NORTH BEND – The city of North Bend, with the help of seven dedicated volunteers, has taken its first big step in proceeding with a more active role in helping to shape the economic development of the city.
Recently, the Economic Development Commission (EDC) submitted the Economic Development Element to city lawmakers for discussion and inclusion in the latest round of the Comprehensive Plan update slated for later this year. The element outlines several programs and areas that would allow healthy economic growth in the city.
Although the element’s inclusion in the Comprehensive Plan was required this year by the state’s Growth Management Act, North Bend officials have been discussing such a plan for years. With a self-imposed construction moratorium – in place since 1999 – slated for removal as early as next year, helping to revitalize a struggling downtown economy is just one of the aims of the element.
City officials are quick to point out that the element does lack several specifics, but that it’s meant to be the beginning of a process that will last years.
“This is the first step in organizing our city, not just the resources that we have, but also our human assets,” said North Bend Management Analyst Tonie Cook, who works with the commission.
That first step of organization will lead to the EDC utilizing internal resources to complete a marketing survey of North Bend to better determine how to market itself to potential businesses while maintaining the small-town feel residents have said is important to them, said EDC President Terril Perrine.
Cook said by using committee volunteers, the city not only will save money, but she feels that because they have a vested interest in the community, the work will be thorough and well-discussed.
That marketing study, combined with the economic element, will act as a guide to the city’s lawmakers, said Perrine, and will work to ensure that future land-use decisions help meet the vision of business owners and residents.
“We just need to put the right tools in place,” said Perrine.
Retail is important to any city, and with the building moratorium in place, it has been influential in helping to keep money in North Bend’s coffers.
The retail sector accounted for 48 percent of all jobs within North Bend in 2002. According to the draft Economic Development Element, there were 2,287 persons employed in 2002 in North Bend. The largest percentage of total business licenses issued in North Bend that year was 35 percent (136 licenses) for retail businesses, with professional service licenses finishing second at 26 percent (97 licenses).
North Bend economic commerce centers are broken up into six major areas in the draft plan. The Nintendo/Outlet Mall (Factory Stores at North Bend) section accounts for 37 percent of the total revenue for 2003. For that same year the Mount Si Business Park center accounted for 20 percent; North Bend Way 18 percent; QFC Shopping Center 11 percent; and Bendigo/North Bend Boulevard 7 percent. The Boalch Avenue area, while not one of the major groups but still an important area of commerce, accounted for 1 percent of the total revenue during 2003, according to the report.
Harnessing tourism dollars also will be important. North Bend is in a lucky position as it hosts a popular destination in the Factory Stores at North Bend and is located within miles of two popular spots, Snoqualmie Falls and the Mount Si Trail. Snoqualmie Falls attracts about 1.5-million visitors a year, while Mount Si Trail hosts about 80,000.
Perrine said he hopes the element and its subsequent actions will create a city with a solid economic base, but that it would still maintain a small-town feel. In a perfect world, he said, visitors would come to the Valley, enjoy the outdoor recreation, spend some money in town and then leave at the end of the day.
With the foundation laid with the recent plan, Perrine said there’s more work to come, including talking to residents and business groups.
“Now it’s time to go execute,” he said.
