SIUSLAW NEWS | WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2018 | 3A
G ENERAL N EWS
WLCF announces continuing
education scholarships
Western Lane Community
Foundation (WLCF) has an-
nounced its 4th annual Continu-
ing Education Scholarships pro-
gram for 2018.
These scholarships are award-
ed to for students who use per-
manent home addresses with-
in the Florence/Dunes City/
Mapleton/Deadwood geograph-
ical areas and have already grad-
uated from high school, have
their diploma, GED, or were
home-schooled and are eligible
to enter higher education or a
trade school, graduate program.
This includes non-traditional
students returning to a program
after a career or family change or
job loss.
Scholarships are available for
traditional four-year universities,
colleges, community colleges
and accredited trade schools.
Applications can be obtained
at LCC or on the WLCF website:
www.wlcfonline.org. Application
packets may be submitted on-
line, or by mail at PO Box 1589,
Florence, OR 97439.
The deadline for post-mark or
receipt is Saturday, June 30.
Deadline approaching for
purchase of Vet Wall bricks
The deadline for submitting
applications for placing the
name of a veteran, or individual
on active duty, on a brick in the
Veteran’s Memorial Park will be
May 31 for this wall panel.
Applications are available at
the Chamber of Commerce and
Patriot Place, located at 175 No-
pal St. in Old Town Florence.
Placement of the personalized
bricks will take place this July.
The cost of a brick is $75,
which is tax deductible, with a
limited number of spaces cur-
rently available.
For more information call
project coordinator Tony Cavar-
no at 541-997-1677
Veteran, Band of Brothers member and Veterans Wall proj-
ect coordinator Tony Cavarno with brick applications.
COURTESY PHOTO
FURA purchases land across from events center
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COURTESY PHOTO
The above map shows the designated property purchased for $495,000 by the Florence Urban Renewal Agency.
On Tuesday, May 15, the Flor-
ence Urban Renewal Agency
(FURA) closed on the purchase
of the vacant property located at
750 Quince Street. The proper-
ty is the former location of the
Siuslaw Middle School and is lo-
cated across Quince Street from
the Florence Events Center. The
former middle school property is
made up of two tax lots totaling
13.41 acres. The combined prop-
erty was purchased from Aspen
Flo, LLC, a private development
firm, for $495,000.
In 2016, the FURA Board con-
tracted with Leland Consulting
Group to perform a market analy-
sis and create investment strategy
for the Urban Renewal District.
Through this project, five catalyst
sites were identified for develop-
ment projects that demonstrated
a market opportunity and would
encourage other investments to
coalesce around those areas.
Evaluating catalyst sites was a
fundamental step in understand-
ing and planning for FURA in-
vestment. The former middle
school site was identified in both
the market analysis and the in-
vestment strategy as an important
redevelopment catalyst site.
The FURA Board’s decision
to purchase the former middle
school site was based on the fol-
lowing:
• Identification as a catalyst de-
velopment site
• Strategic location in proxim-
ity to the:
• Florence Events Center
• ReVision Florence Old Town
Gateway on Quince Street
• Siuslaw Estuary Trail and
Trailhead
• Historic Florence Old Town
• Desire to incentivize devel-
opment on a site that has been
vacant
Based on the investment strat-
egy, it is important that FURA’s
public investments be targeted so
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
MAY 23
MAY 24
that they directly and indirectly
attract private investment to the
greatest extent possible. It is rec-
ommended that, at a minimum,
FURA should seek to leverage at
least five dollars of private invest-
ment for every dollar of public
investment.
With FURA now being the land
owner, the strategy is to leverage
their investment in attracting new
development on the land either
as a whole or in smaller sections.
Where a private land owner also
has the goal to see a profit on the
development of land, FURA can
enter a public-private partnership
with the goal to increase proper-
ty values and property tax incre-
ment for the District rather than
solely profit from the sale of the
land.
The FURA Board will work
with staff to create a development
plan and timeline for property
over the next few months.
The estimated developable land
is approximately 6.24 acres and is
limited due to the eastern tax lot
bordering the Siuslaw River Es-
tuary.
FURA previously purchased
two lots at the southwest corner
of the Highway 126 and Spruce
Street intersection, which will
eventually be the trailhead for the
Siuslaw Estuary Trail.
The undevelopable portions
of the newly purchased proper-
ties will be incorporated into the
Siuslaw Estuary Trail and provide
additional public open space.
The property is located within
Old Town District Area C, which
has permitted uses including, but
not limited to:
• Lodging – Hotels, Motels
• Restaurants & Cafes
• Office Space
• Retail Sales
• Residential — Mixed Use,
Multi-Family, Townhouses, Du-
plexes
• Parks and Open Spaces
Full details on the zoning reg-
ulations for this property, includ-
ing permitted and conditional
uses, can be found it Florence
City Code Title 10 Chapter 17:
Old Town District on the City’s
website at www.ci.florence.or.us/
council/city-code.
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