Goodwill takes next step on Warrenton project

Published 4:00 pm Monday, November 30, 2009

Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette announced Nov. 9 that it has completed the next step in its planned construction of the first Goodwill store in Clatsop County.

Plans call for construction of a 25,000 sq. ft. facility in Warrenton, adjacent to the new Costco Warehouse. The building will include 10,000 sq. ft. of retail space. The building also will include a processing center for donated goods and a Job Connection office to assist citizens with community employment opportunities. The building will include a covered drive-thru donation area.

Dale Emanuel, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit agency, said Goodwill has completed the due diligence process required for the project. Final closing is not expected until January. A date to break ground for construction has not been announced, but Emanuel told Coast River Business Journal that the new facility is expected to be open in late summer or early fall 2010.

Goodwill has operated an attended donation site in the parking lot at the Fred Meyer store in Warrenton.

“We have been waiting for property (to build in Clatsop County) for about a decade,” Emanuel said.

Currently, the nearest Goodwill store is located in Lincoln City, Ore., more than 100 miles away.

Goodwill Industries is a nationwide nonprofit organization that provides vocational opportunities to people with barriers to employment. Its retail program, supported by donation of goods from the public, provides training to its clients while also generating funding for its vocational programs.

Emanuel said more than 90 percent of every dollar spent in Goodwill stores goes directly to its local Job Services Programs.