Challenges of a changing identity

Stanwood, Camano Island work together to accommodate growing population

by Rachel Robertson

Stanwood’s Mayor Dianne White is working aggressively to bring family wage jobs to her town.

A drive south along Pioneer Highway from I-5 into Stanwood reveals the agricultural roots of the area. Old weathered barns and historic farmhouses are surrounded by acres of flat land, perfect for crop growing. This time of year, trumpeter swans rest and feed in the fallow fields, eagles peer down from high in the treetops, and large formations of snow geese cut across the sky. On a clear day the Cascade Mountains show their dramatic white peaks, and the grand Olympic Mountains can be seen in the distance. Just over the bridge on Camano Island the picture gets even better, where the waterfront beckons boaters, fishers, and beach comers, alike.
Who wouldn’t want to live here? That is both the advantage and the challenge for the area of Stanwood and Camano Island – linked by their geography and yet separated by county: Stanwood residing in the far northwest corner of Snohomish County, and Camano seated in Island County with its more-distant partner, Whidbey Island.

The challenges
Residents drawn by the beauty of the location, both Stanwood and Camano Island are dealing with growing populations.
The Island County Economic Development Council estimated that Camano Island’s population grew by 1,053 people from 2000 to 2006; and 388 homes sold last year, 58 of which were new construction.
According to Stanwood Mayor Dianne White, the estimated population this year will be over 5,000, which elevates Stanwood out of small town status and consequently requires the city to add two additional city council members this summer, for a total of seven – the same number as Everett. She also reported that there were approximately 130 building permits issued last year, and they are on target for even more this year.
“We’ve annexed hundreds of acres and so we need to step up [services] and, of course, it’s hard to do when you have limited funds because we don’t have the sales tax revenue,” White said.
Without any large employers in the area, much of the working population commutes during the week either north or south on I-5, creating a problem for promoting local business. And the draw of “big box” stores such as Wal-Mart and Costco in nearby Burlington in Skagit County entices area residents to spend money outside of their counties, so the Snohomish and Island counties lose out on sales tax dollars.
“We hate it when our dollar is not counted to our residents,” said Sharon Hart, executive director of Island County Economic Development Council (EDC). “That’s a problem for Island County as a whole ... we count maybe 70 million to 100 million dollars leaves this island. And it’s really a problem because we have communities that are trying to make smaller budgets work with more services demanded.”
Another issue for Camano Islanders has been the lack of representation in county government – the last three county commissioners were all Whidbey residents. That changed last fall when they elected Island County commissioner John Dean to District 3, a Camano Island resident since the 1970s. Rather than a career politician, Dean has been immersed in community issues for the last 26 years working for the local newspaper.
Commissioner Dean recalled when he first moved to the area that Stanwood was “a pretty sleepy little town” and Camano was very rural – contributing to a difficult climate for new businesses, and he saw many of them come and go quickly. “In fact, I was one of them,” he said, describing how his oak gift manufacturing business could not survive.
But he sees the issues as different now. “Camano is in a zone right now where we are pretty much thriving economically – there are a lot of new businesses coming in, and most everyone welcomes them – but on the other side we are having this feeling like we are losing some of our rural and agricultural community lifestyle,” Dean said.
Dean noted that construction and real estate are currently the two big employers for the island, and although he stated that it is important that those businesses thrive, he has concerns. “One of the reasons that I ran for office is that Camano Island is developing, and things are happening without a real concerted plan,” he said. As one example he cited the new changes along Highway 532 – the entrance onto the island. “That whole length of state highway is developing but not necessarily in ways that people want,” he said.
Hart of Island County EDC believes one factor in how the area is growing is the differing growth management plans for the two counties. Camano, as part of Island County has a concurrency rule by which growth is limited to what the highways can handle. The skyrocketing price of land on Camano Island is also likely to influence development. With cheaper land and fewer development restrictions, Stanwood does not face the same obstacles for growth.
Because there are no towns on Camano Island, Stanwood ends up supporting many of the service needs for the island residents. “That’s a huge bone of contention that we have,” Mayor White said, explaining that Stanwood and Camano share one school district, which amplifies this issue: Although 45 percent of the school district lives on the island, the ball fields are mostly Stanwood City parks. Although she hopes to eventually create a new park district that comprises the same geography as the school district, that issue has gone to the back burner in a negative tax climate in which getting school funding is the highest priority.

