News Releases Article
Port Buys Land at Junction
Originally published in The Reflector, 19 March 2003. Reprinted with permission.
By Heidi Wallenborn
The Port of Ridgefield has acquired nearly 45 acres north-east of the I-5 intersection and Pioneer St.
The property is adjacent to a 30-acre tract already owned by the Port.
Port officials hope to create area jobs and increase the economic base in north Clark County by developing the 75 acres.
According to Port executive director Brent Grening, the parcels are critical for the Port's strategic plan to support employment-producing development at the I-5 junction.
Grening calls the property the cornerstone of three freeway interchanges from the Fairgrounds exit through the La Center interchange.
In the last 15 years, more than 70 acres of Port-owned land at the junction have been developed with commercial and industrial businesses, creating more than 250 jobs, say Port officials.
Grening looks at the junction land as a home for innovative and entrepreneurial companies, he said, and believes the development concept will "change the way people envision the economic base of north Clark County."
Amassing the 75 acres follows two other pending developments at the Junction: Union Ridge, a 270-acre development, and a 40-acre Ridgefield Commerce Center.
The Port covers about 55 square miles, and is led by three elected commissioners: Joe Melroy, Roy Randel, and Bruce Wiseman.
Form more information about the Port or its projects, visit on-line at www.portridgefield.org
