Port seeks state and federal funding for $20 million Trades District expansion

EAST WENATCHEE – The Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority has $4 million in federal funding for the second phase of the Trades District and is looking to state and federal sources to help pay for the roughly $20 million expansion. The Port must spend the money already in hand by Nov. 30, 2028, CEO Jim Kuntz told commissioners at their Nov. 4 retreat.

The expansion is one of the Port’s top requests for the 2027 state capital budget. Kuntz said he had asked for $4 million from the state and estimated an appropriation could come in closer to $2.5 million or $3 million.

In Congress, the Port could ask U.S. Sen. Patty Murray to seek additional funding for the expansion. Kuntz said Washington’s two senators are in line for committee posts that could help the Port make its case when the new Congress convenes in January. Murray is expected to chair the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Sen. Maria Cantwell is expected to chair the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

The Trades District expansion ranks second on the Port’s federal funding list, behind their Stehekin access project. The Port also plans to compete for a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

The Port would need to put some of its own money into the expansion to make a case for outside funding, Kuntz said. Commissioners discussed whether revenue from the Pangborn tax increment financing district could help pay for the work. They made no allocation at the retreat.

The Trades District opened in 2025 with 12 spaces for small businesses at the former Giga Watt site in the Pangborn Airport Business Park. Under the concept commissioners selected for further design in September, the second phase would add about 29,500 square feet of building space. The layout, called the Gateway, groups potential retail, hospitality and industrial spaces around a central public area.

The Port has money set aside for design and expects to finish that work in 2027. Kuntz said the project could go out to bid by the end of that year if funding comes together and commissioners give the go-ahead. Staff said construction was unlikely to start in 2027.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media