General notes:  Work proceeds on planning for the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on December 4^th.  We have, at Seth’s request, changed things around a little bit this year.  You may have noticed the excavation project going on in Centennial Plaza last week – that was our Public Works crew installing a 4 foot section of pipe in the ground to use as a base for the Christmas tree this year.  That means that the 90’ tall behemoth on Cool Printing’s property is no longer going to be used for the tree this year.  After going through all of the trouble (and expense) to get the lights on that tree situated properly, only to have them blown around by the wind and generally criticized by the general public, Seth decided that we should have a proper Christmas tree with proper decorations.

Therefore, we have secured a 20’ tree from Knapp Farms, and our Public works crew (and yours truly) will have it delivered to the plaza this coming Monday.  We have contracted with the same business that does the Gresham tree to decorate our donated beauty at the east end of the plaza, and the tent will be erected parallel to the transit center facing east toward the tree.  We have also asked Orient Electric to install two new circuits and outlets in a vault at the base of the tree so we will have proper electrical facilities for this purpose in coming years.  I am also trying to figure out how to get the lights on the Cool Printing tree removed and repurposed to light up the transit shelter.

Other than that, the festivities should proceed as normal.  We have the SHS Choir already committed to singing Christmas carols for us, and the usual suspects will be providing food and drink.  Oh, and by the way….we have also secured the sound engineer who does the concerts in the park to provide us a proper PA system for the event, so people will actually be able to hear our MC and the Mayor speak this year.  [You’re welcome, Mr. Mayor. 🙂 ]

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

Michael Maiden properties:   It appears that the last vacant space in this complex is now occupied.  Raven Books has moved into the space and is in the process of acquiring a business license.  They plan to operate primarily as an internet retailer, but do intend to open their shop up for normal retail purchasing soon after opening depending on what is allowed after the zone change on this property.  Interestingly, the gentleman I spoke to over there most recently is Bruce Erickson, who was the founder of Firwood Design and sold the business to Kelli Grover back in the day.  He is related to one of the two owners somehow, and is assisting with getting the business off of the ground.

I have also recently seen the plans for the remodel Mr. Maiden plans to do for these buildings once the zone change goes into effect, and boy howdy is it an improvement on the current design.  This project will make these buildings much more appealing to the eye, and it will be interesting to see how this design change will affect the current businesses located there (especially Bunsenbrewer!)

NW Trading Post:  Well, we thought this was a done deal, but now the business owner seems to be having difficulties getting a straight answer from the property owner and may back out of the deal altogether.  The issue is surrounding the stairwell on the interior of the building leading to the storage space downstairs – the business owner needs to have interior access to his secured storage so that he doesn’t have to close and lock his doors, have his customers wait outside, run around to the back of the building, unlock it and secure it behind him whenever he needs to get money or valuables for a client.  This is a reasonable request.  However, the building owner will need to reconstruct the stairs so they a) reach the ground (!), and b) meet code.  According to our building official, there are several ways to do this and he has explained this to the building owner, but the building owner is telling the business owner that the City is prohibiting her from doing this somehow.  We were actually contacted by a lawyer for the business owner about this issue, but after meeting with Tracy and Terre on this subject it sounds like both the attorney and his client are fairly clear that the City of Sandy is not causing the problem here.

The owner has stated that he may begin looking for another location to house his business if this is not resolved in a timely manner.  I will help him again with site locations if this happens.

B of A building:  This property was ready to change hands, but the bank that was ready to process the loan on the behalf of the purchaser found a reason to hold up the process.  Apparently many years ago (8 or so) the City went through the undergrounding process to widen the sidewalks, build bulbouts, etc.  As part of this process, we had to move some telecom vaults in the public right of way, and when moving a telephone vault, someone came across hydrocarbons in the soil.  We literally removed the vault, removed the contaminated soil, filled it with concrete and replaced the vault, but this showed up on the DEQ site because the source was never determined.  DEQ now says that any sort of physical upgrade to the property will require hydrocarbon mitigation.

The property owner has stated that he will cover the cost of the mitigation, but the business owner is on a timeline and doesn’t want to wait the 2-3 months it will take to go through this process.  I suggested that the business owner and the property owner contact DEQ to find out what their options are regarding transferring the property and opening a new business on this site.  I also explained that the City of Sandy doesn’t have a dog in this fight so long as they don’t plan to breach the parking lot or the foundation to make changes.  I have a running dialogue with the business owner (I use his services from time to time), so we’ll see where this goes.

Oregon’s Wild Harvest building:  I have submitted this property for a GPI project (Project Green) that seeks to relocate a smallish software development company from San Francisco to the greater Portland area.  The client is most likely looking for something “hip” (read: Pearl or Mississippi District, downtown Vancouver, etc.), but the OWH building fits their description in every other category.  Plus, there’s a) gig fiber already installed for CHEAP, b) Enterprise Zone benefits, c) no Multnomah County Business Income Tax, d) gig fiber at your house if you live here, and e) all the things to do on the mountain on the weekends.

A long shot for sure….but the pretty girl at the dance will NEVER dance with you if you don’t ask her, right?

Location undetermined:  Just to give the Council a heads-up, I have received several inquiries recently from people interested in opening another day care center in Sandy.  So far all of the inquiries I have received seem to be coming from people operating day care services out of their homes that want to move to a commercial location due to lack of space, and none seem ready to make the expenditure necessary to operate a commercial business.  However, our market study seems to indicate that this would be a profitable endeavor to look at considering current demographics.  Hopefully someone serious puts pencil to paper soon to try and figure this out.  We need another day care.

Project work: 

• City of Sandy Omnibus Bicycle Tourism Proposal: application submitted; waiting for a response. So far the feedback I have received from CCT&CA has been nothing but positive, so I am hoping for an approval some time in December.  Watch this space.
• Xmas Tree Lighting Ceremony: In process (see above) – event is on December 4^th.
• City of Sandy Facebook page: Over the summer I responded to a request from Facebook to verify our page as an official government page by sending them a copy of our articles of incorporation or some other paperwork showing unequivocally that we are a government institution.  Lisa was able to provide me with tax-exempt documentation, and last week Facebook finally responded with a confirmation that we are, in fact, the official page for the City of Sandy, Oregon.  This can be verified by the new light blue check mark that appears right after our name on the page.

Conferences/training: 

• Oregon Economic Development Association annual conference (Medford) October 18-20: This was another conference of local (to Oregon) economic developers, and was mostly a peer networking event.  It was good to have social time with my peers around the state again, and I reconnected with Clackamas County personnel and my counterparts in Estacada and Canby on a number of ongoing issues.  It was also enlightening to see Medford move forward with a couple of projects that seem to be turning the downtown area of this formerly depressing city (as I remember it, anyway) into a more vibrant, inviting downtown.
• Emerging Local Government Leaders Annual conference (Edgefield) October 22, 23: Another chance to connect with younger folks in government around the region, and our illustrious former city manager was on hand as a speaker.  There were several mentions of the City of Sandy fiber project at the conference, and I heard a rumor from a trusted source that the City of Lake Oswego appears to be trying to make the magic with fiber happen again over there.  Unfortunately, that Council doesn’t seem to be quite as progressive-minded as we have been here in Sandy so far.  (Just a (light-hearted) thought — In the event that the LO Council decides not to move forward, perhaps we should advertise that we have gig fiber in Sandy for those who wish to join the 21^st century?)

General notes:  The final First Friday of the season went off with only one minor hitch, and it seems that it was once again fairly well attended.  The minor hitch was that the Chamber, in moving the petting zoo to the field on the Leathers lot, found out that FFA does not carry insurance for those sorts of events and that the person managing the Leathers family properties requires insurance for any event on their property.  This makes sense, considering that farm animals do bite and/or charge from time to time and this should be planned for.  The SACC tried to purchase coverage for the event at the last minute, but as soon as our insurer found out that live animals were involved he said they would not insure us – full stop.  Apparently events with live animals are absolutely toxic to insurers.

