Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >> Kevin Nortz / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Stanwood and Camano Island residents traveling along Highway 532 (this view looks northeast) pass by the Viking Village shopping center, which obscures the quaint, but fading, downtown presence. Stanwood has hired an economic development firm to help the city plan for its future, including how to encourage commercial development.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, November 2, 2007 Q&A: Stanwood plans for development By Kaitlin Manry, Herald Writer STANWOOD -- Last week, the Stanwood City Council hired a Seattle firm to develop an economic development plan for the city. Berk & Associates of Seattle is charged with creating an economic blueprint for Stanwood. The consultants are also expected to work with a Citizen Advisory Committee to review technical data, develop goals for the city and write a strategic action plan. Stanwood's community development director, Stephanie Hansen, answers questions about the plan. Q How much will the plan cost? A The contract is for $98,000. Q Where is the money for the plan coming from? A It was budgeted (into) the 2007 budget; so out of city funds. Q What is an Economic Development Strategic Action Plan? A The idea is to give the City Council a blueprint for taking concrete actions to promote economic development in the city in the coming years. ... The public participation part of it is very important because there's a lot of ways that cities can grow economically and a lot of people have very different views on what can happen. When it's implemented, we're all working together and we're all working in the same direction. Q How long will it take to complete? A It's about a 10-month process. Q How does this tie in with Stanwood's previous economic development programs and studies? A This is the first time that I'm aware of that the city has taken on economic development planning in a proactive way. It's something new and different for us. We've been very passive about it in the past. Q Why does the city need this plan? A There are many ways for the city to grow. Our city's grown substantially with residential development, but it hasn't grown as much with commercial development. Commercial development is needed in order to sustain revenues over time and help the city do projects over time. Residential is helpful, but property tax alone won't cover the revenue to provide all the services and do all the projects. People interested in serving on the Citizen Advisory Committee should call the city at 360-629-4577, or contact Stephanie Hansen at stephanie@ci.stanwood.wa.us, or Devin Tokizawa at devin.tokizawa@ci.stanwood.wa.us.

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