Working on solutions
Because Stanwood and Camano Island span two counties with different governments, one might think they would see themselves as separate entities. Not so, according to Commissioner Dean: “When I moved to Camano Island it was pretty obvious that Stanwood and Camano were joined at the hip – and it’s really one community.” He recalled that when he first started working for the local paper it was called Stanwood News. “Very soon after we changed the name to Stanwood/Camano News and there are a lot of other organizations that have followed suit,” he said.
The challenge, of course, is how the two governments can work together – and Mayor White is paving the way. Although the topic was disaster preparedness, White brought together the City of Stanwood and Island County for a common goal by creating a task force to promote education for emergency situations such as an earthquake or pandemic flu outbreak.
“I just think that was a wonderful thing for her to do,” said Commissioner Dean. “Traditionally, the City of Stanwood government and Island County government really haven’t communicated that well ... I think this is a stepping stone for other conversations about some community planning that includes both of us,” he continued.
Both Stanwood and Camano Island have the advantage of involved community groups. In addition to Stanwood’s own Economic Development Council, the community group, Design Stanwood, helps to promote economic development, and Mayor White highly values their networking ability. “We have a tremendous talent base of people willing to work,” she said.
Camano Island residents have also demonstrated interest in how their community develops through involvement in the Chamber of Commerce. “Some of the changes of how things look on Camano Island in the public spaces are directly attributed to the artist community here who saw the need for some public planning of spaces,” said Dean. Most notable – located at the entrance to Camano Island – is Camano Gateway (the Camano Island Chamber of Commerce visitor center) and the adjoining Freedom Park, both of which display sculptures by local artists.

Creating an identity
Although Stanwood was originally a Scandinavian settlement (of which there are still trace elements, such as the Viking statue in front of the Stanwood Area History Museum, and businesses like the Uff Da Shoppe in Viking Village shopping center), Mayor White believes Stanwood needs to find a new identity. “We have a nice mixture of all kinds of people and we need to build on that rather than trying to resurrect the Norwegian (culture) that is not here anymore,” she said.
Mayor White wants to build on the agricultural strength of the area, and sees a future in agritourism, envisioning draws such as wineries, a culinary school, and tours to local dairies.
Camano Island is also looking for a new direction. Commissioner Dean said, “There is a big need in Camano Island to sit down as a community and talk about these things.” Indeed, in office barely over a month, he is already hosting community open houses to talk about the issues and “decide what our future looks like,” he said.
Dean feels that development of tourism and hobby farms would match well with retaining the rural feel that many Camano Island residents express as a priority. Already, visitors from all over the world come to the area for the wonderful birding opportunities.
In an effort to promote such tourism, both Stanwood and Camano Island agencies worked as a team to put together the Port Susan Snow Goose Festival. The area hosted the second annual festival last month, which featured activities such as sailboat and kayak tours, talks by birding experts and art shows.
Camano Island business owner Jeff Ericson had a vision to give local businesses (like his own Camano Island Coffee Roasters) a home that also fit with the community’s desires for aesthetic development that included public space. After much community input, Camano Commons was conceived and built three years ago, including not only a shopping area, but a courtyard that could host such events as art shows, farmer’s markets and live music. Although he is joined by such businesses as Brindles Marketplace, Yarn Stash and Gallery in the Loft, the shopping center has yet to take off. In fact, Islander’s Restaurant closed their doors at the end of January.
“The sad part at this point is that is seems like (Camano Commons) is underutilized,” said Commissioner Dean. “And I don’t know why other than I suspect that we still live in a culture where we are driving off-island to Costco.”
However, Stanwood and Camano Island residents have also been pretty clear about what they don’t want in their area – Wal-Mart. According to the Snohomish County Business Journal, as many as 3,000 people signed a petition to demonstrate their opposition to a proposal that would allow Wal-Mart to build a store in Stanwood, concerned that it would drive out local businesses.
In another grass-roots effort that contributes to community identity, the Stanwood Area Historical Society, managed to both preserve a historic building and create a wonderful public space that now hosts concerts, plays, auctions, weddings, and many of the Snow Goose Festival events. In August of 2005 the building was dedicated as the Floyd Norgaard Cultural Center after its major benefactor. The building was originally a public hall operated by Stanwood Odd Fellows from 1908 to 1939.
Stanwood is also home to a modern mixed-use development including retail, office and residential space – the Stanwood-Camano Village, the vision of the Lindstrom Development Group. The developers reported that the 55 acre Village is now 90 percent complete. In late 2005 residents began occupying the Village Commons, a 54 unit condominium building, which is within walking distance of an already thriving business district including Haggen Food & Pharmacy, The Sports Club, Starbucks, and 5 Screen Cinema, to name just a few. The first floor retail space in the Commons is now nearly complete and available for lease. An Ace Hardware store is set to open in April, and a 5,000 square foot retail space developed by First Western Properties including Money Tree and Asian Palette is also expected to open soon.

