Urban Renewal

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One of many Urban Renewal projects

The intent of urban renewal is to improve specific areas of a city that are poorly developed or underdeveloped, eliminate “blighting” conditions and improve conditions to encourage economic development. Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) Chapter 457 establishes and governs urban renewal districts. Administrative costs associated with implementation of urban renewal projects are an allowable expenditure of urban renewal funds.

The City of Coos Bay has two separate urban renewal districts. The Downtown Plan includes the downtown core area and the industrial/commercial/recreational areas located along the bay. The Empire Plan is located on Newmark Avenue and the waterfront area along the bay.

Helpful Links

× Egyptian Theatre The historic Egyptian Theatre is a vibrant entertainment complex operated for the benefit of the greater Coos Bay Area community. The non-profit Egyptian Theatre Preservation Association (ETPA) , in cooperation with the city's Urban Renewal Agency, works to preserve, restore and operate the Egyptian on behalf of the city and the community. The theatre plays current and classic movies and hosts community events. A superb example of the Egyptian Revival style popular in the 1920's, the Egyptian Theatre remains much as it did in 1925. The operational Wurlitzer Hope-Jones Unit Orchestra organ is the only theater organ in the state of Oregon that is still in use at the theater where it was originally installed. Due to the Theatre’s historical significance, the Egyptian Theatre was entered into the National Register of Historic Places on May 24, 2010.

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FAQs

Q:

× Where can I go for assistance with opening a new business?
Contact the City of Coos Bay Community Development Department at 541-269-8918 for information on business license requirements, zoning, urban renewal, and façade improvement grant program. Local agencies include the Business Development Center (541-756-6866), Business Oregon (541-267-4651), Coos Curry Douglas Business Development Corp (CCD) (541-756-4101), and South Coast Development Council (SCDC) (541-888-7003).

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The Coos Bay Downtown Urban Renewal Plan and Report were adopted in 1988.

The Coos Bay Downtown Urban Renewal Plan and Report were adopted in 1988 in accordance to Oregon state law. The Downtown District begins at the north city limits and runs between the navigation channel and Highway 101 south and southeast toward the city's core area. The district's boundaries proceed south until they come nearly in line with the industrial property located in Eastside. The eastern boundary then turns east to include the industrial-commercial lands in the Eastside area. The westerly boundary proceeds west to include the downtown core area which was a part of the first Urban Renewal Plan and also includes several blocks of transportation corridor immediately west of the core area. The eastern and western urban renewal area boundaries begin to come together in the southern portion of the city and extend to the south city limits along Coalbank Slough.

The Downtown Plan classifies potential urban renewal projects in three general, broad categories:

Waterfront Development
Core Area Revitalization
Streets and Infrastructure

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The Empire URA rejuvenates the historic area.

The Empire district is a historic area on the far west end of the city. Founded in 1853, Empire was once an independent city and was the county seat, poised to become the economic and governmental center of the region. Commerce then shifted farther east towards the more protected bay, and Empire declined. The city of Empire voted to consolidate with Coos Bay in 1965. The historic buildings and varied businesses still show the pride of the area and tie the area to the working waterfront.

The Empire Urban Renewal District borders the bayfront adjacent to Empire Blvd from Wisconsin Avenue north to the shoreline. At the intersection of Empire Blvd and Newmark Avenue, east on either side of Newmark Avenue to the intersection with Ocean Blvd, east to the property line between Norman Avenue and LaClair Street.

The objectives of the Empire Plan are to improve the function, condition, and appearance of the urban renewal area and eliminate existing blight. Project categories:

Waterfront Development
Empire Blvd. and Bayfront Improvements
Improve Primary Commercial Area

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Annual Reports are filed with the City Council each January.

Oregon Revised Statues (ORS) 457.460 requires a financial impact statement from the Urban Renewal Agency be filed with the City Council by January 31st of each year. The annual reports are in addition to the Urban Renewal budgets which are adopted after a public budget process, a public hearing before the Urban Renewal Agency, and in addition to the annual Urban Renewal Agency Audit.

Components of the financial report include:

The amount of money received during the preceding fiscal year and the indebtedness incurred.
The purposes and amounts for which money received, including indebtedness, were expended during the previous fiscal year.
An estimate of money received in the current fiscal year, including indebtedness.
A budget identifying the purposes and estimated amounts to be received for the current fiscal year and how funds are to be expected.
An analysis of impacts, if any, of carrying out the plan for all taxing authorities for the preceding year.

2017-2018 URA Annual Report

2016-2017 URA Annual Report

2015-2016 URA Annual Report

2014-2015 URA Annual Report

2013-2014 URA Annual Report

2012-2013 URA Annual Report

2011-2012 URA Annual Report

2010-2011 URA Annual Report

2009-2010 URA Annual Report

2008-2009 URA Annual Report

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The Hollering Place is a prime redevelopment site intended to serve as a catalyst to revitalize the Empire District.

The Hollering Place site, which holds a great deal of historical importance, has had two conceptual plans developed over the past few years but nothing has been implemented to-date. The City has contracted with the Oregon Downtown Development Association to develop a market-based Master Plan for the site and move this project from concept to implementation. The City and Hollering Place project consultants held several public meetings in Empire to gather citizen input on the proposed project. The master plan is a concept of what the citizens would like to develop at the site.

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The historic Egyptian Theatre is located in downtown Coos Bay on Hwy 101.

Egyptian Theatre History

In 1925, Charles Noble invested $200,000 to convert his service station and auto garage in downtown Coos Bay into a movie and live-performance theatre. Reacting to the national obsession with Egyptian design and themes (stimulated by the 1922 discovery of the tomb of King Tut), Mr. Noble’s new theatre incorporated bold Egyptian Revival architectural and design themes. In addition, Mr. Noble spent $32,000 to purchase and install a custom Wurlitzer Theater organ in his new venue. Immediately, this unique and vibrant building became an architectural and social landmark in the Coos Bay/North Bend area. While Charles Noble’s investment was bold, his vision was not unique. The exploding popularity of movies and the theatrical design elements of the Egyptian Revival style saw Egyptian Theaters being constructed throughout the United States.

Over the next eight decades, both entertainment and architectural design underwent many major changes. The ornate downtown movie palaces that had been the social and economic anchors of the downtown business districts had largely been replaced by multiplex cinemas attached to strip malls on the outskirts of town. The impact of this trend was clear in 2005, when the Egyptian Theatre in downtown Coos Bay was one of only four known Egyptian Revival style movie theatres surviving in the United States. Further, this worn but in-tact building still included most of the original style décor, light fixtures, curtains, and painted backdrops. In addition, the original 1925 Wurlitzer Theater Organ was still in-place making the Egyptian Theatre the only Oregon movie palace that still had its original pipe organ installation.

In 2005, when the owners of the Egyptian Theatre decided to close the movie theatre and put the building up for sale, the community responded. Not willing to let this landmark fade into history, a group of local citizens and the Urban Renewal Agency of Coos Bay joined forces to purchase and operate the theatre as a community event and celebration space. With revenues generated from second-run movies and rental activities, the ETPA systematically began to replace equipment and address a backlog of deferred maintenance issues. This effort was recognized in 2010, when the theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places and in 2011, when the Historic Preservation League of Oregon named the Egyptian Theatre as one of the ten “most endangered treasures” in Oregon.

The City Urban Renewal Agency and Egyptian Theatre Preservation Association has partnered to raise funds to restore the Egyptian with the goal of re-opening the theater in 2014. For more information about the historic Egyptian Theatre, volunteering, becoming a member, or helping with the restoration project, visit the website at http://www.egyptian-theatre.com.