HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Committees - Economic and Community Development Committee - 01/10/2022 Pending Approval
Economic and Community
KENT Development Committee
CC ECDC Regular Meeting
Minutes
January 10, 2022
Date: January 10, 2022
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Place: Chambers
Attending: Toni Troutner, Committee Chair
Marli Larimer, Councilmember
Zandria Michaud, Councilmember
Agenda:
1. Call to Order 4:00 p.m.
2. Roll Call
Attendee Name Title Status Arrived
Toni Troutner Committee Chair Present
Marli Larimer Councilmember Present _
Zandria Michaud Councilmember Present
3. Agenda Approval
Minor change to the agenda as published. John Hinds, General Manager of
Kent Station, was unable to attend in person.
4. Approval of Minutes
A. Approval of Minutes dated November 8, 2021
MOTION: Move to approve the Minutes dated November 8, 2021
RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Marli Larimer, Councilmember
SECONDER: Zandria Michaud, Councilmember
AYES: Troutner, Larimer, Michaud
S. Business
A. Downtown Kent Business Activity
In place of John Hinds, who could not attend, Kurt Hanson provided a few
highlights related to the occupancy rates at Kent Station:
Kent Station is currently enjoying its highest occupancy rates since its
opening in 2005.
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Economic and Community Development January 10, 2022
Committee CC ECDC Regular Meeting Kent, Washington
Minutes
Daiso, described as a "Japanese variety-store chain with housewares, toys,
stationery, decorations, bento supplies & gifts" will occupy the long empty
space formerly occupied by Coldwater Creek.
An Urgent Care facility to be operated by Multicare has also signed on to
lease multiple thousands of square feet.
Gaila Haas, Executive Director of Kent Downtown Partnership is also excited
about new and emerging retail trends for Historic Downtown, including a
newly signed lease for the old Spiro's space, with an up and coming
retail/recreation/social venue company called Game Castle. The business
model is to sell games, provide space for social gaming activities, and stage
special events related to gaming activities. While they will not initally have
food service they plan to explore cross promotional opportunities with nearby
restaurants.
While Kent Teaching and Toys is no longer in business, the space is getting a
careful lookover by an entreprenuer interesting in creating either a
restaurant or private social club space
A lot of fun activities are also being planned to bring new traffic to the
Historic Downtown area, including a "Meeker Street Nerd Party," scheduled
for February 26th, being coordinated by the Retro Emporium and Page
Turner Books. Depending on the public response, a second Nerd Party event
may take place in September.
Other new events include a Cider and Ale Trail, debuting in March, along with
the return of Wine Walks, and the Cajun Festival in August.
Project Feast is also planning a modification to its current space to provide
barista training, as well as new place to grab a specialty coffee downtown,
sorely missed since the closure of the 4th and Meeker Starbucks.
KDP itself has also hired a social media coordinator on contract, to provide
focus on spreading the word about the many great businesses and special
events in Downtown Kent.
B. Update on build out of Trusted Community Partner Network
The Trusted Community Partner Network (TCPN) is an emerging resource
resulting from a region wide effort to help our smallest business owners
succeed.
Leaders of this effort include the Port of Seattle, The Seattle Chamber, Reach
King County and multiple King County cities, best described as a
collaboration umbrella, to share best practices and share resources,
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Economic and Community Development January 10, 2022
Committee CC ECDC Regular Meeting Kent, Washington
Minutes
providing efficient and equitable service delivery to our most vulnerable
business owners.
The seeds of this effort was the city of Kent's own network of resources
identified and utilized during our effort to disburse small business emergency
relief grants in 2020. After working with the National Development to identify
and categorize additional business assistance providers, our partnership with
regional organizations will provide the needed oversight and management
capacity to set up and deploy the TCPN as a regional resource. Work has
already begun to get contracts in place, establish methods of outreach and
begin the pilot phase of the program by mid 2022.
Learnings from the pilot will inform refinements and the addition of new
partner cities during the 2nd phase and proceed to a sustainably funded,
permanent and flexible resource network for the regions small business
owners.
C. Kent Valley Food Entrepreneurship Center Feasibility Study Results
King County, the City of Kent, and the Port of Seattle spearheaded a Kent
Valley Food Entrepreneurship Center (KVFEC) feasibility study with the goal
of providing needed infrastructure to support the scale and growth of food
businesses and the food manufacturing and processing industry for the
region. The proposed multi-functional facility will support small food business
development and entrepreneurship, urban farmer and producer capacity, and
training for job seekers or those looking to hire workers in the food
manufacturing and food processing industries.
The vision for the KVFEC is to support the diverse cultural communities that
make up southern King County, to encourage economic development and job
creation, and to provide needed resources and assets for the growth and
scale of businesses owned and operated by these community members. A
multi-functional facility will provide the infrastructure that this community
needs to realize this vision and sustain long-term growth and economic
opportunities for its members.
The feasibility study was funded by King County as an extension of the 2014
Local Food Initiatives effort, building local infrastructure and related
resources to support a growing and developing food system throughout the
county. New Venture Advisors (NVA) was engaged to conduct the study.
The scope of work included evaluating several components and use cases of
the proposed facility. The primary focus of the KVFEC will be to provide
spaces to support the scale and growth of food manufacturing and food
processing businesses, including the following:
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Economic and Community Development January 10, 2022
Committee CC ECDC Regular Meeting Kent, Washington
Minutes
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Food hub, warehouse, and storage space
Shared processing, production, co-packing, and kitchen facilities
Private production space
Supporting spaces, such as event, retail, and office spaces.
The study was designed to evaluate the feasibility of integrating programs
and uses for the proposed spaces, including business incubation to support
scale and growth, workforce training and job placement opportunities,
support for food access programming, and community engagement and
place-making spaces and programs.
South King County is already home a number of organizations which support
community food access and food related entrepreneurship efforts. The Kent
Valley is also home to a variety of food manufacturing businesses ranging
from century old industry stalwarts to up and coming new establishments.
Food related ventures often benefit from clustering together with like
businesses, especially when a spirit of support and collaboration can be
fostered by the creation of a unique, flexible and sustainable resource.
6. Adjournment 5:19 p.m.
2ho-nda,3yL6n,
Committee Secretary
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