. “The Barnharts established themselves a pillar of La Center, and their property became a central gathering space for the whole town.”
Strobehn said the original homestead will eventually be transformed into an open museum featuring historical artifacts, family records and other items dating back to the 1800s.
The city also plans to preserve materials from the existing barn and tool shed. Strobehn said the reclaimed wood will be stored and reused as part of the community center.
State Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, said the project demonstrated how a community can turn a long-term vision into a concrete plan.
“Look, beautiful day, beautiful community, and super impressed,” Braun said. “You have to take a vision and turn it into a plan.”
Braun said La Center’s work to develop consensus and a plan makes it easier to seek state support.
The city received $400,000 in state capital budget funding to launch Downtown 2.0, according to Strobehn. However, the mayor said the project still faces a $3.5 million funding gap needed to fully realize the planned infrastructure.
“We still have a $3.5 million funding gap to close in order to fully realize this project and build out the infrastructure La Center needs,” Strobehn said.
Strobehn said the groundbreaking represents more than the beginning of construction.
“Today's groundbreaking is an important milestone, but more than that, it is the beginning of a brand new chapter for La Center,” he said.
This report was first published by The Reflector Newspaper. Reporter Cade Barker can be reached at [email protected].
