ATTENTION CITY COUNCIL: THIS WILL BE THE LAST ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MONTHLY DEPARTMENT REPORT AVAILABLE HERE.  PLEASE LOOK FOR FUTURE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INFO AS A SECTION  OF THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES MONTHLY REPORT. 

Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

Mount Hood Cigar Co.:  The Mount Hood Cigar Company had their Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony over the weekend and is officially open to the public.  Chris Bailey, store owner and patriarch, brought his family here all the way from South Carolina with a brief stop in Lake Oswego.  They did a fantastic job of building out the store (they did the work themselves – Mr. Bailey is also a licensed contractor) and are very happy with the end result.  They had a wide variety of quality cigars from around the world on display, and really seem to know their stuff.  Curious to see if this store brings in enough weekend mountain traffic to really take off…

Sandlandia:  Both new carts (Swine Dining, Mountain View Café) are now operational.  It also appears that the Captain’s Galley is no longer located at the site, so we are net +2 for carts at Sandlandia in 2018.

Trout Pub space:  I am currently working with Chris Corbin (building owner) to put together the first City of Sandy Tenant Improvement grant to help create a new restaurant here.  At the time of this writing, Mr. Corbin intends to open his own restaurant at the site featuring quality burgers and sausages made on site.

Joy Teriyaki:   After a very long wait, Joy Teriyaki will be opening their new restaurant with a soft open on May 21.  Their grand opening/ribbon cutting will take place on Saturday, May 26 and will feature several prominent local politicians including our current state senator, Chuck Thomsen.  (Justin Hwang, owner of the franchise, is running for office in a neighboring district.)

Project work:  

• Downtown maintenance: We are beginning to focus our efforts on the downtown a bit more as spring kicks into gear.  Flower baskets are up, and AntFarm’s watering contract is in effect.  We are going to be collecting the remaining East County Gazette paper boxes lingering in our downtown (the paper is no longer being published) shortly, and beginning a number of façade projects that are currently in the works.  We are also in the beginning stages of a push to clean up some of the derelict buildings downtown.  Stay tuned…
• Community Partnership Program grant: Since we didn’t use all of the money allocated for our community due to the fact that we only had two valid applications, we requested that the AntFarm request for funding a farmer’s market study be fully funded (they had other funding from other grants listed in their original request) so the other sources of funding could be used elsewhere.  Clackamas County Tourism was happy to grant that request, so AntFarm will be receiving $6,000 for this study instead of the $2,500 they originally requested.Also, I should receive plans this week for the new Meinig Park Gateway Arch.  We hope to get this constructed as quickly as possible to have ready for the summer concert series and Mountain Festival if possible.
• CGI: I am currently beginning the process of updating our Welcome videos on the main page of our website with CGI Communications, the company that created them for us.  More to come soon (Mr. Mayor – We will also be updating the short video introduction that you did for us.  I will get in touch with you sometime in the coming month to schedule this.)

Conferences/training: 

• Travel Oregon Listening Session (April 4): This is an ongoing discussion started by Travel Oregon last year as they witnessed record numbers of tourists in the Columbia River Gorge.  The takeaway from this event was that, with gawkers out to look at the fire damage from last year, plus rapidly increasing tourism from places like China, the Gorge is now at capacity.  This should result in a lot more local tourism on our side of the mountain as locals look to get away from the congestion and hike and mountain bike in peace.
• SACC Candidates Forum (April 9):  This event represents the first efforts from the Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce to provide infrastructure for local elections. We invited all of the primary candidates for local public office to state their case and take questions from Chamber members and the public.  It went exceptionally well, and we were inundated with thanks from the locals that came for putting on this event.  The SACC Public Affairs Committee is looking forward to doing this again for the general election.

Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

Old Blockbuster space:  This space has been leased — according to the property owners, the auto parts store next door is going to expand into the space.

Mount Hood Cigar Co.:  The old Golden Dawn Clinic space (next to the Blockbuster space) has already been leased and is currently being built out.  The Mount Hood Cigar Company is owned and operated by Chris Bailey and appears to be a family affair — multiple members of the family were working on the interior remodel when I delivered their business license last week.  The store is intended to be a quality cigar store with many humidors, a knowledgeable staff and quality product, not one of those tacky “nicotine shops” you see sprinkled about the landscape of some of our larger cities. They are interested in serving pass through weekend outdoor recreation enthusiasts and vacationers heading to Central Oregon as well as the local community.

Sandlandia:  We have two more new tenants at the food cart pod.  One is a BBQ cart (with a smoker!) operated by Swine Dining out of Gresham — basically a cart version of their store on East Burnside.  The other is the Mountain View Cafe, which will serve soups, salads and sandwiches. Neither cart is operating at the writing of this report, but we expect them to open any day.

