Deschutes County rural enterprise zone may expand
Discussions are under way on a Sunriver- and Spring River-area expansion of the Deschutes County Rural Enterprise Zone, which is jointly sponsored by the county and the city of La Pine and managed by Economic Development for Central Oregon.
The current enterprise zone covers an area of 7.6 square miles and includes the city of La Pine and Bend Municipal Airport.
The Oregon Enterprise Zone received it designation in 2008 as an economic development program designed to attract traded-sector business investment and encourage job creation in economically disadvantaged areas.
It provides 3-15 years of property tax abatement on new plant and equipment investments for new or expanding non-retail businesses in a designated zone for those that invest a minimum of $50,000 in fixed capital improvements and grow their workforce by 10%.
While Deschutes County as a whole has made a remarkable economic recovery over the last few years, South Deschutes County remains economically distressed, EDCO officials note.
Unemployment rates remain elevated (around 10 percent ) and poverty rates remain considerably elevated in comparison to the county as a whole. Business growth in general has remained slow in South County, they said, though the last few months has seen a positive increase in interest and activity.
“Tourism and hospitality are the biggest employers in South County and we are very grateful to our tourism partners, especially Sunriver Resort who employs around 1,000 during their peak season,” said EDCO La Pine-Sunriver Area Economic Development Manager Janet Burton.
“However, tourism is seasonal and South County still lacks businesses and companies that provide year round living wages.
“Adding Sunriver Business Park and Spring River Plaza to the Deschutes County Rural Enterprise Zone would provide an added incentive for traded-sector businesses to locate in South County and both locations are ideally suited for tech or light industrial businesses,” Burton said.
“Adding this area to the 300 acre site-ready Finley Butte Industrial Park and Newberry Business Park in La Pine would be a great addition in order to provide more year round employment for South County residents,” she added.
Currently there are three traded-sector businesses in Sunriver Business Park: Sunriver Brewing Company, Microridge Systems and Rat Hole Brewing.
As land in other parts of Deschutes County becomes increasingly rare and more expensive, South Deschutes County offers a great alternative for Central Oregon companies to set up their businesses.
“Our La Pine Industrial Park offers land sites from acres to 25 acres and lots are ready for construction with sewer, water, power, and broadband already curbside,” Burton said.
“The park land costs and the system development charges are the lowest in Deschutes County. Having Midstate Electric Cooperative substation located in the Industrial Park is a great asset for businesses, such as data centers, who are heavy power users,” she continued.
A public meeting will be held at Sunriver Library on Tuesday, April 5, at 5 p.m. to discuss applying for a boundary zone expansion to include Sunriver Business Park and Spring River Plaza. For more information, contact Janet Burton at (541) 604-4095 or jburton@edcoinfo.com.
About Economic Development for Central Oregon
Founded in 1981, EDCO is a non-profit corporation, supported by private and public members and stakeholders, whose mission is to create middle-class jobs in Central Oregon by recruiting new employers to move to the region, helping entrepreneurs start new, scalable businesses, and working with businesses that are already here to grow their operations. Learn more about EDCO at www.edcoinfo.com.
