By Nicole Montesano • Staff Writer • 

Testimony heard on moving county out of downtown

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Comments

Michael

what is the reasoning behind moving the offices?

sbagwell

At a time when the city is desperately short of affordable housing, the county has been buying up modest close-in vintage houses and spending a lot of money rehabbing them to provide office space. It has ended up with a hodge-podge of units spread across neighborhoods abutting the courthouse, at unknown cost because the purchases and rehabs were undertaken one at a time over many years.
This newspaper has been joined by various members of the community in urging the county to at least do a cost-benefit analysis of putting up an office complex and selling off the inventory of residential lots and houses it has accumulated, so they can be returned to the tax rolls and the local housing inventory.
Post-election, one commission now seems willing to take a look, but the other two not so much.
Steve Bagwell, Editorial Page Editor

Kellie

Whether now, or in the not-so-distant future, it seems like a temporary relocation of offices/services to facilitate building a more cohesive and useful multistory building such as Oregon Mutual's or the Atticus would be a great option. Potentially allowing for more space than is needed today with a nod toward growth.

Spitballing, I imagine the County Court building or the Annex as being strong options. Health and Human Services building(s) is another option. All of these single and two story buildings that could be replaced with a couple of 3-4 story buildings (I'm assuming four stories is the current limit under zoning). That opens the door to an additional parking structure, a central park, or other development for multi family living right in the center of town.

If McMinnville residents were willing to approve a bond measure to improve conditions at schools, I think it's possible Yamhill County residents might be willing to do similarly with county facilities, no?

Rotwang

I have voted NO on bond issues for decades. I will never approve raising my own taxes.

Lulu

Spitballing??? Could you speak English?

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