Mayor’s business waiver idea may be expanded

Gresham staff suggest fee holiday be extended to entire city

By Mara Stine

The Gresham Outlook, Mar 10, 2010 (6 Reader comments)

file photo / The Outlook

Gresham's downtown was one of the spots originally suggested for a fee holiday for new businesses. However, Gresham Mayor Shane Bemis' idea may be expanded to include the entire city.

City staff members have proposed expanding elements of a package of small-business incentives unveiled last month by Mayor Shane Bemis during his state of the city address.

Gresham city councilors considered the proposal – designed to get home-based business owners into vacant storefronts and help existing smaller companies survive the chilly economic climate – during their March 9 meeting.

Also called the “Garage to Storefront Program,” incentives include yearlong “fee holiday” aimed at filling empty storefronts, encourage entrepreneurship and in general make it easier for small companies to do business in certain areas of Gresham.

Under the mayor’s proposal, the city would pay for or waive all development-related fees for those starting a new business or expanding an existing one in a vacant storefront of 4,000-square-feet or less in historic downtown, Civic Neighborhood or Rockwood in the next year.

Businesses relocated to one of the areas would be eligible, but those already there wanting to relocate without expanding would not be.

These neighborhoods, also called town centers, are perceived to have higher vacancy rates, said Eric Schmidt, Gresham’s community development director.

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