Showing posts with label urban renewal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label urban renewal. Show all posts
Dec 7, 2015
Coming up on East County Now- Nothing Screams Economic Success Like "Shipping Container Storefronts"!
Coming up up next on East County Now, 6 pm Saturday December 12, 2015, on Portland, Oregon area cable channels: Comcast channel 11, Frontier channel 22.
-Gresham Urban Renewal: nothing screams "success" like shipping container storefronts!
-Former Troutdale mayor Jim Kight....he's baaaack!
-Troutdale city councilor Rich Allen's Fantasy Wonderland!
Here's the show promo:
Nov 20, 2008
Troutdale's Urban Renewal Crossroads
The discussion at Tuesday night's Troutdale Urban Renewal Agency work session took an unexpected twist. The discussion at the meeting was to be focused on an update on prospective developers of Troutdale's Riverfront Renewal site and a discussion about possible incentives to developers. This discussion took place as planned.
Consultant Abe Farkas gave a report on his efforts to find interested developers for the Riverfront Renewal site. Farkas told the Urban Renewal Agency that he contacted 24 firms within the Northwest region, focusing on what he termed "quality developers". Of the 24 firms he contacted, several companies toured the Riverfront Renewal site. One firm spent a 1/2 day in Troutdale with their architect and engineers.
Unfortunately, nearly all the developers told Farkas they were not interested in pursuing the site at this time. Reasons given by developers for their lack of interest should be common knowledge by anyone reading the news: the current economic situation. Some developers indicated their individual financial circumstances prevented their taking on another project. Some developers indicated times were tough- so tough that they have laid off up to 30-40% of their staff.
Farkas said three companies have not gotten back to him with a yes/no verdict yet.
The discussion then moved to a sample list of economic incentives that other cities/urban renewal agencies have used to encourage quality development. (Click here to see the list).
We went through the list point by point, discussing the pros and cons of each type of economic incentive. Each type of incentive had its own unique risk/reward proposition. We didn't decide whether to pursue any of these incentives, but we asked city staff to come up with more details, specifically the financial risks to the city.
At that point in the meeting, a surprising discussion popped out. We began to talk about our negotiations with Chelsea Group, owners of the Gorge Premium Outlet Mall. The city had previously negotiated a deal with Chelsea for an option to purchase of a right of way through the outlet mall in order to gain access to the Riverfront Renewal site. (In case you aren't familiar with the Riverfront Renewal site, it's behind and directly to the east of the outlet mall. The site has no public access. It is landlocked. No public access, no development opportunities). The city already paid approximately $300,000 to purchase the option for the right of way from Chelsea. However, that option expires at the end of 2008. When we negotiated for this purchase option 18 months ago, we assumed we would have found a developer by now. But the economy took a turn for the worse.
To make a long story short, someone ( I don't remember who) asked consultant Abe Farkas if he would pay more money to extend the option for another year. Farkas said he wouldn't spend that kind of money for another year on the option, which could cost the city another $300-350,000. Farkas said the city already has the power of eminent domain. When we need the road, we can condemn the piece of property we need for the public access through the outlet mall, and save ourselves the $350,000 today.(Note:Any future condemnation would still cost the city the appraised value of the condemned property plus any legal costs.)
Although we previously used the threat of condemnation with Chelsea to get them to the bargaining table to complete a deal for the first option agreement, with no interested developer coming into play for the foreseeable future, what is the rush to spend more city money for another option? In addition, several sources, including Mr. Farkus last night, told us that during talks with developers over the past year, many of them contacted Chelsea directly to see if Chelsea might be interested in selling the mall. The sources told us that Chelsea has indicated to these developers that this particular outlet mall is one of their smallest, and least profitable.
So it turns out that some developers could eventually be interested in doing something with the combined outlet mall/Riverfront Renewal properties. If a developer came along that wanted to do this, there would be no need for the city to purchase a right of way through the Chelsea property. This scenario is (unofficially, my impression only) what the Urban Renewal Agency would like to see regarding the entire property. And why not? The current negotiated price to complete the purchase of the right of way is about $2.2 million. And Troutdale doesn't have that kind of cash to waste on something that might be unnecessary. However, if we let the current option expire, the city loses its original $300,000 payment for the option. Gone. vanished. What will Troutdale taxpayers think if we let the option expire?
An opposing train of thought also came up. There was discussion about a Troutdale developer who was "slightly" interested in the developing Riverfront Renewal site, but he/she wanted assurances that the city would actually purchase the right of way, because he/she apparently has no interest in purchasing the Chelsea property.
Why not bring this developer to the table now and tell them the time is now to fish or cut bait? Come to agreement before the city's option for the right of way expires, and the city will agree to buy the right of way. But the clock is ticking. December 31, the option may vanish.
These are the options on the table for the Urban Renewal Agency/City Council to consider between now and December 31:
Let our option expire. $300,000 of the city's option money gone without anything to show for it. But save the city another $300,000 by not renewing the option. Then doggedly track down all potential leads, however long it takes, and successfully close a deal with a developer who wants to develop both the outlet mall and the Riverfront Renewal site together, saving the city the $2.2 million purchase price for a no longer needed public access through the outlet mall. If necessary, the city could still go through eminent domain to purchase public access through the outlet mall if the chosen developer didn't want to include the outlet mall property in the project.
Or renew the option for another year, for another $300,000, with no guarantee of an improved economy or an interested and willing to sign on the dotted line developer.
Or attempt to close a deal with the previously mentioned Troutdale developer before December 31st's option expiration date.
There is a lot of taxpayer money already on the table. There could be much, much more taxpayer money at risk. But there are also potential rewards for Troutdale and the the entire region. A revitalized downtown Troutdale. A public riverwalk along the Sandy River. New places to live, work, and play in our city.
Comments and thoughts are welcome. It's your money, Troutdalians. What would you like us to do with your public property and your tax dollars?
Consultant Abe Farkas gave a report on his efforts to find interested developers for the Riverfront Renewal site. Farkas told the Urban Renewal Agency that he contacted 24 firms within the Northwest region, focusing on what he termed "quality developers". Of the 24 firms he contacted, several companies toured the Riverfront Renewal site. One firm spent a 1/2 day in Troutdale with their architect and engineers.
Unfortunately, nearly all the developers told Farkas they were not interested in pursuing the site at this time. Reasons given by developers for their lack of interest should be common knowledge by anyone reading the news: the current economic situation. Some developers indicated their individual financial circumstances prevented their taking on another project. Some developers indicated times were tough- so tough that they have laid off up to 30-40% of their staff.
Farkas said three companies have not gotten back to him with a yes/no verdict yet.
The discussion then moved to a sample list of economic incentives that other cities/urban renewal agencies have used to encourage quality development. (Click here to see the list).
We went through the list point by point, discussing the pros and cons of each type of economic incentive. Each type of incentive had its own unique risk/reward proposition. We didn't decide whether to pursue any of these incentives, but we asked city staff to come up with more details, specifically the financial risks to the city.
At that point in the meeting, a surprising discussion popped out. We began to talk about our negotiations with Chelsea Group, owners of the Gorge Premium Outlet Mall. The city had previously negotiated a deal with Chelsea for an option to purchase of a right of way through the outlet mall in order to gain access to the Riverfront Renewal site. (In case you aren't familiar with the Riverfront Renewal site, it's behind and directly to the east of the outlet mall. The site has no public access. It is landlocked. No public access, no development opportunities). The city already paid approximately $300,000 to purchase the option for the right of way from Chelsea. However, that option expires at the end of 2008. When we negotiated for this purchase option 18 months ago, we assumed we would have found a developer by now. But the economy took a turn for the worse.
