Consultants solicit College Place input for economic development strategy

College Place commissioners and staff met Jan. 6, 2025, to provide local input for a comprehensive economic development strategy (SEDS) and to feed a SWOT analysis consultants will use to draft industry- and site-level recommendations.

Consultant SEDS lead Mr. Saldanha opened the facilitated session and said the team was collecting interview and survey input to inform the SEDS and would follow up with on-site visits and one-on-one interviews. "This is a ... facilitated discussion," Saldanha said, describing the session as part of the strategy’s information gathering.

Why it matters: The SEDS will guide marketing, target-industry outreach and infrastructure priorities the city and county use to recruit retailers, restaurants, light industrial employers and lodging — sectors residents and business leaders said are underdeveloped in College Place.

Commissioners, business owners and staff identified several locally viewed assets: vacant infill parcels that could be repurposed for housing or commercial…