Four North County municipalities agreed in principle last week to create a new business development group to represent their interests.
Representatives of the cities of Battle Ground, La Center and Ridgefield, as well as the Port of Ridgefield, met at a "retreat" lasting about five hours at City Hall in Battle Ground on Nov. 5, according to Ridgefield city manager Justin Clary.
Clary told the VBJ on Tuesday that documents establishing the new entity would be drawn up in the coming weeks. The group would most likely be charged with marketing north and central Clark County communities to business interests throughout the region, he said.
Battle Ground Mayor Michael Ciraulo called the proposed arrangement an "exciting opportunity" for his city's business community. "We are at the tipping point for the entire Portland-Vancouver metro area for phenomenal growth. And most of that growth will happen in North County," Ciraulo said. "We want to capitalize on that opportunity."
Ciraulo downplayed suggestions that the group represented a break with the Columbia River Economic Development Council, which advocates for Clark County business interests on a local, national and international level.
The city of Battle Ground decided to discontinue its $5,000 annual contribution to the CREDC last year, with some claiming the agency at times overlooked this fast-growing community's business interests.
"CREDC was never able to assist the city," Ciraulo said. "We think that a different, more local, relationship is better for our community."
Reached this week, CREDC president Bart Phillips said he welcomed the idea of a North County business partnership. "There needs to be more economic development, not less," he said.
Phillips also dismissed concerns that a future North County group would siphon-off resources from the CREDC, or that their missions might overlap. Instead, he saw the two organizations as potentially being "complementary" to one another.
However, he disagreed with Ciraulo's bullish take on future central and north Clark County development. "In terms of residential and commercial development, I have serious doubts that it will be as robust as it has been."
Ciraulo remained optimistic about the area's growth potential, pointing to recently-relocated businesses in nearby Ridgefield, Agave Jean Company and Dollar Tree, as well as two just-opened Battle Ground restaurants, Bones Steak & Chop House and Laurelwood Brewing Company. "We have been a well-kept secret to the business world out there," Ciraulo said.
According to Clary, representatives from the four municipalities will now consult with their respective elected bodies to determine the best way to proceed. And though many details remained to be agreed upon, Clary said there was general consensus that a separate economic organization was needed for the region to move forward.
"I don't think it's our intent to withdraw from the CREDC," Clary said. "Rather, I think in partnership with CREDC, we can encourage even more business development."
