Redmond’s ‘State of the City’: On the upswing

“What I’m saying now is I think we’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,” Redmond Mayor George Endicott said Wednesday.

It was a positive message at Redmond’s yearly “State of the City” address.

“Last year, we talking about things are holding, and now we’re talking about things are improving, and that’s a really good sign,” Endicott said.

The city just got a $13 million check in urban renewal fund — a green light for some big ticket improvements.

“We are going to start pretty heavily pursuing some of the efforts downtown,” Endicott said.

Those efforts include improving parks, turning the historic Evergreen Elementary School building into the new city hall and developing major commercial areas.
One of those sites is near Ridgeview High School.

“The closer you are to the high school, the more density there will be,” Endicott said. “As you move out from the high school, the less density. We still want to maintain what we call the urban-rural interface.”

No extra taxes will be imposed on residents, as the money comes from tax-increment financing, which dedicates higher tax revenues in an urban renewal district to paying off project bonds.

Other projects in the works include improving the look of the south Highway 97 corridor, more downtown upgrades, and a new medical and office district near St. Charles Redmond.

“Tourism was up, airport had boardings that were increasing, so we’re seeing a lot of signs that are saying that it should be a pretty good year,” Redmond Chamber of Commerce Director Eric Sande said.

Redmond Kiwanis member Gary Ollerenshaw added, “I think we’re on the growth pattern. I heard we’re the new ‘it.'”

Things are on a slow upswing, but Endicott pointed out average incomes are still low in Redmond. In fact, they fall below the state and national numbers.

“That again impacts on how we try and pursue living wage jobs in Redmond,” Endicott said.

Another big project Endicott is pushing for is a tourism attraction, like the Tillamook Cheese Factory. He’s talking to Eberhards Dairy about opening an ice cream factory that people could tour — and, of course, taste.

In this year’s “State of the City” the good news outweighed the bad — a silver lining for the start of 2014.