HomeMy WebLinkAboutEconomic Opportunity Analysis DocOPPORTUNITIES FOR LEADERSHIP IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ISSUE:
The question has been raised as to whether or not the Deschutes
County/central Oregon area has an adequate supply of Targe lot (-100
acres) industrial sites to competitively respond to job creating, national and
international industrial recruitment opportunities.
Immediate funding is available through the Department of Land
Conservation and Development's (DLCD) Technical Assistance Grant to
the County and its partners to address the question.
RESPONSE:
A prescribed procedure (an Economic Opportunity Analysis—EOA) exists
for local or regional governments to evaluate the "reasonably predicted"
demand for specific types of employment land as well as inventorying and
analyzing the actual local and regional supply of available industrial lands.
Results of this analysis will indicate if there is an adequate, existing supply
of the identified needed employment lands and, if not, how that unmet land
demand can most efficiently be addressed and satisfied—all complying with
state land use planning rules. These rules require that lands within an
existing Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) be considered first to satisfy this
identified land need. If such lands cannot adequately and/or effectively
satisfy this need, then lands outside of but adjacent to UGB are evaluated
for suitability and then, if selected, are brought into the UGB to satisfy this
now documented unmet land need.
Performing an EOA is a necessary step required to bring additional
employment lands into a UGB. Sometimes the specific land need is so rare
or specialized that no single jurisdiction wants to "lock up" their limited
vacant land supply waiting for a rare event employment opportunity. This is
the current situation regarding large lot industrial sites. The demand for
them is infrequent, the holding costs are great and the future land value not
easy to predict. Consequently, rarely do local jurisdictions maintain a supply
of large lot industrial vacant lands. The problem is that when no jurisdiction
maintains a supply of such lands, the entire region becomes non-
competitive for such job creating industrial recruitment opportunities. Large
lot industrial land supply is a regional economic development concern.
ACTION NEEDED:
The County should apply for grant funds from DLCD to test case the new
regional EOA procedures by applying them to large lot industrial
(employment) land supply in the Deschutes County employment region.
This study area will include parts of Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook
counties focusing on urban large lot industrial land supply in LaPine,
Sunriver, Bend, Redmond, Sisters, Prineville, and Madras—other cities may
be included. Partners (e.g. the Department of State Lands) in this endeavor
will help share the burdens of applying for and implementing the EOA while
minimizing the burden to the County.
As discussed above, the EOA will evaluate industrial land demand and
supply throughout Deschutes County and surrounding areas and should
consider the Department of State Land's South Redmond Tract, along with
other industrially designated, County -owned properties including the1500
acres in NE Redmond.
BENEFIT TO THE COUNTY and REGION
The EOA will make major contributions to the Economic Element of the
County's current Comprehensive Plan update effort and can benefit each
of the participating communities.
Success with this effort will identify the County as a leader in guiding the
entire region to a healthy, diversified and dynamic 21st Century economy
and employment base.