Oregon economic group endorses ‘smart growth’ and a long-term economic development strategy based on "people, place, clusters and leadership

A group that promotes Washington County as a good place to do business have outlined a long-term economic development strategy based on "people, place, clusters and leadership."

By Doug Browning Oregon Live

In somewhat of a surprise, the group endorsed "smart growth," land use planning concepts some of its members have railed against in the past. It says smart growth promotes livability, which strengthens economic development efforts.

The Westside Consortium on Economic Health, a coalition of business and government organizations, released its report last Friday at a "summit" conference in Beaverton.

The report calls "talented people" a "critical ingredient" in the Westside’s economic future.

Noting that none of the major educational institutions in the state have a Washington County presence, the report urges coordination of "continuing education" opportunities into a more easily accessible system that "provides on-demand skill training for existing workers, professional development and retraining."

It calls for local leaders to support regional and state efforts "to assure stable and adequate funding for our K-12 education system."

And it recommends expansion of existing efforts to line schools and business through internships and other efforts. "Learning and work must go hand in hand," the report says.

The report says "place" is a vital ingredient in the future Westside economy. "Nurture quality of life as an economic asset," it urges. "Our distinctive and highly regarded quality of life has been a critical economic asset, and its importance will become even greater in the years ahead."

Traffic congestion is "the number one threat" to our quality of life, the report says, and governments need to address it more aggressively.

The report recommends more investment in transportation projects "to provide for freight and worker mobility." It says the two westside freeways, the Sunset and Highway 217, need attention — quickly.

Another help, it says, would be for local governments to "simplify, standardize and speed up" their building permit procedures.

And it urges creation of "additional tools" to enable local governments and economic development organizations "to promote re-development ɠas means of accommodating new residential, commercial and industrial development."

Clusters, a frequently used buzz word in economic development circles, refers to the fact that businesses with a lot in common tend to locate near one another and thus that economic development efforts should focus on such groupings.

Clusters in Washington County include high technology, apparel and sporting goods, metals and machinery, nursery products, food processing and wood products.

The consortium recommends a regional cluster council to coordinate activities designed to ensure the continued health of clusters and says Washington County interests should take a key role with the high-tech cluster.

To promote leadership, the consortium recommends a westside leadership program "to help develop the next generation of Westside leaders" and to promote exchanges and greater interaction between community and business leaders in other parts of the region.

The report points out that Washington County has changed dramatically over the past four or five decades and that more change is coming.

"Patterns of growth will be much different from what they’ve been in the past," the report says.

"Our population is growing more diverse: more Latinos and Asian-Americans, fewer two-parent families with school-age children, more older residents.

"The physical face of our community is changing too. In the 1950s, 60s and 70s, half of our Westside residents lived in houses built in the previous 10 years. Today, 50 percent live in housing 20 or more years older.

"As the Westside matures in the decades ahead, growth will be less about building new communities from scratch and more about fostering a high quality of life in maturing neighborhoods."

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