Made possible by a $25.3 million grant from MARAD, the pre-construction work on the $28 million Pier 2 West Rehabilitation has focused on design and permitting throughout 2024. With the sole exception of unexpected opposition from the city of Warrenton for the use of Port-owned property on the east bank of the Skipanon for the critically necessary compensatory mitigation, design and permitting work have proceeded well. Three documents critical to securing the required permits are either complete or very nearly so: the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the NEPA review, the Joint Permit Application (JPA), and the Mitigation Plan.

Regarding the latter, rehabilitation of the pier is simply not possible without adequate compensatory mitigation. To this end, the Port identified one site that would meet the necessary criteria, located on the east bank of the Skipanon River in Warrenton. The requisite local permit was duly sought via submission of a conditional use application to the city of Warrenton Planning Commission. However, city staff opposed the Port’s application; as a result, the Planning Commission, with little deliberation, denied the Port use of its own property for the critical compensatory mitigation.

While the Port did submit an appeal, high risk of undue delay in the appeals process compelled the Port to withdraw the appeal. Instead, the Port attempted further reconciliation with the city and submitted two conditional use applications: one for the original site and another for a site immediately north on land owned by the state. The latter option is highly uncertain and, even if viable, is still far from ideal due to the additional cost and delay — delays that imperil the success of the project because of grant award deadlines.

The original site remains the best mitigation option and is the only feasible Port-owned site for the mitigation. Approval by the city is critical to the success of this project. The Port encourages all parties with an interest in the rehabilitation of Pier 2 West to reach out as soon as possible to the Warrenton Planning Commission and let your voice and opinion be heard (https://www.warrentonoregon.us/pc).