Retailer eyes Port property as council talks economic growth in Cashmere

CASHMERE — A retailer is showing interest in building on Port of Chelan County property north of Sunset Highway, Cashmere’s Director of Operations Steve Croci told the City Council at its Nov. 10 meeting — a sign of renewed focus on economic development after months of budget and taxation talks.

Croci said the company had been in conversation with the Port “for a while,” and that environmental clearance from the Department of Ecology had recently been granted for the north-side site. Mayor Jim Fletcher and several councilmembers said redevelopment of Port property could be a key step toward expanding the city’s commercial base.

Councilmember Jeff Johnson tied the update to broader fiscal discussions, urging the city to “spend a little less time on the TIF and a little more time on economic development.” Mayor Fletcher agreed, describing the property as “land ready to go” and noting that it currently generates no tax revenue for the city.

“We want things that will have an economic value — not just a quick sale,” Fletcher said, adding that future development should create jobs, add sales tax, and improve downtown connectivity.

The discussion came near the end of a wide-ranging budget workshop that touched on property taxes, city staffing levels, and potential surplus sales of underused lots downtown. Councilmembers voiced support for leveraging private investment in city growth while retaining control over long-term land use and zoning.

Among the revenue options discussed, Mayor Fletcher also raised the possibility of adopting a 0.1% sales tax for criminal justice, a measure the council could approve legislatively. The idea drew no consensus Monday, but even with the addition, Cashmere’s total sales-tax rate would rise only to 8.6% — still well below the statewide average of 9.47% and lower than Wenatchee’s 8.8%, which will increase to 8.9 next April.

But even a small bump of a fractional 0.1% in sales tax — something that’s contributed to even by motorists who pass through Cashmere and see it as a place on the highway to stop and grab food or gas — that’s implemented before a new development takes shape at the Old Mill site could turn into revenue that both boosts Cashmere’s economy and replaces some of the funds that have had to come from elsewhere to pay for criminal justice services.

The group said they expect to continue conversations with the Port and potential developers in the coming months as they look for ways to balance new investment with sustainable revenues.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media