A sign stands at the edge of Ridge Road near Fort Stevens State Park, advertising new homes coming soon through the Fort Point development. Since the sign went up, developers have changed the name from "Fort Pointe" to "Fort Point." / Olivia Palmer

WARRENTON — Driving along Ridge Road, it’s hard to miss the large sign advertising new homes coming soon to the hilly expanse of land across from Fort Stevens State Park. Thanks to a decision by the Warrenton Planning Commission last week, those homes are now a step closer to construction.

 On July 3, commissioners unanimously approved a planned unit development (PUD) final development plan for Fort Point — a project that seeks to bring roughly 450 units of new housing to the area in the coming years. 

“Obviously there’s a demand for, really, all types of housing,” said Seth Hague, manager for Fort Point Land Partners, a joint venture between Mag-Amb Development and Mission Development Group. “But this is a very intentional land plan and housing development to really target that missing middle.”

Esther Moberg, Warrenton’s city manager, said conversations around the Fort Point Development have been nearly 10 years in the making. The project initially received approval for a preliminary plat in 2017, which has since seen several modifications. The plan now, Hague said, is to split the property into three distinct partitions, with 200 acres reserved as open space, 9 acres reserved for apartments and 60 acres reserved for ownership and build-to-rent homes.

The final development plan approved last week is for the 240 ownership and build-to-rent homes. Hague said the idea behind these “missing middle” units is to provide housing for people making 80% to 120% of the area median income — giving young professionals like teachers, nurses and Coast Guard workers an opportunity to become homeowners.

“I know how much it would mean to the community and how much it will grow the community in a multitude of different ways, not just from a population or GDP standpoint, but also from, potentially, a culture standpoint, right?” Hague said. “You’re going to see folks coming in, you know, who are wanting to plant roots.”

Approval of the final development plan gives developers the green light to register their plat with the county. That approval came with several conditions. For example, Moberg said, developers will be required to establish a bicycle and pedestrian path along Ridge Road. They’ll also be in charge of adding a new sewer and water line on 11th Street to convey water from Warrenton Drive across to Ridge Road. That portion of the project is expected to cost around $1 million, $250,000 of which the city is providing. 

“The city really tried to work with them on what is reasonable, but still holding to the city standards of what we want,” Moberg said.

A PUD final development plan for the apartments, which are anticipated to offer some low-income housing options, will be submitted separately at a later date. In the meantime, Hague said Fort Point Land Partners will be moving ahead with grading and construction, with the intention of beginning no later than the second quarter of 2026.