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Advisory board reviews EOA findings and discusses battery storage, 'energy production' options for industrial land
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Summary
Board members reviewed the Economic Opportunities Analysis noting a heavy local share of transportation/warehousing jobs; members discussed moving toward manufacturing and energy projects such as battery storage or other energy production and urged careful code language and review before any policy changes.
Board members reviewed the Economic Opportunities Analysis (EOA) and heard that Troutdale has a high concentration of transportation and warehousing employment. Staff said the Port of Portland — a major landowner in the study area — told the group that the "easy lots" are built out and that future development may lean toward manufacturing or energy‑related uses rather than additional logistics.
Members discussed battery energy storage as a potential opportunity and an example of an attractive use for certain lots. One committee member urged caution about generic language and asked staff to ensure that any code amendments or land‑use descriptions precisely describe allowed technologies. In the conversation a board member raised future energy production technologies — including clean jet fuel and, as an illustrative example, small or thorium reactors — as part of a broader discussion about what the phrase "energy production" might cover; staff cautioned that code language needs to align with local, regional and state permits and that some technologies carry complex external approvals.
Staff said the EOA work will continue and that the city hopes to finalize the analysis and seek council adoption by late fall; the board was asked to stay engaged in the review process.
What’s next: Staff will post EOA materials online and expect further meetings; board members asked staff to ensure clear definitions for energy uses and to flag interagency approvals that would be required.
