Consultants present North Marion economic study; Mount Angel council asks for city-specific targets

Consultants for a North Marion economic development study presented findings to the Mount Angel City Council on July 7 and asked the council to help refine city-specific priorities.

Matt Hastie, senior project manager with MIG, said the study — led regionally by Johnson Economics with support from Marion County and state partners — projects varied population growth across the study area and about 14% population growth for Mount Angel over the next 20 years, based on Portland State University forecasts. Hastie summarized employment patterns, saying agriculture and forestry account for the largest local employment share, followed by health care, manufacturing and administrative services. He described a draft regional vision that emphasizes supporting existing agricultural businesses while attracting complementary employers to the region.

Councilors pressed for detail specific to Mount Angel. One councilor asked staff and consultants to mark which SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) items apply to Mount Angel — for example, whether wetland mitigation or utility capacity are constraints inside the city’s urban growth boundary. Several councilors recommended focusing on workforce initiatives and small-business development rather than large incentives the city may not be able to fund. “Anything that is special enough to get cars coming from Silverton,” a councilor said, should be prioritized, illustrating the council’s interest in destination businesses that could draw regional customers.

Hastie described a menu of strategies the team has drafted — land supply and site readiness, policy and code updates, small-business support, workforce training, development incentives, transportation strategies and potential funding sources — and asked the council to indicate which strategies they want the consultants to pursue in the city-specific plan. He said the consultants will meet with Discover Mount Angel and hoped to deliver a draft Mount Angel strategy in August if the council returns completed questionnaires and supplemental information.

Next steps outlined by the consultants include further outreach to local businesses, analysis of shovel-ready site availability and preparation of a Mount Angel-specific strategy document. The consultant requested council members return completed questionnaires and any notes marking applicability of SWOT items within a few weeks so staff can incorporate local feedback into the August draft.

The council did not take any formal action on the study at the meeting; consultants and staff will follow up with a draft plan and further data.

The consultants’ presentation and the council’s feedback session are scheduled to inform a draft city-specific development strategy to be reviewed by the council later this summer.