Item No.
Date of Meeting

3b
June 27, 2017

King County Cities' Economic
Development Partnership
Program
Building effective

economic development
alliances from the
ground up

1

Economic Development Partnership Grants

Thirty Cities Worked With the Port to Advance Economic Development

2

A New Economic Development
Partnership Program
• A year ago the Port created a new grant
program to support partnerships with King
County's Cities
• The "Economic Development Partnership
Program" ultimately provided 30 Cities per
capita funding to support economic
development projects in their communities
• Results are very favorable and the 2017
program is beginning to unfold
Advancing Local and Regional Economic Development
3

Cooperative Program
• Participating King County cities all
received some funding to advance local
economic development projects and
initiatives
• Grant funding was provided on a $1 per
capita formula:
- Grants capped at $65,000
- Smallest cities receive a minimum of
$5,000
Advancing the Port's Economic Development Aspirations
4

Structured to Drive Meaningful Outcomes
• Provided some flexibility to define
local economic development
projects
• Tied to economic development
(ideally the Century Agenda
although not required)
• Required a 50 percent local match to
ensure cities are also committed to
project success

Working Together to Build Local Economies
5

Eligible Activities
 Business recruitment initiatives designed to attract new companies to a
region or city;
 Small business development (including incubator/accelerator projects);
 Industry retention and expansion assistance (ex. Maritime)
 Tourism development;
 Downtown revitalization;
 Commercial or industrial property development; and
 Other community or economic development projects that support new
investment and job creation.
Projects Needed to Tie to Port Business Interests
6

Business Recruitment
•

•

Redmond, Kirkland and Redmond
worked together to created the
Innovation Triangle, a branded
business recruitment initiative
targeting advance technology
companies
Federal Way developed and
implemented print and digital
marketing campaign targeted at
site selectors, developers and
commercial property professionals

Promoting and Capturing New Business Development Opportunities
7

Small Business Development
• Auburn and Kent supported new
incubators. The cities also
provided associated small
business training and assistance
• Kenmore, Enumclaw and
Normandy Park invested in small
business training & education
• Innovation Triangle cities
provided export training for
technology companies
Several Cities Supported Local Business Incubator Initiatives
8

Cluster Promotion and Development
• Woodinville, Shoreline,
Kent and other cities
used funding to promote
clusters (Media, wine,
food, technology)
• Efforts provide
foundation for
investment and jobs
Build on existing clusters, create new opportunities
9

Tourism / Wayfinding
• A number of cities invested funds
in tourism and wayfinding
projects
• North Bend, Duvall, Snoqualmie
and Carnation supported Savor
Snoqualmie, a regional tourism
development effort
• Wayfinding signs will improve
community appeal, improve
business visibility and tourist
navigation
Working Together to Promote Rural Adventures
10

Website Enhancements
• Renton, Covington, Sammamish,
SeaTac, Pacific all enhanced
their websites to promote local
merchants and business
development opportunities
• Sites feature refreshed data,
maps, imagery and
demographics to support
business attraction and
development
City of Sammamish Business Portal

Websites are the New Front Doors to Local Communities
11

Planning /Feasibility Studies
•
•

•
•

Bothell - Updating Canyon Park area
to support current business model
growth
Des Moines - Feasibility study to
support downtown and Marina
redevelopment
Shoreline - Developed a prospectus
for a campus media center
Newcastle - Planning to support
pedestrian oriented Coal Creek
Parkway redevelopment

Canyon Park Business Park (Bothell)

Priming the Pump for New Development
12

An Important and Effective Partnership
• Initial Results are Favorable
• Cities are willing to report on longer
term results
• Cities do not have the resources to
implement these initiatives. In many
cases local governments are now able
to take on longer term development
projects (ex. Des Moines)
• This partnership is an effective way to
advance the Port's Century Agenda and
business interests
Leveraging Port Resources to Promote Regional Development
13

Next Steps
• Support development of new city projects and related
contracts
• Bring specific contracts to Commission for review and
approval
• Work cooperatively with Cities to implement new
initiatives and partnerships advancing economic
development
Sustaining Partnerships That Advance Regional Prosperity
14