The Port of Astoria has worked with the city to develop a waterfront master plan in Uniontown.

The Port of Astoria has taken its first big step toward the redevelopment of the waterfront in Uniontown.

On Tuesday, the Port Commission voted in favor of opening a request for expressions of interest for the revitalization between Pier 1 and the Astoria Bridge, with a particular emphasis on a hotel to replace the Astoria Riverwalk Inn.

The Port has worked with the city to develop a waterfront master plan, which received final approval from the City Council last year for zoning changes necessary for its implementation. The plan, crafted by Portland-based landscape architecture firm Walker Macy, outlines a new hotel, space for private marine industrial uses on Pier 1 and concepts for a market hall, fishing village and boardwalk around the West Mooring Basin.

Will Isom, the Port’s executive director, described the request for expressions of interest as “the first big public step forward” for the implementation of the waterfront master plan.

The Port is working with John Southgate, who acted as a consultant for the city on the plan, and Mark Popkin, of Popkin Real Estate, to advance development. Southgate, in a presentation to the Port Commission, emphasized the value of allowing developers flexibility to submit a range of plans and ideas for the project.

“One of the things I’ve learned is a little bit of humility, that I may not know everything out there,” Southgate said. “I may not be the smartest guy in the room, and developers know more than I know. So rather than saying, ‘I want this use, this square feet, these design features,’ whatever, I’m going to say, ‘Here’s what we’re trying to achieve.’”

The Port is accepting requests for expressions of interest to develop all or part of the property, but is anticipating the most interest in the construction of a new hotel. The Astoria Riverwalk Inn, which the Port leases to Param Hotel Corp., has had recurrent structural issues and legal conflicts.

“With the history of the current hotel, the Port having gone through numerous rounds of litigation in the past over the management of that facility, we wanted to make sure that we set a path forward that was going to be in the best interest of the Port and can mitigate some of the risk that could potentially arise,” Isom said.

The Riverwalk Inn’s lease expires in October 2025.

“We don’t know yet who we are going to attract,” Popkin said. “We’re going to put our net out and see what we end up with.”