By Brooke Fisher,
John Santana and Bill Sheets
Enterprise writers
Local government and business officials aren’t waiting around to see if the business climate gets warmer by itself.
Representatives from both groups have taken recent actions to do what they can to improve the situation for businesses and residents.
The South Snohomish and Everett chambers of commerce recently issued a position paper urging lawmakers in the upcoming legislative session to make job creation and retention their top priority.
“We simply cannot afford to lose more jobs,” the policy paper says. Jean Hales, the president of the South County chamber, said other area chambers are also adopting the paper’s policies that urge legislators to do more to lower taxes and regulatory controls on companies during the upcoming full session, while also improving highways, health care and education.
Meanwhile, Hales’ organization in November hosted a gathering of local city officials who shared their plans for economic development.
City officials from both Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood have plans to become more economically aggressive in the coming year.
Mountlake Terrace has been fortunate to have several thousand new jobs in the city, even though the city has not actively gone out to recruit business, said city manager Connie Fessler. Even so, she said economic development is a key issue for the city, and in response the comprehensive plan is being updated and alterations to development regulations are underway.
“We have been putting our own house in order, so to speak,” Fessler said.
Fessler said she will encourage Council members to work on specific strategies to provide guidance for the future. She pointed out the city’s location could lead to additional development opportunities.
“The primary advantage that Mountlake Terrace has is location, location, location,” Fessler said.
Shane Hope, planning and development director for the city of Mountlake Terrace, identified several projects on the horizon, including casino and restaurant developments, in addition to a number of small businesses. Key growth areas are the town center, Gateway and Melody Hill.
David Kleitsch, economic development director for Lynnwood, said city officials have expressed the desire for the city to design an economic development action plan and assess the community for potential development.
“What we are looking at doing is developing a healthy diversified base of business,” Kleitsch said.
The city needs to build family-wage sustainable jobs in order to achieve job diversity, Kleitsch said. Because the city has a good foundation in real estate, Kleitsch believes they can capitalize on future trends, such as biomed and aerospace.
The catalyst projects in Lynnwood are the further development of Alderwood Mall, the convention center and the transit center, Kleitsch said.
In Edmonds, the City Council approved Mayor Gary Haakenson’s request for an economic development director for the city. The position will better coordinate and consolidate the various efforts going on in the city than has been done in the past, the mayor has said.
The director will begin work in the second quarter of 2004, Haakenson said. Haakenson also got a nod from the City Council to assemble what he will call an Economic Development Advisory Board, a volunteer advisory group representing a “vast cross section” of interested people in the city, he said.
Haakenson envisions monthly breakfast meetings of representatives of himself, Greater Edmonds Chamber of Commerce, the Port of Edmonds, the City Council, business representatives and others to brainstorm about economic development. No money would be put into the group and it would have no official power, but would be a source of ideas, the mayor said.
“Economic development is far more than increasing the sales-tax base,” he said.
Regarding sales tax, the city earlier this year assembled a group of city officials, business people and property owners along Highway 99 to get serious about studying ways to maximize development potential in that corridor. Nearly $25,000 has been included in the city budget for 2004 to consultants and zoning studies.
The Edmonds Alliance for Economic Development – a consultant and staff member funded by the city, chamber and port since the mid-1990s – will cease operations when the economic development director is hired.
Meanwhile, Ranch 99 Market in the former K-Mart opened recently, and projects forthcoming in 2004 include the development of condominiums at Point Edwards; another building as part of the Bartell’s complex at Westgate and, in 2005, the opening of the renovated Edmonds Center for the Arts.
In Mill Creek, officials are out to change the city’s image from a primarily residential area into an area where people can also shop.
The Mill Creek Town Center project is somewhat new in Snohomish County. The concept: A whole new section of the city, complete with retail, residential and office space.
“It’s unique, but it’s not the only town center being planned in the state,” said Mill Creek city manager Bob Stowe, who gave the city’s presentation at the November chamber conference. “It’s what the planning community would say is a lifestyle center, but it has a functioning street in Main Street.”
After 10 years of planning, the center is coming together. Most streets are in place. One office building, built by Mill Creek resident Rolf Trautmann, opened last summer. A second building, Park Place Center, is expected to open soon and will have a variety of restaurants along with office space. In addition, a location of the popular Central Market stores will open there early next fall.
“You’ll see a lot of construction next year,” Stowe said. “When the south phase is completed next winter, about 75 percent of the development will be completed.”
The city is hoping to build on those successes by luring some national retailers to consider opening a store in the development. Some of the companies the city is trying to lure include J Crew, Cost Plus World Market and Tower Records.
A consultant, the Buxton Company, compiled a list of 41 potential retailers for Mill Creek based on the demographic profile of the city and the surrounding area. The city has sent information packets to potential retailers and followed up with phone calls. The city also has a retail strategy committee that maintains contact with prospective companies and includes three members of the City Council — Mary Kay Voss, John Hudgins and Mayor Terry Ryan.
While Town Center is projected to draw well from the greater Mill Creek area, including Martha Lake and Bothell’s Canyon Park area, Stowe said the development won’t be a huge regional economic power.
“It’s not going to be a draw like Alderwood Mall,” Stowe said. “It’s going to be a regular gathering place for Mill Creek and help our sales tax base. No one’s looking at this as a regional economic boost, but if it’s duplicated by other cities in the area, it will be significant.”
Bryan Corliss of The Herald contributed to this story.
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