The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced today that it has awarded Economic Alliance Snohomish County (EASC) a $150,000 investment grant to develop a long-term economic redevelopment strategy for the North Stillaguamish Valley. Located in North Snohomish County, the area suffered severe economic disruption following a landslide on March 22, 2014. The community of Oso, WA and State Route 530 suffered greatly from the slide, and access was cut off between Darrington, Arlington, and the greater Puget Sound region.

The strategy, known as the North Stillaguamish Economic Redevelopment Plan, when completed, will serve as a blueprint for the long-term economic redevelopment for the region, and as a model for rural economic development for similar corridors in the Puget Sound region.

The plan will analyze innovative opportunities, projects, and programs that will support the long-term economic redevelopment of the region as it transitions from a natural resource extraction and processing- based economy to one focused on diversification and promoting new industries such as advanced manufacturing, tourism, and green energy. This project will help grow locally-based high-skilled, high-wage jobs in the region.

The plan will also develop a disaster resiliency strategy that focuses on the long-term economic health and sustainability of the region, further strengthening and complementing the wider economic strategies and actions already implemented.

The project, led by EASC, is a collaborative effort of Snohomish County, the City of Arlington, the Town of Darrington, Workforce Snohomish, and Washington State University. A broad range of stakeholders from the community will be invited to participate in the planning process. Completion of the economic redevelopment plan is projected to be spring, 2015.

Troy McClelland, President and CEO of Economic Alliance Snohomish County commented, “We are excited to see this grant awarded and are anxious to begin working with local leadership on a long-term redevelopment model for the North Stillaguamish Valley. We’ve assembled a great team and are pleased to have the opportunity to do this work.”
The Northern Snohomish County Congressional delegation – Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, and Reps. Suzan DelBene and Rick Larsen – released a joint statement Monday praising the EDA’s grant. The delegation supported Economic Alliance Snohomish County’s grant application.

“This is an important step forward to help the Stillaguamish Valley rebuild from the tragic State Route 530 mudslide,” said Murray, Cantwell, DelBene and Larsen. “As these resilient communities recover from tragedy, this grant will help develop a long-term strategy for economic growth. From tourism to manufacturing, the State Route 530 corridor has tremendous assets to offer. This investment will help focus efforts to grow jobs and economic opportunity in the Stillaguamish Valley.”