Strangely, FFA does not carry insurance, and we did not find out about this until 24 hours before the event, making it impossible to move the petting zoo to another location even if we had one.  Now that we know, we will make different arrangements for next year regarding that one sub-event, but it was a disappointment as this was very popular last year.  Many FF goers made it known that they were unhappy about this development.

Other than that, the Library said they did pretty well, and so did the usual suspects (Lori Ryland, Beer Den, Dita’s, AntFarm).  Trick or Treat Trail is coming up next on the 24^th of October, and Khrys and Jennifer are working diligently on that event already.  Flyers have been sent out and are available at City Hall and other locations around the City, but this event should be the same as in year’s past.  It will be exciting to see how many kids come out for this one.

* – One more thing regarding the TTT: last year I had a couple of business owners (who shall remain nameless) complain that they were seeing kids coming to their stores from outside of Sandy, and that they didn’t want to be paying for and distributing candy to kids who weren’t “local”.  I have instructed everyone over at the Chamber to respond to any complaints like this with the following “script”:

“Please remember that the Trick or Treat Trail is a business awareness event, meaning that the purpose of this event is to show people that there are retail businesses they can shop at in downtown Sandy.  You should be delighted that people from outside of the community are taking the time to walk around our downtown business district and familiarize themselves with the stores here.  If they came back next week and wanted to buy something from you, would you refuse them service because they were from Gresham or Portland or Vancouver?  Of course not. 

…And if cost is your concern, consider this — you’re going to meet a lot of potential new customers at TTT, and all it’s going to cost you to get them in your door is a $0.10 piece of candy.  In the promotional marketing world, it doesn’t get any cheaper than that.”

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

TCBY:   This business has indeed closed.  After contacting the property management/commercial realty company that manages this complex, they did confirm that the owners have closed the business for good, although no reason was given.  This property is back on the market, although I’m not really sure how they plan on finding a lessee when they’re asking $2.80/SF/month in combined rent and common area maintenance with a 5-year minimum lease.  That rate makes the two properties available in this complex the most expensive commercial properties for lease in Sandy, with the next most expensive property not even being in the same ballpark.  For comparative purposes, the two vacant properties between Sparky’s and the UPS Store are being offered for $1/SF/month with a 1 year minimum lease.

With rates like that, I have a feeling that these properties are going to be vacant for a very, very long time.  I would love to be wrong about that.  Time will tell.

NW Trading Post:  This is now a done deal, and no back up plans were needed.  This building (the one with the new carpet shop in it) has completed renovations and passed final inspection, and Mr. Booth intends to move his pawn shop into the east side of the building it before the end of October.  Noryne and I have had many conversations with this business owner, and I am actually excited to see how he sets up his new shop.  If his other two stores are any indication, this will be a nicely stocked compliment to the second hand stores in Sandy and will give us yet another successful retailer in the downtown area.

B of A building:  Nothing new here, but negotiations are still ongoing regarding the transfer of this property to another local business owner.  Buyer still sounds optimistic that something will get done here shortly.  Stay tuned…  [LAST MINUTE UPDATE: just spoke to staff of the potential buyer, and have been told that a tentative agreement has been reached and that the contract is now “at the bank being processed”.  I will confirm, but if true, this is a done deal and I will be revealing the identity of the new owner shortly]

35900 Industrial Way Suite 305:  The business leasing this property has finally shown up.  The sign above the door states that the property is occupied by NW Elite Crete, which is listed as the “Northwest distributor, trainer & technical support for Elite Crete Systems, Inc. line of decorative concrete overlay system: basic resurfacing, acid staining, antiquing, stamped overlays, MicroFinishing, MMA Sealer, Epoxies & Urethanes”.  The gentleman operating this business states that his current business model is to provide installation and finishing instruction for installing concrete floors.  He appears to have moved to Sandy from Troutdale.

Strangely enough, there is another business (personal friends of the owner of Northwest Elite Crete) that is also claiming this as their business address, and it appears that for the time being they are going to share the space.  The other business is a knife manufacturing company, and the couple that owns it seems nice enough.  Of course, neither company had picked up a business application, and the primary business owner has already installed a wall sign without a permit (of course!)  However, to my untrained eye at least, the sign looks like it complies with city code, and both business owners happily agreed to fill out their license and permit applications quickly and get them in to Noryne.  I will follow up on this shortly…  [UPDATE: it appears that the knife company has turned in their business license application – LaClaire’s Cutlery Shoppe’s fire/life safety inspection will take place on 10/6]

Oregon’s Wild Harvest building: …..has a new commercial broker representing it – Colm Commercial Retail Services out of Bend.  Pam Martin has contacted me recently to state that she is now willing to sell the property in addition to offering it for lease.  She has been talking to Planning about possibly using UR money for a minor façade improvement to help market the building if this would be an acceptable use of that money.  I don’t know all the details of that discussion, but I do know that Tracy is talking to her and that it sounds like a promising conversation.

Benson property:  That rascal Mark Benson is at it again.  Remember the “Free Land for Brewpub” sign during the Lazenby days?  Well, it’s up again and asks for inquiries to be directed to an email address or at AM/PM.  I also received a call from our illustrious Hawaiian car dealer letting me know the deal is being advertised again, but he was fairly imprecise about what the actual “deal” involves.  I have an email request in with him to clarify, so as soon as I know more you will to.

76 Station on Proctor:  This organization apparently closed for business over the weekend.  I can’t really say I am surprised by this development, as I very rarely saw anybody stop for gas there.  Their prices were always a good bit higher than the Arco station across the street, they were farther down Proctor and they didn’t really do anything to make their store stand out.  I did take the time to pop into this store a few times over the summer to check them out, and the employees of this store were about as friendly as French policemen (not a compliment).  Plus (and I don’t really have any hard data to back this up, but…) common sense would seem to indicate that playing loud gangsta rap in your convenience store probably appeals to a very, very, very small customer demographic and would alienate most everyone else.  Probably not the best business decision on their part.

Carlson property (old La Torta site):   I ran into our friend Jerry as I was out and about a couple of days ago, and here’s the latest:  he is indeed planning on setting up the property with utilities for use with a food cart pod, and has been advertising for food carts along those lines.  He will have space for around 10 carts, and claims to be getting a good amount of interest in this concept from food cart operators.  He is actually working well with Tracy right now to get things set up, and his “dispute” about parking issues sounds minor and not something he seems to be overly concerned with.

He wants to call it “Sandlandia”.  [heavy sigh]  If the food is good enough, I might forgive him for that sometime in the distant future.

Project work:   Work continues on the “City of Sandy Omnibus Bicycle Tourism Proposal” tourism development grant from Clackamas County Tourism & Cultural Affairs.  I am currently working on putting together a budget for the project, and will complete the application for the grant no later than October 14^th for submittal.

Conferences/training: 

• Oregon Economic Development Association annual conference (Medford) October 18-20.
• Emerging Local Government Leaders annual conference (Edgefield) October 22, 23

General notes:  Sandy Mountain Festival.  Music Fair and Feast.  The SMF Carnival.  Summer Sounds.  Shakespeare in the Park.  Wine in the Woods.  The Brewgrass Festival.  Hood to Coast.  Fiber installs.  It’s that time of year again…

With all of the activity that is going on in Sandy right now, I’m going to take a hiatus in the general notes section this month so I can focus on getting some things done.  There is nothing currently “on-fire” with regard to Economic Development right now….just a lot of reporting that needs to be completed.  If you have any questions, concerns or comments, please don’t hesitate to call or email me.

