Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
The Sweet Home City Council last week approved the expansion of the city’s enterprise zone to include Totman Renewable Resources industrial properties, 43.07 acres, near the Liberty area.
The City Council held a hearing on the expansion during its regular meeting on Sept. 13.
John Pascone, president of the Albany-Millersburg Economic Corporation, and Dan Desler of Western States Land Reliance Trust both testified in favor of the expansion.
Pascone, speaking on behalf of Linn County, which had already approved the expansion, told the council that the enterprise zone was designed to encourage investment by businesses through tax breaks, providing new jobs and eventually increasing the size of the tax base.
Enterprise zones can be up to 12 square miles, Pascone said. All of Sweet Home is within its enterprise zone, approximately five square miles. That leaves Sweet Home with room to expand.
With the expansion, Sweet Home’s enterprise zone covers 7.92 square miles.
It was expanded in 1999 to include property just west of town. It was expanded in 2002 to include Georgia Pacific near Halsey. That expansion does not connect to the original Sweet Home zone.
Desler, who is the managing trustee for Western States Land Reliance Trust, said he will be a 50-percent owner of Totman Renewable Resources this month.
WSLRT is developing the Santiam Commons project in conjunction with the Santiam River Partners project, Santiam River Club. Total, that project includes about 750 acres and 1,575 residential units. WSLRT also leases space to Totman’s chip and fiber recycling business.
“They asked for some help,” Desler said. He said he started out by offering advice and consulting for Totman. He became so enamored with the company, he invested in it.
Totman Renewable Resources will be owned by Jeremy Totman and Desler. The company is the parent to three other companies, including Totman Biofiber, Totman Land Clearing and Totman Trucking.
Loans are approved for capital improvements, Desler said. The company plans to move from 14 to 30 employees in the next five months.
The enterprise zone expansion will allow the company to defer property taxes and help create new jobs, Desler said.
In other business, the council:
– Recommended approval of a liquor license application for T Pizza.
– Passed a resolution placing liens on properties around Sweet Home for the abatement of weeds.
– Approved a resolution to change the 15-minute parking restriction to two hours on the east side of 13th Avenue between Long and Main streets.
– Approved a resolution creating a “no truck parking” zone on the south side of Long Street west of 10th Avenue to Ames Creek.
– Passed resolutions approving stop signs at Mimosa Circle, Mimosa Circle and 49th Avenue, Harding and 27th streets, 27th and Foothills, 28th and Foothills, 29th and Foothills and Fir and Foothills.
– Held first reading on ordinances that will change how the city handles delinquent accounts for owners of rental property, water leak adjustments and creating rules for dealing with future inflow and infiltration issues on private property.