COMMUNITY INFORMATION

Grandview is a growing community of 8,700 people who are served by a progressive city government.  City Departments include Police, Fire, Water/Sewer/Garbage/Irrigation, Cemetery, Parks & Recreation, Library, Museum, Code Enforcement, City Clerks Office, Municipal Court and Animal Control.

Grandview is located in a strategic location in the Pacific Northwest.  Highway travel to Grandview is quick and efficient via Interstate 82; we are equidistant (185 miles) from Seattle, Spokane and Portland. Also located within 45 minutes are two regional airports providing connecting service throughout the nation. 

Sunshine is the norm in Yakima County with an average of 300 days of sun a year.  Due to the favorable climate and terrain, there are almost limitless varieties of recreational opportunities within an hours drive.  Golf, tennis and softball are avidly pursued sports and our parks and recreation department offers varied year-round programs for children and adults.  Yakima Valley, in the heart of wine country, is one of the premium wine regions in Washington and home to more than 40 wineries and over one third of the states vineyards. 

Grandview provides a quality education to our students in three elementary schools, one middle school, one high school, an alternative school and a college campus.  During the past four years the district has extensively remodeled or completely replaced four of the six school buildings.  Grandview is also home to a campus of the Yakima Valley Community College.  The campus has recently doubled in size with the acquisition of adjacent property for the construction of a Grape and Wine Education Center and a Nursing and Allied Health Training Center.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

Situated in the center of the nations finest agricultural regions, Grandview provides ample opportunity for agri-business.

Major industries in Grandview are devoted to storing, packing or processing food and a food distribution center for the Pacific Northwest.  Included is one of the Pacific Northwests largest frozen food warehouses, Kenyon Zero Storage, as well as nationally recognized corporations such as Welch Foods, Snokist, Shonan USA, the J.M. Smucker Company and Cervantes Fruit.  Wal-Mart located its food distribution center in Grandview to serve the entire Pacific Northwest. 

Grandview is a pro-business community; we are actively seeking additional enterprises to meet the needs of the growing volume of production and related services.  We have excellent transportation routes to major markets, a necessity for food processors or distribution centers.

BUSINESS INCENTIVES

Companies expanding in or relocating to Grandview can tap into a variety of tax, financing or employee training incentives.  The Yakima County Development Association works with the City and Port of Grandview to ensure that new or expanding companies take advantage of all available programs.  Some of these programs are:

INDUSTRIAL REVENUE BONDS 

SALES TAX EXEMPTIONS 

B & O TAX CREDITS 

EMPLOYMENT TRAINING   

SITE DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

WORK FORCE

A trainable hardworking labor force is a big asset for businesses or industries expanding in Grandview.  Tax credit and on-the-job training programs are available, and they are especially helpful to companies new to the area. 

Yakima County offers an extensive array of workforce training resources operated by the State of Washington, Yakima County, local non-profits and private companies. 

According to an article in Logistics Today,   In its first 6 weeks of operation,

Wal-Mart found its absentee rate was less than 1%. 

In addition, throughput levels were at 80% in the same time period,

well above the 55%-60% Wal-Mart expected for a facility the size of the new Grandview D.C.

INDUSTRIAL SITES

Grandview offers a wide variety of facility options for new or expanding businesses.  Public and private industrial sites are available and include both purchase and long-term lease options.  Several developers have sites that are prepped for immediate construction.  The Port of Grandview has two major sites available for commercial or industrial use:

WALLACE WAY INDUSTRIAL PARK

25 acres, fully serviced, zoned M-1 Light Industrial/ Commercial, located mile from I82 access.

 STOVER ROAD INDUSTRIAL PARK

50 acres, fully serviced, zoned M-1 Light Industrial/ Commercial, freeway visibility, located mile from I-82 access.

In addition, over 150 acres of privately owned, fully serviced, industrial/commercial zoned property is adjacent to the Wal-Mart Food Distribution Center site, ready for development.

YAKIMA COUNTY DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION

INDUSTRIAL/COMMERCIAL SITE STUDY

In 2000, Yakima County Development Association retained the consultant team of Huitt-Zollars, BST Associates, Kidder Mathews Segner Real Estate Services to prepare an Industrial/Business Park Site Evaluation of available properties in Yakima County. 

The Port of Grandviews Wallace Way Development Park ranked NUMBER ONE out of twenty sites evaluated.  The general evaluation criteria included visibility, vehicular access, rail access, air service access, soils and drainage, utilities, other environmental constraints and readiness to proceed and marketability. 

The Port of Grandviews Stover Road Development Park ranked number four in the study.  The utilities have since been extended to the site and it is now fully serviced.

FAST TRACK PERMITTING

Fast-track permitting is a remarkable tool, allowing companies to move their projects along quickly and smoothly. 

Grandview is committed to reduce roadblocks and paperwork that stands in the way of private investment projects.  Permits and licenses can generally be approved within 30 days or less from the time a company submits completed applications. 

Expect excellent customer service and a one-stop shop!

For more information contact:

Jim Sewell, Secretary                                                                                            509-882-4453