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Legislative Intent: Mid-Willamette Valley

 

The Oregon Business Development Department (dba Business Oregon) breaks Oregon into economic regions based on economic activity and geography1. Their Willamette Valley Economic Region is described as Benton, Marion, Polk, Yamhill, Linn, and Lane Counties. The LEDG Project Proposal is centrally located in the Willamette Valley economic region. When the Legislature allocated $25 million for the development of an intermodal facility in the Keep Oregon Moving (HB 2017-A), they did so with the intention that the facility will be centrally located in the Mid- Willamette Valley. We believe the proposed site in Millersburg provides the best location to meet the intent. Joining in this belief is the unanimous support of the county commissions in Benton, Lane, and Linn Counties.

Mid-Willamette Valley Industrial Park

& Intermodal Center Project Site

Proposed Property

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The LEDG proposal would include the development

and construction of an intermodal facility at the

former International Paper (IP) Mill site located

along Interstate-5 in Millersburg. The property has direct access to both the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) and Portland & Western Railroad (BNSF).

 

The proposed site has an existing 60,000 square foot warehouse with a rail siding and consists of over 130 acres of industrially zoned land. The site is considered Zone H in the Mid-Willamette Valley Industrial Park - Millersburg which together has over 400 acres of industrially zoned land ready for development (see image below). The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has stated that there are no known contaminants found on the site and IP has completed a Phase I Environmental Review with no findings.

MWV Industrial Park.jpg

Location Comparative Analysis

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As part of the LEDG's market feasibility study, LEDG requested ECONorthwest to evaluate the set of economic conditions that vary along the Interstate 5 (I-5) corridor in the Mid-Willamette Valley which may affect the respective geographic market, market share, and public benefits if the proposed intermodal center were to be constructed in a different location than the proposed site in Millersburg, Oregon. Specifically, this analysis evaluates three alternative geographic locations in Oregon (South to North):

  • Eugene: ~46 miles south of Millersburg,

  • Lebanon: ~16 miles southeast of Millersburg, and

  • Brooks: ~28 miles north of Millersburg.

 

This analysis evaluates the following elements:

  • anticipated market area within a one-day “turn” of each location,

  • share of the market likely to use the intermodal center,

  • relative change in user transportation cost savings of each location, and

  • relative change in public benefits of each location.

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