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Regional EDA district presents CPACE, brownfields and small-business loans to Astoria council
Summary
Columbia Pacific Economic Development District (ColPac) director Sarah Lou Heath briefed the Astoria City Council on programs including CPACE financing, a revolving loan fund for small businesses and new brownfields funding; she said dues (unchanged since 1994) may need adjustment to preserve a $75,000 EDA match.
Sarah Lou Heath, executive director of the Columbia Pacific Economic Development District (ColPac), outlined the agency's regional services in a presentation to the Astoria City Council on Jan. 5, 2026.
Heath said ColPac — a federally designated economic development district covering Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook and parts of western Washington — provides grant writing and administration, a revolving loan fund for small businesses and technical programs such as a commercial property-assessed clean energy program (CPACE), brownfield redevelopment work and a Northwest Oregon transit alliance. “My name is Sarah Lou Heath. I am the executive director of, Colpac,” she said during the presentation.
Heath and ColPac program coordinator Jackie Pewitt described recent project funding and opportunities: a $1,500,000 Saint Helens sewer capacity project; prior $500,000 brownfields grants to Clatsop and Tillamook counties; and a new $1,200,000 award for continued brownfield assessment and characterization work. ColPac also noted it recapitalized its economic development revolving loan fund and is actively seeking applicants for gap financing to help small businesses expand.
On CPACE — a financing tool that can cover project costs focused on energy efficiency and seismic resiliency — staff said Clatsop County recently adopted the program and ColPac can support outreach and technical assistance if Astoria property owners are interested. Heath said ColPac's EDA designation currently provides $75,000 per year from the EDA but requires an unrestricted local match; dues have not been adjusted since 1994 and the agency is considering a per-capita, equitable dues structure to preserve the federal match.
Councilors asked staff to follow up with materials about CPACE. Heath said ColPac would supply additional details and staff contact information for council and the public.