Trout Pub space:  Now that the owner of this property has completely terminated his relationship with his previous tenant, he is quite eager to get a restaurant going in this space.  As luck would have it, a restaurateur that I have worked with previously called me out of the blue a couple of weeks ago stating that he was interested in Sandy again, and there is now a robust conversation going between my restaurant owning friend and this building owner.  It’s very early in the process, but this gentleman has a proven track record and is really, really, really good at what he does. This could be a game changer for downtown.

Free Land for Brewpub site:  An agreement has been signed between the property owner and a national retailer to build a brand new retail store on this site in 2018.  The developer has asked to keep the identity of this retailer confidential for now, so if you already know who it is please don’t share. However, I expect that an announcement will be made by our new friends in the coming months.   This is going to be the company’s first store in Oregon, and will be the biggest retail store to come to our community in quite a while. Get ready…

Project work:   

• Facade project – City Hall Stairs:  We have a new, non-disintegrating set of stairs on the west side of City Hall, complete with new handrails and refurbished street furniture.  We are currently tying up loose ends and finalizing the project.

• NorthStar – branding project:  We looked into getting a RARE in 2018 to help with the rollout of the rebranding project.  Unfortunately, this would have been one of two projects we would have assigned to this RARE, and the other project required another local government partner that ultimately decided that they were not interested in participating.
• City Hall – Admin: We now have a new office setup on the administrative side of City Hall — the City Manager’s office received lap-band surgery, and we have a new office outside of it for our HR rep.  Also, the Lazenby-era homemade “kitchenette” has been removed and replaced with proper furniture.
• Community Partnership Program grant:  The Meinig Park Gateway Arch project is a go.  The Sandy Tourism Board met on April 3, and both projects on the table were approved.  The other project is a request from AntFarm to partially fund a marketing plan for the Mount Hood Farmer’s Market.

Conferences/training:  

• SACC Strategic Planning Session (March 3): The Chamber’s annual strategy meeting went very well.  We completed a bunch of planning for the coming year, solidified our fundraising strategy and set a number of new goals.  One element that has been missing from the Chamber in recent years is the Chamber providing a forum for candidates running for local office.
• Thrive at 25 @ SHS (March 8):  Another successful morning of scaring the wits out of high school freshman with the simple realities of household budgeting.  Tyler Deems accompanied me to this event and worked the “Taxes” table with me for the morning in the absence of our city manager (double-booked), so special thanks to the Finance Department for the assist.

Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

Old Blockbuster space:  Unfortunately, the Sandy Blockbuster is no longer.  However, we have already received a business license application from a potential new tenant for the space – it looks as if a cigar store is interested in taking the space over.  We have received a business license application for this business that we are currently processing.  A fire/life safety inspection will be scheduled with the Building Official shortly.

Golden Dawn Clinic:  It appears that the business next door to Blockbuster has also closed for good in Sandy.  While this naturopathic clinic did spend some resources outfitting the space for their needs and their business hours were posted, it is unclear if they ever opened to the general public in the year or so that they leased the facilities.  This space will be posted on the Available Commercial Properties database as soon as I receive lease data from Janz Enterprises.

Sandlandia:  Ownership of Sandlandia will remain with the originator of the pod for the foreseeable future.  The owner’s efforts to sell the pod to one of the cart operators appear to have ceased for now.

Trout Pub space:  The new owner of this building has now secured the space from the previous tenant and is now considering investing in the space and moving a new restaurant in.  We have received initial contact from a restaurant owner that is interested in doing a preliminary walk-through with myself and our Building Official to a) determine what kinds of repairs and alterations will be necessary to bring the building up to current code, and b) what kind of assistance might be available through the TI program.  We look forward to speaking with this gentleman in the next few weeks.  Stay tuned…

Fred’s RV:  This business has been for sale for some time now.  I am happy to report that they were finally purchased by Fun Time RV out of Tualatin, and that the new owner has already taken over the space and is currently operating.  Like Fred’s, FTRV has an inventory of used RVs for sale, and also sells new “travel trailers, toy haulers, truck campers, motorhomes, class B motorhomes, class A diesels , park trailers and fifth wheels”.

Free Land for Brewpub site:  Things are happening here, but not a brewpub.  Don’t want to give out information quite yet as I don’t want to “jinx” any potential development here, but there is a fair chance we might see heavy equipment on this property in the coming construction season.  Much more to come…stay tuned.

