Retail grows -- more will come if community works it right

This editorial published on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012

Just in time for Christmas, if all goes right, Union Gap will boast the addition of big-name retailers that will offer expanded options for Yakima Valley shoppers. The news that a J.C. Penney and Cabela's plan to open in the fall is cheerful enough, but they may signal much more far-reaching and longstanding economic developments that could benefit the entire Yakima Valley.

First, don't be put off that Nebraska-based Cabela's calls its entry into Central Washington an "Outpost Store." It's an outdoors sporting-goods concept -- not a comment on the Yakima Valley -- that Cabela's is inaugurating here. The Outpost Store, at 40,000 square feet, is less than half the size of its larger stores, which serve much larger markets. As an example, other Northwest Cabela's include outlets in Lacey, near Olympia; Post Falls, Idaho, near Spokane; and one under construction at the Tulalip Indian Reservation near Everett.

J.C. Penney's new 66,000-square-foot store marks a return to the immediate Yakima area after it closed its Yakima Mall outlet in 2000. It has retained a small Sunnyside store. Both of the additions will be at Washington Plaza, a shopping center that Valley Mall owner Fred Bruning is building at the former Costco site just north of the Valley Mall.

Two points about these two additions:

* The national stores' expansion into this market signals that the economic recession of the past several years finally is easing. Companies that had retrenched or put projects on hold are moving ahead again, confident that consumers' increasing spending power and confidence will support them. These expansions also offer a sign that the recession-induced credit crunch is passing.

* The second point concerns our local economy. National retailers know the Yakima area is underserved and could support more outlets in volume and diversity. And while Union Gap is the acknowledged retail center of the Yakima Valley, the landscape is starting to get a bit crowded. Opportunities are rising outside of Union Gap.

Downtown Yakima continues its rebound, but many vacant spaces seek tenants -- not just the long-shuttered Yakima Mall, but recent sites like the just-vacated Greyhound bus station. It's an opportunity for downtown Yakima business interests to come together and develop a strategy for promoting its assets -- like central location, more entertainment and eating attractions, an active tourist trade and easy freeway access. This will work if business interests unite, show flexibility and respond to the needs of prospective retailers.

This need not be limited to Union Gap and downtown Yakima. Business interests across Yakima and in towns all across the Yakima Valley have a chance to tell their story and sell themselves. It's a competitive market, and local business and government leaders will need to figure out how to make things happen and not wallow in excuses for them not to happen. The opportunity is there; local officials need to identify it and go after it.

Governments play a role, too, in enabling the expansion of retail offerings. Government rules need to avoid obstructionalism while acknowledging environmental concerns and the impact of development on streets and nearby neighborhoods.

In a few years, we'd like to write about how the Washington Plaza projects signaled a retail rebound in the Yakima Valley.

* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Sharon J. Prill, Bob Crider, Frank Purdy and Karen Troianello.