There is one exception to this, and it’s just an FYI.  We have completed work on the Special Service Contract program, and conditional acceptance letters have been sent out to the four non-profit organizations that applied for funding.  Seth and I plan to bring this to the full Council at the July 20^th council meeting for your review.  As it stands now, we will be able to provide full funding to all four requests, and will have a small contingency left in the SSCP fund ($3,000) for the remainder of the biennium for any emergencies that may arise.

Special thanks to Councilor Hamblin and Mayor King for taking part in this process.

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

Red Boot Branding:  We have a new business moving into the old Energy Unlimited site on Pioneer.  Red Boot Branding is a company that specializes in promotional materials for small business.  They do branded clothing, embroidery, small promotional items (pens, coffee mugs, etc.), some kinds of signage including vinyl wraps like the ones they just installed on the building, and a host of other services.  They were a Gresham-based company for years, but recently had some issues with the building they were in and decided to move here for the next phase of their development.  Rob and Melanie Stewart are delightfully positive folks, and have already reached out to their friends at Rock Ranch Embroidery to see how they can work together as they have in the past (they have referred a lot of work to each other over the years, as each business has a few capabilities that the other doesn’t).

There may be an opportunity here for the City to make a deal with the building owner regarding parking at this site.  She owns several dilapidated properties surrounding this one, and the idea has been floated to offer to assist with a parking lot behind this building in return for the donation of one of these properties and a set aside of a portion of the parking spaces for public use.  Watch this space.

La Bamba:  So good news followed by uncertain news on this one.  There is a tentative deal in place to move La Bamba over to the Muff property across the street from Sandy Grade.  Carlo Vicentin (owner of La Bamba) has made an offer on the property that has been accepted by Clan Muff, and moving the restaurant to this new location would get Carlo out of the poorly maintained quonset hut he is currently in and into a building that he owns and can fix problems with, rather than rely on a landlord that has allegedly told him that if he wants repairs made, he can pay for them himself.  This would also give the City its flagship commercial location on Pleasant Street, which will help us to develop more commercial there in the future.

It appears that Planning is going to require enough changes to the building and the exterior lot (parking surface, sidewalks, curbs, etc.) that this move may become a bit more financially difficult for Carlo than he had initially planned for.  Planning is currently working with Carlo on these issues, and Council may see a recommendation in the near future that we use some urban renewal money to assist him with some of these upgrades, as developing an “anchor tenant” on Pleasant Street has been a Council goal for some time.

Cedars Laundromat (old Blue Sky & Daydreams LLC site):  So it seems there has been a setback already in the push to get Sandy’s only laundromat a facelift.  Apparently the general contractor for the new owner came out to do the fire/life safety inspection, pulled the demo permit, demoed the site, moved the new equipment into the facility, and then……vanished into thin air.  Terry and John requested at the fire/life safety inspection that the main sewer line be scoped for this project, as due to the number of broken machines at the old site, it is likely that this line has not been operating anywhere near capacity for years now.  Our building official has seen workers scoping this line at the street, but aside from this observation, no other work has happened at this site for about a month now and no plumbing or building permits have been pulled.  We have informed the owner on multiple occasions that we have had no contact from his GC, and have not received any response from the owner or the GC.  We literally have no idea what is going on.

Answer Ally:  Barbara Sah has found yet another tenant for her building in her never-ending quest for full occupancy in her building!  Answer Ally is a small call center that provides answering and scheduling services for a number of small independent dentists and doctors, and one medium sized talent agency.  General manager JR Ryall tells me that they are starting with a staff of 7 employees running three shifts, and that they plan to slowly expand over time.  They decided on Sandy because JR and his family live in the greater Sandy area and that there was no way they could beat the commute.

JR is also very, very, very interested in getting gig fiber to his business for obvious reasons.  I suggested to Barbara when they were first discussing moving in that this company not sign any long term deals on data and phones until he had talked to me first, and fortunately he listened (he’s month to month with Wave right now).  With Trail Pals LLC in the back of the building clamoring for gig fiber as well, this building should be one of the first on the list for a business fiber buildout when UR money becomes available for this purpose.  Barbara tells me the two professional medical offices in this building have expressed some interest in becoming business fiber clients as well.

La Torta Caliente:  This building was demolished at the very end of June, leaving nothing but the foundation and the previously existing parking lot.  Jerry Carlson has not given us any indication that he plans to build on this lot any time in the near future, but leveling the buildings leads me to believe that he might be interested in selling to a developer.  He is mulling over the idea of putting a food cart pod on this site and has preliminarily discussed the idea with Tracy, but has made no commitments as of yet.  As for now, this is one less eyesore of a building in our downtown core….so many thanks to Jerry for pulling it down.

Adios, la torta caliente…

I have also put Mr. Carlson in touch with Clackamas Co. Health, who will be looking to expand in 2016 and has at least discussed the idea of a build-to-suit project with him.  No idea if this project is feasible or not, but it has been confirmed that they have spoken about the concept.

Red Shed Public House (former Organic Sandy location):  I have now been to this establishment a number of times, and I am pleased to report that this might be the best new restaurant Sandy has seen in years.  Red Shed could definitely compete with Podnah’s, Russell St. BBQ and Smokehouse 21 in Portland, and should definitely start advertising up at the resorts as a great place to get some hearty grub after a good day on the slopes.  They also have a fantastic selection of local brews (including some great old fashioned root beer on tap for those who don’t drink).  If you haven’t tried it out yet, stop by tonight and get some brisket to take home.  You won’t be disappointed!

Cool Printing site:  Finally, a signed lease!  A new business called “Alter Your Ego Hypnotherapy” has moved into this site, and will be practicing hypnotherapy along with some reiki massage and a few ancillary services.  According to owner Shana Aivaliotis, the majority of the work she does is with combat veterans suffering from PTSD, for which hypnotherapy has shown to be quite effective.

Sandy Main Street:  We (Jennifer and I) will be working throughout the latter part of July to help transition First Friday over to the Chamber of Commerce pending final approval of the Special Service Contract Program by City Council.  We will both be here in October to assist with transferring the Trick or Treat Trail as well.  Aside from that, Sandy Main Street has officially been dissolved as of July 1^st from the perspective of the state Main Street program.

Since George Hoyt holds all of the financial and taxation data for the program, it will be up to him whether or not to dissolve the organization completely or to put it in mothballs for a few years until he or others are ready to try again.  But for now, Sandy Main Street is no more, and this will be the final “SMS” section of my departmental report .

Project work:   As we delve into the world of business fiber, a current question before the Council is:  “What would be the proper amount to charge businesses to run fiber to the buildings they reside in?”  Since Council has determined that $500 is too steep of a fee to charge, Seth asked me to help him research this question by putting together a brief survey for Sandy businesses on this topic.

The survey was very short, and was constructed in this manner.  Question #1 was “Are you interested in fiber for your business?”  If the answer was ‘no’, the survey ended right there.  If ‘yes’, it went to Question #2, which described the service and then asked “Would you be willing to pay an install fee of $400 for this service?”  If yes, the survey ended; if ‘no’, Question #3 asked “Would you be willing to pay an install fee of $300 for this service?”  If yes, the survey ended; if ‘no’, Question #4 asked “Would you be willing to pay $200 for this service?”  I didn’t ask about install fees lower than that, considering that $100 seems to be the industry standard for installation fees for other types of services.

Here are the results of the survey so far (as of 7/8/15, 5:15pm):

—————————————————————————————-

Total number of respondents:  33

Do you want service?:  Yes = 26  //  No = 7

Willing to pay $400 install fee:  10

Willing to pay $300 install fee:  2

Willing to pay $200 install fee:  8

>$200 or not willing to pay:  5

Wants service, but did not respond to install fee questions:  1

—————————————————————————————–

I will continue to gather data from this survey, and will report out the final findings at the SandyNet Advisory Board meeting on July 16^th.