Project work: 

• Facade project – City Hall Stairs: Stairs and landing pads have now been poured, street furniture has been sandblasted and powder coated and hand railings have been ordered.  When the railings arrive next week, installation should take about a day and we will have a new, non-disintegrating set of stairs on the west side of City Hall.
• NorthStar – branding project: The rollout of this project has been put on hold pending the outcome of current financial issues.
• Community Partnership Program grant: This year, due to the lack of participation by the business community and the public at large, the City of Sandy will be submitting a medium-sized project for consideration.  I have submitted a grant application for the replacement of the gateway arch to Meinig Park with something new and definitively “Sandy-style”.  I am currently awaiting estimates from Tahran Planning & Architecture for the cost.  More to come.
• Clackamas County Tourism Development Grant: We will also be submitting a TDG grant (this is the program we used to build the bike station behind City Hall and the Jim Slagle Trail in Sandy River Park) at the behest of our friends over at CCT&CA.  They have been hearing that tour bus operators have been avoiding coming to Jonsrud Viewpoint because the roadway there is very narrow and not able to adequately accommodate tour buses.  After researching, we have found that our plans for this park are not very comprehensive and that we will need to have some surveying work and a turning radius analysis done to correct this problem.I plan to submit an application to do some “curb shaving” at Jonsrud to put our local tour bus operators at ease.  This is exactly the kind of infrastructure project that this particular grant program is for, and more tour buses in Sandy would definitely not be a bad thing for our local business community.

Conferences/training: 

• Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Retreat (Feb 3): The SACC had its annual retreat at a board member’s house in Welches, and the most pressing issue has not changed – how do we put the SACC in the black?  The organization had just gotten back into the black when the summer of 2016 (when it rained through Music Fair & Feast) hit, and it is still recovering from possibly the worst outing the event has ever had.Since then, we have a new president (Brian Patterson of Peak Mortgage) and have added several board members – some old, some new.  The board has identified this as the primary problem to work on over the next year.  Some changes already instituted include getting event insurance for MF&F, continuing to improve our internal management of the event, and incorporating a new Chamber fundraiser that will launch in April.  “Sweets & Wine”, organized by member business Buddha Kat Winery, is from noon to 4PM on Saturday, April 7^th.  Tickets are $10 pre-purchased or $15 at the door.  Stop by and support your local Chamber of Commerce!

Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

Jean Young Carpet Shop:  This business has moved out of their space on the south side of Pioneer Boulevard, and is looking to re-open shortly in a different location here in Sandy.  The owners tell me that their business has been fairly brisk in the last couple of years and that they serve quite a few people on the mountain as well as in Sandy proper.  They are eager to open their doors again as soon as they can find a space that will fit their needs, and although they haven’t signed a lease yet, I believe they are very close to doing so.  Stay tuned.

Joy Teriyaki:  Work continues as the old Starbucks site in Sandy Marketplace slowly morphs into Sandy’s newest teriyaki joint.  The interior seems mostly done, and permitted work continues in fits and starts.  The PW crew and I are very hopeful that this restaurant will open sometime in the spring, as one can only eat Panda for lunch so many times in a month…

Wendy’s:  This business has been open for a few weeks now and is enjoying the numbers that new restaurants typically do as locals start to include them in their local dining options.  Lines in the drive-thru should die down in the next few months.

Sandlandia:  Another cart has joined the fray down at Sandy’s food cart pod – Breakfast in the Hood is owned and operated by Tina and Shane Douglas, a young, entrepreneurial couple that just recently moved to Sandy.  They specialize in “portable biscuits and gravy” amongst other morning delights.

Ownership of Sandlandia appears to be in the process of transferring from the site’s creator to one of the cart owners as well.  More on this as more information becomes available.

Project work: 

• Facade project – City Hall Stairs: Siefert Concrete of Colton will be pouring the concrete for the stairs on the side of the building before the end of the month – forms are already in place.  In addition to the stairs being wider and, well….new (as in not disintegrating), we are also adding new landing pads at the top and bottom of the new stairs, and standard 2” metal tube railings on BOTH sides.  We are also having the street furniture (metal bench and trash receptacle) sandblasted and re-powder coated to complete the project.
• NorthStar – branding project: We are getting very close to the presentation of the final product.  I am quite optimistic about the new brand.  It is a major upgrade, conceptually and aesthetically speaking.  And the word “gateway” does not appear in it once.

