Economic study completed

Thanks to a collaborative effort by Metro King County Council member Carolyn Edmonds, Forward Shoreline and other area entities, a 2005 North King County Economic Engine Study has been completed.

The findings will be aired April 5 at an economic summit.

“I actually put the idea out to the mayors back in November,” Edmonds said. “It was an idea whose time had come.”

The study is the first of its kind to be completed in north King County, Edmonds said. The idea emerged when Edmonds noticed that cities in north county, including Bothell, Kenmore, Lake Forest Park, Shoreline and Woodinville, were developing individual economic development plans but were not conferring with one another. This induced a lack of identity among the cities, she said.

Edmonds first took her idea to officials at Shoreline Community College and UW Bothell, and since then, the study has evolved into a partnership encompassing many entities.

The study’s objective, Edmonds said, is to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the business climate in north county, in order to grow businesses that currently reside in the area, to provide an environment to encourage growth and attract additional businesses for redevelopment.

“One thing I hope to find out is what businesses are not here that other businesses need to be competitive,” Edmonds said.

Edmonds contacted Forward Shoreline to manage the project and provided the lead funding of $15,000. Each of the cities involved, as well as some stake holders, provided additional financial support.

David Endicott, Forward Shoreline executive director, said Edmonds contacted the non-profit organization to ask if they would be interested in taking on the project and fulfilling the duties as resident coordinator.

“Nothing like this has been done before,” Endicott said. “Not only doing the study, but bringing the five communities together in whatever cooperative ways that we can.”

To complete the survey, Forward Shoreline contracted with Hebert Research. A survey assessed 300 employers in Bothell, Kenmore, Lake Forest Park, Shoreline and Woodinville. Employers included business, government and non-profit. Each of the five communities were asked to identify a list of 10 employers to be interviewed, and the remaining 250 surveys were determined by Hebert Research staff on a random sample basis.