Conferences/training:    None in the last 30 days.  I have opted not to go to OCCMA this summer to conserve my limited budget for OEDA conferences over the next two years.  Next conference for me is the OEDA (Oregon Economic Development Association) conference in Vancouver, WA from July 13^th – 15^th.

General notes:  This month heralds the arrival of a document I have been waiting for since I got to Sandy years ago – the 2015 City of Sandy Market Analysis by Marketek.  Mary Bosch has finally completed this report, and it is as fascinating as I thought it might be.  The entire report will be posted on the Economic Development page shortly, but for those of you who don’t have the time to read a 50 page report right now, the following is an executive summary of the findings.

Target Market Area

The City’s target market area remains around 40,000 persons and about 3,500 employees for 942 businesses.  Services have surpassed retail as biggest share of employee market.  Visitor traffic is steadily increasing, and potential is high for restaurants as visitor spending is increasing even though they don’t like our restaurants (food spending double that of arts/entertainment/recreation)

Retail gap analysis & competitive assessment update

                We have a surplus of “home improvement & gardening” and “food & beverage stores” business, although citizens have been strongly demanding healthier options from the latter sector.  There is massive demand for “apparel” ($24M in demand versus $2M in supply), “electronics & appliances” ($12M vs. $2M), and “health & personal care” ($26M vs. $3.5M).  We could support an additional 640K SF of retail space (up 125K SF from 2009) and this number is growing rapidly.

Opinion research

                Shoppers survey had 250 participants, and respondents want casual apparel, organic grocery options, decent restaurants and a furniture store.  35% of shoppers do their shopping in Sandy, and this is an improvement over 2009.  Shoppers say pedestrian safety and poor selection of goods and services are primary deterrents to shopping downtown, but they strongly value supporting local biz.

Business owner survey stated sense of community, helping the local economy and good visibility are strengths; proximity to services and amenities and city restrictions and regulations (specifically parking, sign permits and design standards) are weaknesses.  Despite this, most businesses say they are growing, and 80% have made a significant investment in the past 2 years.

Top desired goods and services in Sandy by sector (per Shopper’s survey)

• Household goods: furniture (52%), building supplies (41%)
• Apparel: shoes (57%), women’s casual (55%)
• Specialty: sporting goods (43%), arts & crafts (45%), books (36%)
• Convenience merchandise & personal services: groceries (32%), tailoring/alterations (30%), other (29%) – most in the “other” category indicated natural foods/Trader Joes.  Sandyites REALLY want an organic grocery that meets their needs.
• General services: day care (37%), appliance repair (33%)
• Health services: homeopathic/naturopathic care (42%), general health care (39%) – demand for natural health care options rising significantly
• Cuisine: steakhouse/grill (58%), seafood (52%), healthy/natural (40%)
• Leisure/entertainment: bowling (60%), concerts/live music (41%), other (27%) – most frequent response in “other” was child-friendly recreation (putt putt course, indoor playground) – NOTE: Sandy has a bouncy-castle business called “Wippersnappers” opening in July.

Other responses of note

• Improvements Sandy merchants can make: improve selection (57%), lower prices/sales (51%), expand store hours (45%), promotions/advertise (44%)

Business owner survey – responses of note

• Current business activity: growing (57%), holding our own (29%), declining (5%)
• Recent investments or improvements planned (more than 1 answer ok): new marketing/promotional (43%), new products, services (43%), physical improvements (38%), new staff positions (38%), no improvements planned (29%) – 3 out of 10 businesses in Sandy don’t plan to invest in their businesses at all in this new economy.  Yet only 5% of businesses say they are in decline.  That means at least one quarter of all profitable businesses in Sandy have no interest in growing their business.

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

Jeanne Young’s Carpet Outlet:  After more than a year of sitting empty, it appears that Betty Tee’s building on Pioneer has a new tenant.  This discount carpet store is being opened by long time Sandy resident Bob Young and his daughter, and by the time you read this they will be open for business.  Mr. Young has extensive background in the carpet business, having worked for another regional carpet retailer for a number of years.  They admit that Sandy Décor might be tough to compete against, but are confident that their discount pricing will draw them plenty of customers once they are established.

Laundromat in process at old Sandy Vac site/Blue Sky & Daydreams LLC site:  So this couldn’t have worked out any better than it has…..the new laundromat that has been lurching forward in fits and starts in the old Sandy Vac location has ultimately decided, after numerous setbacks and delays, to call off the project.  However, the old laundromat site was just leased by a business owner from SW Washington who wished to put in another laundromat with…..wait for it….ALL NEW MACHINES!!!  In fact, the GC that Terre, John and I spoke to during the fire/life safety inspection for this site says they are rehabbing the entire site, top to bottom.  New vinyl flooring, new electrical, new plumbing, all ceiling tiles will be replaced, new change machines and soap vending machines, new LED lighting, mag-lock doors and a coat of paint.  Finally….a laundromat that won’t generate multiple complaint calls every week from disgruntled patrons!!!

UPDATE: I’ve been waiting for this day since 2011!!!

Paradise Quilts/Beads Down Under:  For those who haven’t noticed yet, the Sah building (next to City Hall) has some new tenants.  Paradise Quilts has moved into the two small units in the northwest corner of the building following the purchase of their old building by Mount Hood Cleaners, and is now open for business.  Their new location is a little more spacious than the old, and the store looks sharp!  Their new neighbor will be Beads Down Under, who will be moving from her location in the old church sometime this month and occupying the unit on the southwest corner of the building.

That leaves two vacant spaces in Barbara Sah’s building – one of which will likely be an expansion space for Trail Pals, and the other (the old Reel Tackle Shop) I just recently listed on the CoS Available Commercial Properties database a couple of weeks ago.  Barbara just told me she just got a call from a gentleman that operates a small call center who saw that listing and would like to rent the property next month!  It’s nice to see that these databases that I built are not only being used, they are bearing fruit!  UPDATE #1: The call center business, according to Mrs. Sah, will be moving in June 2015. UPDATE #2: Mrs. Sah is very interested in getting fiber to her building, as several of her new and existing tenants would like the service.  She has recently reached out to both myself and Joe K. about this.  We would like to make sure that hers is one of the first buildings we do once UR funds become available for this purpose!

The B of A building:  There has been some interest in this property recently, and it may be on the verge of changing hands.  At this time, the change in ownership would be purely speculative, as a new tenant has yet to be identified.  Watch this space.

Red Shed Public House (former Organic Sandy location):  Now open for business.  The interior is very nice – reminiscent of a small neighborhood tap house in Portland.  I have spoken to a number of customers about the quality of the food, and they all had nothing but positive things to say.  So far, Mr. Newberry’s business seems to be a hit with the community.  Keep up the good work, Jeff.

Sandy Main Street:  Our May First Friday had a little bit better turnout than April’s event, probably due to the comfortable weather as well as the participation of Impact Learning Center, the Action Center and a number of home businesses that were not a part of FF in April.  The final First Friday that Sandy Main Street will manage is June 5^th, and should be our busiest event in 2015 so far unless it rains.  This event will have the year’s first business awareness activity [Safari Bingo!] designed to get citizens to visit every participating store.

June’s First Friday will be the last event that Sandy Main Street will be administering in its current form.  It has been an interesting management project administering this organization over the last two years….sometimes a struggle, but mostly rewarding.  I would like to loudly thank both of my staffers, Aubrey Erwin and Jennifer Marks, for not only keeping the organization going, but for expanding and improving our downtown community events to what they are today.  First Fridays are a delight to participate in now, and the Trick or Treat Trail had 62 participating businesses last year and is truly a sight to behold.  We now trust that whomever takes over these events through the Special Service Contract program will continue to build on what these two exceptional young ladies created.  I will offer my services to assist with that transition, which will take place in July.