Conferences/training: 

• Clackamas County Tourism Winter FAM Tour (Jan 30): This is the latest of the familiarization tours that CCT does throughout the year.  These tours are day trips along different tourism corridors in the County, with stops at the different tourism draws along the way.  They are designed for tourism professionals (tour guides, hoteliers & restauranteurs, Chamber staff, visitor center staff, local Ec Dev professionals, etc.) to see these draws with their own eyes, experience them and speak with folks that manage them on a daily basis.This trip highlighted Timberline Lodge, Ski Bowl, Sandy the Villages, and Boring Brewing.  My role was to be a walking tour guide to show different things to visit in Sandy (AntFarm Café, the Museum, the food cart pod, Otto’s and their mountain bike rental program (Sandy Ridge!)…..and of course Joe’s Donuts!), and to show our current Americorps staffer from New York what a real mountain looks like.

Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

AEC, Inc.:  You may have noticed the “For Sale” sign on the Braches’ building recently.  This is nothing to be alarmed about.  They are looking to sell the building complete with a 5 year lease from AEC included.  They don’t have any intentions that I know of to move the business from Sandy anytime soon.

There is also an abundance of space available for lease on the west side of their building with the departure of Firwood Design for their newly purchased building in Fairview some months ago.  These spaces are larger than the commercial spaces we have had available in Sandy in recent years, and are pretty good quality.  Please check the Available Commercial Buildings database on the Ec Dev page and see what they’ve got….and if you know of anyone that might be interested, let one of the Braches know.

Sparky’s Pizza:  So this is new.  I wonder if this means that the new annex will open soon?  Todd Sparks is a busy man and can be somewhat difficult to get a hold of at times, so we may have to wait until the work is complete before announcing anything…

Joe’s Donuts:  Everything is complete with Phase 1 of this project except for the roof, which is patiently waiting for a coat of red paint.  Our contractor would like to wait until we have not only no precipitation but no wind, as the giant trees on the City’s lot next door tend to drop pinecones and debris on that roof with moderate wind.  This will probably happen in March or April.  Repairs include new fascia boards, soffits, and flashing for the roof, new vinyl windows, new siding and repairs to the concrete block, removal of the flower boxes in front, some minor electrical work, a new paint job, painting and repair to their sign frame, and replacement of all three of the external air conditioners on the building with two modern, ductless units.  The business owners also opted to have Full Throttle Construction do some non-reimbursable work done at this time, and have replaced the heating and ventilation units in the building as well.

Phase 2 of this project will involve widening the sidewalk for the whole block and some concrete infill, addition of a municipal bench (red, of course) and some custom flower planters in front of their front window, an additional concrete pad and outdoor table for the NE corner of the building for cyclists.  Phase 3 will look at the interior of the building through the lens of the TI grant program.

Project work: 

• Façade project – City Hall Enclosures:   Check ‘em out at the next Council meeting.
• Facade project – City Hall Stairs: We have started a second public infrastructure project at City Hall to replace the severely damaged concrete stairs on the west side of the building connecting the sidewalk on Pioneer Blvd to the rear parking lot of City Hall.  In addition to new stairs, there will be new concrete pads on the top and bottom of the new stairwell, new metal handrails, and the existing street furniture will be re-powder coated.  A bid has been accepted, and work will begin as weather permits.
• Sandy Arts Commission: Work continues…
• NorthStar – branding project: Work continues…

Conferences/training: 

None this month.

Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

Sandy Marketplace:  The Joy Teriyaki buildout continues.  They have been going through a company-wide expansion and opening new locations in a number of different places in the metro area, including a store that just opened at the new Fred Meyer complex on Sunnyside Road in Happy Valley.  Joy’s owner hinted that their focus will be shifting to Sandy now, and they anticipate that their store will be open in about 6 weeks if all goes according to plan.

Sandy Fire #72: As you can probably tell, the Fire Station renovation project is getting close to completion, and it seems to be turning out wonderfully.  Chief Schneider estimates project completion before the end of January.  A very nice upgrade to downtown Sandy!

Next Adventure:  Sandy’s newest outdoor gear retailer had their open house event on 12/1, and it was very well attended by Council, the Chamber board and Sandy citizens at large.  The company spared no expense at this event, and it’s super nice to see a retailer do some serious promotion to launch their business in a new community, especially in a small town like Sandy….it really goes a long way.  Thanks to all of you who welcomed Deek and Bryan to town, and it sounds like they are going to be in Sandy for the long haul.

SACC: The Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce’s “Shop Local” coupon books (all 400 of ‘em) were distributed for free at the Xmas Tree Lighting on the 1^st.  We had a very strong response to this idea from both participating businesses and downtown patrons – there seems to be a very strong “buy local” sentiment in our culture right now.  And although it might be a bit early to evaluate, early responses from participating businesses say that citizens are using them.  More to come.

