The central feature of Vancouver’s new waterfront park likely will be a futuristic, triangular pier that juts 90 feet over the Columbia River, a dock so modern it will be suspended from cables rather than supported by pilings.

The dramatic pier, along with the 7.2-acre park and a $1.3 billion residential and commercial development sprawling 21 city blocks, will be a “game-changer” for Vancouver and Southwest Washington, predicts Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that we have. We’ve recaptured our waterfront,” he said at Monday’s City Council workshop.

Project plans, in the works for more than a decade, are coming into sharper focus as the city and developers hash out details for designs, parking, financing and construction. Dirt work begins this fall, and buildings should begin to rise in spring 2016.

Barry Cain, president of Tualatin, Ore.-based Gramor Development, unveiled the first phase of his company’s portion of the private/public partnership on Monday. It encompasses five blocks and will include condominiums, a hotel, restaurants, office and retail space and parking facilities (see map and breakout).