So when you see Jennifer and Aubrey out wandering the town during June’s First Friday, please give them a pat on the back and thank them for all of their hard work.  They absolutely deserve it!  And for those who have spoken to me about trying to retain Jennifer here in Sandy, fear not….Jennifer has accepted a position with SandyNet, and will begin scheduling work and a few other special projects for Joe in July!

Project work:   I am pleased to announce that the Mount Hood Farmer’s Market is up and rolling!  We have been through two markets as of this writing and the turnout has been moderate but steady, but both of those markets took place in less than ideal weather.  The true test will be Farmer’s Market number three, which has a projected high temperature of 82 degrees.  Many of our vendors have either run out of stock, or have had to send an employee back to the farm to pick more produce.  Since the beginning, we have added eggs, honey and fresh bread from the AntFarm bakery.  We will add Red Shed barbecue and fresh berries at the next market.

Not all of the kinks have been worked out quite yet, as we are still working on implementing the SNAP program at the market so we can invite more participation from the low-income segment of our community.  We are also struggling with the departure of a key personnel member from AntFarm which is slowing us down a bit.  However, our kids program at the market has been a huge success, and we continue to find musical entertainment that has really helped not only to draw folks to the market, but to get them to hang out and socialize.  And many thanks to SandyNet (Scott Brown particularly) for getting the wi-fi setup in the Outdoor Building to operate at peak performance, making electronic transactions by market vendors a breeze.  All-in-all, both vendors and market patrons have been very happy with the progress to date.

If you would like more information on the Mount Hood Farmer’s Market, click on the following link to be connected to AntFarm’s MHFM page: http://www.antfarm-international.com/mount-hood-farmers-market-2/

Conferences/training:    None in the last 30 days.

General notes:   First things first…..your Economic Development Manager is very, very happy about the additional urban renewal funding set aside for wiring businesses in the URD with gig fiber.  The more businesses we have on the system, the better of an argument we make for Sandy as a gig-friendly community and the better opportunity we have to recruit businesses in the near future.  Kudos to the Council for recognizing this fact and making the funds available for this purpose!  Huzzah!!!

And regarding using gig fiber for business recruitment….we have our first meeting set up to look specifically at this problem and how to address it.  Councilor Pietzold, Seth, Joe and I will be meeting with Skip Newberry of the Technology Association of Oregon on the 15^th of May for a strategy session.  Skip has a bit of expertise in this area, as he has been working with MINET down in Independence/Monmouth on this very issue.  Special thanks to former Oregon House representative Chris Harker (D-Beaverton) for taking the time to meet with me and for making the introduction to Skip.  Mr. Harker (also a former founder and CEO of a tech-related company called Cayuse, Inc.) will be attending this meeting as well, and has expressed interest in getting involved in this project out of sheer curiosity (and likely a little boredom related to his recent retirement), and his perspective on this issue is most welcome.

And finally….I was contacted recently by the eldest child in the Muff clan who told me that the kids are basically looking to take over the management and brokering of their parents’ properties here in Sandy. Lilian Muff told me that she and her two siblings will be in town soon, and would like to meet with the City to look at their options for developing this property sooner rather than later.  I relayed the breakout of unbridled joy this would cause in the City on pretty much everyone’s part, and scheduled a morning meeting on May 18^th between the three of them, myself, our Planning Director and the City Manager.  I cannot wait to see what the result of that meeting is…

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

A Place for Your Face Facial Spa:  These folks are now open for business.  They are currently only open 4 days a week, although I would look for them to add hours and days as they get more established at their current location.  I would be interested in any customer feedback I can get on the quality of this operation, so if you find yourself inclined to get a facial sometime in the next couple of weeks and would like to try out a new Sandy business, please let me know about your experience.

Crawlers:  This business seems to be growing in popularity with the locals since it opened several months ago.  There were some issues regarding open permits that were threatening to become much larger problems, but the owners recently picked up (and paid for) all of their outstanding permits and should be in the process of finishing the work in question right now.  We anticipate a final inspection sometime in the next 30 days.

Clackamas County Health:  I have spoken with several people now who have confirmed that Clackamas County and Jerry Carlson did recently discuss a build-to-suit opportunity for the County’s Health Department at the site that La Torta Caliente currently occupies.  That business has been issued an order to vacate by Mr. Carlson – partially because of the likelihood of this property being commercially developed very soon, and partially because of zoning issues (please contact me directly if you would like additional information about this).  Unfortunately, the County will not be ready to move on this project for at least another year, and it is unlikely that Mr. Carlson’s property will still be available at that time.

Magic Bean Bistro:  In the last week in April, I noticed a large delivery truck sitting outside this business as I was out making the rounds.  I assumed that the new owners of this business were bringing in new equipment or furniture, so I made a mental note to stop by the next day and chat up the new owners to see what was going on and how business was treating them so far.

When I arrived the next day, I was surprised to find that the space had been completely vacated!  The only things remaining in the store that weren’t literally nailed down were an old beverage cooler and the ice machine….even the front counter display case and some of the plumbing fixtures were missing.  Their window paint displays advertising various Mexican cuisine were still up, but there was nothing else on the premises indicating an active business.

The overnight disappearance of Magic Bean Bistro remains a complete mystery.  I have called Mr. Perez three times now asking for an update as to the status of his store, but all calls have gone unanswered.  Upon calling Mr. Picking’s local office, his local representative Buzz had no idea that MBB had vacated the space and had not been contacted by Mr. Perez either.  Magic Bean Bistro is in good standing with the City regarding business licenses and permitting, so we will not be negatively impacted by this other than the fact that we now have one more available commercial space in Sandy to fill (which at this point is probably more of a positive than a negative).

Peak Mortgage: Sandy’s newest mortgage broker introduces themselves to the citizenry in style on May 7^th with their Open House/Ribbon Cutting in the middle of Heritage Square parking lot.  Local beer (Bunsenbrewer), wine (Alder Creek) and food (Busy Bee) will be complimentary at the event, and our favorite band from Music Faire & Feast (Dancehall Days) will be performing.  Mayor King cuts the ribbon at 6pm.

Red Shed Public House (former Organic Sandy location):  This space will open for business, according to plumbing magnate/commercial property manager/entrepreneur Jeff Newberry, on May 15^th barring any unforeseen obstacles.  The Red Shed Public House will offer a beer and barbecue in a nice, shiny new interior, and if the floor plan is any indication this will probably be the nicest place to have a malted beverage in Sandy.  They will also be offering their food every Saturday for the duration of the upcoming Mt. Hood Farmer’s Market.

 VIJ Eatery: Good news for Sandy’s only operational food cart – the proprietors have contractually agreed to be a food vendor at this year’s Music Faire & Feast!  I don’t think they really understand the scope and magnitude of what they’ve just taken on, but we will be providing them with the attendance numbers from last year shortly.  I will make certain that Khrys Jones from the Chamber has smelling salts with her when she shares that information with them.

Sandy Main Street:  Our May First Friday had a little bit better turnout than April’s event, probably due to the comfortable weather as well as the participation of Impact Learning Center, the Action Center and a number of home businesses that were not a part of FF in April.  The final First Friday that Sandy Main Street will manage is June 5^th, and should be our busiest event in 2015 so far unless it rains.  This event will have the year’s first business awareness activity [Safari Bingo!] designed to get citizens to visit every participating store.

Project work:   Planning and work continue in preparation for the inaugural Mount Hood Farmer’s Market on May 9^th.  We have already had our vendor’s meeting with all of the current vendors that are signed up, and we do anticipate adding a couple more vendors to the 13 we currently have in the next couple of months.  Charity Chalmers of Chariteas is attempting to work out a deal where she can sell her tea and other products using AntFarm kids as the market labor in return for a cut of the sales, and Jeff Newberry from the Red Shed Public House will be selling his BBQ at the market as well.

