Lewis EDC: Packwood Is ‘On Fire’ With Hot Housing Market, Possible New Business

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The following content was produced by the Lewis Economic Development Council, which publishes a special section in The Chronicle monthly. 

The bucolic community of Packwood, known as a way station for those traveling to the White Pass Ski Resort, or to take in some glorious hiking, hunting and fishing opportunities, or simply to view a herd of massive elk lollygagging in the downtown area, is “on fire.”

The housing market has exploded as urban dwellers discover the beauty of this rural setting, making multiple offers on homes and building lots (often above price and all cash), primarily to use as second homes, retirement homes or a bit of both with Airbnb thrown in.

COVID has taught urban workers they no longer are tied to their offices, but can work remotely from home. No longer are they leashed to a metropolis downtown core with its accompanying crime, crazy traffic and high cost of living.

With the influx of new neighbors and energy, Packwood is poised for growth, from a possible highly praised brewpub at the East Lewis County Public Development Authority’s property in the downtown core to new development coming from a water and sewer system being funded via the state Legislature this session.

Water and Sewer Needs

The water and sewer project is years in the making. 20th District Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia, the assistant ranking Republican on the House Capital Budget Committee, helped secure $8.05 million to build a water and sewer system for Packwood this session. He is currently ushering the project through the legislative process.

“I helped bring the proposal forward because infrastructure is essential for economic development and an increased quality of life,” Abbarno said.

The water and sewer infrastructure, nonexistent in Packwood which relies on limited septic systems, could bring in expanded businesses and also multi-family dwellings, essential for an area lacking adequate housing numbers. If fully funded, the project likely would take up to two years for completion.

“Packwood has been applying for water and sewer funding for years,” Abbarno said. “Sewer systems are one of the infrastructure projects holding back that community from fulfilling its potential. This has been discussed for many years by Packwood leaders.”

 

Bringing In a Quality Brewpub

One possible exciting development is being knocked around by development leaders across the county, from the Lewis Economic Development Council to the East Lewis County Public Development Authority (PDA) to County Commissioners.

Members from all three groups toured the PDA’s 11,600-square-foot light industrial property up for lease during a recent afternoon. They met up with husband and wife team Amy Besunder and Peter Charbonnier, former Seattlites who closed up their Ballard brewpub following a downturn in the once thriving business due to COVID-virus disruptions. The brewers relocated to living full-time in Packwood in 2008 (but still kept brewing in Ballard) and have long planned to open a brewpub and taphouse in Packwood. The Packwood building would be a great fit for their plans, Besunder said.

“We are here to assist in their efforts to open up the brewpub in Packwood,” said LEDC Executive Director Richard DeBolt. “There are opportunities for grants right now. We’re excited about putting something like a brewpub here.”

Lewis County Commissioner Gary Stamper also took part in the tour.

“It fits the environment of mountains, skiing, hiking,” Stamper said of the possible brewpub. “Tourism has always been big in Packwood, and people are flocking to this community. However, nothing’s going to get done if we aren’t working together.”



Gerry Monkman, the PDA’s building manager, was also at the tour. He said his group “would be thrilled” if the brewpub came to pass. He should be.

The former Ballard brewpub operated by the husband and wife team, called Populuxe Brewing, was highly regarded before it closed at the end of 2020. In 2018, it won the prestigious Small Brewery of the Year by the Washington Beer Awards. The competition featured 1,297 beers entered by 181 Washington breweries.

“We had always talked about, envisioned bringing a high-quality brewery to this community, with living-wage jobs, with a community space for people to gather,” Besunder said. “We looked around at several spaces, none looked right for us.”

That changed this last summer when they spotted the PDA’s space. Since initial discussions, Besunder has been flabbergasted by the support from area leaders.

“We have been offered all the assistance in the world,” she said. “It is a very different attitude than you get in Seattle. The difference in support is night and day. It’s amazing. The way people connect here is just so authentic.”

The brewers recently visited Dick’s Brewery Company in Centralia, a titan in the state’s brewing industry.

“They (Dick’s) make it work in a space that is very similar to the Packwood space,” she said.

 

Hot Housing Market

Maree Lerchen, owner/broker of Mountain Valley Real Estate headquartered in Packwood, is the listing agent for the Packwood property that just might become a brewpub. She sees unprecedented home sales. She’s been selling homes in Packwood since 1981.

“Residential sales are extraordinary, like nothing I have ever seen,” Lerchen said. “Prices have risen dramatically in the last two years. The supply is very low so things are selling very quickly, with no problems with appraisals.”

She said the water and sewer project is key, and it likely will lead to multi-family buildings near the downtown core once completed. She sees, for example, businesses expanding their footprints currently limited by septic systems, and maybe even a laundromat and carwash.

She also believes much of the housing boom is fed by people fleeing from urban and suburban settings.

“Quite a few are from the Tri-Cities, Yakima, skiers and hikers, from Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver,” Lerchen said. “They don’t have to live in the city to work anymore, and they don’t have to pay Seattle prices.”

Lee Grose, former East Lewis County Commissioner and president of the PDA, said while Packwood still faces challenges right now in providing housing for potential employees, the economy of Packwood is looking up.

“I think the future is bright in Packwood, as are rural communities in general,” Grose said.