YAKIMA, Wash. -- A log-chipping operation at the old Boise Cascade mill site in northeast Yakima is winding down as the new owners of the property prepare to break ground on a massive redevelopment effort.

The huge stacks of logs that form the chipping operation are already being drawn down and should be gone by the end of June, said Greg Demers, a spokesman for the various ownership interests in the site.

"Hopefully the whole property should be cleared off by July or so," he said Friday.

Meanwhile, demolition work will begin soon on the plywood mill that formed the heart of the old Boise Cascade operation, which had a 103-year run before it closed in 2006.

Demers said the goal is to "go vertical" on the redevelopment by this time next year. The build-out will occur in stages, starting with the south end by Fair Avenue, and could take a decade or more to complete.

"You don't take 200-plus acres and change it overnight," he explained.

The chipping operation made headlines last year after a log fire on Sept. 26 cut off power to thousands of homes and businesses, nearly closed the Central Washington State Fair on a Saturday night and stretched the region's firefighting resources to the breaking point.

It was the second fire at the site in two months, prompting city officials to order a temporary shutdown until fire safety improvements were made.

As this winter draws to a close, Demers said the rapid phasing out of the chipping operation will give way to millions of dollars in development that many believe will help change the face of Yakima.

Situated just west of Interstate 82 and north of downtown Yakima, the property is one of the most vast, undeveloped pieces of land visible to motorists coming from the Seattle area or Spokane. Which is why city officials and community leaders are so interested in what happens to it.

Demers and his partners envision a major complex of retail stores, office space and light industrial business along the lines of the fashionable Old Mill district in Bend, Ore.

Demers said the master plan that will guide the build-out of the site seeks to unify the area with the Yakima Greenway pedestrian path system and the Yakima River.

Also on tap are plans for a new ballpark-and-retail complex for the Yakima Bears baseball team that Demers described as "pretty fantastic."

The Bears are in discussions with the property owners and city officials about a possible multi-sports complex at the old mill site. The property owners have indicated they would provide up to 10 acres for a new ballpark.

Previous talk of a regional aquatic center fell through after city officials in Selah and Union Gap withheld support.

Michael Morales, the city's deputy economic director, said a major rezone of the site is almost finished and a traffic study that ties in the site with Interstate 82 and Terrace Heights is slated for completion by the end of April.

He confirmed Demers' statement that a build-out agreement with the city known as the master plan is scheduled to be unveiled sometime around June 1.

"This is a big decision year for them," Morales said.

* Chris Bristol can be reached at 509-577-7748 or cbristol@yakimaherald.com.