Newport is seeing a spate of utility, college and hospital building projects

There’s a handful of new buildings going up around Newport.

The furthest along is Central Lincoln People’s Utility District’s new $26.5 million earthquake resilient headquarters. The exterior framing is nearly complete, and crews have started work on extensive sealing and waterproofing the sheathing and roof and interior framing is underway. General contractor Lease Crutcher Lewis celebrated “topping out” in late July — the point in a construction project when the primary structural framework is complete and the largest number of subcontractors are on site.

The building portion of CLPUD’s project is expected to be complete during the first quarter of 2027 and work on driveways, parking, and landscaping will continue into the summer.

The most expensive project is Oregon Coast Community College’s trades building that is rising on the north side of the entrance to the college’s Newport campus. The college broke ground on the $30.5 million building that is expected to be opening in September 2027 and train students in construction, maritime technology and aquaculture. Lease Crutcher Lewis is also the general contractor on that project.

The exterior sheathing has also finished on the $3.2 million three-story apartment building adjacent to Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital to provide housing for medical residents in the final two years of their three-year Samaritan residency. The 5,400-square-foot building will offer one-bedroom apartments that average around 900 square feet.

And, foundation work is underway on the 26,000 square foot Newport Toyota dealership along U.S. Highway 101 in South Beach. The new building will be more than double the size of the current dealership building, which will be demolished and turned into parking when finished.

— Quinton Smith/Lincoln Chronicle