To make a long story short, someone ( I don't remember who) asked consultant Abe Farkas if he would pay more money to extend the option for another year. Farkas said he wouldn't spend that kind of money for another year on the option, which could cost the city another $300-350,000. Farkas said the city already has the power of eminent domain. When we need the road, we can condemn the piece of property we need for the public access through the outlet mall, and save ourselves the $350,000 today.(Note:Any future condemnation would still cost the city the appraised value of the condemned property plus any legal costs.)
Although we previously used the threat of condemnation with Chelsea to get them to the bargaining table to complete a deal for the first option agreement, with no interested developer coming into play for the foreseeable future, what is the rush to spend more city money for another option? In addition, several sources, including Mr. Farkus last night, told us that during talks with developers over the past year, many of them contacted Chelsea directly to see if Chelsea might be interested in selling the mall. The sources told us that Chelsea has indicated to these developers that this particular outlet mall is one of their smallest, and least profitable.
So it turns out that some developers could eventually be interested in doing something with the combined outlet mall/Riverfront Renewal properties. If a developer came along that wanted to do this, there would be no need for the city to purchase a right of way through the Chelsea property. This scenario is (unofficially, my impression only) what the Urban Renewal Agency would like to see regarding the entire property. And why not? The current negotiated price to complete the purchase of the right of way is about $2.2 million. And Troutdale doesn't have that kind of cash to waste on something that might be unnecessary. However, if we let the current option expire, the city loses its original $300,000 payment for the option. Gone. vanished. What will Troutdale taxpayers think if we let the option expire?
An opposing train of thought also came up. There was discussion about a Troutdale developer who was "slightly" interested in the developing Riverfront Renewal site, but he/she wanted assurances that the city would actually purchase the right of way, because he/she apparently has no interest in purchasing the Chelsea property.
Why not bring this developer to the table now and tell them the time is now to fish or cut bait? Come to agreement before the city's option for the right of way expires, and the city will agree to buy the right of way. But the clock is ticking. December 31, the option may vanish.
These are the options on the table for the Urban Renewal Agency/City Council to consider between now and December 31:
Let our option expire. $300,000 of the city's option money gone without anything to show for it. But save the city another $300,000 by not renewing the option. Then doggedly track down all potential leads, however long it takes, and successfully close a deal with a developer who wants to develop both the outlet mall and the Riverfront Renewal site together, saving the city the $2.2 million purchase price for a no longer needed public access through the outlet mall. If necessary, the city could still go through eminent domain to purchase public access through the outlet mall if the chosen developer didn't want to include the outlet mall property in the project.
Or renew the option for another year, for another $300,000, with no guarantee of an improved economy or an interested and willing to sign on the dotted line developer.
Or attempt to close a deal with the previously mentioned Troutdale developer before December 31st's option expiration date.
There is a lot of taxpayer money already on the table. There could be much, much more taxpayer money at risk. But there are also potential rewards for Troutdale and the the entire region. A revitalized downtown Troutdale. A public riverwalk along the Sandy River. New places to live, work, and play in our city.
Comments and thoughts are welcome. It's your money, Troutdalians. What would you like us to do with your public property and your tax dollars?
Apr 24, 2008
What About A Cabela's In Troutdale?
CenterCal and Fred Bruning were proposing a destination retail store for Troutdale's urban renewal project, such as Cabela's. I didn't know anything about the company except for their catalogs, so I did a little online research.
The Oregonian's Bill Monroe visited the new Lacey, Washington Cabela's. Watch a video of his visit here.
Watch another tour of the new Lacey, Washington Cabela's at the Olympian online here.
Want to know how Cabela's got started? Here is part 1 of a documentary about Cabela's. Parts 2 and 3 are available on YouTube, here.
Part 1
(Go to Valentine Imaging's YouTube site to watch parts 2 and 3)
The Oregonian's Bill Monroe visited the new Lacey, Washington Cabela's. Watch a video of his visit here.
Watch another tour of the new Lacey, Washington Cabela's at the Olympian online here.
Want to know how Cabela's got started? Here is part 1 of a documentary about Cabela's. Parts 2 and 3 are available on YouTube, here.
Part 1
(Go to Valentine Imaging's YouTube site to watch parts 2 and 3)
We're Still Talking
Even though Fred Bruning told Troutdale last week that CenterCal was withdrawing from our urban renewal project selection process, the lines of communication are still open with Bruning. That's what Mayor Paul Thalhofer said to Troutdale's Urban Renewal Agency at Tuesday night's meeting. Thalhofer told us he had a long conversation with Bruning on Tuesday. (Read what the Mayor and Bruning talked about in Wednesday's Outlook.)
In the meantime, the Urban Renewal Agency unanimously agreed to direct staff to attempt to negotiate an extension of the city's option to purchase property through the Columbia Gorge Premium Outlet Mall. As I pointed out in a previous blog post, it's unlikely we will be able to sell the urban renewal property before the option to buy the right of way through the outlet mall expires. Getting an extension on the option would give us more time to find a developer for the project.
In the meantime, the Urban Renewal Agency unanimously agreed to direct staff to attempt to negotiate an extension of the city's option to purchase property through the Columbia Gorge Premium Outlet Mall. As I pointed out in a previous blog post, it's unlikely we will be able to sell the urban renewal property before the option to buy the right of way through the outlet mall expires. Getting an extension on the option would give us more time to find a developer for the project.
Apr 22, 2008
Troutdale Urban Renewal: More Questions Than Answers
After the withdrawal of the two developers (Williams & Dame, CenterCal) who responded to Troutdale's urban renewal request for qualifications (RFQ), many people have called me with one question: what happened? The only verifiable information I have is from recent staff reports for the upcoming Urban Renewal Agency meeting tomorrow night.
I have talked to city staff, reporters, local developers and various Troutdale residents. Speculation, rumor, and finger pointing are flying back and forth. This kind of attitude won't help. I recommend that everyone take a deep breath. This is not the end of the world.
There is one difficult issue staring the city in the face- its option to purchase a "hole" through the Columbia Gorge Premium Outlet Mall in order to gain access to the urban renewal site from 257th Ave. We must exercise this option by the end of the year or we forfeit our option payment.
In October 2007, the Troutdale City Council approved an agreement to purchase 24,000 square feet, including a right of way through the outlet mall. This purchase includes 6400 square feet of existing retail space. The city made an initial payment of $300,000 to secure an option to purchase the land by December 31, 2008. Total price: $2.1 million . If the city fails to exercise the option, it loses the $300,000 initial payment.
At the time, we thought 15 months would be plenty of time to secure a developer. However, with last week's withdrawal of the two developers who responded to the city's RFQ, there now seems little chance for a land sale of the urban renewal property by the end of the year. There is no question in my mind--we need access to the urban renewal site one way or another, so we will need to exercise the option. I don't want to see $300,000 in taxpayer money go up in smoke with nothing to show for it.
City staff is now working on other options, which may or may not include:
Stay tuned.
I have talked to city staff, reporters, local developers and various Troutdale residents. Speculation, rumor, and finger pointing are flying back and forth. This kind of attitude won't help. I recommend that everyone take a deep breath. This is not the end of the world.
