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Advisory Committee meetings

Economic, fiscal and market base analysis

Strategic plan: goals and actions strategies

Community outreach: Community Forums, website, blog

Employee involvement

Our town has character (the whole package – not just the historic district)

We have an incredible sense of community

	Things like the trail, library, skate park
	When read about it – felt good
	It is a unique town

Feeling of safety in town

Not a big mess like other communities (e.g. Monroe)

We have trails, it is small town – people love that

There are definite recreational activities

A sense of community

400 people came recently to honor local patriarch

Snohomish has a main street that looks like a main street – not everyone has that

The airport - very few small towns have an airport (this can also be a challenge)

The river is our #1 strength

Not many places have a river through the center of town

Snohomish has character

Safety – we can walk around at night safely

A walkable place, where people know everyone

Good location in relation to Seattle

Our Farmers Market

Shopping centers and housing are built nicely and fit into the community

Public transportation here is better than people realize

Direct bus to Sea-Tac airport

Snohomish really feels good (like an old pair of gloves)

Good street network – it is the backbone of the City

History of the town makes it very different from others

People here give back to the community – everyone has a big heart

Large local garden club – members do a lot to add beauty to the City

We are very supportive of each other

People are generous with time, money, and volunteering

Our location is great

Trails, parks, fishing, country amenities

People both live and work here

We have very active service clubs

Rotary, Garden club, Kiwanis

Great parks system that draws people in from other places

Traffic – the reason town stayed small (also a challenge)

Great sense of community

Streets are well laid out

Good location: next to the I-5 corridor, major airport

Close proximity to wilderness (fishing)

The historic district is a terrific collection of different things, like houses, businesses, etc. – this is what makes it great

Snohomish is beautiful

	The city has had good design standards through the years.
	Keeping these standards is important
	Need to balance between open space and development
	We need to move people out of their cars to create a pedestrian-friendly feeling

Excellent education system

Great dedicated City staff – they provide a good quality of service

Snohomish is divided into “two cities”: historic district and the rest of the City

Need to define what we mean by “sustainability”

Affordability in general is important

Higher housing prices are a concern, especially for older people on fixed incomes

Affordable housing and social resources – Snohomish only has bare minimum

Big difference between in-city residents and others in income

There’s lack of diversity here, and diversity is important

Lack of diversity; would be great to see more diverse population

We don’t have good public transportation

Need bypass around town, we get a lot of through traffic

Traffic in town is a problem – cars are not stopping for pedestrians

Commute challenge – need to address traffic

Highway 9 is awful, a congested, bad commute

Parking is challenging, the streets get flooded

Parking – need parking structure downtown (also an opportunity)

City wasn’t aggressive in planning, so it isn’t yet built-out

Lack of shared vision (also an opportunity)

The Beatles were successful because they shared a vision (to be bigger than Elvis!)

Finding a common vision is a challenge

Need diversity of businesses; we need to attract other industries

People need to get used to buying locally – the more choices there are, the more people will stay

How are we going to integrate new businesses into the City and still retain the “good” feeling (also an opportunity)

Some antique businesses are closing on First street

Antique stores are a draw, but maybe we should revisit focusing on them?

There is “nothing to do” for teenagers

	No movie theatre, arcade or bowling
	Movie theatre used to be here – it was popular
	Not enough venues for things to happen (places for auctions, concerts, etc.)

With the new high school built in the near future, hope to maintain same education standards

There is a lot of work to do to keep the community together with a second high school being built outside the City

Accessibility to parts of town for the disabled

Sewage treatment plan is a problem

Existing parks need more maintenance. Would like more parks.

Why doesn’t the City have park mitigation fees – these revenues could be used to better existing parks and build new ones

Shortage of developable land in town

City facilities are strained

Need new police facility – it’s a poor substandard building

There is anxiety in the community about change (also an opportunity)

The river – if it floods, we need to protect it and the habitat

Economic and demographic wave is coming north, should we take advantage of that?

We need to develop our own local employment options

	Create jobs that employ teenagers
	If we create a stable economic base, it can give the City an opportunity to fix streets, and do other improvements

This group can be at the forefront of the changes; this process is leading the way for planning for the future

We are positioned for growth

Attitudes are important

	Need healthy conflict, can mediate with resolution
	There is good diversity in this group, it will be valuable to the project

If you influence local youth, it will create good foundation for the future changes

“The rise of the creative class,” we can offer them a place in community.

Creative people are also consumers, and are part of a local economic base.

Need more things to do for kids. Maybe a movie theatre? Bowling?

We need to make sure we can provide local services

Increasing youth activities is important

It would be great to have a four-year college here or in the surrounding area

Would be great for the town and for local youth

Buy local! Snohomish Station is an opportunity that’s coming us – we won’t have to go to other towns for basic purchases

Having Trader Joe’s in town would be nice

It would be great if we had more of a connection with local Indian tribes

Development of Snohomish Station can spur other developments (movie theatre, etc.)

	Avenue D and First Ave – our main corridors
	South of River – is zoned industrial, why?
	Very exciting opportunities

Arts are great drivers of economic development

	Would love to have a theatre, local music
	We need to attract creative people to Snohomish

We need to keep educated people here

Need to keep stretching the infrastructure

Let’s see what other communities have done

For example: Bothell – is a biotech center What would draw people here? For youth – 24-hour diner, bowling alley would be great

We would like more parks, music and a bowling alley

Highway 9 – can be a great opportunity

It would be nice to have partnerships from local businesses to provide opportunity for youth (internships, other programs)

We want to contain sprawl and make downtown more dense (also a challenge)

We’ll be reading in a newspaper: Snohomish has been voted one of the most livable cities in the region

Have resources and capacity to serve residents and visitors

Be the best place to raise a family

Still have the charm and infrastructure to meet residents’ needs

Have more ethnic and cultural diversity and community involvement

Be developed with green, open spaces; people and transportation will move smoothly

Be a vibrant, green, active, green, creative, green, healthy, green, safe community, that will inspire other communities to do the same

Let’s think in terms of what others have done and improve on it

Improve transportation

Have something like this still happening (planning and visioning)

Be a walkable City, with dense, green spaces

My kids will have well-paying jobs on Bickford; will take the trolley home; will walk to restaurants and park; then listen to live music in the park

Children will be well-educated and will feel a pull back home (will stay here)

Snohomish will have parks, trees, streams, arts

Be a happening artistic green space town that never lost it’s small town feel

Be a walkable City with a cultural core

Will become a case study for how to do it right

A vibrant, green, safe community

Have the ability to take care of its citizens in well cultured environment

Be self-sufficient and well-managed

Be a model of smart growth

Have decks and buildings facing the river

In 5 years, the opposing cities will come together (“two cities” viewpoints)

In 5 years, our ideas will take shape, we’ll see the fruits of our labor

	New high school connected to old high school (don’t want to be rivals)
	Transportation in the City to connect different areas
	Preserve history
	Be well on the way to implementing its 20-year goals

Will be urban, not suburban

Have riverfront development (like Langley); people will be able to walk along the shoreline

Development that goes with the waterfront? Maybe even a market?

People will want to come from far and visit

Have prettier gateways – entries to town

In 7 years, Snohomish will be the place to buy all items locally (keep commerce local)

Be more pedestrian-friendly and have services next to where people live

Have more programs for the elderly (we are on the right track with building a new Senior Center)

Would be great to give police and fire the support they need (levies have been failing)

Snohomish will be bigger than Elvis!

Example of San Diego – “old” and new town, with a trolley connecting them

See major growth for Bickford Avenue & 1^st street – efficient growth

The surprise of this session: no one said to keep the town the way it is!