In May 2026, Gladstone agreed to sell the former library at 135 E Dartmouth St to Weldon Development for $50,000. The buyer has to put in more than $400,000, and the deal includes a six-year clawback provision, according to Citizen Portal's report on the May 12 council meeting. The sale price matters less than the investment requirement. Gladstone wanted the building used every day again, and the plan it accepted keeps much of what a library offered: a public room with seating, games and community nights, open late.
The beer is the headline. The rest of the plan explains why the city chose it.
Why the building has sat empty
The Gladstone Public Library moved to 525 Portland Avenue, and its grand opening and dedication were on September 28, 2024. The city's page on what happened to the old library confirms the library opened at the new location that September. A city staff report from February 2025 then stated that the new library was operating and that the Dartmouth Street property was no longer needed for library purposes.
That left a mid-century public building one block from Portland Avenue with no job. The city then had to decide what kind of owner would give it one.
Five council steps, start to finish
The selection moved quickly, and each step is on the public record.
- December 8, 2025. The city released its request for proposals for the former library, with proposals due January 30, 2026.
- February 12, 2026. A Blue Ribbon Committee reviewed the two proposals the city received, using weighted criteria.
- February 24, 2026. The schedule set a council work session on the proposals.
- March 10, 2026. The council voted 6–0 to accept the committee's recommendation, select Weldon Development and authorize negotiation of a disposition and development agreement, as Citizen Portal reported.
- May 12, 2026. The council authorized the city administrator to sign that agreement. Weldon Development says on its Gladstone project page that it entered the agreement in May 2026.
It took about five months to go from the first call for proposals to council authorization. The agreement terms show what the city was trying to achieve.
A low price paired with an investment floor
The buyer pays little up front but commits more than $400,000 to the building, and the agreement includes a six-year clawback provision. Required investment is about eight times the purchase price. The money the city cared about is the money that goes into the building, not the money it received for it.
Weldon's proposal described the same priorities from the buyer's side. It offered to buy the property outright, put private capital into "targeted life-safety, systems, and building envelope improvements," and favor "adaptive reuse, long-term ownership, and operational certainty over speculative redevelopment."
Grant money is lined up for the first of those improvements. A city release dated September 30, 2026, says Weldon Development is advancing the building with grant funds to upgrade its aging roof and/or fire sprinkler system. The release does not name the grant program or the amount.
What the proposal says the room will be
Weldon calls the concept the Gladstone Beer Library. Its January proposal to the city says the taproom will be run by Oregon City Brewing Company, with an in-house food offering and a covered, heated patio for use in all four seasons. Bryce Morrow founded Weldon Development in 2023. The proposal lists him as founder and managing member of Oregon City Brewing Company since 2014 and as former CEO of Solestruck.
Weldon's proposal, posted on the city's website, describes the project as a continuation of the building's purpose:
"Where the former library supported learning and quiet gathering, the proposed reuse supports connection, conversation, and shared community life."
The operating details back that up. The proposal lists seating with power outlets and charging for people who want to work or study remotely, a small number of arcade and table games meant for all ages, and low-cost or free trivia, game nights, nonprofit fundraisers and informal civic gatherings. It projects about 11 staff and hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., 363 days a year. The bar would be built from the old library shelves. The plan keeps and rehabilitates the existing building footprint rather than replacing it.
Food would come from a compact, fully permitted food cart, screened from public view and working as the kitchen. Customers would order at the bar and have food delivered to their tables. That is one cart serving as a kitchen, not a food cart pod. The September release mentions a community-engagement display inside the building that included a brewpub with food carts among the possible uses. The proposal is more specific than that display.
Settled versus still on paper
| Item | Status | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer | Settled | Weldon Development, selected March 10, agreement authorized May 12, 2026 |
| Reported deal terms | Reported | $50,000 sale, investment of more than $400,000, six-year clawback |
| Roof and/or sprinkler upgrades | Funded | Grant funds named in the city's September 30, 2026 release |
| Brewery component | Confirmed by the city | Included in the reuse plan |
| Oregon City Brewing as operator | Proposed | Named in Weldon's proposal; the city's release names no operator |
| Food cart kitchen, heated patio, shelf bar, games | Proposed | Described in the January 2026 proposal |
| Hours, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., 363 days | Proposed | Projection in the proposal |
| Opening | Target | Mid-2027, per Weldon Development |
The city has said publicly that there will be a brewery. The operator, the kitchen setup and the hours come from a proposal written before the agreement was signed. The final agreement could change any of them.
The proposal's schedule has already slipped
Weldon's proposal laid out a fast schedule. It planned to close on the real estate by March 27, 2026, build for three months starting June 15, and reach a targeted certificate of occupancy on September 16, 2026. The agreement was authorized in May rather than March, and the September occupancy target has passed. Weldon's project page now says the project is in progress and "slated to open in mid-2027."
If mid-2027 holds, the building will have been empty for nearly three years after the library moved to Portland Avenue.
Weldon has done this kind of project nearby. Its proposal lists the Canby Beer Library, which it bought from the City of Canby through an RFP and completed in October 2024 with support from the Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant and the Oregon Small Business Sustainability Fund. The proposal also lists an Oregon City Brewing food cart pod. The Canby project gives a rough idea of what Gladstone's could look like.
The first concrete piece of a larger Portland Avenue plan
The library is not a standalone project. The city's September release says Gladstone, with help from HSC, has started an ad hoc economic development committee to grow tourism and revitalize Portland Avenue. The committee is reviving the 2017 Downtown Revitalization Plan and building on Portland Avenue's Main Street affiliate designation. The proposal ties into that work directly. It describes the project as reinforcing Portland Avenue and Dartmouth Street as walkable, human-scaled corridors.
The same release shows how much of the downtown push is still at the idea stage. eNRG Kayaking reports a $73,000 Clackamas County tourism grant for a two-year expansion of inflatable-watercraft operations. The proposed expansion includes Gladstone's Cross Park and Dahl Beach, and the grant requires a 25% match. City staff have shared a concept for a converted shipping container at Meldrum Bar Park that would serve as a hub for kayak rentals and paddle-sport programs. The city labels that graphic "Concept only; no operation has been approved."
Of all the downtown ideas in that release, the old library has the most behind it: an authorized agreement, a named developer, grant funds for the roof and/or sprinklers, and a stated opening window. Weldon Development's current target for opening the doors on Dartmouth Street is mid-2027.
Owners near Portland Avenue may wonder what an active corner like this means for their own block once it opens. The Eleete Real Estate team follows projects like this one closely, and we're happy to talk through how downtown Gladstone changes might affect your property. Request a complimentary market valuation whenever it's useful to you.
