What's the Plan for Edmonds?

The following is a report from the (CEDC) in Edmonds, whose goal is to improve the city through contributing to the improvement of its economic foundation.

The report comes from Marianne Zagorski, commissioner for the Port of Edmonds as well as a commissioner for the CEDC. It was written by Zagorski and the CEDC Communications Subcommittee.

The grand kick-off for the was Wednesday in the City Council chambers.

For a city that has experienced so much disagreement, with sometimes less than civil discourse, there was surprising consensus among the participants on many key points.

With Mayor Mike Cooper and almost all of the Planning Board, Economic Development Commission and City Council members in attendance, the Beckwith Consulting Group presented a proposed schedule and a list of various activities that will take place over the next nine months.

As participants talked of their goals for the plan, there was widespread agreement on the importance of broad public participation, concern for the challenges of reaching consensus, interest in where new ideas will come from and excitement about the work that lies ahead.

Some of the things that make Edmonds unique present difficulties and opportunities at the same time. With our prime location on Puget Sound, we have lots of waterfront recreation, but this same location limits the area from which we draw shoppers. Our ferry draws thousands of people to the city daily, but most just pass through Edmonds.

We have a lovely downtown with lots of creative small shops, but most of the city’s sales tax revenues come from just a few car dealerships on Highway 99. An even greater part comes from property taxes. How can we plan to take advantage of Edmonds’ unique features to plan for the city’s future?

The Beckwith Group introduced participants to the basic elements of a strategic plan. First, it organized and prioritizes initiatives to achieve specific goals. These goals will cover a shorter term, three- to five years, and fit with midterm goals in five to 10 years.

Next ,a strategic plan establishes goals, tactical approaches and performance measures. Third, it coordinates other city plans and programs so that all are in sync. For example, the city’s comprehensive plan describes a wide range of desirable actions the city might take, while the strategic plan establishes which ones should get top priority for the budget and staff work. Finally, a strategic plan achieves consensus among the public and the City Council on a vision for the future.

How does all this happen?

It requires input from many parts of the Edmonds citizenry: property and business owners, community organizations, city employees, youth, the public at large, etc. The Beckwith Group will gather their input using multiple methodologies: individual interviewd, focus group interviews, workshops, open houses, surveys, and more.

One member of the professional planning team is an expert in analyzing city finance and developing options for making improvements. The whole process is analytically based and uses data on conditions and trends in the broader environment as well as local input.

The process of collecting information from the public will have two distinct phases. The first phase asks more general questions and allows for creative thinking to address Edmond’s challenges. The second phase will be more concrete and ask opinions about specific options.

Edmonds citizens will have several opportunities to give their opinions in both phases. They may participate in face-to-face interviews or on online surveys. Design workshops will gather more ideas, as will open houses.

There will be telephone interviews conducted with a statistically representative sample of the Edmonds voters. Finally, the Planning Board and City Council will hold public hearings when the plan is nearly in final form.

The kick-off was held in the City Council chambers so that it could be recorded and aired on Comcast Channel 21 and Frontier 39. You can catch the full two hours daily for the next two to four weeks at either 9:30 a.m. or 4:30 p.m.