There is one difficult issue staring the city in the face- its option to purchase a "hole" through the Columbia Gorge Premium Outlet Mall in order to gain access to the urban renewal site from 257th Ave. We must exercise this option by the end of the year or we forfeit our option payment.
In October 2007, the Troutdale City Council approved an agreement to purchase 24,000 square feet, including a right of way through the outlet mall. This purchase includes 6400 square feet of existing retail space. The city made an initial payment of $300,000 to secure an option to purchase the land by December 31, 2008. Total price: $2.1 million . If the city fails to exercise the option, it loses the $300,000 initial payment.
At the time, we thought 15 months would be plenty of time to secure a developer. However, with last week's withdrawal of the two developers who responded to the city's RFQ, there now seems little chance for a land sale of the urban renewal property by the end of the year. There is no question in my mind--we need access to the urban renewal site one way or another, so we will need to exercise the option. I don't want to see $300,000 in taxpayer money go up in smoke with nothing to show for it.
City staff is now working on other options, which may or may not include:
- Reissuing the request for qualifications
- Listing the urban renewal property with a commercial broker
- Pursuing a destination retailer on our own without going through a developer or a commercial broker
- Doing nothing- take the entire project off the market for an undetermined time period
Stay tuned.
Apr 19, 2008
CenterCal Properties Withdraws From Troutdale Urban Renewal Selection Process
First Williams and Dame, and now CenterCal Properties have notified the city this week of their withdrawal from Troutdale's urban renewal selection process. Both developers had previously submitted responses to the Troutdale Urban Renewal Agency's Request for Qualifications. This leaves Troutdale back at square one. These two developers were the only ones who submitted responses to the Urban Renewal Agency's RFQ.
The agenda for the April 22 Urban Renewal Agency meeting originally was to include presentations by both developers as a way for the agency to get to know them better. Now, there is only one real agenda item for this meeting: Where do we go from here?
The agenda for the April 22 Urban Renewal Agency meeting originally was to include presentations by both developers as a way for the agency to get to know them better. Now, there is only one real agenda item for this meeting: Where do we go from here?
Apr 18, 2008
Williams & Dame Withdraws From Troutdale Urban Renewal Selection Process
On April 15, Williams and Dame (WDD) sent a letter to the City of Troutdale saying they were withdrawing from the selection process for Troutdale's urban renewal project. Upon receipt of this letter, ECO Northwest, the city's urban renewal consultant, contacted WDD to find out why they withdrew and encouraged them to continue their efforts in the selection process.
WDD contacted ECO Northwest yesterday and re-affirmed their decision to withdraw. Abe Farkas with Eco Northwest gave the city his impression regarding WDD's decision:
"Key reasons for the withdrawal seem to be: 1) most importantly capital markets (getting equity and debt financing) are troubling. They've got a number of projects committed where they must work through national turmoil to get project funding; 2) they feel the city wants a retail attractor as part of the development scenario and they don't believe that's viable from them at this time. They wish the city well. And if there's a revisit on the site sometime later they'd be willing to talk again."
(Information from staff reports for April 22, 2008 Troutdale Urban Renewal Agency Meeting)
WDD contacted ECO Northwest yesterday and re-affirmed their decision to withdraw. Abe Farkas with Eco Northwest gave the city his impression regarding WDD's decision:
"Key reasons for the withdrawal seem to be: 1) most importantly capital markets (getting equity and debt financing) are troubling. They've got a number of projects committed where they must work through national turmoil to get project funding; 2) they feel the city wants a retail attractor as part of the development scenario and they don't believe that's viable from them at this time. They wish the city well. And if there's a revisit on the site sometime later they'd be willing to talk again."
(Information from staff reports for April 22, 2008 Troutdale Urban Renewal Agency Meeting)
Mar 18, 2008
Troutdale Urban Renewal Committee Picks Bruning/CenterCal
Last night, after hearing separate presentations from developers Williams & Dame and CenterCal Properties, Troutdale's urban renewal advisory committee elected to bypass an RFP process and recommend Fred Bruning's CenterCal as the city's developer for its Riverfront Renewal Project. The committee's recommendation now goes to the Troutdale Urban Renewal Agency board for consideration.
During discussion of the two developers' response to the city's request for qualifications, opinions were evenly split between the two developers. But the committee's preference swung decidedly to Bruning's firm when the time came to vote between the two firms. CenterCal was the preferred developer by an 8-3 vote.
CenterCal's proposal was for a commercial development based on acquiring an anchor retail tenant, perhaps a Cabela's, that would focus on Troutdale's position as the gateway to the Columbia River Gorge. Williams and Dame representatives proposed the construction of a brand new mixed use high density neighborhood, emphasizing local retailers. They gave Portland's south waterfront and Pearl district as examples.
Bruning said he would be extremely interested in acquiring the current Columbia Gorge Outlet Mall and either updating the look and stores of the mall or replacing it entirely with something else. I believe this may have swayed the advisory committee in its decision toward recommending CenterCal. Williams and Dame representatives also said they would look into "doing something" with the outlet mall, but they didn't seem to make this a priority in their presentation. Committee members also seemed to question the sustainability of a new mixed use neighborhood on the edge of the Columbia River Gorge scenic area.
I have no idea how my fellow urban renewal agency commissioners will feel about the advisory committee's recommendation. I'm still undecided myself. But I put great weight on the advisory committee's recommendation. Their discussion/debate last night was thorough, to the point, and well reasoned. Every committee member spoke highly of each developer and agreed that either one could do a great job with the project.
During discussion of the two developers' response to the city's request for qualifications, opinions were evenly split between the two developers. But the committee's preference swung decidedly to Bruning's firm when the time came to vote between the two firms. CenterCal was the preferred developer by an 8-3 vote.
CenterCal's proposal was for a commercial development based on acquiring an anchor retail tenant, perhaps a Cabela's, that would focus on Troutdale's position as the gateway to the Columbia River Gorge. Williams and Dame representatives proposed the construction of a brand new mixed use high density neighborhood, emphasizing local retailers. They gave Portland's south waterfront and Pearl district as examples.
Bruning said he would be extremely interested in acquiring the current Columbia Gorge Outlet Mall and either updating the look and stores of the mall or replacing it entirely with something else. I believe this may have swayed the advisory committee in its decision toward recommending CenterCal. Williams and Dame representatives also said they would look into "doing something" with the outlet mall, but they didn't seem to make this a priority in their presentation. Committee members also seemed to question the sustainability of a new mixed use neighborhood on the edge of the Columbia River Gorge scenic area.
I have no idea how my fellow urban renewal agency commissioners will feel about the advisory committee's recommendation. I'm still undecided myself. But I put great weight on the advisory committee's recommendation. Their discussion/debate last night was thorough, to the point, and well reasoned. Every committee member spoke highly of each developer and agreed that either one could do a great job with the project.
Mar 14, 2008
Streetcars In Troutdale? Guess Who.
Two developers submitted responses to the city of Troutdale's RFQ for its urban renewal district. They are CenterCal Properties and William and Dames Development. I haven't looked at the actual RFQ responses, but the Mrs. (she's on the urban renewal advisory committee) mentioned to me that the Williams and Dame submittal included a streetcar as something Troutdale might enjoy as part of its Riverfront Renewal Project.
