During the fourth quarter of 2012, the Economic Recovery Review Council (ERRC) designated industrial areas in Lane and Douglas counties as ‘Regionally Significant.’ Regionally Significant Industrial Areas (RSIAs) are industrially zoned areas that have vacant sites available for development and have superior industrial characteristics including access to highways, rail and an appropriate labor force. Once designated, these areas are able to take advantage of land use protections, infrastructure investments and expedited permitting.
The Lane County designation is located in Goshen, an unincorporated industrial area within the Eugene Springfield Metropolitan Area. This 317-acre collection of industrial sites was designated on the basis of its potential for long-term job creation due to its immediate highway access, rail connectivity and its existing industrial character.
Another 358 acres were designated in Douglas County. This area consists of three large sites that were designated on the basis of an attractive combination of industrial characteristics including rail and highway access, utilities, readiness, zoning, site sizes and neighboring uses compatible with industrial development. Significant investments in rail and road improvements as well as certification also made the sites worthy of the RSIA designation.
