City of Arlington sells land near airport for $10.1 million

At a public hearing at Arlington City Hall last week, the Arlington City Council shared that a buyer had offered $10.1 million to purchase approximately 375 acres of land near the airport, at the Mesa above Arlington.

The property, located at 801 Airport Road, has been zoned for industrial use, but no information about the potential buyer was offered at the hearing or at the city council meeting that followed.

The council sat tight-lipped as several members of the public expressed their support, and some asked for information about the buyer.

Due to a non-disclosure agreement that members of the City Council signed last year, no further information was given.

Later, the council went into executive session and emerged with an agreement to allow the engineering and development of city infrastructure. The council also approved the sale agreement with a reimbursement agreement with the unnamed entity.

As this is a sale of publicly owned land, the buyer will be known in time and the information will be publicly available.

The sale is a significant leap for the City of Arlington and for economic development in Gilliam County.

The Arlington City Council and the Port of Arlington began working on development at the Arlington Mesa in 2012. The Mesa offered favorable leases to businesses, hoping that companies might move some operations to the site.

But with limited infrastructure the investments from companies were limited.

With new leadership from Jed Crowther at the Port of Arlington, and support from the Arlington City Council and the Gilliam County Court – efforts to promote the Arlington Mesa Industrial Park intensified.

The Gilliam County Court worked to find additional incentives and promoted the industrial park on its website.

The Arlington Mesa Industrial Park is located in the middle of Oregon's data center triangle, Northwest's food manufacturing corridor, and the Columbia River power and fiber grid. Facilities can be serviced with 250 MW of redundant power directly sourced from 5 generation facilities plus 8 large wind farms. Parcels up to 230 acres are available at very competitive rates.

Incentives include the Business Energy Tax Credit Program, the Strategic Investment Program, Enterprise Zone designation, loan funds, workforce training funds, local site and engineering assistance, and the homestead housing rebate.

The potential for jobs and development at the site have excited the local population.

In addition to the sale of the Mesa Industrial property, the Port of Arlington is finalizing its plans for the Alkali Ridge housing development. The planned subdivision will prioritize workforce housing in a subdivision of Arlington.

In addition, Waste Management of the Northwest is in the process of doubling its footprint at its site just outside of Arlington. The company employs several hundred people and with the expansion, it will likely expand as well.

The community in Arlington is also hoping to get a grant for a new park in Arlington and the Earl Snell Riverfront park and the marina at the Port of Arlington have become increasingly popular.

Long plagued by the flooding of the old town and relocation of Arlington when the John Day Dam was constructed – there is a strong feeling of optimism taking shape.

Editor's Note: We'll provide more information on the sale of the property at 801 Airport Road at the Arlington Industrial Mesa when we can.