A streetcar in Troutdale. Hmm. I just hope it has nothing to do with recycled 737 airframes.
Seriously, I don't see any demand for a streetcar in Troutdale. The city certainly isn't in a financial position to construct or operate something like this. (However, Metro does want to run light rail out to Mt. Hood Community College).
Want to know more about the proposals by the two developers? Troutdale's riverfront renewal advisory committee will be meeting at the city conference building Monday, March 17 at 6:30pm, 223 S. Buxton, Troutdale. The committee will interview representatives of the developers regarding their proposals. The public is welcome.
A streetcar in Troutdale. Hmm. I just hope it has nothing to do with recycled 737 airframes.
Seriously, I don't see any demand for a streetcar in Troutdale. The city certainly isn't in a financial position to construct or operate something like this. (However, Metro does want to run light rail out to Mt. Hood Community College).
Want to know more about the proposals by the two developers? Troutdale's riverfront renewal advisory committee will be meeting at the city conference building Monday, March 17 at 6:30pm, 223 S. Buxton, Troutdale. The committee will interview representatives of the developers regarding their proposals. The public is welcome.
Feb 19, 2008
Wow. A 9 Minute Urban Renewal Agency Meeting
For a bunch of Troutdale politicians who have spent more than their share of time in meetings that went past midnight, The Troutdale city council / urban renewal agency has been setting speed records over the last few meetings.
Tonight's nine minute long urban renewal agency meeting had just one agenda item- a supplemental budget. Everyone votes yes, there's a motion to adjourn, and off we go.
Next week's city council work session should be a bit longer, and much more interesting. We'll be discussing the results of a survey of Troutdale voters that asked them their opinion on a potential new police station and/or city hall.
Tonight's nine minute long urban renewal agency meeting had just one agenda item- a supplemental budget. Everyone votes yes, there's a motion to adjourn, and off we go.
Next week's city council work session should be a bit longer, and much more interesting. We'll be discussing the results of a survey of Troutdale voters that asked them their opinion on a potential new police station and/or city hall.
Dec 16, 2007
Troutdale Budget Thoughts
The city is in decent financial shape at the moment. During this year's budget committee meetings back in April, folks were thinking up ways to spend some of the extra money. For example, the budget committee decided to fund some backlogged parks maintenance and replaced some worn out police cars a few years ahead of schedule. Thanks to a giant decrease in the city's PERS rate, we were able to fund three new city positions with the savings.
City revenues have exceeded projections in the short term of the past year or two, and city staff continues to do its usual excellent job of controlling costs. However, this rosy financial picture may not continue. The economy both locally and nationally seems to be in flux, largely due to a downturn in the housing market My guess is that new home starts in Troutdale will drop sharply in 2008. These changes in the housing market will reduce our building permit and inspection fees- a big part of our general fund budget.
It's my opinion that the Multnomah County Commission is still looking at ways to cut our share (as well as that of Gresham, Fairview, and Wood Village) of the county's business income tax (BIT). Admittedly, they voted to keep giving the east county cities their share of the BIT earlier this year, but that could change with next years elections. Let's face it, the county is facing a large deficit each year, and they're naturally going to do what all political entities do- look out for #1 first. We'll need to remain vigilant in protecting our share of this tax.
On the expense side, the construction estimate for our new Parks & Rec. facilities building went up from $700k to $1.2 Million. This was an unpleasant surprise, and the mutual finger pointing between city staff and the construction consultant is still fresh in my mind. We haven't decided if we're going to pay for this new building with cash reserves or short term financing.. City staff is suggesting short term financing.
Our new urban renewal district is still pretty much worthless and will only generate $20-30k in tax increment revenue this year. In the meantime, city staff is suggesting a $500k loan from the city to the urban renewal agency to cover urban renewal costs in the short term. This puts the members of the city council in a difficult position, because we serve as both the city council and the urban renewal agency. They're two completely separate legal entities. What's good for the urban renewal agency in this case isn't necessarily good for the city's general fund. Some hard decisions will need to be made, and I haven't sorted out the legal, financial and ethical questions in my own mind yet concerning this conflict.
During this month's budget committee session, city staff gave us a sobering look at the city's road maintenance situation. Like every city, county, and state in the nation, Troutdale is looking at a growing gap in road maintenance funding. City staff advised we're probably about $400k short annually in funding adequate road maintenance. This got my attention.
The "priority lens" I look through to determine priorities for the city's "needs" versus "wants" shakes out as follows:
1) Public Safety-Police/Fire
2) Water Service/Sewer
3) Public roads, other city infrastructure
4) Parks and Recreation
5) Economic Development
6) Everything Else
I've only discussed a few of my concerns about Troutdale's budget picture. I don't have the recent financial data in front of me, so this blog post is missing any real numbers. The city council, the budget committee, and city staff should continue to take a very careful view of the city's needs versus wants. Troutdale has a history of thoughtful and prudent budgeting. I have every confidence that as a city we'll continue to make good use of our taxpayer's money.
City revenues have exceeded projections in the short term of the past year or two, and city staff continues to do its usual excellent job of controlling costs. However, this rosy financial picture may not continue. The economy both locally and nationally seems to be in flux, largely due to a downturn in the housing market My guess is that new home starts in Troutdale will drop sharply in 2008. These changes in the housing market will reduce our building permit and inspection fees- a big part of our general fund budget.
It's my opinion that the Multnomah County Commission is still looking at ways to cut our share (as well as that of Gresham, Fairview, and Wood Village) of the county's business income tax (BIT). Admittedly, they voted to keep giving the east county cities their share of the BIT earlier this year, but that could change with next years elections. Let's face it, the county is facing a large deficit each year, and they're naturally going to do what all political entities do- look out for #1 first. We'll need to remain vigilant in protecting our share of this tax.
On the expense side, the construction estimate for our new Parks & Rec. facilities building went up from $700k to $1.2 Million. This was an unpleasant surprise, and the mutual finger pointing between city staff and the construction consultant is still fresh in my mind. We haven't decided if we're going to pay for this new building with cash reserves or short term financing.. City staff is suggesting short term financing.
Our new urban renewal district is still pretty much worthless and will only generate $20-30k in tax increment revenue this year. In the meantime, city staff is suggesting a $500k loan from the city to the urban renewal agency to cover urban renewal costs in the short term. This puts the members of the city council in a difficult position, because we serve as both the city council and the urban renewal agency. They're two completely separate legal entities. What's good for the urban renewal agency in this case isn't necessarily good for the city's general fund. Some hard decisions will need to be made, and I haven't sorted out the legal, financial and ethical questions in my own mind yet concerning this conflict.
During this month's budget committee session, city staff gave us a sobering look at the city's road maintenance situation. Like every city, county, and state in the nation, Troutdale is looking at a growing gap in road maintenance funding. City staff advised we're probably about $400k short annually in funding adequate road maintenance. This got my attention.
The "priority lens" I look through to determine priorities for the city's "needs" versus "wants" shakes out as follows:
1) Public Safety-Police/Fire
2) Water Service/Sewer
3) Public roads, other city infrastructure
4) Parks and Recreation
5) Economic Development
6) Everything Else
I've only discussed a few of my concerns about Troutdale's budget picture. I don't have the recent financial data in front of me, so this blog post is missing any real numbers. The city council, the budget committee, and city staff should continue to take a very careful view of the city's needs versus wants. Troutdale has a history of thoughtful and prudent budgeting. I have every confidence that as a city we'll continue to make good use of our taxpayer's money.
