Mayor touts waterfront redevelopment and returned industry as path to fiscal recovery

Mayor and city staff said long-term economic-development efforts — including waterfront redevelopment and industrial business-park planning — are central to the city’s strategy to grow its tax base and reduce pressure on the general fund.

The mayor described the city’s acquisition of roughly 230 acres and two miles of waterfront property formerly associated with mill operations as “a jewel” that offers a once-in-a-generation chance to shape the city’s future. City staff said Arcadia will restart paper operations on a portion of the site and that about 30 acres were sold to Arcadia, leaving roughly 160 acres of mill property for future development.

John Walsh and other staff said the waterfront and an industrial business park are expected to bring higher-tax-paying industry, jobs and long-term revenue. They cautioned that such developments are slow to generate revenue but are a deliberate part of the plan to “grow or you die,” as officials put it when discussing constrained revenue options under state property-tax limits.

Officials also mentioned ancillary transportation and trail projects — including a planned off-highway connection to Scappoose and work on the city’s transportation system plan — that would support access and tourism. They said state funding has supported parts of that planning work.

City leaders reiterated that economic development alone will not solve immediate shortfalls, which is why the May fee and other budget adjustments were under consideration; they said both short-term budget actions and long-term growth strategies are necessary.