City of Umatilla aims to have ‘new building in the heart of town’ serve as business incubator, home to key departments
UMATILLA — An $8 million project is under construction in Umatilla to energize the downtown and create a true city center.
The Umatilla Business Center will take up the greater part of a city block. Once complete, the city intends for the Business Center — including building, site and street improvements — to form a major component of the Umatilla Civic Center Master Plan.
The project includes repurposing an old, vacant post office the city purchased in 2016. A two-story addition will be built immediately north of and adjoining the old post office, forming an 11,500-square-foot mixed-use facility fronting Sixth Street.
The city anticipates a total construction cost of $ 8 million dollars. Funding for the center comes from several sources including the Oregon Economic Development Association, Umatilla County, the American Rescue Act, the Oregon Legislature and city reserves.
City Manager Dave Stockdale said the city envisions a center that features civic facilities, office and supporting functions, street and urban open space improvements and cultural event offerings. But its primary function will be to foster business growth in Umatilla.
“The primary purpose of the Business Center is the business incubator program,” Stockdale said. “It’s the main core of our Grow Your Own Business strategy. We want to invest in local residents. If someone in Umatilla has a business idea, we want to support that as best we can.”
The Business Center will provide up to three spaces for incubator businesses. That could include someone with a home-based business looking to relocate in the heart of downtown or a business that has yet to open. Stockdale said the main floor will house the incubator spaces and the upper floor will include two to three spaces for established retail businesses.
Stockdale said the city will be taking applications for the business incubator spaces toward the end of October. Businesses the city accepts for the incubator spaces will have to spend up to three years in the location but can move out any time before then if a permanent location is found.
The Business Center includes an indoor community space for conferences and events such as weddings and family reunions. It will accommodate up to 100 people and feature a large, commercial kitchen. The Business Center will provide “a new building in the heart of town,” Stockdale said, with modern features. Stockdale said the monthly rent will be below market rates.
The city also will partner with the Umatilla Chamber of Commerce, Business Oregon and other entities to provide tenants of the incubator space with business training in a variety of areas a couple of times each month.
The building also will house the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, the Building Department and Community Development Department. “People can come in and get building permits and site plans reviewed or whatever they need in one building,” Stockdale said.
The Village Square Park, adjacent to the Business Center, will serve as an outdoor community gathering space for events such as WinterFest, block parties and the city’s ice-skating rink.
Stockdale is excited about the prospects for the center, which he expects to be open before winter.
“It’s going to be a downtown hub for the city,” he said. “It’s going to be the community’s business hub.”
I see more people just looking at the building then working on it.
If it is going to open the people that you hire need to get off the fence and get going.
It will be a great building but someone is setting on the fence for more money.
Also get that though street finish so the people can use the street.