In April 2023, Island County, the Town of Coupeville, and the Cities of Langley and Oak Harbor voted to cost-share the development of a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for Island County. The EDC will oversee the process. The project is being managed by Jennifer Noveck, Ph.D.
A CEDS is a long-term, consensus-driven, local planning document that intends to guide economic development throughout a region or county. The Economic Development Administration (EDA) manages and sets the content guidelines and requirements for the CEDS process and document.
As part of this process and per EDA guidelines, a CEDS Review Committee has been established.
Island County CEDS Timeline
The development of the Island County CEDS will run for approximately 18 months from April 2023 – September 2024 and requires final approval by resolution by the Island County Board of Commissioners. After adoption by resolution has occurred, the document will then be submitted to the EDA for their approval.
Stakeholder Engagement
A critical part of the CEDS process is stakeholder engagement.
The first opportunity for public feedback and input was a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) survey to gauge the priorities and challenges related to economic development among businesses and the community in Island County. The survey was open May 1-October 23, 2023.
There is still time to provide additional feedback to the regional SWOT and sector SWOTs! You can download and fill out this document and email it to Jennifer at ceds@edcislandcounty.org.
Additional Questions? Check out our CEDS FAQs page for more information or email Jennifer Noveck at ceds@edcislandcounty.org
This project is generously funded by:
