St. Helens Sells Former Cascade Tissues Site to Arcadia Paper Mills

Nearly two years after starting negotiations, St. Helens completed the sale of the former Cascade Tissues site to Arcadia Paper Mills. The transaction closed at the end of December, enabling Arcadia to establish operations at 1300 Kaster Road, previously the Boise White Paper and later Cascade Tissues location. Arcadia bought the site for $7.5 million. St. Helens received approximately $2.8 million upfront after covering closing costs and reducing debt from the Boise Cascade site purchase a decade earlier, per a city spokesperson. Arcadia will pay the remaining $3.4 million in monthly installments starting in November, with the full balance due in January 2031. No opening date for the new mill has been set, but it will produce paper towels and napkins. So far, 15 employees have been hired to repair and commission the mill infrastructure, according to a city press release. “Arcadia Paper Mills’ investment will bring family-wage manufacturing jobs back to St. Helens,” City Administrator John Walsh stated in the release. “It reflects the progress we’re making to reactivate the industrial waterfront and grow our local economy.” St. Helens acquired the 204-acre site, once home to Boise White Paper, in 2015 for $3 million. Cascade Tissues ran a portion until closing in 2023, prompting the city to seek a replacement tenant. American Hyperion Solar once considered the site but declined due to insufficient electrical capacity. The Columbia River People’s Utility District has budgeted funds to attract industries suited to the local grid's power limits. After the solar firm passed, Arcadia expressed interest and began talks with St. Helens in April 2024. The sale advances the city’s waterfront revitalization efforts. Last year, St. Helens finished the first phase of a new riverwalk and started discussions with Romano Capital to redevelop the former Boise Cascade Veneer Plant site into an economic hub.