Issaquah staff review economic-development dashboard; council hears concerns about limited retail space and rising office vacancy

Issaquah Economic Development Manager Jen Davis Hayes told the City Council Services, Safety and Parks Committee on April 29 that the city is expanding the data it gathers to guide business outreach and policy, but councilmembers and commissioners warned that constrained retail space and recent large office vacancies pose near-term challenges.

Davis Hayes said the city maintains about 28 economic-development data points ranging from retail sales and vacancy rates to lodging taxes, and that the information is intended to give businesses a quick snapshot of Issaquah’s market. “Our economic dashboard is really intended to showcase Issaquah’s climate,” she said, describing tools designed for business recruitment, performance tracking for the city’s economic-development action plan and regular reporting to the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee.

Why it matters: Councilmembers said the vacancy and space data should guide land-use and incentive discussions. They also pressed staff on how the city will use the performance dashboard to turn red or yellow indicators into policy or administrative responses.

Most important facts

- Data and tools: Davis Hayes described three main uses for the city’s metrics — a public-facing economic dashboard for businesses, performance metrics tied…