Multnomah County Unloading 3 Properties

PORTLAND-Hoping to shore up its general fund, Multnomah County is preparing for the disposition of several surplus properties it owns. Three of the properties–two on Portland’s close-in southeast side and a third in Gresham–have been OK’d for sale, while a fourth is on hold until its tenant can be relocated.

The most valuable among them is the Ford Building, a 105,000-sf industrial facility at 2505 Southeast 11th Avenue, near Division Street. It was built in 1918 as a factory for building Ford automobiles. The county acquired the building in 1972 and currently uses it for warehousing, printing and distribution. The county values the land and improvements at about $3.6 million and says it is open to a rezone that would make the property more attractive for renovation or redevelopment for a different use, as the existing building isn’t set up for modern-day manufacturing.

The second-most valuable among them is the one not yet on the market, the 177,000-sf Hansen Building at 12240 NE Glisan St. The assessed value of the land and building is $3.2 million, but county officials say the site is an opportunity for more housing, as it could hold as many as 300 units. It is currently occupied by the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department, which is looking for another location.