La Mota Offloads Pink Building in North Bend

The building’s name and color sent a message to the Oregon town’s mayor.

La Mota's North Bend property. (Coldwell Banker Homes)
By Sophie Peel

A bubblegum-pink building in North Bend went up for sale last week for $399,000. The listing describes the bright pink structure in the sleepy coastal town four hours south of Portland as a “gem” that’s a “standout in the market.”

“With its strategic location and exceptional features,” the listing reads, “this listing presents an unparalleled canvas for commercial success.”

The building, which WW wrote about last year (“Scorched Earth,” May 10, 2023), is owned by an LLC controlled by Aaron Mitchell, the co-founder of troubled cannabis chain La Mota.

Mitchell and La Mota’s CEO, Rosa Cazares, painted the building its vibrant color and applied for a permit from North Bend to operate a sex shop there called “Jessica’s Adult Entertainment” after the city denied La Mota a dispensary permit in 2022. City staff told WW the move was a middle finger to North Bend Mayor Jessica Engelke, who was outspoken in not granting La Mota a permitting exception for the dispensary.

Mitchell still owes $7,162 in property taxes on the building.

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