Physically speaking, the market site is in the midst of its makeover as well.  The old barn on the property has had its rolling doors replaced, the interior is in the middle of a remodel and a brand new external paint job (see picture below) was just completed days ago.  A new bathroom will be completed shortly after the market opens, so the on-site port-o-john is merely a temporary fixture.  Work on the old fueling kiosk in June and July will transform that structure into an area map showcasing the farms and bike trails of the greater Sandy area.  Many thanks to Scott from SandyNet for repairing the courtesy on-site wi-fi connection that SandyNet has provided so the farmers can use their point of sale systems at the market.

If you would like more information on the upcoming market, click on the following link to be connected to AntFarm’s MHFM page: http://www.antfarm-international.com/mount-hood-farmers-market-2/

Conferences/training:    None in the last 30 days.

General notes:   In an update to last month’s “General notes” section regarding the new Economic Development web page, Seth has asked Jennifer and I to craft additional concept pages for the Community Development (ED, Planning and Building title page), Planning and Building web pages.  The idea here is to get all three department’s pages to tie together a little better through design concepts (same buttons, same basic layout, all necessary information on one page without scrolling, etc) and to possibly serve as a design blueprint for all departments in the future.  Design concepts are complete, and are currently awaiting final approval by the Planning Director and City Manager before going live.

On a separate front, work has officially begun on the 2015 City of Sandy Market Analysis!  We are currently three weeks into the project, and are just wrapping up the first stage.  We have put the Sandy Shopper’s Survey (seeks citizen input on shopping habits and demand for new retail) and the Sandy Business Owner Survey (gauges business-friendliness and input on potential problems and opportunities) out electronically to the community, and have seen a fairly good return.  Paper copies of the former have also been available at City Hall, the Library, CCB and Dolly’s for the past three weeks as well.  You may check out the surveys here:

• Shopper’s Survey:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SandyShopper
• Business Owner’s Survey:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SandyBusiness

These electronic surveys will close on April 5^th.  If you didn’t get the chance to fill one out and would like to, print out a paper copy, fill it out and drop it in my mailbox at City Hall.  I will make sure your answers are counted in the final tabulation.  More on this project as data is tabulated…watch this space.

Finally, I was approached last month by AntFarm board president Kim Wheeler about joining the AntFarm Board of Directors.  After a little bit of thought about overextending myself, I threw caution to the wind and accepted their offer. I figured that helping them to get the Farmer’s Market (see below) established could definitely improve retail efforts in the downtown core, and offering what input I can to developing their internal programs to get our youth some job training can only help workforce development in general here in the community

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

Old Ox & Marley space (future home of A Place for Your Face Facial Spa):  This business is currently building out their space, and intends to be open for business on April 10^th.  The new owner is also in the process of becoming a member of the Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce and would very much like to a) do a formal ribbon-cutting later in the month (we’re warming up those scissors for you, Mr. Mayor), and b) become an active participant in First Fridays for the rest of the year.  If you happen to find yourself wandering around downtown, check out their interior design as they build it out.  They seem to have some flair for interiors just like their predecessors did…

Oregon Trail Chiropractic (formerly Sandy Chiropractic Clinic):  Dr. Jonathan Rhue left Sandy a couple of years ago from his Pioneer Blvd location to move his practice to Boring, but has since determined that the potential growth here was just too tempting to pass up.  He has purchased the clinic on the north end of the Impact Learning Center building, and is interested in expanding his operations here shortly.  He maintains his offices in Boring and Estacada.

Clackamas County Health:  I took a call last week from Jo Hobbs over at the Clackamas County offices regarding the possibility of relocation.  Their operations have grown to the point that they have seriously outgrown their current location, and are currently looking for about 6,000 square feet of office space to move into.  They would prefer to move into an existing building and avoid building on their piece of property over by the theater, but are keeping that possibility in their back pocket in the event that nothing else works out.

The only existing property that would meet their needs on the Available Commercial Properties database is the old Oregon’s Wild Harvest building.  Unfortunately, this property will not work for them because it is next door to the PD, and they serve a lot of undocumented migrants who will find this intimidating and will refuse to use their services out of fear.

I gave Jo contact information for the old Energy Unlimited property owned by Tami Lamb and encouraged her to check it out first to see if there’s any way they could make that property work.  I then showed her both the Carlson property and the Connelly property on the Commercial Lands database.  I also recently spoke with Jerry Carlson directly about another matter, and he stated unconditionally that he would not only consider a build-to-suit project of this magnitude (3,000 – 4,000 SF), but that this might generate a better return on his investment than the current deals that he is looking at for this property.  (Build-to-Suit projects are where the property owner builds a building to the specs of a potential renter in return for that renter guaranteeing that they will rent the property at a specific price and term so that the builder may recoup their costs.)  I also called the realtor for the Connelly property to ask if they would consider build-to-suit, and he stated that his property owner would absolutely be interested in speaking with her.  I also asked Jo to keep me in the loop on this project going forward.

The Elusive Trout Pub:  The Trout is under new ownership.  Kailene Jones has purchased the restaurant from the previous owners, and has just recently opened the doors to begin serving customers again.  There were a few bumps in the road prior to opening, mostly due to some grandfathering that was no longer allowable due to the change in ownership.  This added some costs to the project that were not initially budgeted for, but Planning and Building have worked with new ownership to help lessen the overall burden for them.

The menu has some slight changes to it, but the restaurant will still serve all of the familiar soups, salads, sandwiches and burgers the community remembers.  The one change that will stick out is that the Trout will now specialize in gluten-free products and will offer a choice for gluten-free whenever they can.  In today’s world this is a growing market, and one that will undoubtedly make them money as word gets around.  Our gluten-free permit technician and building official are ecstatic…

Magic Bean Bistro:  Now open for business (and more importantly, off of the Available Commercial Buildings database!).  See the article in the 4/1 Sandy Post (page A10) for more information.

old Organic Sandy building (future home of the Red Shed Public House):  This space is mostly built out and is waiting on approval of wet-stamped plans for a new bathroom.  The Red Shed Public House is tentatively planning on opening May 10^th, and will offer a beer and barbecue in a nice, shiny new interior.  They will also be offering their food every Saturday for the duration of the upcoming Mt. Hood Farmer’s Market.

Tovar’s Auto Shop:  This business has relocated to a space adjacent to Calamity Jane’s, just outside of city limits.  Reason for the move is unknown, but the property his shop was formerly on being put up for sale by the property owners probably had a fair amount to do with the decision.

Sandy Main Street:  By the time you read this, the April First Friday will have already occurred.  Hope ya had fun!  If you have any comments, concerns or (more importantly) ideas with regard to future First Friday events, Jennifer and I would love to hear ‘em.  Stop by and see us sometime!  (For those of you who don’t know, the Economic Development/Sandy Main Street office has moved back over inside the SandyNet offices in the Wheatland Building.)

If you would like an update on what Sandy Main Street is planning for the next 6 months, give me a call at 503-489-2159.

Project work:   The AntFarm has officially taken over the Sandy Saturday Market that has been held at Centennial Plaza and various places around City Hall over the past couple of years.  The new endeavor, the Mount Hood Farmer’s Market, will take place every Saturday from May 9^th to October 24^th from 9am to 3pm, and will be much more of a traditional farmer’s market than in years past (multiple produce vendors along with specialty food products, soap, cut flowers and other naturally made products).  It will be located at the AntFarm Outdoors location on the Leather’s lot, and will coincide with repair work and painting on the old barn on the property that has already begun.

