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Hermiston council approves annexation and ordinances to enable EOTech-area development, awards $3.9M RV‑park construction contract
Summary
The council adopted two ordinances to annex about 19.5 acres for commercial/annexation near EOTech and approved conditions (including a trip cap) to allow a ~100‑space RV park; it also awarded Big D's Excavation a $3.9 million contract for a related EOTech-area event RV project, with a 7–1 vote on the contract award.
The Hermiston City Council on Jan. 26 approved amendments to the city’s comprehensive plan and zoning map and adopted an annexation ordinance for roughly 19.5 acres east of the EOTech site, setting the stage for expanded commercial use and a roughly 100‑space RV park on part of the property.
Planning Director Clint Spencer told the council the city proposes changing the property’s comprehensive‑plan designation from “future commercial” to “urban commercial,” annexing the land so it can connect to city water and sewer. Spencer said staff recommends conditioning development on a trip cap of 645 average daily trips and 107 PM peak‑hour trips, a limit the presentation showed would accommodate a 100‑unit RV park without exceeding capacity.
“Subsequent to any council approval, they will have to go to Umatilla County for co‑adoption of the map amendments,” Spencer said. The ordinances were introduced and adopted in a single‑meeting process; the measures take effect 30 days after county co‑adoption.
The hearing drew substantive public testimony. Vikash Narain, who identified himself as representing Hermiston and Umatilla hotels and motels, urged the council to weigh long‑term economic impacts, saying hotels rely on extended‑stay workers and that prolonged RV stays can reduce lodging‑tax revenue after 30 days. “If they shift to the RV park, that’s a direct reduction in business for us,” Narain said. Karen Jones, a Hermiston resident, said she supported the hoteliers’ concerns about long‑term effects.
Councilors emphasized the need to support local hoteliers while moving forward. “Assuming this were to pass, it's incumbent on us to make sure that we continue to figure out how to support the hotels,” Councilor Roberts said.
Separately, the council awarded a construction contract for an event‑campground RV project on the EOTech campus. Staff recommended Big D’s Excavation for $3,900,000, a bid substantially under the engineer’s conservative estimate. City staff said each RV space will have power, water and sewer, that the area will be fenced, and that event parking for tow vehicles will be provided elsewhere during fair operations. The contract approval passed by roll call, 7–1, with Councilor Litton recorded as the lone dissent.
Councilors asked whether the city could prefer local bidders; staff said procurement rules require selection of the lowest responsible bidder and that Amazon — the funding partner for the RV projects — set a committed dollar amount the city must stay under. On whether Amazon would cover cost overruns, staff said they had not yet had that conversation and could not promise coverage.
What’s next: the annexation and plan amendments will become effective after Umatilla County co‑adopts the ordinances; staff will proceed with the county co‑adoption process and bring the construction contract into execution under the awarded contractor schedule.
