Weekly Report – January 21, 2022

City Council and Planning Commission working to implement Economic Development Initiatives

On Tuesday, January 25th, the City Council and Planning Commission will have a joint meeting to discuss the implementation of certain economic development initiatives. Since economic development is a critical component for the city, we would like to encourage you to attend this meeting.

The initiatives being discussed were developed as part of a process that started in 2021 when the Economic Development Committee (EDC) delivered its Normandy Park Economic Development Implementation Report to the City Council. This report was developed with the help of economic development consultants ECONorthwest and LDC. It aims to help address how the city could increase the vibrancy, attraction, and economic stability of the Normandy Park commercial and mixed-use areas from the Manhattan Village Subarea, down along the 1st Avenue South corridor, then to the Normandy Park Towne Center and environs. If you are interested in reading the full report, please click this link.

A few examples of the recommended action that will be reviewed include:

• Improve the retail experience by ensuring that the Manhattan Village Shopping Center becomes a destination where businesses are active and vibrant for residents to spend their time and disposable income.
• Fill gaps in the retail environment by promoting creative temporary uses that will activate storefronts (i.e., food carts, art fairs, farmer’s markets, community events, etc.) and increase exposure and foot traffic.
• Leverage infrastructure improvements to create an identity for Normandy Park through wayfinding features, public art, and possibly more gateway features.

The joint City Council/Planning Commission meeting will be an open dialogue to continue to clarify Council intent and direction for the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission will then take this information and return with proposed policy and code amendments for implementation actions later in 2022.

If you are interested, we encourage you to join the Zoom meeting on January 25^th at 7:00 pm. The meeting link can be found on the city’s website.

 Be Heard

You are invited to join the City of Normandy Park 2022 focus group! As a member, you will assist the city in understanding the needs of the community. We are looking for dedicated individuals to participate in periodic surveys throughout 2022. Spots are limited. Use this link to apply.

Parks & Recreation Survey

We’re eager to hear from you in a brief, anonymous survey about the City of Normandy Park Parks & Recreation programming. The goal is to reach as many residents as possible and to keep the survey brief for your convenience. This survey is for Normandy Park residents and the surrounding community. Each household can take the survey one time. Paper copies of this survey will be available at Normandy Park City Hall. You can also visit the city website at https://normandyparkwa.gov/ to take the survey.

If you are interested now in taking the survey, scan the QR code with your iPhone camera or download QR scanning software on your Android mobile.

2020 Census

The census provides so much data to explore! This week, we want to re-visit some of Normandy Park’s geography profile data. Click this link to refresh on some data that we’ve looked at before and learn where to find more details.

Link to Census Data

If you have any questions about these or other topics, please contact me at aarrington@normandyparkwa.gov. Have a great week!

“You are invited to join the City of Normandy Park 2022 focus group!”