Point economic development plan presented

An engaged but occasionally skeptical crowd attended the October 16 Point Roberts Community Advisory Committee meeting to hear the results of an economic development plan developed by the Maul Foster Alongi consulting firm (MFA).

Port of Bellingham economic development director Tyler Schroeder outlined the plan, listing a detailed report on five strategies: revitalizing the Point Roberts Marina, establishing a resilience hub, addressing broadband access, implementing sewer systems, and promoting economic and environmental sustainability. The report highlighted funding sources, implementation steps, and community engagement.

Regarding the marina, Schroeder told the audience, “We wanted to show the different scenarios of what the marina could look like. .. maybe a maritime village, or a concept of a Blue economy and a working waterfront.”

Unsurprisingly, the emphasis on the marina received some pushback with one audience member saying, “Why not put all this attention and focus and vision into [the] cannery on Marine Drive instead of trying to buy the marina from the current owners. Good luck.”

Schroeder was realistic about the issues facing the Point, for example, saying, “It was hard to do an economic development study and not identify the need for broadband. Without access to broadband, economic development will continue to be fairly hard in this location.”

“The existing sewer system places significant limitation on commercial and residential development. We analyzed three alternatives: a community drain field, a private or public system, and a centralized sewer system,” he said. Allison Calder expressed doubt on the cost estimates for the sewer alternatives, describing them as “significantly under estimated.”

The takeaway from the meeting appeared to be; 1. Infrastructure is critical – broadband, sewer systems and marina development are essential to future growth; 2. Community input matters  – every strategy discussed emphasized the need for local residents’ vision and participation, and; 3. Funding is both an opportunity and a challenge. There is money out there but securing it requires detailed planning.

In an interview with the All Point Bulletin on October 30, Schroeder was asked how this economic plan would be different from every other plan collecting dust on an office shelf somewhere.

“What I was actually really excited about was the implementation charts that came out of the work, because that should really give a road map for the PRCAC, for the Chamber, for other members in Point Roberts to kind of think, okay, I connect with this strategy, how and what’s the next step for us to do it as a community, and who at the county or the port or CERB has funding? How do we take that next step and move some momentum along?”

He specifically cited the Maple Beach project as a potential first step, saying: “I think if we could focus on that project, we could show the momentum that’s associated with it.” He noted that county parks director Bennett Knox had attended a meeting to discuss Maple Beach and said it could be the project that moves the report forward, but also “moves the community seeing a project get executed.”

Specifically, he suggested the Maple Beach project could be part of a broader multimodal strategy, saying they could use it to develop “a Point Roberts multimodal strategy that is cars, people, bikes, and others in the whole area.” He saw it as a potential first step in creating infrastructure for pedestrians, bikes, and potentially even horses, noting they had heard about the number of horses in Point Roberts that currently use road systems.

Maple Beach has been a subject of interest recently after the chamber of commerce and taxpayers association called on the county to make needed infrastructure improvements to the county park such as washrooms and parking.