From the notice of public hearing posted by City of Winlock:
“A large parcel of land” in the interest of transparency should have read, “77ac parcel, 015652000000, located at the Northeast intersection of I-5 and Highway 505.”
“The developer Crow Industries” should have read, “Crow Holdings Industrial, aka, CHI,’ based in California.”
Toledo Fire District 2 currently serves the proposed industrial complex, making the “need for new equipment in the future” not a possibility but an absolute; a new $1.5 million ladder truck and a new $5 million fire station to store the new truck — along with a full staff of firefighters and EMS personnel. Toledo area residents will bear the cost of this burden unless the developers and future tenants provide all the funding. The proposal states, “Land for the new fire station has already been set aside and zoned.” But that isn’t true, unless Fire District 2 is willing to surrender a future mega-dollar funding stream.
The proposal also ignores the 1.2 million square feet Lowes ratio of one job for each 10,345 square feet and uses the “what if” ratio of one job per 1,500 square feet. The proposal goes on to say, “large format industrial buildings are most likely to be occupied by warehousing and distribution” and “lesser availability of skilled positions in manufacturing” favor “warehousing and distribution uses.”
A local elected leader was quoted as saying, “You know, it’s kind of up to the people that are building these things and the tenants they get.”
As of this writing, the job projection appears to be 584 new warehouse positions. But it’s more exciting to apply the “what-if” equation and arrive at 4,833. Regardless of the calculation, these aren’t family wage jobs, anyway.
The proposal quotes data from “Bastrop, Texas, population 8800” and “Hillsboro, Oregon” population 106,000 and the fifth largest city in Oregon. Neither are comparable to Winlock. “Expansion area will support industry, retailing and tourism sectors.”
Potential for nearby well-water contamination due to the “three wells existing adjacent to this site.” Water runoff management will be critical. For example, the Meyers Meadows stormwater pond built by a developer right next to Mr. Cloud’s private well. Our aquifers are interconnected, so Mr. Cloud’s problem, brought about by a developer, could become yours.
A previous traffic impact study for Benaroya/Lowes expects 2600 big rigs every day. This new proposal could potentially nearly double that number to over 5,000. Water? As of third quarter 2021, Winlock had less than 175 water hookups remaining, according to a local elected leader. Winlock’s sewer system also leaves big questions.
Wouldn’t it be nice to see the Winlock town center be revitalized? Affordable sewer charges for Winlock residents? Why are local elected leaders embracing low-job-ratio industrial development that only serves to enrichen out-of-town fat-cat investors?
Eric Bernard,
K and E Tree Farm, Winlock
