Committee forwards resolution to expand Portland Enterprise Zone to include Alaska Airlines maintenance site at PDX

The Arts and Economy Committee voted Jan. 13 to forward a resolution to City Council that would authorize Prosper Portland to request a minor boundary amendment to the Portland Enterprise Zone to include three tax lots near Portland International Airport for a proposed Alaska Airlines maintenance facility.

Prosper Portland staff and partners at the Port of Portland and Alaska Airlines outlined the proposal during the committee meeting. Andrew Fitz Patrick, director of economic development at Prosper Portland, said the amendment is a narrow, technical change to include a development site at the south end of PDX and that participation in the enterprise zone is only one factor in the project’s feasibility.

Why it matters: Enterprise zones provide temporary tax savings on new capital investments; in Portland, businesses that enroll for the full five years must also commit to community benefits under the Portland Means Progress menu. Prosper Portland said the proposed amendment would add three tax lots (about 0.05 square miles) and that inclusion in the zone could help unlock a large private investment and job creation at PDX.

Project scope and jobs: Port of…