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