Retail development plan allows for neighborhoods’ differences

Published 1:32 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

SNOQUALMIE – The city hopes to have an idea on the look of future business in Snoqualmie before it gets too big, too difficult and or too ugly.

“It’s good to be out in front of this before it comes in,” said Councilman Dick Kirby, who also chairs the Snoqualmie Planning and Parks Committee.

The Snoqualmie City Council unanimously approved a retail development plan for the city prepared by E.D. Hovee and Co., a municipal retail development planning firm from Vancouver, at its meeting Tuesday, May 28.

Although no specific ordinances or laws are part of the plan, it does outline steps the city should take to encourage and manage future retail development and gives a timeline for when the steps should be implemented.

Conversation about the plan touched on the desire to avoid the onslaught of “big-box stores” that can be visually unattractive and threatening to smaller merchants.

But competition may be hard to avoid as the area begins attracting merchants from outside the Valley.

Snoqualmie Planning Director Nancy Tucker gave an example that if and when Snoqualmie Ridge gets a grocery store, Snoqualmie Market – the only grocery store in Snoqualmie – may have to make some adjustments to stay stay in business.

“They may have to change their business plan to have more specialty items,” Tucker said. “Or they may go out of business.”

The council was careful, however, not to discourage businesses from coming in.

“Competition is good for business,” said Councilman Matt Larson. “If a company comes in that has a better business plan and more capital, that can be a good thing.”

The plan calls for certain parts of town to specialize in services, depending on what is already there or what that part of town has been known to offer historically.

The plan identifies specific retail districts within Snoqualmie as historic downtown, Snoqualmie Ridge, Snoqualmie Falls, Meadowbrook District, Maskrod’s Corner (the intersection of State Route 202 and Meadowbrook Way) and Kimball Creek Village (near the intersection of Snoqualmie Parkway and SR 202).

“Some of the areas serve a more tourist function and some serve a more neighborhood function,” said Eric Hovee, principal of E.D. Hovee. “For instance, Meadowbrook could be kind of destination neighborhood like the historic downtown, while Kimball Creek and the Ridge are more neighborhood orientated.”

One of the plan’s highest priorities was the hiring of a downtown revitalization manager, a position that would coordinate all of the business and government initiatives.

“These people usually come from a background of community services,” Hovee said. “Whether it’s architecture, business or public relations, they are always the type of person with a real commitment to seeing the city’s vision work.”

The plan was welcomed by the council as a way to oversee the eventual influx of retail growth that will come with the city’s rising population.

Council members agreed that the plan will be moot unless the business community comes on board and puts in the same amount of – if not more – effort.

“I’d like to see that when the city puts up a dime, they [business owners] put up 90 cents,” said Mayor Fuzzy Fletcher. “They can’t just sit around and wait for the good times to come.”

Wes Sorstokke, owner of the Snoqualmie Candy Factory and member of retail plan development task force, said he is more than willing to help keep the downtown vital.

He would like to see the city’s retail districts offer different services and thinks that keeping the downtown alive will be the key to Snoqualmie’s future retail growth.

“They will probably put a sub shop up at the Ridge and that will take some of my sandwich business. They might also put in a an ice-cream shop,” Sorstokke said. “But if I lived up on the Ridge, I would want to come down here anyway.”