Bob Stowe is now helping half a dozen cities do the same thing he has done his entire career: Create or revitalize their downtowns.
Stowe, who served as 11 years as the city manager for the City of Bothell, has left his mark all over the Puget Sound region.
In his job in Bothell, Stowe helped launch Bothell Landing, the 25-acre revitalization and expansion of the city’s downtown.
Prior to that, Stowe served as the city manager in Mill Creek where he was the architect behind the successful Mill Creek Town Center.
Stowe was forced out of Bothell last year, and is now focusing fully on his own consulting business, Stowe Development & Strategies.
He’s already in high demand.
“I like to tackle difficult and complex projects,” Stowe said. “It’s a process where I help communities see their strengths and weaknesses, dream big, get buy-in from coffee shops to boardrooms, and then execute with a failure-is-not-an-option attitude.”
In Bothell, the visioning and execution plan that Stowe developed was strong enough to survive the real estate crash during the recession and deliver what is the most transformative city project in the state today.
“When you stick to the right visioning process and get that buy-in, everyone wants to see the plan work because they all see themselves in it,” he said.
Otherwise, he notes, “everyone starts pointing fingers at the first sign of trouble.” And that doesn’t help at all achieving what needs to be done.
There’s also tremendous leverage that comes from the sort of plan Stowe produces.
“These are 10- and 20-year plans, so the plan has to be bigger than any one mayor or council. It has to be in the DNA of the community.”
Where he separates himself from others in the field is his pragmatic approach and his ability to execute.
“I have both a real estate development background and my city planner background,” Stowe said.
“So I’ve been on both sides of the building permitting process and appreciate the complexities both sides face,” he said. “In everything I’ve done, I’ve tried to reduce obstacles and make getting things done more efficient for the private and public sectors at the same time.”
Stowe says the hallmark of his approach is his commitment to create well designed and environmentally sustainable places where people want to live, work and come together to celebrate.
“It turns out, that’s what everyone wants so I am usually able to build from that common ground,” he said.
The real estate crash was hard on a lot of communities and sapped expectations for many, Stowe said.
“One of the most gratifying parts of what I do is to see people dream bigger than the present or near future,” Stowe said.
“Human potential is really remarkable when you break down barriers and let people imagine what their future could be.
“Get enough of them together,” Stowe said. “And you have more than just a plan… you have a movement.
“ It’s fun to help communities create those dreams and be part of it.”
Tom Hoban is CEO of The Coast Group of Companies. Contact him at 425-339-3638 or tomhoban@coastmgt.com or visit www.coastmgt.com. Twitter: @Tom_P_Hoban.
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