Fleischman properties:  We are still standing by to receive bids for the proposed ADA accessibility work at the rear of Mr. Fleischman’s two properties on Pioneer Blvd.  To recap, we have proposed to contribute urban renewal funds (up to 1/3 of the project cost) as an incentive to get this work completed sooner rather than later and to complete the code requirements for the old bead shop space, which is now occupied and being used as an office by the creator of Ilusive Brand Snowwear.  This will allow him to focus all of his energy on his primary project: rehabbing the old boarding house and leasing it in the near future as an office building.

Mr. Fleischman recently confirmed with us verbally that he would like to take advantage of this offer.  However, we have yet to receive any bids for this work.  If there was anyone on City Council that could gently remind him that the City is eager to get this work started, that might be very helpful.  🙂

Project work: 

• Façade project – City Hall Enclosures: Posts have been installed, and as I look out my window I see our contractor beginning to roll out the fencing for install.  This project will be complete in the next couple of days, and will bring City Hall into compliance with our own municipal code
• Facade project – Joe’s Donuts: Full Throttle Construction is well into the project now, and the results are starting to show.  Exterior building repairs are complete, and painting is underway.  So if you see some interesting patterns on the building in December….it’s just the painters doing their thing.  And yes, they will be painting the building exactly the same as it is painted now (except there will be taped, straight lines instead of hand drawn lines), so please let the citizenry know that torches and pitchforks will not be necessary at the ribbon cutting.  🙂
• The 2017 City of Sandy Xmas Tree Lighting Ceremony: Once again, an absolutely phenomenal event that went off without a hitch.  Special thanks to our food and beverage providers (Sandy Starbucks, Busy Bee Catering, The Tollgate Bakery, Mountain Moka and AntFarm Café) – please thank them for their donations again if you happen to run into them socially.  Also, thanks to the SHS Choir and Choir Director Chase, DJ Anderson of Suburban for emceeing the event, Jim Allison (Santa), and all of the volunteers who helped (Tammy Krushwitz’ Girl Scout Troop for helping with the cocoa, U.S. World Class Taekwondo for general help, the Museum for staying open late and providing clean bathrooms and kids crafts, and Sandy Helping Hands!!!)This year, we added a couple of items to the event.  First, the SACC distributed 400 “Shop Local” coupon books to citizens at the event free of charge.  These coupon books give some pretty decent discounts from our downtown Chamber members and encourage folks to shop at our Sandy businesses instead of malls in Portland.  Participants are already seeing the coupons come back!  The SACC will expand this next year (but no more freebies — we’re gonna charge $1 for a coupon book next year!)The other huge addition was the use of the Sandy Shoppers Trolley to give free rides to Councilor Hamblin’s neighborhood to see the holiday light displays at his house and along his street.  People absolutely love that trolley, and I couldn’t think of a better way to showcase it than this.  Sandy Helping Hands volunteered to load and unload passengers and help keep cars and kids out of the museum parking lot, so extra kudos to Machel at SHH for all the help.  There has been some mention of Councilor Hamblin encouraging his neighbors to get into the spirit next year and expand the light displays, working toward a day in the future when maybe Sandy has its own version of Peacock Lane.No word on whether or not the infamous “Buddy the Elf” costume made an appearance or not.  It definitely should though.  Next year, Counselor Hamblin.  No excuses.

• Sandy Arts Commission: Work continues…
• NorthStar – branding project: Work continues…

Conferences/training: 

None this month.

Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

Sandy Marketplace:  One of the two vacant spaces in this complex is about to be filled, and it looks like Panda Express is going to get some competition!  The old Starbucks location is currently being transformed after a long wait into the newest location for Joy Teriyaki, a Portland-metro-based bento chain.  We anticipate an opening around the end of the calendar year.

Chariteas space – future “healthy market”:  Concept and design work continues on this project.  The business owner recently contacted me to get contact information for Up Design Lounge, which seems like a very good sign.  UDL, a retail consulting firm in the Pearl District owned and operated by Ullika Pankratz, has done a number of workshops for the Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce in the last few years.  She is a former layout designer for Ikea, and specializes in setting up retail spaces for maximum sales effect.  If he’s hired Ullika, there is little doubt in my mind that this store will succeed.

In other Chariteas news, Ms. Chalmers has partnered with the SACC to open a “pop-up” shop in the Chamber offices to sell her tea through the holiday season.  Sandy’s favorite tea importer will have this pop-up open very soon, so watch for an e-blast from the Chamber announcing this shortly.

SACC: The Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce is diving back into the “shop local” world by offering local businesses a coupon book exclusively for the holiday season.  Businesses have until November 15 to sign up, and the response from the business community thus far has been stellar.

