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East county cities seek economic boost

Camas, Washougal may create development group with port that serves them

By Cami Joner
Published: September 21, 2010, 12:00am

Camas, Washougal, and the port that serves the two cities on Monday announced plans aimed at boosting the economy in east Clark County.

They’ve proposed a new economic development council, which would be distinct from the Columbia River Economic Development Council. With a specific east county focus, they hope it will be more successful at creating jobs by helping existing businesses grow and attracting new companies to the side-by-side towns, said Paul Dennis, Mayor of Camas.

He and his Washougal counterpart, Mayor Sean Guard, pitched the idea on Monday to city council members from both towns and elected commissioners of the port’s three-member board. The mayors and Mark Lampton, port commissioner, spent the past 10 months studying ways to jointly promote the region.

The shared effort appears to be the latest in a string of new local policies being considered to boost area businesses.

Clark County’s board of commissioners is considering changes to zoning laws to accommodate companies that want to relocate to unincorporated parts of the county. On Oct. 12, the three-member board also will vote on a plan to waive development fees to draw new businesses to industrial, mixed-use, business park and office campus zones in the county.

The proposals are being discussed as a way to reduce Clark County’s unemployment rate, among the state’s highest at 13.9 percent in August.

“We’re trying to bring businesses and jobs to the county,” said Kelly Sills, Clark County’s economic development manager.

He said Clark County’s proposed “fee holiday” would be modeled after similar measures in the Oregon communities of Gresham and Molalla, where a fee-waiver program is credited for bringing a 160-unit apartment complex and retail project to the city’s downtown core. Troutdale, Ore., last week launched a similar fee holiday program.

Camas and Washougal officials likewise hope their efforts will spur job creation and business development.

“We think it’s in our best interest to come together and create our own advocacy group,” Dennis said.

He added that, after Monday’s meeting, each city council and the port board would consider whether to budget for the idea.

“If we get consensus that it’s a good idea, we will have the working group come up with what the operating budget would be. Right now, the port and two cities will likely put a place holder in our budgets that identifies that yes, we’re going to put funding toward it,” he said.

Washougal Mayor Guard suggested that his city would benefit more from the joint effort than from the larger, countywide Columbia River Economic Development Council.

Guard suggested that larger jurisdictions get more benefit from the CREDC because they pay more to support the nonprofit agency, which markets and recruits new businesses to the region.

However, that’s not the case, says Bart Phillips, the CREDC’s chief executive and operating officer.

Phillips said the organization is focused on the whole Clark County economy.

“If a jurisdiction has invested more money, it doesn’t necessarily mean they get more attention,” Phillips said. “Our client is the business that’s looking to invest in Clark County.”

Lampton said the east county group would likely partner, rather than compete with the CREDC.

For the port, Camas and Washougal governments to move forward with plans to create their own economic development council, all three entities would have to give the OK. Votes have not yet been scheduled.

Editor’s note: A change has been made to an earlier version of this story.

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