The decision gives developers the green light to proceed with the project, barring any additional appeals to the project being made to The Dalles City Council. The project would have an immediate impact on the local housing shortage and is expected to create the equivalent of 478 full-time jobs in its first decade and contribute $16.9 million in payroll, according to developer Mary Hanlon of The Dalles.

The Dalles Planning Commission will get detailed information about parking this evening as they decide an appeal of the Basalt Commons site plan. The 116-unit apartment building with commercial space would be built at the former Griffith Motors lot, 523 E. Third Street, and would utilize public parking lots and on-street parking for more than 100 vehicles of future residents.

In a 5-0 vote Council unanimously affirmed the 60-foot height permit for the Basalt Commons, a mixed-use building for business, and 116 apartments proposed for the former Griffth Motors, a half-acre lot at 523 E. Third Street.

The Basalt Commons is a calculated risk that could anchor the east side, which is now home to a new grocery in The Farm Stand and the urban renewal board is seeking new development on the Tony’s Town & Country site. Is The Dalles on the edge of major change? We’ll see as Councilors hear an appeal on the height of the 116-apartment building with commercial space.