EDA grant comes to Opportunity Zone in Washougal created by Tax Cuts and Jobs Act; estimated to bring 130 new jobs
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Wednesday, Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler applauded the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant award of $3 million to the Port of Camas-Washougal to help establish an industrial workspace for use by local manufacturing employers.
The EDA grant, targeted to a Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Opportunity Zone, will be matched with $2.5 million in local funds and $1.4 million in state funds, and is expected to create 130 jobs and spur $10.6 million in private investment.
In addition to helping establish the Opportunity Zone in Washougal, Herrera Beutler also partnered with the Port of Camas-Washougal to successfully earn this grant. Her advocacy included this 2019 letter to EDA.
“Yet another reason I supported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was because it established Opportunity Zones like the one that’s bringing 130 new jobs and $10 million in private investment to Washougal,” Congresswoman Herrera Beutler said. “Job creation has always been my top priority, so I’m grateful to the Department of Commerce for targeting the tools Congress provided through the 2017 tax cuts bill in support of the Port of Camas-Washougal’s effort to bring more manufacturing jobs here.”
In letter of advocacy, written in December, Herrera Beutler wrote that the grant will help to construct a 50,000-square-foot industrial building “that is a greatly needed addition to the Port’s infrastructure.’’
Herrera Beutler wrote that “request for space at the industrial park is at an all-time high, and the Port is unable to meet this demand. For the past six years, the Port of Camas-Washougal has maintained a 100 percent occupancy rate for nearly 350,000 square feet of industrial space. Development of 14% more space will allow the Port to have great flexibility in the size of their leases, helping to maximize use of space by businesses of all sizes.’’
“EDA is proud to support local efforts to improve infrastructure to spur new business growth,” Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development said. “EDA investments in Opportunity Zones enhance the return on investment for business interests and encourage the public/private partnerships critical to driving private investment and new jobs to cities like Washougal.”
