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St. Helens council adopts Economic Opportunities Analysis and utility master plans
Summary
The City Council adopted the Economic Opportunities Analysis prepared by Echo Northwest and incorporated the city’s water, wastewater and stormwater master plans into the comprehensive plan, approving recommended economic goals and actions to guide land‑use and economic development policy.
The St. Helens City Council on April 16 voted to adopt an updated Economic Opportunities Analysis (EOA) prepared by Echo Northwest and to incorporate the city’s wastewater, water and stormwater master plans into the comprehensive plan.
Consultant Beth Goodman of Echo Northwest presented the roughly 100‑page EOA and recommended policies and actions intended to support diversified employment and informed land‑use decisions. Goodman told council the EOA replaces an older analysis and supplies a new factual basis for future zoning or plan map changes.
The EOA found St. Helens has about 302 acres of unconstrained buildable employment land (approximately 280 acres within the city limits, much of it heavy industrial) and roughly 4,800 covered employees. Using an employment growth forecast tied to regional trends, the consultant and advisory committee estimated the city could add about 1,400 employees over a 20‑year planning horizon and concluded the city has sufficient industrial land to meet that forecast but only a modest surplus—about four acres—of commercial land.
Goodman highlighted opportunities and constraints: St. Helens’ inventory includes a substantial industrial land supply and waterfront redevelopment potential, and the city’s quality of life is an asset for attracting businesses. Constraints include distance from I‑5, power‑supply limitations and limited city staff capacity for economic development. Suggested policies and actions include hiring or designating a community development specialist, pursuing a business growth and attraction strategy, conducting a zoning audit to align land‑use regulations with market demand, and coordinating capital improvement planning with economic development objectives.
Councilor discussion focused on timing and implementation. Staff planning director Jenny (last name not provided in the record) noted the staff recommendation also included formally adopting utility master plans (water, wastewater, stormwater) into the comprehensive plan by ordinance—turning prior resolutions into ordinances at the Department of Land Conservation and Development’s suggestion to strengthen their regulatory weight.
The council voted to adopt the EOA and to amend the comprehensive plan to include the St. Helens wastewater master plan, water master plan and stormwater master plan as recommended by the Planning Commission and staff. The motion passed with all council members present voting yes.
Council action was procedural (comprehensive plan amendments) rather than an immediate land‑use change; any rezoning or development actions using the EOA as support would require separate legislative or quasi‑judicial review.
