La Grande agencies approve grants for three downtown redevelopment projects

At a special joint session, the La Grande Urban Renewal Agency and the Urban Renewal Advisory Commission approved funding for three projects submitted under this year’s Call for Projects after staff presented scores and members cast discretionary points.

Staff opened the meeting by saying the session had been scheduled “for the sole purpose of considering funding approval of applications submitted under the call for project” and reviewed process changes, including an online application and a strict prohibition on incomplete submissions. The agency received four submissions; one was ineligible because work had been done before the application period opened, leaving three projects for consideration.

The highest-scoring application was Mountain West Plaza phase three, described by staff as a roughly $2–2.5 million development that will remove deteriorated buildings and construct a new office complex. Staff reported the project scored 100 points and requested $75,000 in grant funding. Members asked about a lease-letter and restrictions included in the materials; staff said that the document was a negotiated letter of intent between landlord and prospective tenant (provided in the packet) rather than a city-imposed code requirement. Staff also explained that the project received zero points in the contractor-bid return-on-investment category because the developer had not yet solicited licensed-contractor bids, and agency policy requires contractor-provided bids to score in that category.

Another approved project, Flying M U Designs, was presented as a business expansion into the former Paxter Automotive building on Adams between Fur and Jefferson. Staff characterized the scope as roofing replacement, new HVAC and signage, and reconfiguration of shop and service bays; the project’s total cost was described roughly as $134,900 and staff scored the application at 97 points. The transcript’s notation for the grant-eligible amount for this project was unclear in the packet materials and is not specified in the record.

The third approved application, Northwest Furniture, is primarily façade rehabilitation: stucco and paint repairs and sign replacement on a large Jefferson Street frontage. Staff reported the grant request at $35,000 and described the work as straightforward exterior repair to address deferred maintenance and graffiti.

After members privately tallied discretionary points (each member may award up to 65 points per application), staff and the district manager reported final totals: Mountain West Plaza 410 points, Flying M 387 points, and Northwest Furniture 302 points. "We have accomplished it in 32 minutes," staff noted when the results were announced.

A member moved to approve funding for the Call for Projects "in the amounts as discussed," and another member seconded. The motion carried; one member recorded an abstention and no opposition was recorded in the transcript. The agencies did not obligate themselves to expend all funds beyond the approved amounts, and staff reiterated that funding would only be disbursed for eligible work and in accordance with agency policy. The meeting adjourned shortly after the vote.

Details recorded in the meeting record include the agencies’ procedural clarifications about eligibility (work begun before an application period is ineligible), the scoring limitation that requires licensed-contractor bids to count toward the return-on-investment score, and packet materials (including a tenant letter of intent) that members reviewed during consideration.