|
|
Post by Admin on May 10, 2010 12:13:54 GMT -8
The Wenatchee / North Central Development Thread will focus on developments, urban issue's, and community planning within North Central Washington. This includes Chelan County, Douglas County, Grant County, and Okanogan County. Discuss, share photos, have fun.
|
|
|
|
Post by Admin on May 16, 2010 12:33:45 GMT -8
Port of Chelan to buy former Morse Steel propertyBy Jefferson Robbins
Wenatchee World staff writer
Originally published May 14, 2010 at 4:39 p.m., updated May 15, 2010 at 10:17 a.m.
WENATCHEE — In a step toward development of the proposed Pybus Public Market, the Port of Chelan County agreed Thursday to buy the former Morse Steel property at the foot of Orondo Avenue for $1.33 million.
All three port commissioners — President Craig Larsen, JC Baldwin and Mike Mackey — voted in favor of the purchase at the special meeting, said Mike Armstrong, the agency’s external affairs director.
The vote solidifies an agreement tentatively struck in January, when the port took out an option to buy the parcel. The Pybus project would transform the former Morse Steel facility, which operated from the 1980s until last July, into a year-round public market that would house the nonprofit Wenatchee Valley Farmers Market and Wenatchee Food Bank, along with commercial tenants.
The port and the city of Wenatchee would partner on the project, with the city paying for initial improvements with a $1.4 million federal grant. Officials have said the marketplace should eventually become self-supporting, although the city anticipates taking out another $1 million to $1.5 million in loans once tenants are in place.
“The port is making a major commitment to and investment in the revitalization of the Wenatchee waterfront and the downtown area,” Larsen said in a statement released Friday. “The port’s goal is to stimulate private investment and commerce in Wenatchee’s waterfront and downtown areas, which will benefit the Chelan County economy. ... Whether or not the public market is developed on this site, the port is convinced of the strategic value of this property in turning this area into a vibrant commercial center for Chelan County.”
The purchase agreement with Morse Steel owner Bob Morse of Bellingham should close no later than June 30, Armstrong said.
|
|
