Arlington Economic Development Plan

Arlington Economic Development Committee and Community Development Department, Arlington, Washington

We recently completed a detailed economic development strategy for 6 different land use districts in the City of Arlington for a joint committee involving members of City Council, Planning Commission, Airport, School Board, and Chamber of Commerce.

City Council wanted to create and implement detailed economic development strategies for the historic business district, airport, railroad industrial area, Smokey Point, and 172nd Avenue Corridor. The city wished to determine which markets, strategies, designs, and other implementation particulars were appropriate and would be publicly supported for each and all 6 districts combined.

We conducted a series of mail-out/mail-back surveys of all employers, employees, commercial store customers, and district property owners. We conducted intercept surveys on a festival day in the historic downtown business district and at Smokey Point to determine who and why customers frequented the areas. We also conducted a series of participatory brainstorming workshops with business and property owners, and the public to assess conditions, propose strategies, and define a detailed action plan strategy for each and all districts.

We developed a series of quick-sketch studies illustrating how each district could capitalize on unique economic development issues and opportunities including rail corridor rights-of-way, vacant historic business district properties, the Centennial Trail corridor, and airport industrial and recreational markets, among others. We also identified a series of detailed action proposals for joint efforts to provide adult education and training, job advertisement and placement, property and building space listings, development review procedures, and website linkages.

City Council unanimously adopted the plan following a series of public hearings. As a result of the strategies, the city has since developed a new library-civic center, completed design on the Centennial Trail on former railroad right-of-way, and begun a detailed design study of the 172nd Street corridor.

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