Brownfields Success Stories

Innovative Solutions and Private Investment Bring Prosperity to Oregon Mills

The City of Astoria, Oregon has worked in partnership with EPA, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), ECOTRUST, and the community to clean up the City's abandoned mill sites and transform them into thriving waterfront properties. With a jump-start from EPA's $200,000 Brownfields Pilot grant, Astoria's Plywood Mill is one of two sites leading the way. Located adjacent to downtown Astoria's historic area, the former industrial property was selected to make use of a $700,000 loan provided by Shore Trust Advisory Services for use in brownfields cleanup. The site will soon house a public promenade, shops, and residential housing. The second property being redeveloped is the Merlin site, which lies north of Grants Pass along I-5, a major industrial corridor. The Merlin site was purchased by a German company, Rendata, which invested over $6 million for redevelopment. Rendata is now marketing lots within the 187-acre industrial park for leasing. This project has already filled 200 of the anticipated 1,000 employment positions that will be created. Federal funding for the Merlin property has also been leveraged, including a $50,000 grant from the Northwest Economic Adjustment Initiative that is currently pending. With progress made on every one of its targeted sites, the Oregon Mills brownfields project serves as an effective model for other large-scale brownfields programs. For more information on the Oregon Millsite Conversion Project Brownfields Pilot, contact Hanan Bowman at (541) 937-8344.