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Home My WebLink About143trGtrOVIE North Hood Canal DEC 2 4 2015 Chamber of Commerce Emerald Towns of Quilcene and Brinnon December 22,2075 Ms. Cynthia Koan, Chair Planning Commission Jefferson County Department of Community Development 621 Sheridan Street Port Townsend, WA 98368 Re: Pleasant Harbor Marina and Golf Resort LLC Master Planned Resort Ref: Case No's MLA08-00188, ZON08-00056 Ms. Koan The North Hood Canal Chamber of Commerce (the Chamber) requests that this letter be read into the record of the January 6,2016 Hearing on the above referenced case. Recommendation o The Chamber prefers and strongly recommends APPROVAL of Alternative 3: Nine-hole golf course (with associated 3 hole practice course), 890 residential units, 56,608 square feet of commercial space with resort related and 103 acres of natural area preserved with 1 million cubic yards of earthwork for golf course grading. r The Chamber strongly recommends AGAINST a No Adion Alternative. Background Bacl<ground for this case is in the official case files locate at the Jefferson County Department of Community Development. Discussion o Economicconsiderations: o tn"T *;leconomic impacts: a Short term jobs have been extensively analyzed in Appendix N and the Chamber takes no exception to that analysis. It would be naive to believe that all short term workers would make their residence in Jefferson County. However it would be expected that many of the skilled construction workers would be reasonably well compensated and that almost all of them r I I o PO Box 774 | Quilcene, WA 98376-0774 360.765.4999 Visitor Center I www.emeraldtowns.com JETI,EHS(jII COUNTY nt-..lr^.\ll ! IEGIF VIEfl North Hood Canal Chamber of Commerce Emerald Towns of Quilcene and Brinnon would spend at least some of their wages in Jefferson County, bolstering both private economic activity and sales tax revenue. Sales tax revenue: o Sales taxes generated on purchases of materials for this project will be significant. And as local sales taxes are generally remitted to the County where delivery of material occurs that should provide a significant increase in short term revenue to Jefferson County. Long term economic impacts: . Jobs: . Long term jobs have been extensively analyzed in Appendix N. o The Chamber finds that criticism of proposed wage levels is unwarranted. While it may be a matter of public policy to establish minimum wage and working condition requirements, those public policy issues are properly the province of the Federal, State and certain local legislatures and agencies. The Chamber feels these items are not the province of the County Planning Commission (which is established to opine on matters of land use onlyl). Any employer (including the applicant)will pay whatever is necessary to obtain the professional, skilled and unskilled labor required to provide goods and services it can sell to its customers. o The Chamber reminds the Planning Commission that employer- employee relations (including wages) are the subject of decades of (now mostly settled) legislative and legal action. Any employee who is aggrieved under any of the multitude of rules and regulations will find a ready advocate in either State or Federal agencies oi' in laboi' law attorneys. . Tax revenue: o The project is expected to provide significant real estate and sales tax revenue to the County over the long term. o Cost of Community Services; o The Chamber is not aware of a Cost of Community Services study or a study of the fiscal impact on government services for this project. o However, a cursory review of several opinions suggests that this project may provide more in real estate and sales tax revenues than it would cost the County or its jiilY o l See RCW 36.70.010 PO Box 774 | Quilcene, WA 98376-0774 360.765.4999 VisitorCenter I www.emeraldtowns.com il DEC 24 2015 in) l.'ln\ North Hood Canal Chamber of Commerce Emerald Towns of Quilcene and Brinnon tF-GIFI]VIE" -v - junior taxing authorities to provide public services. This opinion is based on the following hypotheses2:. Schools. Demand for schooling should be significantly lower due to the project's nature as a resort with significant commercial development.. Policing. Policing efforts should be significantly lower due to the socio-economic strata of residents and significant commercial development.. Fire Protection Services. Fire protection services should be relatively minor as the project will be built to current fire specifications. Even so, the developer has agreed to provide certain mitigations to the local fire protection district.. Roods. Roads will be built by the developer.. Porks and Recreotion. Parks and recreation services and facilities are not likely to be demanded as those will be provided by the resort. . Heolth ond Sociol Services. Health services (including emergency services) may be demanded at rates less than the rest of the county as the age of the population resident at any one time is expected to be somewhat less advanced and general health is expected to be somewhat better. Likewise, demand for social services nnight be expected to be minimal. o ln sum, the Chamber believes it very likely that the project will generate more in tax revenues than it will cost the government to provide needed services. o Prevention of development has a cost:. Harvard economist Edward Glaeser is one of the world's foremost land use thinkers. He made the following remarks: "When it comes to public policy decisions, what I believe in...is cost-benefit analysis.... The ultimate question is: whatever our argument is for saying "no", can we plausibly put down numbers that tell us that, in this neighbourhood (sic), the 2 The Chamber considers these hypotheses to be based on reasonable assumptions regarding the project. They are not based on fact. The Chamber acknowledges that one or more may prove to be wrong. PO Box 774 | Quilcene, WA 98376-0774 360.765.4999 Visitor Center I www.emeraldtowns.com ll i) DEC .,, :Y 'it F-G fE Illlll-,L/l ii-,' DEC't4 VI_E North Hood Canal Chamber of Commerce Emerald Towns of Quilcene and Brinnon t I -" '.j';i.i1ii'( benefits of preventing a development are high enough that we don't want it to happen?"3. The Chamber believes there are no economic benefits attending to the prevention of this development. Environmenta I considerations: o The Chamber believes that environmental considerations have been adequately considered in the official case files. Other opinions: o The Chamber understands there are other opinions and we thank the Planning Commission for listening to ours. When all the concerns and opinions are sifted and weighed, the Chamber believe that the best solution for the citizens, the government, the environment, the developer (and its potential employees, customers and guests) is the approvalof this project. Sincerely, a a &r^- David Neuenschwander Executive Director t Simon Jenkins, "The trials and triumphs of the city: Edward Glaeser in conversation," The Guardian, May 27,2015, US Edition, http://www.theguardian.comlcilies/2Ot5/mayl2t/what-are-cities-doing-so-right- and-so-wrong-the-experts-go-head-to-head. PO Box 774 | Quilcene, WA 98376-0774 360.765.4999 Visitor Center I www.emeraldtowns.com I I I I I I