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St. Helens explores RV park and industrial‑park options while PGE substation timeline remains decisive
Summary
City staff briefed commissioners on development options for the St. Helens Industrial Business Park — including a phased, higher‑end RV park to generate near‑term revenue — but said siting and timing hinge on PGE’s substation and transmission‑line decisions and on securing sewer extensions and infrastructure funding.
City planning staff gave a lengthy briefing on development opportunities in the St. Helens Industrial Business Park, emphasizing that several pieces must align before any permanent land‑use change.
Staff described the property’s zoning (primarily industrial with some light‑industrial pockets), the parcelization plan, and utilities constraints. "Sanitary sewer actually runs through a portion of this property, so it's available, but we need to extend sewer down Castor Road to serve other parcels," the planner said, explaining that sewer extension and a Castor Road upgrade would be necessary to activate several parcels for development. Staff also pointed to an unusual pair of adjacent roads — the Castor public road and a spur — that split potential parcels and said the spur may be removed to maximize developable land.
A central technical constraint is a proposed new Pacific Gas & Electric (PGE) substation. Staff told the joint meeting PGE is seeking two separate transmission lines to serve the substation for reliability; the company advised against colocating both lines on the same poles because that would defeat redundancy. That requirement expands the geographic footprint for PGE’s systems and is a key unknown for planners. One staff member said the state has awarded a CIL loan for the substation work, with roughly three years to complete studies and pad construction; staff also reported PGE agreed to sell a parcel at market rate, which staff estimated could net "about a half million dollars" consolidated in the budget.
Against that backdrop staff presented a concept for an interim, higher‑quality RV park as a low‑infrastructure, revenue‑generating use for City‑owned parcels. Commissioners discussed examples from other Oregon parks (Dundee was cited) that had 60–70 spaces and generated strong revenue; one commissioner summarized private RV parks as “easily over $1,000,000 a year” in revenue for successful models, while staff emphasized a phased approach to avoid building infrastructure that would be torn up later if PGE’s transmission alignment or the substation siting required it.
Commissioners and staff agreed on next steps rather than a final decision: pursue grant funding and infrastructure options, coordinate closely with PGE on transmission‑line alternatives, consider a phased pilot that would build fewer initial spaces to reduce exposure to potential utility relocations, and evaluate ground‑lease or RFP options rather than outright sale if the city wanted recurring revenue without taking on property operations.
The meeting did not adopt a final development plan. Staff said they will continue studies and bring refined options back to the commission and council.