If you would like more information on the upcoming market, click on the following link to be connected to AntFarm’s MHFM page: http://www.antfarm-international.com/mount-hood-farmers-market-2/

Conferences/training:    None

General notes:   I am very happy to announce that the Economic Development department has re-designed our webpage and has added quite a bit of new information to it as well.  Please check out the new format of our page here if you haven’t already.  In order to save space and create a new, sleeker design, we have replaced the link tree formerly in the middle of the page with buttons designed to take the user to more specific sub-pages.  In addition to the nicer look and feel, the buttons and the smaller picture of the mayor (sorry Mr. Mayor!) also allow all of our main page information to be displayed on one page without scrolling.  We have also replaced the picture of City Hall (ugh) and the Historical Museum (nice pic, but not relevant to ED) with a few more colorful pictures of area businesses.  And of course, our “How to Open a Business in Sandy” application is still prominently displayed in the upper right hand corner.

You will also notice a couple of new sub-titles on the buttons.  First, you will see a button labeled “Sandy Demographics” which includes all kinds of Census-based and other demographic information broken down into sub-categories for residents and for business.  This section is designed for site selectors and business facilities managers & CEOs looking to research new business locations. According to the IEDC course I took last summer on business recruitment, small to medium sized businesses are opting more and more often to do the research themselves rather than contacting local communities for a tour.  It only makes sense to collect the community information we believe they will be seeking and provide it in one place for them.

In addition, you will see available commercial properties broken down into two separate databases: Available Commercial Buildings and Available Commercial Lands.  The latter is new, and is reflective of the fact that the economy has recovered to the extent that developers might take a chance on building new retail and office space, particularly in the downtown area.  The proof of this lies in all the new commercial realtor signage we have seen go up in the last 6 months.  We hope to have all available posted commercial lots on this database by summer time – so far we have 5 properties listed, and there will be at least 7 listed by the end of this week.  If you know of a property that is zoned commercial and is for sale right now that you don’t see here (Hi Carl!), please give me a call and get me the owner’s phone number.  Let’s get building, Sandy!

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

Old Ox & Marley space:  Well, it looks like Jack has been showing this property to a number of potential investors, and I believe we have a winner.  We recently performed a fire/life safety inspection for a new facial spa business that expressed interest in the space called “A Place 4 Your Face”.  They have already pulled plumbing and building permits for the space, so it looks like the business is a “go”.  More to come.

Sandy Marketplace (The Local Buzz):  We have two more businesses in this complex that is preparing for a major change.  The Local Buzz salon owned by former Councilor Grant Baker’s wife Tiffany has listed their property with a commercial business broker, and intends to sell the business to another owner as soon as they receive a favorable offer.  However, they will remain open for business while looking for a new owner, and the public will probably not even notice the change when it happens, whenever that may be.

This change is not the result of financial difficulties; profitability has not been an issue with this business.  Grant tells me that Tiffany will become more of a part of daily operations at Peak Trophy & Engraving and will have much more time to spend on family affairs as a result of this move, which was the ultimate goal.

Sandy Marketplace (Blue Sky & Daydreams LLC):  The coin-operated laundromat behind the Baskin Robbins told us earlier this month that they do not intend to renew their business license in 2015 and will be closing up shop shortly.  Considering the physical condition of this business, I doubt anyone will really notice.  I am a customer of Clackamas Federal Credit Union, and I make a point to check this place out every time I pull money out of the ATM, day or night.  I haven’t seen an actual person inside this business in months, as virtually every machine inside is either broken or vandalized.

We are still waiting to get an update on the laundromat that is currently being planned for the Safeway complex in the old Sandy Vac location.  Work on this property seems to go in fits and starts.  There was some question as to whether or not there was a 4” water line serving this property, but I believe this has been recently confirmed by the property owner (Mr. Picking).  Hopefully this development will get things moving again as our community is currently without a laundromat, forcing our citizens that need this service to drive to Gresham or Welches.

Magic Bean Bistro:  This coffee shop/restaurant is under new ownership.  I have not met the new owner yet, as he is based out of Vancouver, WA where he owns at least one other restaurant.  The planned laundromat next door will have an impact on the success or failure of this business, as MBB would provide people washing their clothes a place to hang out and eat/drink coffee while they wait.

Gifts of Past and Present:  You have probably noticed some temporary signage up advertising a “Going out of Business” sale at this business….this property that been on the market for over a year now, and there finally appears to be some movement here.  Julie Lenzini will be closing up shop as soon as her existing inventory is gone, and we are currently talking with Lisa Martinez who is planning on putting a commercial bakery in its place.  This bakery will focus primarily on wedding and intricate cakes (for which Ms. Martinez has a passion and a specific skill set), but will also have a small retail space for those just looking for a cupcake and a cup of joe.  She tells me she is looking to serve a different market than the Tollgate Bakery, as they are more of a traditional bakery and don’t really focus on the intricate stuff like wedding cakes.

old Organic Sandy building:  This Jeff Newberry-owned building has been the subject of much speculation lately, but the future is starting to come into focus here.   We had briefly considered this property as a potential new home for SandyNet (which would include a retail space to demonstrate different applications for fiber as well as new product offerings such as VOIP phones, IPTV and smart home applications), but unfortunately we couldn’t make the numbers work.  Jeff had several other inquiries into the building, but he is now moving forward with plans to turn this space into Sandy’s newest taproom, the Red Shed Public House.

Studio 623:  We have finally found our local photographer!  Becky Nerpel has agreed to be the City’s portrait photographer for the foreseeable future.  We will be scheduling our first portrait session tentatively for the third week in March — Karey will get in touch with Councilors Hamblin and Farner shortly.  This will also give us the opportunity to get portraits of the Planning Commissioners and professional grade group photos of all of our advisory boards in the near future.  We are looking forward to working with Becky.

Tamale Factory:  This restaurant is under new ownership.  An employee of Antonio Paez and her husband have purchased the restaurant and are currently in the process of getting a new city business.  They are also interested in taking part in all 6 First Fridays in 2015.   More on this ownership change as we learn more…

Sandy Main Street:  The first Sandy Main Street event held in 2015 will be the April First Friday on April 3rd.  We are beginning the process of putting plans together for that event now.  If you would like an update on what Sandy Main Street is planning for the next 6 months, give me a call at 503-489-2159.

Project work:  [From “Weekend Update” 2/27/15]  On Tuesday evening, Dave Snider took Mike Walker, Joe Knapp and Thomas Fisher back to school.  Every year Dave brings members of the administrative staff of Public Works back to PSU to speak to a class taught by his mentor Jim Hough, the former city manager of Warrenton and Banks.  Jim teaches a class called “Public Works Management” and invites current PW professionals from cities around the Portland metro area to speak about what life is like in their profession.  Last year, Mike and Thomas gave their perspective on the Bull Run intertie project, but found in the Q&A session afterward that what the students were really interested in was our fiber-to-the-premises project.

So this year, the Sandy contingent gave the students what they wanted — a full overview of the SandyNet Fiber project.  Joe laid out the history of SandyNet as well as project architecture and construction details.  Mike jumped in to discuss Public Works’ involvement in the project and some of the hurdles the City encountered.  The students were completely engaged in the discussion, and even followed our contingent into the hall with questions during the break. Afterward, Professor Hough pulled Dave aside and told him “You guys were definitely the best presentation of the year.”   

Kudos to Joe, Mike, Thomas and Dave for helping to mold the minds of the next generation and for spreading the gospel of municipal fiber.  

Conferences/training:    None

General notes:   One of the things the ED office has been pursuing recentlyhas been working on ways to integrate more bicycle friendliness into Sandy.  As we have seen with the development of the mountain bike rental program with Otto’s, the focus on bicycle tourism by Clackamas County Tourism & Cultural Affairs and the increased traffic at Sandy Ridge, this is a rapidly growing segment of the tourism market.  The City of Sandy and surrounding area is a natural draw to cyclists.  The coming completion of the Springwater Trail will, I believe, increase the amount of bicycle traffic here by orders of magnitude, as cyclists cruise out during the nice weather months from Portland.

