By: Paige Rouse
for the Port of Hood River

With just three remaining items to complete for infrastructure development on the 11-acre Lower Mill site in Odell, the Port of Hood River moves closer to lot sales. Three of four industrial lots will soon be available for purchase, ranging in size from 1.9 to 4.76 acres.

Aerial view of the development site at Lower Mill.

Utility work is nearly complete. The only remaining installation need is a 10-inch off-site waterline stretching 1,800 linear feet, required for fire protection at the site. The Port plans to retain engineers to design the project and guide the permitting process with Crystal Springs Water District.

Lot 902 will be available for sale at a later date, after planned soil removal and wetland mitigation are complete. A .86-acre wetland exists on Lot 902, and the Port is exploring alternatives for creating a new wetland off-site to mitigate the environmental impact.

Also, a large pile of dirt and woody debris sits on Lot 902, a surplus result of the EPA and state-funded Oregon Brownfields Redevelopment Fund and Cleanup Fund project completed last year. Approximately 20,000 cubic yards of clean mulch will be removed from the site. Throughout the summer and fall, private individuals took advantage of the free non-structural fill mulch and have hauled about 10 percent of the pile away, but a significant amount remains to be transported for re-use or recycling. The Port is now exploring a solution to move fill to the Ken Jernstedt Airfield.

The waterline installation is anticipated to occur in mid-2017, while the wetland mitigation and dirt pile relocation are scheduled for 2018.
“This new industrial park is well-suited to businesses involved in manufacturing and production,” said Anne Medenbach, Property & Development Manager. For more information, contact Medenbach at 541-386-5116.