out in Washington County somewhere

That's part of the issue, though. Moving outside the City into unincorporated Washington County saves them --as it does Nike-- property taxes, while still giving them proximity to city services.

Still, it would be an interesting case history to dig into what really happened, and what the tipping point was either way. Close-in SE's industrial area --part of my neighborhood-- is ripe for redevelopment amd better utilization of that space.

Close-in SE's industrial area --part of my neighborhood-- is ripe for redevelopment amd better utilization of that space.

I thought nearly 20 years of "urban renewal" and the Eastbank Esplanade solved all that ...

The universally accepted story is that the city hassled the Boyles because the company's plan to relocate its headquarters interfered with the city's desire to some day put a light-rail station where Columbia wanted its offices. Transit-oriented development at its weirdest.

There was also the bit about Columbia wanting a specific building for it's headquarters but Multnomah county wanting the same building for it's activities. We all know how much better it is to house a non-tax paying entity in a building than a tax-paying entity; so based on that bit of illogical logic, they made sure Columbia sportswear DIDN'T get the building it wanted. Columbia moved out of the city - the city continually gets what it deserves.

There was also the bit about Columbia wanting a specific building for it's headquarters but Multnomah county wanting the same building for it's activities... they made sure Columbia sportswear DIDN'T get the building it wanted. Columbia moved out of the city - the city continually gets what it deserves.

That's why I think the story's not fully understood. You say the COUNTY wanted the building --which, indeed they apparently did-- but then we blame the CITY.

I know we buraucrats all look alike...but I'm still not clear on who's really accountable for screwing this deal.

If I recall the story in BrainstormNW correctly (click my URL for the full story), MultCo put in a last minute bid for what is now the weed-roofed MultCo building. Their bid was higher than Columbia's and the County won. In one sense, the County played fair-and-square, but it didn't exactly smell right. Columbia was making a lot of noise about buying the building, it seems odd that the smoove operators in the County wouldn't a least say, "Hey, fuhgeddaboutit, it's ours!" Don't have a war of words with someone who buys ink by the barrel and don't get into a bidding war with government.

The Brainstorm account was written by Jim Pasero in 2002 and provides an exact chronology of the events leading to Columbia's departure from the county. http://www.brainstormnw.com/archive/mar02_feature.html

Thanks, Dave, read the Brainstorm article. Still don't feel the whole story's told though (great Master's thesis for some Public Admin thesis)...I mean, what did Tim Boyle mean when he says: "We want at least what a new company gets," in terms of financial inducements? And PGE/Enron was a player, too? Also, the article doesn't really say why St John's wasn't a viable place for Columbia to stay and grow.

Anyway...I'd rather be looking at a Columbia Sportswear building --than a Multnomah County one-- every day as I cross the Hawthorne Bridge.