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Easton Subarea Plan — Public Comment <br />9.2 Economic Development: The Plan Needs a Market Analysis and <br />Actionable Strategy <br />The Economic Development section (Section 4) identifies community desire for revitalization of <br />Railroad Street and small local businesses. It proposes walking tours, vision boards, and <br />consulting with railroad operators as recommended actions. While community engagement is <br />valuable, these actions alone will not generate jobs, attract businesses, or close the service <br />gaps residents have identified. Walking tours and vision boards are process steps, not <br />economic development outcomes. <br />The plan contains no market analysis. There is no assessment of what types of businesses are <br />financially viable in a community of 408 residents with seasonal recreational traffic. There is no <br />estimate of consumer demand, visitor spending capture, or revenue potential for the types of <br />businesses residents want (coffee shops, restaurants, gear rental, small retail). Without this <br />analysis, the plan is asking the community to pursue economic development without knowing <br />what the market will support. <br />I recommend the following additions to the Economic Development section: <br />a. Commission or include a basic market analysis as a recommended action within the <br />first year. This does not need to be expensive, EDA Planning and Technical Assistance <br />Grants (up to $300K) or USDA Rural Business Development Grants (up to $500K) can <br />fund feasibility studies for rural commercial development. The analysis should assess: <br />what types of businesses are viable given year-round and seasonal population, what the <br />1-90 traffic volume (30,000+ vehicles per day) means in terms of capture potential, and <br />what infrastructure prerequisites must be met before businesses can operate. <br />b. Tie the economic development goals directly to the wastewater infrastructure <br />constraint. The plan acknowledges that the lack of a sewer or septic system is the <br />primary barrier to development and school expansion (Section 5.3). No amount of vision - <br />boarding will produce a coffee shop or restaurant on Railroad Street if there is no <br />wastewater system to support it. The economic development section should state plainly <br />that securing wastewater infrastructure funding is a prerequisite to Railroad Street <br />revitalization, not a parallel effort. <br />c. Include job creation targets. The plan should set a measurable goal, even a modest <br />one such as 15-25 new permanent jobs within five years from small businesses, cottage <br />industries, and recreation -related services within the LAMIRDs. <br />d. Replace or supplement the walking tour and vision board actions with concrete steps: <br />apply for an EDA Planning Grant for a Railroad Street market feasibility study within the <br />first year; identify three to five specific business types the market will support and <br />actively recruit them; and coordinate with the Kittitas County Economic Development <br />Committee to integrate Easton into the county -wide economic development strategy <br />currently being developed. <br />9.3 Wastewater Infrastructure: The Single Most Critical Prerequisite <br />The Subarea Plan identifies the lack of a septic or sewer system as the primary barrier to <br />development and school expansion. Community members have raised this repeatedly in the <br />March 2025 open house, in the April 2025 community meeting, and in ongoing discussions. It <br />was the very first comment at the open house: "Need a large scale septic system to move <br />Page 6 <br />