Business Oregon has approved a request from Deschutes County, City of La Pine (zone sponsors) and EDCO (zone manager) to expand the existing Deschutes County Rural Enterprise Zone boundary to include Sunriver Business Park and Spring River Plaza. The new areas combined are 0.12 square miles, bringing the total zone up to 7.63 square miles. The request was approved based on documentation showing an employment area that is still economically lagging compared to the rest of the county as well as lower median household incomes and higher unemployment levels.
The Deschutes County Rural Enterprise Zone received it designation in 2008 as an economic development program designed to attract traded-sector business investment and encourage job creation in economically-disadvantaged areas. It provides 3-15 years of property tax abatement on new plant and equipment investments for new or expanding non-retail businesses in a designated zone for those that invest a minimum of $50,000 in fixed capital improvements and grow their workforce by 10 percent.
Adding Sunriver Business Park and Spring River Plaza to the Enterprise Zone will provide additional incentives for traded-sector businesses to locate in South County. Sunriver River Business Park and Spring River Plaza are ideally suited for tech or light industrial businesses.
For more information, please contact Janet Burton, EDCO Area Economic Development Manager for La Pine/Sunriverat (541) 604-4095 or jburton@edcoinfo.com