What’s in the future?
Commissioner Dean is hoping that the new pilot project which will bring a library to Camano Island for at least three years will also help promote more use of Camano Commons. Sno-Isle Libraries will rent space in Camano Commons as a test run to determine if Camano Island would support a permanent library.
Also soon to open on the island is a second campus for Seattle’s Wooden Boat Center at the new Cama Beach State Park. Once a 1930s resort area, the project includes restoration of the existing buildings including 31 cabins that will be available for overnight rental. Beginning in the spring of 2008, the Center will host workshops and activities that promote the education of maritime heritage including rentals of unique heritage boats.
One limit to tourism for Stanwood right now is the lack of places to stay. Marilyn and Leonard Guthrie hope to change that in the near future with the restoration of one of the city’s oldest buildings – the Stanwood Hotel & Saloon. Marilyn loved the old building, which she often drove by and so when it came up for sale last year she and her husband took on the project. They hope to eventually have 12 to 15 rooms decorated in antique style available to rent, but for now they are operating the bar and host live blues music every Saturday.
This year Stanwood will also get an Amtrak station – scheduled to be completed in November. Stanwood’s development director, Stephanie Hansen, hopes the station will contribute to the revitalization of Stanwood’s downtown. Although the original idea (proposed by Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen) was for a commuter rail system, improvement costs to make that possible exceeded the current budget. Hansen expects that this may still be possible for the future, however, and would be important for easing traffic congestion in north Snohomish County.
The challenge of bringing industry (and thus jobs and revenue) to Stanwood that does not compromise the community’s goals is one that Mayor White along with Stanwood’s Economic Development Council and Design Stanwood have been struggling with. Then one day the Mayor had an inspiration. “I just read a little piece in the paper three years ago about how they were going to do this search for a four year college, and I’m thinking—‘Why not Stanwood?’”
Why not Stanwood, indeed? The community kicked into high gear when White was able to get a town hall meeting with Washington’s Higher Education Coordinating Board. More than 300 people wearing “Port Susan University” buttons packed the gymnasium that displayed banners with the same hopeful declaration. “That got their attention,” said Mayor White.
The Board is looking for a site that would serve Snohomish, Island, and Skagit counties. “We are right, square in the middle of the need,” said White. In addition, the City of Stanwood has 480 acres of Puget Sound view property available for a university site.
In February Mayor White passed through the next step in the process by testifying to the Higher Education Coordinating Board in Olympia with positive results. She hopes with the support of Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen (a lifetime Camano Island resident), Stanwood may have a chance.
“It would just be a miracle if we got it because there is so much competition,” admitted White. But if nothing else, it has at least brought some attention to Stanwood.
“It’s put us on the map – people know who the Mayor of Stanwood is now.”

Island County Commissioner John Dean is working with the Camano Island community to put together a plan for growth.




The Stanwood Hotel & Saloon, one of city’s oldest buildings, was recently purchased by Marilyn and Leonard Guthrie. They are in the process of restoring the building to its original function – hoping to have 12 to 15 rooms available to rent by the end of the year.



The brain child of Jeff Ericson, the Camano Commons area is beautiful and yet underutilized.