We have done much already to prepare for this new segment of tourists beyond simply completing our segment of the Springwater Trail (the Tickle Creek Trail) for future connection.  The mountain bike rental program set up through the CPP grant program with Clackamas County provided a place to rent full and partial suspension mountain bikes for use on flow trail complexes like Sandy Ridge.  Prior to this project, there was no place on the east side of the Willamette to rent such equipment.  Andreanne’s bikes are a fixture at Sandy Ridge now.

We are continuing this work on a number of fronts now.  First, Jennifer and I have become ambassadors for the Bike-Friendly Business program offered by Travel Oregon (the state’s tourism department), which provides mapping and information to cyclists looking for amenities important to them in local businesses.  This free program requires businesses to identify at least three amenities that cyclists look for (high carb food, water, restrooms, bike racks, beer (yes, you read that right), etc.) and then lists them on a couple of cyclist-centric webistes like traveloregon.com and rideoregonride.com to help cyclists find those businesses.  The program also offers signage and advice on how to cater to cyclists.  We have so far found about a half-dozen businesses (Chariteas, Bunsenbrewer, the Beer Den, Sandy Family Restaurant, Otto’s and hopefully the Tamale Factory) that have already signed up, and City Hall and the Library already have their signage up.

In addition, Community Services is working with Economic Development to update and reprint the Sandy Bike Map.  In addition to adding Sandy Ridge (how did we miss that the first time around?), the maps will provide more parks and other destinations, more events (like the CornCross!) and more information.  We anticipate that if all goes well, we should have this complete by summer.

Finally, I am looking at approaching Clackamas County about getting some grant money through their Tourism Development Grant process to possibly create a “bike plaza” in Centennial Plaza similar to Estacada’s, but much smaller.  This would essentially create a small area next to the public restrooms with some additional bike racks (maybe even some “artsy” bike racks created by Mike Maiden – let’s get those County dollars circulating in Sandy, yes?) and a “bike station”.   A bike station, if you haven’t been by Estacada City Hall in awhile, is a vertical metal station complete with compressed air for filling tires, a few basic tools on metal wires for changing out chains or tire treads and water for filling water bottles.  This would be intended to be a free amenity for cyclists to keep them on the road. (and hopefully stopping in Sandy to gear up and again to wind down after a hard ride….with a beer at the Beer Den or a glass of wine at Buddha Kat!)  It’s a great way to say to the growing cycling community “Come to Sandy!….

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

Old Ox & Marley space:  I caught Jack Paola showing this place to a prospective retailer last week, so I butted in on the conversation and introduced myself.  The couple that was checking it out owns a surf & skate shop in Hawaii, and is thinking about doing something similar here, but of the skate & snowboard variety.  They also do graphic design work for clothing, primarily designed for skateboarders.  He showed me some of their design work, and seems to have some legitimate talent in this arena.  I can see the market they would be serving, and the concept does have some legs.  They were interested in talking to some of the local ski shops to let them know that a) they are not looking to get into the rental business, but would love to work with the rental shops around here regarding custom designs, repair, etc., and b) see if there might be any other crossover appeal.  I suggested speaking with Andreanne at Otto’s about mountain biking and her expertise with that crowd, and Nunpa over at AntFarm as no one knows the teen scene in Sandy better than him (and maybe there are some opportunities there for both of them).

Legends of Lore/Artistic Impressions:  Jonathan has completed his move to the space formerly occupied by Artistic Impressions, and everyone involved is very happy.  Not only does he have about 3 times the space that he used to have, he is filling it with customers.  Plus, having a street-level storefront is making it much easier for his clients to find him, as evidenced by the dwindling number of kids wandering into my office looking for his store.  Boring Properties has completed their move into Jonathan’s old space, and they are quite happy with their new digs as well (less unused space, and less rent!).  All in all, a positive move for everyone involved.

Sandy Marketplace (the complex that Bi-Mart is in):  I used a citizen comment about the striping in this lot that I received as an opportunity to talk with the property manager about the old Starbucks space.  They have not had any inquiries into this space yet, which is fortunate because Starbucks is still the lessee.  Apparently they are under contract on this space for the remainder of 2015, but neither the mgmt company nor local Starbucks mgmt thinks that will remain the case for very long (if I had to guess, I would bet that Starbucks corporate office will probably just buy out the lease here shortly).  I asked the property manager to please keep my office in the loop as to the status of this property, as we can help them market it with the Available Commercial Properties Database.  They will be happy to do so.  (…and the lot will be re-striped this summer)

Ria’s Bar/Sandy Family Restaurant:  Had a delightful conversation last week with Ria.  I gave her kudos for building the smoking porch in the back of her building, as there has been a noticeable reduction in her customers smoking in our entryway, and she was quite pleased with that.  She has also agreed to sign the restaurant up for the Bike Friendly Business program that we have been promoting around town.

Beaverbrooke Dental:  As I write this, several of our Public Works personnel have been tromping through our office to use our restroom as they work on the curb/sidewalk outside of Beaverbrooke.  There is a section of the sidewalk and curb that is deteriorating, and has generated a crack large enough to trip up an elderly patient of theirs a few months ago.  This was one of the items that they requested our help with during the parking discussion we had with them in December.  Very happy to see that PW got on this immediately and is even working on it in the rain and wind; bonus points to Kevin and his crew.  I will follow up with Beaverbrooke as soon as the new concrete is poured.

Try My Thai:  This restaurant recently received their 2015 business license and certificate of occupancy, so they are now up, running and fully legal.  The transition from Amarin to TMT has been seamless (there are some issues with the building that the building official is working to clear up, but this has nothing to do with the restaurant), and the family that has taken over has been a delight to work with.  They have a charmingly positive outlook, are very interested in promoting themselves (hallelujah!) and getting involved in community events like First Friday, and they definitely have a different cooking style than the Amarin folks.  I have eaten there about a half a dozen times now, and can honestly say that these guys can compete with the better Thai restaurants in Portland like Thai Thai and Thai Orchid.

One bonus plug for TMT: If you like it hot like I do, these guys are not messing around.  Normally area Asian restaurants can’t make it hot enough for me.  TMT has a heat scale of 1-5 stars.  Do Not Order Anything Above 3 Stars.  Four was almost too much for me, and that’s sayin’ something.  Fair warning.  🙂

Sandy Main Street:  The first Sandy Main Street event held in 2015 will be the April First Friday.  If you would like an update on what Sandy Main Street is planning for the next 6 months, give me a call at 503-489-2159.

Project work:  Currently preparing for our presentation for the students in Jim Hough’s Public Works Management course later in February.  I will give a recap after the event.

Also, Sandy Main Street and the Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce are hosting a seminar on February 11 called “Retail Design Done Right” by Ullika Pankratz of Up Design Lounge in Portland.  Ullika is a former window display designer for Ikea, and speaks about retail design and how it impacts your bottom line – particularly product placement, lighting, color and other design elements.  I heard her speak at the Main Street conference in McMinnville last year, and I was duly impressed.  If you know of anyone that might be interested in this, please contact me immediately…..seats are running out.  🙂

Conferences/training:    Due to budgetary restrictions, I will most likely not be attending the OCCMA Pacific NW Manager’s (Spring) Conference at the Portland Red Lion this year.  After looking at the planned agenda, I don’t feel like I’m going to be missing anything critical to my professional development by skipping the Spring conference this year.  Unfortunately this will leave Sandy without representation as Seth will not be able to attend either due to a scheduling conflict.

I still plan to attend the OCCMA Summer Conference, which is always the more relevant of the two to professional development.