Dec 2, 2007
Troutdale Urban Renewal Cash Flow
Troutdale's urban renewal district behind the Columbia Gorge outlet mall is still on this side of landlocked, and stagnant in any property value increase. Granted, we successfully negotiated an option to purchase a portion of the outlet mall (it was a "friendly" condemnation) in order to punch a road through, giving eventual access to the urban renewal site.
The problem with our urban renewal district right now is this: No urban renewal district property value increase means no tax increment finance revenue, which means no real income for the urban renewal district. However, there are urban renewal district expenses that will need to be paid in the short term. Expenses that may run into six figures. The urban renewal district doesn't have that kind of money yet, so where will it come up with the cash?
City staff has presented the city council with two scenarios:
1) The city council could loan the cash to the urban renewal district directly from the city's general fund.
PRO: simple transaction.
CON: a six-figure dip into the city's general fund reserves may backfire if city revenue and expense estimates don't pan out.
2) The city council could arrange for a line of credit with a bank, and loan the urban renewal district money from the line of credit.
PRO: Line of credit would maintain existing reserves in city general fund.
CON: Line of credit would mean interest expense.
It's important to keep in mind that although the Troutdale city council also serves as the Troutdale urban renewal agency, the city council and urban renewal agency are two separate legal entities.
When city staff presented the two options I mentioned above, a majority of the city council leaned in favor of a straight cash loan from the city to the urban renewal agency.
Personally, I think it would be a terrible mistake to loan $100-200 thousand dollars in city general fund cash directly to the urban renewal district. City revenues are dependent on highly volatile building permit fees and property tax revenues. City expenses could change with the next significant weather event, broken city well, or unexpected legal fees. We pay the City of Gresham for fire service. What if Gresham's costs to provide fire service increase dramatically? Contractually, they can force us to pay more for significantly higher fire protection costs.
What if the city loaned several hundred dollars in cash to the urban renewal district, only to have a city general fund shortfall due to unforeseen circumstances? Is it fair to Troutdale taxpayers to be on the hook for this money, when we assured them the urban renewal district would pay for itself? What about the worst case scenario- no developer comes forward to purchase and develop the urban renewal property? The city would be stuck with the loss, and the urban renewal district would never have sufficient revenues to repay the city. And Troutdale's taxpayers would be left holding the bag. The city would still have to repay a line of credit, but we could probably do this over a period of years.
It seems to me that the safest choice would be to use the line of credit and pay the extra interest expense. The urban renewal district's need for short term cash will disappear the second a developer buys the urban renewal district property. It makes sense to me to keep the city and the urban renewal district at arms length when it comes to money transfers from the city. It would mean less risk for Troutdale's taxpayers, although at a slightly higher cost.
Perhaps a solution would be a mixture of cash loan and line of credit. Minor expenses such as urban renewal district marketing, and consultant fees may be small enough to justify a smaller cash loan from the city's general fund.
No decision has been made yet regarding how to finance the urban renewal district's short term cash flow needs. City staff will be giving us more information and more options at a future meeting.
The problem with our urban renewal district right now is this: No urban renewal district property value increase means no tax increment finance revenue, which means no real income for the urban renewal district. However, there are urban renewal district expenses that will need to be paid in the short term. Expenses that may run into six figures. The urban renewal district doesn't have that kind of money yet, so where will it come up with the cash?
City staff has presented the city council with two scenarios:
1) The city council could loan the cash to the urban renewal district directly from the city's general fund.
PRO: simple transaction.
CON: a six-figure dip into the city's general fund reserves may backfire if city revenue and expense estimates don't pan out.
2) The city council could arrange for a line of credit with a bank, and loan the urban renewal district money from the line of credit.
PRO: Line of credit would maintain existing reserves in city general fund.
CON: Line of credit would mean interest expense.
It's important to keep in mind that although the Troutdale city council also serves as the Troutdale urban renewal agency, the city council and urban renewal agency are two separate legal entities.
When city staff presented the two options I mentioned above, a majority of the city council leaned in favor of a straight cash loan from the city to the urban renewal agency.
Personally, I think it would be a terrible mistake to loan $100-200 thousand dollars in city general fund cash directly to the urban renewal district. City revenues are dependent on highly volatile building permit fees and property tax revenues. City expenses could change with the next significant weather event, broken city well, or unexpected legal fees. We pay the City of Gresham for fire service. What if Gresham's costs to provide fire service increase dramatically? Contractually, they can force us to pay more for significantly higher fire protection costs.
What if the city loaned several hundred dollars in cash to the urban renewal district, only to have a city general fund shortfall due to unforeseen circumstances? Is it fair to Troutdale taxpayers to be on the hook for this money, when we assured them the urban renewal district would pay for itself? What about the worst case scenario- no developer comes forward to purchase and develop the urban renewal property? The city would be stuck with the loss, and the urban renewal district would never have sufficient revenues to repay the city. And Troutdale's taxpayers would be left holding the bag. The city would still have to repay a line of credit, but we could probably do this over a period of years.
It seems to me that the safest choice would be to use the line of credit and pay the extra interest expense. The urban renewal district's need for short term cash will disappear the second a developer buys the urban renewal district property. It makes sense to me to keep the city and the urban renewal district at arms length when it comes to money transfers from the city. It would mean less risk for Troutdale's taxpayers, although at a slightly higher cost.
Perhaps a solution would be a mixture of cash loan and line of credit. Minor expenses such as urban renewal district marketing, and consultant fees may be small enough to justify a smaller cash loan from the city's general fund.
No decision has been made yet regarding how to finance the urban renewal district's short term cash flow needs. City staff will be giving us more information and more options at a future meeting.
Sep 5, 2007
Advisory Committees? Who Needs 'Em?
At last week's Troutdale Urban Renewal Agency meeting, the Agency voted to revoke the responsibility of RFQ/RFP review and recommendation from the Urban Renewal Advisory Committee. I did not support this decision and argued against it, to no avail. So did Barbara Kyle and Doug Daoust. Commissioner Norm Thomas was not present.
Agency commissioners Thalhofer, Ripma and Kight said the committee members could make recommendations individually, just like any other citizen. I felt that this attitude was an insult to the hard work the committee has done in the past and has committed to in the future. Conveniently forgotten was the reason the committee was formed in the first place- to review and recommend RFP's. It's why the Urban Renewal Agency insisted on a diversity of knowledge and experience on the committee. RFP experience. Finance experience. Real estate experience. Community experience. All that experience? It's now thrown out the back door.
This decision was small town all the way.
Agency commissioners Thalhofer, Ripma and Kight said the committee members could make recommendations individually, just like any other citizen. I felt that this attitude was an insult to the hard work the committee has done in the past and has committed to in the future. Conveniently forgotten was the reason the committee was formed in the first place- to review and recommend RFP's. It's why the Urban Renewal Agency insisted on a diversity of knowledge and experience on the committee. RFP experience. Finance experience. Real estate experience. Community experience. All that experience? It's now thrown out the back door.
This decision was small town all the way.
Sep 3, 2007
A Weekend To Write Home About
It was a pretty good weekend. The Mrs. and I enjoyed some quality time together. We also did some things all by our lonesomes.
