Template revised September 22, 2016.

DATE: November 19, 2018

TO: Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director

King County. The program, funded by the tax levy, provides cities $1 per capita with a minimum

funding amount of $5,000 and a maximum funding amount of $65,000.

The Commission authorized a second round of EDP program funds in 2017. POS awarded just

over $950,000 to 30 King County cities through the EDP program during the 2017-2018 funding

cycle. During this funding cycle, the Port shifted the EDP program timeline to align with the

calendar year budget cycle after receiving feedback from multiple city partners. City partners

were finding it difficult to secure matching funding halfway through the municipal budget cycle.

While most city initiatives will take time to show results, there were some immediate

 Issaquah jump-started a new, city tourism promotion organization by hiring an

Each city project is summarized in the following pages. Additionally, the Port hired Community

Attributes Inc. (CAI) to conduct an objective assessment of the EDP program’s impacts on

regional economies and ability to advance the Port’s Century Agenda.

Template revised September 22, 2016.

2. Provide impact measurement support to cities

3. Vary reporting requirements with grant amounts while maintaining accountability and

4. Facilitate more countywide economic development discussions

5. Allow for longer-term funding arrangements and some assurance of program

Several cities plan to attend the December 11, 2018 Commission meeting to highlight their

initial results. CAI will also share their findings at the meeting.

to drive meaningful outcomes while providing cities with some flexibility to define local

projects. Staff worked with participating cities to develop initiatives tied to economic

development, tourism development, and the Century Agenda. The Port also required a 50%

match to ensure cities were also committed to project success.

City projects generally fell into the following categories:

 Business recruitment initiatives designed to attract new companies to a region or city;

 Small business development (including incubator/accelerator projects);

 Tourism development;

 Workforce development and training;

able to initiate projects previously outside of their budget and the 2018 grant funds provided a

foundation for moving forward on major multi-year initiatives.

Support and feedback from the cities continue to be overwhelmingly positive and they

enthusiastically anticipate the continuation of the program.

Template revised September 22, 2016.

As the EDP program closes the second year of funding and projects, the Port of Seattle hired

Community Attributes Inc. (CAI) to conduct an objective assessment of the program’s impacts

on regional economies and ability to advance the Port’s Century Agenda. As part of the

CAI identified the following recommendations for potential changes to the program based on

findings from the evaluation and discussions with participating cities.

1. Consider a new grant allocation approach where a $100,000 separate, competitive pool

2. Provide project impact measurement support to cities to define project outcomes early

3. Work to streamline the EDP program for cities, while maintaining the need for financial

4. Facilitate more countywide economic development discussions by holding workshops

Template revised September 22, 2016.

Bellevue, Redmond, and Kirkland

 Generated 1,200 unique visits on the Innovation Triangle website – a regional economic

 Represented the Innovation Triangle at D.I.C.E., Mobile World Congress, Games Forum,

Duvall, North Bend, and Snoqualmie

 The “Savor Snoqualmie Valley” tourism promotion initiative, coordinated by the

Auburn - $65,000

Bellevue - $49,116

 Bellwether Arts Festival marketing generated 1,500 event visitors, 5,400 website visits,

 Participated in the Startup425 and the Innovation Triangle regional partnerships.

Template revised September 22, 2016.

 Finished Visioning phase of the Canyon Park Regional Plan – a bio-medical innovation

Template revised September 22, 2016.

 Jump-started Visit Issaquah, a new tourism promotion organization, by hiring a CEO and

Template revised September 22, 2016.

Maple Valley - $24,700

Pacific - $6,797

 Inventoried and classified 248 businesses to understand the city’s business clusters.

 Completed 21 business surveys and 11 in-person interviews to understand the local

 Created a monthly “coffee hour” with the mayor to meet with local businesses based on

Redmond - $47,354

Template revised September 22, 2016.

Sammamish - $61,250

 Completed a new destination brand in collaboration with extensive outreach to

SeaTac - $27,810 (1 of 4 projects to be finalized in 2019)

 Visited 250 out of 300 contacted businesses to understand area needs, connect local

Shoreline - $36,986

 Quantified the number of home-based businesses (1,264 licensed) and developed

 Created a vision and identified “quick-wins” for improving the Downtown Ridgecrest

 Continued seeking letters of interest in the SeaSound media campus to lobby and secure

Template revised September 22, 2016.

Snoqualmie - $10,000

 Produced a tourism video to attract new conventions and events, specifically Comic

 Enhanced a major gateway to downtown Woodinville with 2 murals artistically

Awarded funds used is calculated based on the final project reports provided by participating

cities. The grant award amount is shown for the cities of Carnation, Enumclaw, Mercer Island,

and SeaTac as their projects are still being finalized.

Staff is starting to implement the 2019 EDP program. The Port is meeting with participating

cities on December 13, 2018 to kick off the 2019 EDP program funding cycle. After the meeting,