Doing Business

Business Turnaround

Local economic and business assistance organizations have developed a specialized package to help address the problems that face many small business owners in today’s economy. We are available to help business owners before they are faced with crucial financial and business decisions.

The Dalles offers several site and building assistance programs which are beneficial to business development including relocation, construction, and reuse of historic buildings.

City of The Dalles Urban Renewal

Oregon Economic and Community Development Department

State’s Historic Preservation Offices

Certain projects invite a partnership between a number of agencies and programs that will best benefit the business development. To discuss the possibility of joint programs, please contact the planning department at either the city or county.

Urban Renewal Incentive Program

Columbia Gateway Urban Renewal Agency’s Incentive Program, adopted in 2022, provides grants and other assistance to downtown The Dalles property owners to offset the cost of improvements. The aim is to remove blight and increase the tax base by encouraging redevelopment of eligible, unused or under-used land and buildings within the urban renewal district. Funding can assist with project design, construction and renovation costs.

Incentive Program grants encourage commercial projects as well as mixed-use commercial and residential developments. Assistance is also available to offset the cost of system development charges for new residential units in the urban renewal district. Other assistance may be available.

For details and urban renewal district map, visit the Urban Renewal Incentive Program website.

Separately from the Urban Renewal Incentive Program, assistance is also available to property owners in The Dalles and Wasco County through the Brownfield Program. Brownfield sites are not limited to the urban renewal district. This program, funded by the US Environmental Protection Administration, offers financial assistance in assessing hazardous materials, such as underground fuel storage tanks and asbestos. Limited mitigation may also be supported. Follow this link for information.

The Agency will subsidize interest rates on loans to pay for the restoration work according to the approved designs. The Agency will buy down the interest rate that the bank charges up to 12 points below the bank’s standard rate for such loans. The effective rate for the borrower will be 0% in most cases.

To encourage redevelopment of unused and underused land and buildings and other civic improvements, the Agency will provide interest rate subsidies and grants for business, civic, residential, cultural , and tourist-related property within the Urban Renewal District to be developed, redeveloped, improved, rehabilitated and/or conserved. Grants shall be made to public, nonprofit, and civic organizations and on uses that serve a public purpose.

The agency will subsidize interest rates on loans to pay for the restoration work according to the approved designs. The Agency will buy down the interest rate that the bank charges up to 12 points below the bank’s standard rate for such loans. The effective rate for the borrower will be 0% in most cases.