Fleischman properties:  quick update – Mr. Fleischman has received our letter, has indicated to us that he likes the solution presented, and is currently getting quotes for the construction work.  He will contact us once he has chosen a company to do the work.  [note: we offered to use urban renewal funds to pay for 1/3 of the work, not to exceed $6,000.]

Possible small manufacturer coming to Sandy?:  I was contacted recently (11/7) by a broker that is looking to help a small manufacturer (about 20 employees) of saw blades and small equipment used in logging relocate his company from Troutdale after purchase.  The broker told me that the only two cities the new owner was interested in were Salem and Sandy, and that they were looking for a 30,000 SF building to purchase.  Initially they thought Salem was a no-brainer due to size and availability of buildings, but after talking to that city’s Ec Dev department, they were so turned off by the reception they received that they asked me to put together a preliminary introduction to Sandy and list why our community is better than Salem.

While I didn’t bad-mouth our neighbor down south, I did highlight the benefits of locating their business in our community…particularly our fiber, as this business is looking to expand into some international markets rather rapidly.  However, I didn’t get my hopes up, as the largest available building in Sandy is 6,600 SF and not zoned correctly for this type of business.

Much to my surprise, I got a call back the next day stating that they are already seriously considering purchasing an available 1.5 acre property in Sandy.  Kelly and I will discuss their concept in a conference call on 11/13 and advise them on how to proceed.  Watch this space….very, very closely!

Project work: 

• Façade project – City Hall Enclosures: We have contracted with a local fence company to build a proper garbage enclosure in the parking lot and a fenced enclosure around the generators at City Hall per city code.
• Facae project – Joe’s Donuts: We have a contractor, and work has begun!  The low bid was a company we know very well – Full Throttle Construction has worked on a number of façade projects downtown in the past (AEC, Sandy Bicycle building, etc.), and we’re really happy to have an experienced contractor on this particular job.  Roof and concrete repairs are in process, and we anticipate the painting to start before the end of the year.
• Sandy Arts Commission: Work continues…
• NorthStar – branding project: We have decided on a final logo and color scheme, and NorthStar is now in the process of putting together some deliverables to show you how things will look once we start incorporating our new brand.

Conferences/training:  

OEDA (Oregon Economic Development Association) Annual Conference (October 23-25) – This 3-day conference was as it usually is: a chance for all of the state’s economic developers to get together and swap stories.  The most important thing to come out of this conference was the launch of the new OEDA core curriculum.  This coursework is intended to be an “Oregon-centric” version of the IEDC economic developer certification course – one that is a) more affordable and less time consuming, with classes offered only in Oregon and for a much more reasonable price than IEDC charges, b) focuses on Oregon-specific ec dev topics that other states or regions don’t have to deal with (like Oregon’s land use and public waterways laws!), and c) are taught by professionals rooted in Oregon that know our landscape inside and out and have extensive experience in the field.  I have already completed the basic Ec Dev 101 course, and look forward to more coursework in the future.

Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

Sandy Marketplace:  Success.  The City’s Planning Department, in response to Councilor Gerberg’s request to address the pothole in front of Clackamas Federal Credit Union, recently sent a letter to the complex owner requesting action on the potholes and destroyed/missing curbs on their property.  Albanese Cormier responded quickly and professionally, and repaired everything we asked them to (and even a few things we didn’t).

New retail space coming:  This project for a new 4,200 SF multi-tenant retail building in the downtown core took a step forward with a pre-application that went pretty well.  The plan for the building calls for approximately half of the space to be set up for a restaurant, and the other half to consist of either one large or two smaller general retail or office spaces.

It was unclear whether the developer has this space reserved for tenants already under contract or if he is actively seeking new tenants – I am actively trying to determine this now, as I have a few locals that might be interested in the space if it is not already spoken for.  More to come.

Chariteas space – future “healthy market”:  This business idea is still under development, but it has morphed slightly in concept into a kind of a cross between a convenience store and a healthy deli.  The idea is to cater to the market of outdoor recreation enthusiasts looking for healthy food and drink alternatives to take with them for mountain activities.  Chariteas teas will be a featured product in this store as well.

Remodeling should be complete by the end of the year, and hopefully this store will open shortly thereafter.  If it’s successful, the concept may become a chain very quickly.  Curious to see if there is a viable market for this concept – very intriguing.

Fleischman properties:  The Planning Department and I have been working with Mr. Fleischman to try and find a solution to ADA access to both of his buildings on Pioneer Blvd.  After a lot of discussion and research, we believe we have found a solution.  In the interest of being “business friendly”, we have offered to contribute some urban renewal funds towards this project to assist the property owner with the expense of this project as an incentive to get the project started as soon as possible. We are awaiting his response to our offer.

