The city of Ocean Shores has topped the $1 billion mark in property value going into the new year, with the local economy showing some steady signs going forward.
“I’m really pleased to see that property values are going up,” Mayor Crystal Dingler said recently in recounting the positive numbers impacting the local economy.
“It does not mean that we have a tremendous increase in taxes,” she noted. “But what it does mean is that for those people who are looking to sell their property now or in the near future, they’re in a much better position to do that. I am very happy to see those property values go up.”
For the month of November, the median/average sales prices for homes selling in Ocean Shores was $220,000/$256,000, according to the Northwest Multiple Listing Services.
For businesses in the city, gross sales have increased from $80 million in 2012 to $120 million in 2016, with number still incomplete for 2017.
“This year, we expect to see a 5 percent increase,” Dingler said.
Through November, there have been 97 new permits issued for new single-family home construction in the city, with overall construction valuation place at $23.9 million. In all of 2016, there were 79 permits for new single-family homes, and overall construction valuation was at $21. 8 million. Permit fees collected by the city through November ($405,059) already exceed the $351,706 collected in 2016.
Chamber funding
The Ocean Shores City Council ended the year by giving the Ocean Shores/North Beach Chamber of Commerce a boost with $15,000 from the 2018 budget.
The Chamber had asked for city assistance after acknowledging financial difficulties earlier in the year, and the business-related organization has undergone several key changes on the board.
On Dec. 11, the Chamber spelled out how that money would be used from the city and why it as needed.
New acting Chamber president Jeff Daniel stressed the importance of the organization.
“I think the Chamber’s role in this community is more important than ever before,” said Daniel, who acknowledged he had only been a member for several months before being elected acting president. “Our community is growing, and rather quickly. The Chamber’s role is an absolute necessity.”
The Chamber gets most of its funding from membership dues and events, but receives no funds from any other public entities, Daniel noted.
“The Chamber is at a point financially where it seems to be struggling every year just to pay its bills,” he said. Often, that leaves financial solvency as the main focus.
“For the Chamber to do what it really should be doing — which is promoting economic development in Ocean Shores, promoting business in Ocean Shores and ultimately promoting the growth of our community — the Chamber needs your partnership,” Daniel told the City Council. “We need your help, we need your support and we need what we are calling a sponsorship.”
That sponsorship equates to the $15,000.
Councilman Jon Martin questioned whether the Chamber would still be involved with the two main events it has sponsored for the past several years: The Razor Clam Festival and the Sand & Sawdust Festival.
Daniel said it was his intent to convince the board “to get out of the business of day-to-day event promoting.” The two events mentioned, he said, should be turned over to professional event promoters.
“I think the best way we can do this and have an event that we can all be proud of is to bring on a real event promoter for both of these key events,” Daniel said.
The Chamber would still be a beneficiary from the events, but most of the planning and preparation would be done by a professional promotion and marketing company or person.
“The Chamber really needs to focus on marketing and economic development in Ocean Shores,” Daniel said.
Business notes
• The Chamber held a ribbon cutting on Dec. 12 for the new Sea Breeze BBQ Hut & More at 185 W. Chance a la Mer. For more information, call (360) 940-9116. “We offer Jerk, curry, BBQ, and cook to order seafood that is out of this world, homemade soups and Jamaican beef patties and D&G Jamaican drinks.”
• Mike’s Seafood at 839 Point Brown Avenue has a new bar, and it opens Dec. 26 with happy hour from 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday. (360) 289-0532.
• Another new business in Ocean Shores is the Coastal Karma Center, offering yoga and Nia dance classes in the converted former fitness space at 807 Minard Ave. Suite 2. More information is available at(360) 940-7772.
