Quarry Property Request for Interest

The City of Sweet Home is a beautiful community at the base of the Cascade Mountains. While its original economy was forestry and logging, it is shifting more towards tourism. The City owns over 200 acres of land on the South Santiam River that includes forests, ponds, and over a mile of river-frontage known locally as the Quarry Property. This property used to be a quarry but also has amazing natural wild life such as bald eagles, turtles, and bass. The City desires to develop the land with uses and amenities that will bring tourist traffic to the City, as well as add to the quality of life for City residents. The land is designated for public use, however within that category are a number of potential uses including resorts and lodging, recreational tourism, and a variety of recreational uses. The City desires to enter into a public-private-partnership for the planning, development, and management of the Quarry Property in ways that will accomplish the City's goals of bringing more tourism, lodging, and other economic development activities to Sweet Home. While the City has many ideas about how the property could be developed, it also wants to hear from private developers about other ideas that may accomplish the same purposes. Thie City is also open to exploring other types of arrangements for this property provided that the property still meets its public purpose requirement. In addition, two other property owners hold approximately 450 additional acres of land adjacent to the City's property, which may be developed in collaboratively with the City's property, and enhance the value of all the property involved. The City can provide additional information regarding these properties upon request.