$75,000 grant launches Douglas County’s first economic development plan

EAST WENATCHEE — Douglas County is taking a first step toward something it has never formally done before: mapping out its own economic future.

With the help of a $75,000 planning grant from the Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB), county leaders will begin work on the first comprehensive economic development plan in Douglas County’s history, a five-year roadmap intended to guide how the community grows, invests, and supports local industries.

For a county that has long relied on a mix of agriculture, small business, and regional partnerships, the absence of a unified strategy has been a quiet gap. This plan aims to change that.

“This is Douglas County’s first economic development strategic plan, and our community has not previously been served in this way,” said Economic Development Director Soo Ing-Moody. “We are grateful to CERB for recognizing the needs of our county and for being more than a funder, for being a true partner in this work.”

The grant will fund development of a five-year strategy designed to identify where Douglas County can grow and how to do so in a way that reflects local priorities. That includes supporting existing industries, encouraging new business development, and creating jobs, while maintaining the character of the community.

State officials say those early planning investments are often what determine whether projects move forward or stall.

“Planning grants help communities turn promising ideas into real economic opportunities,” said Janea Stark, executive director of CERB at the Department of Commerce. “This work gives local leaders the information they need to move projects forward and attract investment that can create jobs and strengthen the local economy.”

For Douglas County commissioners, the grant is as much about coordination as it is about growth.

“This planning grant is an important investment in Douglas County’s future,” said Dan Sutton, chair of the Board of Commissioners. “Developing our first Economic Development Plan will help us identify opportunities to support local businesses, strengthen our economy, and create a clear path forward that benefits residents for years to come.”

County leaders say the effort will focus not only on attracting new opportunities, but also on better aligning existing ones, strengthening partnerships, identifying infrastructure needs, and positioning the county to respond when new projects or industries come into view.

In that sense, the plan is less about predicting the future than preparing for it.

And for a county that has operated without a formal economic playbook until now, that preparation may prove just as important as any single project that comes out of it.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media