Many of Oregon’s highest profile business relocations and expansions have occurred on certified sites including Subaru in Portland’s Rivergate District,Genentech in Hillsboro, Facebook in Prineville, Google in The Dalles and Sanyo Solar in Salem.
The recent “Value of Jobs” industrial land availability report has identified a challenging shortfall of larger, development-ready industrial property within the Portland area.
Business Oregon, Portland Business Alliance, Port of Portland, Metro and the Commercial Real Estate Development Association helped produce the report, which details the importance of available, ready-to-develop industrial land for the creation of higher-paying jobs for Oregonians.
In addition to finding that only five development-ready sites of 25 acres or larger exist in the Portland area, the report found just one 50-acre and one 100-acre site available for development within 180 days. The report also found that there are no 100-plus acre sites available for development within a 30-month time frame.
The report estimates that building out 12 major industrial sites could create nearly 10,900 jobs for the region.
Given the shortage of development-ready industrial sites in the Portland Metro area, it is critical that more sites are made available for companies seeking to create jobs here in Oregon. That is why we work to certify industrial sites that will be attractive to site selectors and developers, because we know they inject much-needed certainty into the development process.
Recently, Business Oregon, working with our state and local partners, certified a 17.25-acre industrial site in the Airport Way Industrial Corridor in Portland paving the way for crucial job creation efforts there.
The site, part of the largest industrial parcel left in the highly successful Interstate Crossroads Distribution Center development, is the 72nd to be certified by Business Oregon since the state program’s inception in 2003.
Certified Industrial Sites are considered “project ready” – meaning the typical impediments to development have been identified and resolved and building can begin within 180 days of a development decision. Issues related to environmental clearances, zoning, utilities and transportation are addressed by the appropriate state, local, and tribal agencies prior to confirmation of the site’s readiness to be developed. All certified sites are reviewed by an independent certifier for adherence to the program’s strict guidelines.
Certification is one of the cornerstones of the state’s industrial development strategy. Many of Oregon’s highest profile business relocations and expansions have occurred on certified sites, including Subaru in Portland’s Rivergate District; Genentech in Hillsboro; Facebook in Prineville; Google in The Dalles; Sanyo Solar in Salem; as well as large distribution centers for Home Depot and Lowe’s Home Improvement in Salem and Lebanon, respectively.
Business Oregon works with its partners throughout the state to find and prepare such sites through its industrial lands certification efforts, and more information on the program can be found at www.oregon4biz.com/The-Oregon-Advantage/Sites.