Friday night, the Mrs. made chicken soup. You might think this doesn't sound exciting. But you're never tasted her soup! It was worth the wait. We also allowed Mr. Oreo in the house. Something we never do, because Oreos have a tendency to disappear very quickly. We held back, though, because we had a lot of soup. So those Oreos still in the package will live to see another few days.
Saturday morning after dropping the Mrs. off at a church seminar, I headed down to the Troutdale General Store to talk politics, land use, and local gossip with the usual cast of suspects. It's what I do just about every Saturday. You never know who will show up, or what mood people will be in.
The first topic is almost always "Did you see what so-and-so wrote in today's Gresham Outlook?" For instance, discussion of articles in Saturday's Outlook included noise at McMenamin's concerts,a pending purchase of the "Pig Farm" property by McMenamins and the Reynolds School District, and letters to the editor regarding the new FedEx regional hub.Sometimes all I hear is how f****d up the Troutdale city council is. Fair enough, right? People are entitled to their opinions. Sometimes they're right. More often than we'd like to admit!
We spent yesterday afternoon/evening with the in-laws. We talked about the Seattle Mariners, flowers, recipes, the Miss America pageant, how every one's fig trees were producing, car problems, church, the weather (Of course!), and WHERE TO GO FOR DINNER.
Do you have that conversation with family members? Where should we go for dinner? The delicate dance of trying to make everyone happy. No one wants to jump in first with a suggestion. They don't want to get shot down. Second suggestions? Usually 100% affirmation. Just don't be first to suggest a place, that's my plan. Me, I'll eat anywhere except the Roadhouse or Red Robin. Yuck.
We ended up going to a Chinese food establishment. It was a little scary because a woman in the booth next to ours wore full blown Dracula makeup. And she looked like she wasn't pretending to be a vampire, from where I was sitting. I kept one eye on my mu shu pork, and one eye on Countess Dracula.
After coming home from dinner, we completed the evening by sitting in our backyard, enjoying the proverbial adult beverage. While the sun extinguished itself on the horizon, and our dog rolled in the grass, we toasted to our good fortune and called it a night.
Friday night, the Mrs. made chicken soup. You might think this doesn't sound exciting. But you're never tasted her soup! It was worth the wait. We also allowed Mr. Oreo in the house. Something we never do, because Oreos have a tendency to disappear very quickly. We held back, though, because we had a lot of soup. So those Oreos still in the package will live to see another few days.
Saturday morning after dropping the Mrs. off at a church seminar, I headed down to the Troutdale General Store to talk politics, land use, and local gossip with the usual cast of suspects. It's what I do just about every Saturday. You never know who will show up, or what mood people will be in.
The first topic is almost always "Did you see what so-and-so wrote in today's Gresham Outlook?" For instance, discussion of articles in Saturday's Outlook included noise at McMenamin's concerts,a pending purchase of the "Pig Farm" property by McMenamins and the Reynolds School District, and letters to the editor regarding the new FedEx regional hub.Sometimes all I hear is how f****d up the Troutdale city council is. Fair enough, right? People are entitled to their opinions. Sometimes they're right. More often than we'd like to admit!
We spent yesterday afternoon/evening with the in-laws. We talked about the Seattle Mariners, flowers, recipes, the Miss America pageant, how every one's fig trees were producing, car problems, church, the weather (Of course!), and WHERE TO GO FOR DINNER.
Do you have that conversation with family members? Where should we go for dinner? The delicate dance of trying to make everyone happy. No one wants to jump in first with a suggestion. They don't want to get shot down. Second suggestions? Usually 100% affirmation. Just don't be first to suggest a place, that's my plan. Me, I'll eat anywhere except the Roadhouse or Red Robin. Yuck.
We ended up going to a Chinese food establishment. It was a little scary because a woman in the booth next to ours wore full blown Dracula makeup. And she looked like she wasn't pretending to be a vampire, from where I was sitting. I kept one eye on my mu shu pork, and one eye on Countess Dracula.
After coming home from dinner, we completed the evening by sitting in our backyard, enjoying the proverbial adult beverage. While the sun extinguished itself on the horizon, and our dog rolled in the grass, we toasted to our good fortune and called it a night.
Jul 31, 2007
Troutdale Enterprise Zone Work Session
I just got back from our city council work session regarding the joint Troutdale/Fairview Enterprise Zone (EZ). First, we decided that Fairview and Troutdale would each have their own criteria within the joint EZ.
Next, we covered four basic points:
1)Areas zoned industrial to be included in the two city Enterprise Zone:
In Troutdale, we're going to limit the EZ to just the old Reynolds Metals area. Which means no EZ for the pig farm property across the street from McMenamins Edgefield, and No EZ for the industrial land adjacent to Mt. Hood Community College (click here to see a map of the original proposed industrial lands considered for the EZ in Troutdale and Fairview).
2)Hotel/motel option inclusion or exclusion:
We decided to include this option.
3) Name for the two city joint application e.g. Troutdale-Fairview EZ:
We decided on a neutral name such as Cascade-Columbia EZ, or something along those lines.
4)EZ Manager:
There will be co-managers, one each for Fairview and Troutdale. The first year, we will probably contract with the city of Gresham to manage the new EZ
Next, we discussed Enterprise Zone Criteria that companies must meet in order to be eligible for tax abatement, as follows:
Minimum Investment:
We were all over the board here. There wasn't any agreement, except that we didn't have enough information to make a decision. Some wanted a $1 million minimum investment with a $75/SF minimum. Others wanted $100/sf minimum. City staff pointed out that the FEDEX's pure construction cost will come in at $53-57/sf, so a higher minimum than $50 is problematic if FEDEX is to meet this requirement. So city staff will be coming back to us with more information next time. I predict a battle with this item in the future.
First Source Agreement:
We'll probably go with the state-required minimums, but again, we wanted more information.
Procurement Plan:
Of course, we all want to see preference given to Troutdale or east county vendors. But we were undecided on details. Again, we wanted more specifics on what we could or could not require.
Job Quality:
Quite a bit of disagreement here. Some wanted a requirement of 75% of full time employees at 200% of minimum wage, plus benefits. Some wanted an average of all employees at 150% of minimum wage. According to the Port of Portland representative at the work session, FEDEX indicated that had a concern with e 200% minimum wage level for 75% of full time employees. No decision was made tonight. This will be a tough call. But personally, I would rather have a lot of jobs at 150% of minimum wage than no jobs at all.
Application Fee:
Surprise: We were unanimous on a .1% of the value of the investment.
Maximum Length of Tax Abatement:
The consensus (Actually, I counted a 5-2 split on this) was for only three years of tax abatement.
And that was that. Earlier tonight,we also had an executive session regarding negotiations for the road through the Chelsea property. I hope to have news on these negotiations within a month or two.(In a nutshell, Troutdale's urban renewal area is landlocked. We need to demolish a small section of the outlet mall in order to build a road through the existing Columbia Gorge Premium Outlet Mall. After the Troutdale city council voted last year to approve condemnation proceedings against Chelsea for the land needed for this road, the city and Chelsea began negotiating the terms and conditions for a "friendly" condemnation).
Next, we covered four basic points:
1)Areas zoned industrial to be included in the two city Enterprise Zone:
In Troutdale, we're going to limit the EZ to just the old Reynolds Metals area. Which means no EZ for the pig farm property across the street from McMenamins Edgefield, and No EZ for the industrial land adjacent to Mt. Hood Community College (click here to see a map of the original proposed industrial lands considered for the EZ in Troutdale and Fairview).