Project work: 

• Façade project – Sandy Community Action Center: This project is now, for all intents and purposes, complete.  In addition to the wonderful paint job (so much warmer and more inviting!), we were able to replace the broken front and back doors to the building, replace quite a bit of siding and a few gutter downspouts, and have some bollards added to keep the siding from getting damaged again, along with a plethora of minor repairs.  The Action Center is very happy with the outcome, everything went very smoothly, and the entire project cost the City less than $12,000 – a fantastic value for our urban renewal dollar!
• Joe’s Donuts: We have completed the bidding process and selected a contractor.  Currently trying to find a time to sit down with the owners and sign the contract.
• Sandy Arts Commission: Zach is working diligently on putting together a charter and bylaws for the commission, and is working towards putting together a master plan for the rollout and development of the program.
• NorthStar – branding project: We have received a second set of logo designs from North Star that have been informed by our input, and are waiting to review and discuss as a group on October 17^th.  After a quick glance at some previews of the new logo designs, I think we are in much better shape now…

Conferences/training: 

• ELGL (Emerging Local Government Leaders) Portland Popup Conference (September 22) – This 1-day conference was mostly a networking opportunity for city staff mixed in with some pretty timely programming. Topics included how to understand and build local government equity, case studies of how small Oregon cities dealt with an outsized event like the eclipse, and planning for driverless vehicles in the near future.  Also included a fantastic presentation by Matt Lorenzen, my counterpart in Estacada.  It also offered an opportunity for our new staff (Emily and Emma) to meet our former city manager and some of their peers in nearby cities.
• Oregon Main Street Conference (October 4-5) – Emily and I attended this conference in Oregon City to stay current with the Main Street community and look at some of the things that are driving them here in Oregon. Most of the economic development professionals in the state attended, and it was a good opportunity to catch up with people like Jamie Johnk (former Ec Dev oracle at Clackamas County, now ED Director for Woodburn) and Mary Bosch (principal at Marketek, the company that did our last two market studies).  While we are not currently an active participant in the Main Street program, the state director of the program feels that we might be able to restart Sandy Main Street at some point in the moderate future if the community sees the value in doing so.

Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

Timberline Meats:  This business has been rolling along for a while now and is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.  Management reports that sales have been slowly and steadily increasing since they opened at the beginning of July.  If sales numbers continue along these lines, Timberline could be the flagship store for a Sandy-based chain of regional meat markets at some point in the future.

New retail space coming?:  We have a pre-app coming up in September for a new multi-tenant retail building in the downtown core that could potentially provide downtown Sandy with another forty-six hundred square feet of retail space.  This project is not yet guaranteed to happen, so I don’t want to give away any other details for now.  Watch this space.

Chariteas:  Unbeknownst to most of Sandy, this business as we know it closed its doors back in July.  The building is being remodeled inside and out, and will re-open before the end of the year as a “healthy market and tea bar”, but will be under new ownership.  Chariteas is transforming into a full service tea importing business.  They will have a business office on the mountain and have retained two employees from the store, and the owner will be spending more time overseas cultivating the business.

We are very appreciative of Ms. Chalmer’s nine year run here in downtown Sandy, and wish her continued success as her business evolves.  She has always been an active participant in Sandy Main Street and the Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce, and the downtown business community will miss her immensely.  However, we also look forward to the new business that is currently setting up shop in the building and have high hopes for their success.  More to come…

The Elusive Trout:  We have approached the new owner of this building to see if he might be interested in a façade improvement project to make a few upgrades to both buildings.  He is very enthusiastic about the concept, and would like to pursue a project (potentially this year even) if he can figure out a way to finance it, which he seems fairly confident about.  The Planning Director and I walked the property with him and suggested a number of inexpensive to moderate fixes.  We also suggested a phased approach to rehabilitating the entire property, with a second phase involving the demolition of the residential unit behind the Trout and replacing it with a new parking lot.

We are in the process of developing a scope of work for the first phase this potential project.  I will update again once we have a few bids and a signed contract with the property owner.

