Economic Development Virtual Community Workshop

The City will hold an Economic Development Virtual Community Workshop on June 30 at 6:00 PM.

If you missed the workshop the slideshow and video recording of the workshop are now available!

The Economic Development Virtual Community Workshop is your first opportunity to give the City input on the Economic Development Element of the Comprehensive Plan. The City wants to hear from you on the following topics:

• Your vision for the Mercer Island Economy in the coming years
• The strengths and opportunities to sustainably grow the local economy
• The weaknesses and challenges that could challenge sustainable growth of the local economy

The workshop will include a presentation on what the Economic Development Element is and how adopting this element fits within the larger Comprehensive Plan update.

Login on June 30 at 6:00 PM to find out more and provide your input.

What is the Economic Development Element?

The Economic Development Element will be a new element of the City Comprehensive Plan. It will establish the goals and policies to guide City program, budget, and capital improvement decision making. As an element of the Comprehensive Plan, the Economic Development Element will be linked with the other elements. All Comprehensive Plan elements must be internally consistent, without different elements working at cross-purposes. As a result, the goals and policies in the Economic Development Element will be considered in concert with the other elements of the Comprehensive Plan. This will coordinate planning and decision making throughout the City, placing economic development on equal footing with other City efforts.

How does the Economic Development work?

The Economic Development Element guides decision making with a vision, goals, and policies. A vision is a general statement of where the comprehensive plan ought to guide the City. Goals articulate a desired outcome that will further the vision. Goals are more specific and targeted than a vision. Policies are a general direction that the City sets to follow when taking action to meet its goals. In general, policies describe a high-level approach to achieving a goal. Once a vision, goals, and policies are set, they are implemented through an implementation plan. The implementation plan for the Economic Development Element will include strategies and actions and could eventually be developed into a more detailed strategic plan. Implementation strategies and actions are more specific than policies and typically focus on near-term projects, budget decisions, and programs. Having an Economic Development Element as a foundation for decision making will keep City efforts coordinated and boost efficiency of programs. High-level planning today will improve the functioning of government tomorrow.