This spring, construction will begin on the Crates Building www.cratespoint.com, a new office complex located on the banks of the Columbia River in The Dalles, OR. This new facility will be sited on one of very few riverfront locations in the Gorge and offer not only a spectacular location, but also class A office ammenities.

Hatched as a conceptual idea by a local development company, Crates Point Development LLC, the project design has moved ahead rapidly after the developers secured their anchor tenant, Northwest Farm Credit Service (NWFCS). The building will be a 2-story, 16,000sf, tilt-up construction, class A office space situated on the Columbia River. Designed to take in the natural beauty of the area, the building will offer expansive views of the river from both floors, lots of natural light, easy access to a riverfront pedestrian trail and landscaping that will complement a pocket park located a hop, skip and jump away.

“Northwest Farm Credit Services is very excited to be the anchor tenant in this project” said Brent Fetsch, vice president. “We have been in our current location for 25 years, and we are looking at this move as a fresh start. We believe agriculture and The Dalles have a bright future, and we are looking forward to being part of it.” NWFCS is a cooperatively owned agricultural lender specializing in financing farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses and the like in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. As part of the Farm Credit System, NWFCS is a member of a $90 billion nationwide network of lending institutions. “Our focus has, and will always be agriculture” continued Fetsch, “this move will allow us to expand our products and reinvest in agriculture though out The Dalles and the Mid Columbia Region.” NWFCS will be occupying about 4,000sf on the ground floor.

Ron and Carina Schmidt, partners in Crates Point Development, LLC, along with Bill Lancaster, also think The Dalles has a bright future. Owners of Crestline Construction, the Schmidt’s and Lancaster have been actively involved in many community projects that are revitalizing The Dalles, including a large urban renewal project that occurred two years ago. Currently Crestline’s equipment is mobilized on the new Home Depot site, clearing, grading and leveling the site in preparation for construction of the 120,000sf home and garden center.

“We have lived and been part of this community for a long time and we would like to give something back to the area” said Ron Schmidt. “Our vision is to have a vibrant waterfront in the Port area, and we look at the Crates Building as the cornerstone of this type of development.” Working in conjunction with the Port of The Dalles, Crates Point Developers envision a campus of human scale buildings that are oriented to the river and nicely landscaped. Ample parking, broadband communication and direct access to I-84 add to the attractiveness of this project.

“This project closely aligns with the vision of the Port for the waterfront and brings economic diversification to our community” commented Scott Mengis, President of the Port of The Dalles Commission. “We have been looking for a developer to undertake this first project and we are very pleased that it is a local group.” Crates Point Developers are the fifth private development group that the Port has worked with over the years to construct buildings on the Port.

“Having the private sector involved in the development down here has spurred growth in the Port over the years” said Scott Hege, Executive Director for the Port of The Dalles. Starting with two, 10,000sf buildings in the 1980’s, area developers have built an additional 70,000sf of building space in the Port, all of which is occupied. “By capitalizing on the public/private partnerships we have fostered over the years, the Port has been able to concentrate on creating available industrial land for future development” continued Hege. “Although the ‘commercial’ market is new to us, and this is ‘frontier’ development, we have a strong sense that this project will be very successful and open the door for new business in the community.”