U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.9 million grant to the city of Longview, Wash., to help construct critical road infrastructure to reduce congestion and provide access to developable land. The grant will be matched with $1.9 million in local funds and is expected to help create 200 jobs and generate $111 million in private investment. The project will help to extend Beech Street from 14th Avenue to California Way to establish a prime location for businesses to locate, according to a statement from U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Dr. John Fleming. In June 2019, EDA added Opportunity Zones as an Investment Priority, which increases the number of catalytic Opportunity Zone-related projects that EDA can fund to fuel greater public investment in these areas.
