Vancouver Comprehensive Plan 2011-2030 - City of Vancouver

development review process. The City of Vancouverhas an Economic Development Services division,and directly supports the Columbia River EconomicDevelopment Council (CREDC). The Cityalso partners with the Greater Vancouver Chamberof Commerce, and other groups in their efforts torecruit and retain businesses. Vancouver is also amember of the Regional Economic DevelopmentPartners with other jurisdictions from the Portlandmetropolitan area. The City of Vancouver also coordinateswith outside agencies and organizations toprovide economic development grants or financingto the extent available under state law. Washingtondoes not allow Tax Increment Financing (TIF) orcomparable property tax redistribution programsas extensively as Oregon or other states.Limited TIF legislation was passed in2002, and supplemented by Local InfrastructureFinancing Tool (LIFT) programin 2006 and the Local RevitalizationFinancing (LRF) program in 2009.Concentrated economic development is alsoplanned in the section 30 and Riverview Gatewaysubareas in eastern Vancouver. Both areas areformer mining sites served by recent constructionof 192nd Avenue and existing major roadways. Theplans envision a mix of employment and housingwhen completed. 5,400 and 3,100 new jobs areprojected respectively. Significant capacity for longterm job growth also exists in the Fourth Plainsubarea , and at the Southwest Washington MedicalCenter, Port of Vancouver, Columbia Tech Center,Columbia Business Center, and former EvergreenAirport sites. See the Community Developmentchapter of this document for further informationsubarea planning in identified centers and corridors.These economic developmentactivities are applied in targeted areasas well as citywide. The revitalization ofdowntown Vancouver began with theEsther Short Redevelopment Plan andPlanned Action ordinance which providedzoning and environmental clearance,and also supported substantial public investments.These included the renovationof Esther Short Park, street and utilityupgrades, and the Hilton Hotel development andother public-private partnerships. These regulatoryand economic development assistance actions werethen extended southward to encompass the formerBoise Cascade complex and adjacent riverfrontlands through adoption of the Vancouver CentralCity Vision Subarea Plan in 2006. The plan envisionsdevelopment of residential, mixed use andoffice construction, resulting in an additional 8500downtown jobs when the area is fully developed.Direction for the futureEconomic development is one of the cornerstonesof the Vancouver Comprehensive Plan. The goal isto increase jobs, particularly family wage jobs, forlocal residents, and to reduce the number of residentswho commute to Oregon for work, shopping,and entertainment. The City would like to providea ratio of at least one local job for every Vancouverhousehold. Providing land and public services thatare adequate for job growth is an important partof the strategy. The City must be a good steward ofland designated for job growth, which includes2-6| Economic Development Vancouver Comprehensive Plan 2011-2030