Urban renewal board conditionally approves up to $250,000 for Mint Building work, limits payment to future eligible costs

The Columbia Gateway Urban Renewal Agency on May 20 conditionally approved up to $250,000 to support the Mint Building redevelopment in downtown The Dalles, a project that includes expansion of Free Bridal Brewing’s kitchen and additional event and seating space. The board’s action authorizes staff to negotiate and execute an incentive-program grant agreement that will cover only future, eligible expenses and requires a detailed package of documentation before any payment is made.

The request stems from an application for the Mint Building (the applicant submitted an initial incentive application in 2023). Free Bridal Brewing owner Steve Light and a project representative presented a history of the renovation, saying they began work on the building in 2005 and resumed intensive work in 2024 to complete utilities, kitchen infrastructure and fire-suppression work. The applicants sought reimbursement and support after spending on work required to move the business into expanded space.

Agency staff told the board the project is largely underway and that the program’s rules—recently revised by the board—generally make expenses incurred before a grant agreement ineligible for reimbursement. Staff recommended a conditional approval approach: authorize a not-to-exceed $250,000 award but require the applicant to submit a public-benefit statement, a construction schedule, a title report, confirmation of matching funds, a revised budget showing only future eligible work and itemized bids for unfinished work. Staff and the agency manager would do a site visit and verify what remains to be completed; payments would be limited to those future eligible costs and to the lesser of the program cap and the verified eligible amount.

City attorney staff cautioned that reimbursing expenses that were incurred before an agency agreement raises legal and audit risks. The board directed staff to proceed with the conditional incentive agreement described above and separately asked staff and counsel to research whether the agency could lawfully authorize retroactive payments through a development-funding agreement or other vehicle. The board vote to conditionally approve the incentive agreement carried.

Why it matters: The Mint Building project enlarges downtown hospitality and event space, and supporters said completion will create jobs and increase revenue for the existing brewery and the broader downtown. The board’s conditional approval preserves the incentive program’s guardrails—verification of eligible future expenses—while directing staff to return with legal clarity on whether the agency can lawfully compensate earlier expenditures in exceptional cases.

Next steps: The applicant must supply the documentation the board required; staff will perform site verification and return a final grant agreement reflecting only eligible future expenses. Separately, staff will report back on the legal feasibility and policy implications of making retroactive payments through a development funding agreement or other mechanism.