A weather-beaten sign advertises the availability of the former Georgia-Pacific mill site in Coquille. After many years of waiting, the city authorized two sales recently. One is to McKay’s Markets and one to the Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative. World Photo by Jolene Guzman

The soon-to-be-built McKay’s Markets store on the former Georgia-Pacific mill site won’t be the only building going up on the long-vacant property in Coquille.

The Coquille City Council approved a resolution this week authorizing the sale of a 2.67-acre parcel of the mill site to Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative. The cooperative intends to build an office and warehouse.

Since acquiring the property in 1993, the city watched many near deals fizzle until 2007, when the city approved selling a piece of the property to McKay’s.

“Finally it looks like it’s going to grow,” Coquille Mayor Steve Britton said Tuesday.

Coos-Curry’s new office would be about 1,500 to 2,000 square feet, with room to expand and the warehouse would be connected in the same building. Plans include a pole and equipment yard, and place for storing vehicles. A chain-link fence with decorative security slates would conceal a portion of the site.

The new buildings would replace the electric cooperative’s Coquille office on Second Street and its warehouse between Coquille and Myrtle Point. The facility will be adjacent to Mast Bros. Towing and Collision Repair.

The electric company will buy the parcel for $2.32 per square foot for a total of $270,266. Coos-Curry also will extend South Mill Street for access to the facility for a total cost of $603,000. The city has agreed to a  reimbursement of $100,000 paid for by the developer of the other side of South Mill Street. If that portion is not developed in 10 years, the city will reimburse Coos-Curry.

Beyond site preparations, City Manager Terence O’Connor said building on either project probably won’t begin until after the rainy season.

The city wasn’t the only entity to suffer strike outs over the years.

“There were a number of years when the state tried to market the property as well,” O’Connor said.

He said the Oregon Department of Community and Economic Development tried to sell it for light industrial uses. After about six years, the state deemed that there wasn’t a need for that much light industrial property on the South Coast and gave the responsibility for the sale back to the city.

Four years ago, a developer expressed an interest in creating a mixed development for commercial and residential, but then dropped the idea.

O’Connor said that still may be a possibility for the 14 acres of property remaining. The city’s selling price is $2.32 per square foot, but it’s negotiable if a developer offers to build something that matches with what the city wants for the site.

Working out a deal with Coos-Curry gives O’Connor hope that such a developer is out there, even in the shaky economy.

“Coos-Curry Electric reinforced the city’s belief that the property is valuable,” he said.

Having some building activity on the site might encourage other developers to take a closer look at the property.

“Once the McKay’s store and Coos-Curry’s office and pole yard start going in, I think there will be a lot of inquiries,” Britton said.