Project work: 

• Current façade projects: Here’s where we stand on our 2017 façade improvement projects
  • Joe’s Donuts: We have received our first complete bid for this job, and it came in at about what we were expecting.  Waiting on a second bid before moving on to the next step….we anticipate this bid to come in sometime in the next 2 weeks.
  • Sandy Community Action Center: Contract signed; work in progress.
  • Trout Pub/Mariela’s Mexican Store: Project agreed to in principal by owner.  Will be pursuing bids shortly.
  • Next Adventure (sidewalks): Project complete.
  • Argue Building: Project complete.
  • La Bamba Nuevo: Project complete.
  • Leather’s Shell Station: Initial project complete.  [They are considering adding window treatments to the windows along Pioneer that would match the work done on the front door – this has been tentatively approved by the Planning & Building Director.]
  • Muff Building: Project complete.
  • Sandy Fire District #72: Contract signed; work in progress.
  • Pacific Pioneer – Dan Martin: Project agreed to in principal by building owner.  Owner has been difficult to contact recently; multiple messages in with owner to restart this project.
  • Richard Perry building: Project agreed to in principal by building owner.  Awaiting bids.
  • Timberline Meats: Project complete.

• Sandy Arts Commission: We have welcomed our Arts Commission intern, Mr. Zach Chamberlain, to City Hall last week and introduced him to the team and our local stakeholders.  Zach comes to us from Texas, and is currently working on his MPA at Portland State.  He is currently working out of Council Chambers, and will be here in Sandy on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the time being.  Stop in and say “Hi” if you get a chance.
• NorthStar – branding project: Our last meeting with NorthStar (Sept 5th) centered on a new logo for the City.  Unfortunately this was the polar opposite of our tagline meeting – we were not impressed with any of the logos they provided in the first round, although there were some good elements.  We asked them to go back to the drawing board and come up with another set of logos that were informed by our input.  We will revisit this issue again later in September.

Conferences/training:   ELGL (Emerging Local Government Leaders) Portland Conference on September 22 – attending with Emily and Emma.

Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

Timberline Meats:  Sandy’s newest retail establishment held their grand opening event on the evening of August 2^nd.  Representatives from U.S. Meat & Restaurant Supply joined all three of Timberline Meat’s sole source suppliers and a few ancillary vendors in providing information about the products as well as samples of many of the products offered in the store.  The store was also open for business during this event, and it sure looked like they might be having a record night on top of the event itself.

Special thanks to Mayor King for cutting the ribbon and expressing his sincere hope that the business establishes itself as an anchor in the community, as well as all the Council and staff members that stopped by to show their support.

New coffee retailers coming?:  I was contacted last week by another regional coffee shop that has been very interested in Sandy for a number of years, and it sounds like they are completing their internal research on the potential purchase a commercial site in the downtown couplet sometime before the end of the year.  This company is a regional player operating in seven states, and will be building a new facility on a downtown lot that has been vacant for decades if everything works out to their satisfaction.  Watch this space.

Sandlandia:  In the last couple of days, I have spoken with several of the cart owners about the recent brouhaha concerning this pod.  All of the cart owners that I spoke with told me that they are happy with the outcome of the most recent Council meeting on the subject.  They also told me that they are all making money and feeling good about the community in general and the City specifically.

The Elusive Trout:  The building that this business occupies has recently been purchased.  According to the Trout’s Facebook page, they have been given a 30 day notice to vacate the building, and the business does indeed appear to be closed for good now.  I am scheduled to speak with the new building owner about his plans for the property later in the week.  No word for now on whether or not the Trout will re-open in the future.

Joe’s Donuts:  I am currently working with the Vargos (business owners) to try and put together a façade improvement project for this iconic Sandy business.  The building needs a fair amount of external work done prior to a new paint job, and we are also looking for an alternative to the old, ugly air conditioners on both sides of the building.  We currently have two quotes, and are waiting for a third before choosing a contractor and getting to work.

And lest anyone start worrying, we will be looking for a contractor to recreate the current paint job on the building.  We wouldn’t change the fake bricks for anything in the world….well, other than taping the lines so that they’re straight this time.  🙂

Sandy Marketplace:  City Hall has received some complaints recently regarding several large potholes in the parking lot in this complex.  Staff has investigated and confirmed this, and has found a number of broken or missing curbs around the landscaping islands in this lot as well.  The owner of the complex has been notified of these issues and is currently taking steps to correct them.

Project work: 

• Aquatic/Recreation Center project: We can now publicly state that the steering committee has chosen the local option for this project!  The design contractor for Sandy’s new aquatic and recreation center will be Opsis, a design firm out of NW Portland that specializes in recreation centers.  For some examples of Opsis’ work in this field, click here.
• NorthStar – branding project: Our latest meeting with NorthStar (July 7) was about new taglines for the City.  Staff did coalesce around a tagline that we all seemed to like.  However, Mr. Stansell from NorthStar asked us not to share it with anyone yet until additional work on the campaign has been completed, so please bear with us while we work through the process.

Conferences/training:   Nothing this month.