2)Hotel/motel option inclusion or exclusion:
We decided to include this option.
3) Name for the two city joint application e.g. Troutdale-Fairview EZ:
We decided on a neutral name such as Cascade-Columbia EZ, or something along those lines.
4)EZ Manager:
There will be co-managers, one each for Fairview and Troutdale. The first year, we will probably contract with the city of Gresham to manage the new EZ
Next, we discussed Enterprise Zone Criteria that companies must meet in order to be eligible for tax abatement, as follows:
Minimum Investment:
We were all over the board here. There wasn't any agreement, except that we didn't have enough information to make a decision. Some wanted a $1 million minimum investment with a $75/SF minimum. Others wanted $100/sf minimum. City staff pointed out that the FEDEX's pure construction cost will come in at $53-57/sf, so a higher minimum than $50 is problematic if FEDEX is to meet this requirement. So city staff will be coming back to us with more information next time. I predict a battle with this item in the future.
First Source Agreement:
We'll probably go with the state-required minimums, but again, we wanted more information.
Procurement Plan:
Of course, we all want to see preference given to Troutdale or east county vendors. But we were undecided on details. Again, we wanted more specifics on what we could or could not require.
Job Quality:
Quite a bit of disagreement here. Some wanted a requirement of 75% of full time employees at 200% of minimum wage, plus benefits. Some wanted an average of all employees at 150% of minimum wage. According to the Port of Portland representative at the work session, FEDEX indicated that had a concern with e 200% minimum wage level for 75% of full time employees. No decision was made tonight. This will be a tough call. But personally, I would rather have a lot of jobs at 150% of minimum wage than no jobs at all.
Application Fee:
Surprise: We were unanimous on a .1% of the value of the investment.
Maximum Length of Tax Abatement:
The consensus (Actually, I counted a 5-2 split on this) was for only three years of tax abatement.
And that was that. Earlier tonight,we also had an executive session regarding negotiations for the road through the Chelsea property. I hope to have news on these negotiations within a month or two.(In a nutshell, Troutdale's urban renewal area is landlocked. We need to demolish a small section of the outlet mall in order to build a road through the existing Columbia Gorge Premium Outlet Mall. After the Troutdale city council voted last year to approve condemnation proceedings against Chelsea for the land needed for this road, the city and Chelsea began negotiating the terms and conditions for a "friendly" condemnation).
Jul 18, 2007
Troutdale Urban Renewal Update
Finally, some progress has been made with property negotiations for Troutdale's riverfront renewal district. Last night, the Troutdale urban renewal agency voted to approve an option agreement for purchase and sale of real property of approximately 8.3 acres from Eastwind Development LLC. Click here for a map showing the location of the Eastwind property.
To read the complete agreement, click here to download it from the City of Troutdale website.
Here are some of the key terms:
We're still wrapping up final negotiations for purchase of the "hole" we need to build through the Columbia Gorge Premium outlet mall. But I expect that to be completed within a few weeks.
To read the complete agreement, click here to download it from the City of Troutdale website.
Here are some of the key terms:
- Eastwind must pay for the demolition of structures and environmental remediation on the Eastwind property.
- The purchase price is $1,611,973.
We're still wrapping up final negotiations for purchase of the "hole" we need to build through the Columbia Gorge Premium outlet mall. But I expect that to be completed within a few weeks.
Jul 15, 2007
Eugene Goes For Facelift Number. . .(I lost count)
Kudos to Jack Bog's blog for bringing attention to Eugene's latest idea for downtown revitalization- mixed use condos, apartments, maybe a hotel (what? no Whole Foods? No Symantec?), all of it heavily subsidized by federal money and/or tax increment financing.
Oh, this one cracks me up. My family moved from Portland to Eugene in 1968. This was just in time to watch Eugene utilize, you guessed it-- urban renewal. The city demolished their downtown core and turned it into a car-free pedestian mall. Many historic buildings were demolished in the process. I have no idea how many millions of tax dollars it cost, but the project was an utter and complete failure.
The pedestrian mall turned into a ghost town. It killed the downtown core. Literally. For a time in the 70's, when I was working at Chrystalship records (HI! Chrystalship time!) on the pedestrian mall, it and a hi-fi store, and Brownie's Karmel corn were the only thriving businesses.
Oh, this one cracks me up. My family moved from Portland to Eugene in 1968. This was just in time to watch Eugene utilize, you guessed it-- urban renewal. The city demolished their downtown core and turned it into a car-free pedestian mall. Many historic buildings were demolished in the process. I have no idea how many millions of tax dollars it cost, but the project was an utter and complete failure.
The pedestrian mall turned into a ghost town. It killed the downtown core. Literally. For a time in the 70's, when I was working at Chrystalship records (HI! Chrystalship time!) on the pedestrian mall, it and a hi-fi store, and Brownie's Karmel corn were the only thriving businesses.
Jul 13, 2007
Elected Official's Winter Wish Comes True!
Remember last winter, when it was cold and snowy and icy? Boy, I do. I remember specifically wishing would it PLEEZ be summer already, for crying out loud, as I lay on the snowy street after I slipped and sprained my wrist in January.
So you're thinking to yourself. What does a stupid wish have to do with Troutdale politics? It supports the statement, "Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.". I'm so thrilled with proof that this wishing stuff really works, that my next wish is NOT for world peace (I think the beauty pageant people have a lock on that one), but for my fellow Troutdale city councilors to agree wholeheartedly with everything I propose for the rest of the year.
Here's my wish list. Let's get rid of all A-2 and R-4 zoning, replacing it with minimum R-5. Let's get the urban renewal project finished. Let's start some neighborhood associations. Let's stop paying unnecessary legal fees of $300k to developers. Let's have our city council meetings end at 10pm instead of midnight or 1am. Let's pressure ODOT to fix the Frontage Road/ I-84 Troutdale exit vortex of pain. Let's urge Multnomah County to put their new library at the old Thriftway store on Stark, and not in downtown Troutdale. Let's make sure we solve the loose trash problem before winter winds kick in.
And finally, let's make sure that trams made from recycled 737 fuselages never see the light of day Troutdale.
May 20, 2007
Troutdale Political Smorgasboard For May
What's been happening in Troutdale lately? Aside from some wonderful spring weather, several pieces of news have come out of our fine town. In no particular order of relevance, here are some recent highlights and lowlights.
After months of negotiations, the Troutdale City Council approved an agreement with Union Pacific Railroad which allows construction of an access road under the Sandy River railroad bridge to the southeast corner of our urban renewal area behind the Columbia Gorge outlet mall. The road will have a great name: Drovers Trail Road. This urban renewal area, our old sewer treatment site, will soon be transformed into 48 acres of new commercial and residential projects, and also a riverfront park.
Also this month, the City Council (unfortunately) raised Troutdale's water fees by 20 cents per thousand gallons. Although this is the first raise in water fees since 1995, we had little choice. One of our wells developed significant problems and needed an overhaul. We are also adding a new well to keep our water supply in line with future growth. It's important to note that general fund money can't be used for these purposes. Troutdale's water fund budget operates only from its own revenue. Water fees alone pay for our water service.
What's going on at the old Reynolds aluminum site? The Gresham Outlook reported that "Federal Express is in preliminary talks with the Port of Portland and the city of Troutdale to build a major distribution hub for the Northwest that could add nearly 800 jobs to East County." It's not a done deal by any stretch. But at least we're a serious contender. Prior to FEDEX's pre-application meeting with city staff, this was supposed to be confidential information. I was a little surprised to read about the pre-application meeting in the newspaper instead of hearing it from city staff. I wonder if they don't trust the city council?. . .
And then there was that little discussion at a Troutdale city council meeting about a proposed private casino at the old Greyhound track in Wood Village.
Before I discuss the meeting, a little background is in order. A couple of Lake Oswego business folks, Matthew Rossman and Bruce Studer, are gunning to get two initiatives on the November 2008 ballot that would, if approved by state voters, allow Oregon’s first private casino at the old greyhound track at NE 223rd & Glisan.
Two state wide ballot measures must pass in 2008 to make this private casino possible. One would allow for this first non-tribal casino in the State to be built in the first place. And in a close-the-barn-door-we don't want private competition move, the second initiative would prevent any other non-tribal casinos from being built in the future. I won't get into their sale pitch here. You can read about it at their website, http://www.goodfororegon.org/
This site is in Wood Village. But Fairview, and more specifically the planned neighborhood known as Fairview Village is across the street. Troutdale and Gresham aren't close to this facility but are adjacent to Wood Village city limits.
Along comes Oregon Senator Laurie Monnes Anderson, who fast-tracked SB1042 through the Oregon Senate. The day before the vote on this bill,she appeared before the Troutdale City Council to listen to "input". Also attending this city council meeting were Wood Village Mayor David Fuller and Fairview Mayor Mike Weatherby. According to Fuller, Sen. Monnes Anderson and Fairview Mayor Weatherby sandbagged him and Wood Village with SB1042. They didn't ask for any input from Wood Village city staff. But interestingly, according to Fuller, they did approach the city of Gresham and the Gresham Outlook newspaper. Sounds like a sandbag to me. You can read the gory details in the Outlook article here.
I'm against ANY casino being built in Multnomah County. But I object to Senator Monnes Anderson's intrusion into Wood Village's right to decide what to pursue within their own city limits. The League of Oregon Cities lobbied against this bill for the same reason. The bill was referred to the House Judiciary committee on May 17. In any event, if you go by the negative opinions of the proposed casino expressed at the online version of the Outlook, east Multnomah County residents don't care what it takes. They don't want this casino. Neither do I.
Finally, here's a look ahead: May 29, the West Columbia Gorge Chamber of Commerce is scheduled to ask the City of Troutdale for funding for a new Economic Development position at the Chamber. The city council rejected this idea earlier this year. Then, Troutdale City Administrator John Anderson added the funding to Troutdale's proposed 2007-08 budget, only to have the Troutdale budget committee reject the funding and refer the question back to the city council. This could get interesting.
After months of negotiations, the Troutdale City Council approved an agreement with Union Pacific Railroad which allows construction of an access road under the Sandy River railroad bridge to the southeast corner of our urban renewal area behind the Columbia Gorge outlet mall. The road will have a great name: Drovers Trail Road. This urban renewal area, our old sewer treatment site, will soon be transformed into 48 acres of new commercial and residential projects, and also a riverfront park.
Also this month, the City Council (unfortunately) raised Troutdale's water fees by 20 cents per thousand gallons. Although this is the first raise in water fees since 1995, we had little choice. One of our wells developed significant problems and needed an overhaul. We are also adding a new well to keep our water supply in line with future growth. It's important to note that general fund money can't be used for these purposes. Troutdale's water fund budget operates only from its own revenue. Water fees alone pay for our water service.
What's going on at the old Reynolds aluminum site? The Gresham Outlook reported that "Federal Express is in preliminary talks with the Port of Portland and the city of Troutdale to build a major distribution hub for the Northwest that could add nearly 800 jobs to East County." It's not a done deal by any stretch. But at least we're a serious contender. Prior to FEDEX's pre-application meeting with city staff, this was supposed to be confidential information. I was a little surprised to read about the pre-application meeting in the newspaper instead of hearing it from city staff. I wonder if they don't trust the city council?. . .
And then there was that little discussion at a Troutdale city council meeting about a proposed private casino at the old Greyhound track in Wood Village.
Before I discuss the meeting, a little background is in order. A couple of Lake Oswego business folks, Matthew Rossman and Bruce Studer, are gunning to get two initiatives on the November 2008 ballot that would, if approved by state voters, allow Oregon’s first private casino at the old greyhound track at NE 223rd & Glisan.
Two state wide ballot measures must pass in 2008 to make this private casino possible. One would allow for this first non-tribal casino in the State to be built in the first place. And in a close-the-barn-door-we don't want private competition move, the second initiative would prevent any other non-tribal casinos from being built in the future. I won't get into their sale pitch here. You can read about it at their website, http://www.goodfororegon.org/
This site is in Wood Village. But Fairview, and more specifically the planned neighborhood known as Fairview Village is across the street. Troutdale and Gresham aren't close to this facility but are adjacent to Wood Village city limits.
Along comes Oregon Senator Laurie Monnes Anderson, who fast-tracked SB1042 through the Oregon Senate. The day before the vote on this bill,she appeared before the Troutdale City Council to listen to "input". Also attending this city council meeting were Wood Village Mayor David Fuller and Fairview Mayor Mike Weatherby. According to Fuller, Sen. Monnes Anderson and Fairview Mayor Weatherby sandbagged him and Wood Village with SB1042. They didn't ask for any input from Wood Village city staff. But interestingly, according to Fuller, they did approach the city of Gresham and the Gresham Outlook newspaper. Sounds like a sandbag to me. You can read the gory details in the Outlook article here.
I'm against ANY casino being built in Multnomah County. But I object to Senator Monnes Anderson's intrusion into Wood Village's right to decide what to pursue within their own city limits. The League of Oregon Cities lobbied against this bill for the same reason. The bill was referred to the House Judiciary committee on May 17. In any event, if you go by the negative opinions of the proposed casino expressed at the online version of the Outlook, east Multnomah County residents don't care what it takes. They don't want this casino. Neither do I.
Finally, here's a look ahead: May 29, the West Columbia Gorge Chamber of Commerce is scheduled to ask the City of Troutdale for funding for a new Economic Development position at the Chamber. The city council rejected this idea earlier this year. Then, Troutdale City Administrator John Anderson added the funding to Troutdale's proposed 2007-08 budget, only to have the Troutdale budget committee reject the funding and refer the question back to the city council. This could get interesting.
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Later, all the new commercial developers passed up downtown Eugene and built complexes out near Valley River Center and the elsewhere. I always wondered why they didn't build in the downtown core.
The list of failed projects in downtown Eugene is long, starting with the initial urban renewal project in 1968, which resulted in the demolition of many historic buildings.The Hilton Hotel/Convention was supposed to "save downtown", if I remember correctly. It didn't.
I heard that the downtown area trees were basically "clearcut", what a waste.
Symantec located downtown for a while, but as soon as their tax abatement expired, they took the midnight train outta-town.
And now on the table is a proposal to De-mall and condo-ize downtown. Why not, what the heck, right?
I believe Eugene's original sins were:
(1) to allow the construction of the Valley River Mall, and
(2) to NOT prohibit commercial construction anywhere but their downtown core.
You know what, though? In spite of the problems there, I love Eugene. It was a great place to grow up. It's still a great town. (But not as great as Troutdale mind you. . . .)Viva Eugene!