Those who walked or drove through downtown Enumclaw this last weekend might have noticed something that hasn’t happened in a long time — Cole Street was open to traffic.
This is likely to be a more common occurrence, at least until summer arrives, as a new city policy regarding shutting down the city’s main business corridor and special events is making it more difficult, and more expensive, for the grassroots organization Enumclaw Business Owners Collective to do so.
Sean McDonald, owner of the Cole Street Brewery as well as member of the Enumclaw Business Collective, has said these changes will significantly impact the community feel Enumclaw has built over the last two years.
“Everybody comes down on the weekends and kind of just hangs out,” he continued. “Whether they’re shopping or not, they’re hanging out as a community.”
McDonald (who rents his brewery from Sound Publishing, which owns the Courier-Herald) has been a strong supporter of keeping Cole Street closed as regularly as possible for consistency – barring extreme weather — both for locals and tourists who now expect Cole Street to be closed on the weekends. He specifically mentioned families with children coming to a downtown restaurant being used to having more space around them to wait for a table.
“And on the weekends, the sidewalks get kind of crowded with people waiting for open tables,” he said.
But City Administrator Chris Searcy, speaking for himself and not as a representative for the city of Enumclaw, said there was a need to return to normal, now that the COVID pandemic is over.
“When the street is open, there is no harm. When it is closed to vehicles, the impact is disparate; some benefit, some suffer,” he said. “The incorporation of special events needs to be ‘special’, not simply every weekend given that some businesses suffer from its closure.”
SOME RECENT HISTORY
Here’s a little bit of background: in 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impending business difficulties downtown business were facing, the city of Enumclaw started closing off Cole Street on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays so restaurants could set up “streateries” under tents along road.
Although businesses were allowed to open in June 2021 and “streateries” petered out, the city of Enumclaw continued to keep closing down Cole Street on the weekends in conjunction with some downtown businesses bringing out propane fire pits and chairs.
These businesses would go on to form the Enumclaw Business Owners Collective.
While it appeared clear the Cole Street closures were popular among many downtown visitors, grumblings from some of the public and other business owners turned into action last fall, with a handful of folks asking the Enumclaw City Council to address the fact that not every business — or its customers — appreciate them.
For example, Diane Mills of The Lee said that many of her regular customers no longer came downtown over the weekend, due to the crowds, and questioned why Cole Street was closed even where there was no one out shopping; Kara McKay of Dick’s Barbershop noted that her senior customers were having trouble walking to her business because they had to park further away; and Allen’s Furniture Jon Opland pointed out that public funds (the city was essentially paying itself to purchase the permits necessary to close the street) were being used to the benefit of some businesses, but not his or Cheryl Smith’s, who owns the Enumclaw Licensing Agency and said she had to close on Saturdays because people couldn’t park on the street.
In response, the city of Enumclaw created a “special event policy” rules and guidelines, marking the end of Enumclaw being the permit holder for Cole Street closures. Although city staff asked elected officials for input, these new regulations did not require official council approval to go into effect.
“While the City recognizes the substantial community benefits that result from special events, the City also recognizes that there may be an adverse impact to some,” the new policy reads. “The city will strive to accommodate special events while also being sensitive to their impact on the community as a whole.”
NEW REQUIREMENTS
The new rules define a special event an event that is attended by at least 50 people and uses public property, obstructs vehicle or pedestrian traffic, and/or “significantly impacts the quiet use and enjoyment of real property”.
Any event falling under that definition now needs to apply for a special event permit up to six weeks in advance and pay a fee, depending on how big the event is expected to be. For a general Cole Street closure, the fee would likely consist of a $25 application fee, a $100 special event fee, and $200 barricade fee for a total of $325.
There are a few exceptions to these rules.
For example, Enumclaw will continue to sponsor Cole Street closures, from Myrtle Avenue to Initial Avenue, from the third full weekend of June through Labor Day from Friday at 5 p.m. to Sunday at 6 p.m.; at this time, for example, the Collective would not have to pay the barricade fee.
Additionally, the Enumclaw Plateau Farmer’s Market, Concerts in the Park, and Sundays on Cole — all city-sponsored events — only need to submit one special event permit.
Searcy said that it could be possible for the Collective to submit one permit for multiple special events during the summer weekend closures, or a seasonal permit covering multiple weekends in the non-peak season, but “the events would need to be planned out in advance in enough detail to review and approve.”
“Developing a policy is always a challenge in balancing predictability with flexibility,” he added. “We expect the policy to be revised over time as we encounter the unanticipated.”
MORE EVENTS? MORE MONEY
One of the Enumclaw Business Owner’s Collective’s popular events is the Snow on Cole event, recently re-named Mistletoe Lane, which was hosted every Saturday night after Thanksgiving until Dec. 23.
It was “The most predictable snowstorm of the year,” King Five News reported last month.
McDonald said fans of the event have been asking why the snowfall isn’t continuing through January — his response is the city’s new special event policy, plus the other costs Cole Street closures incur.
According to McDonald, for one snowfall event (Friday through Sunday, snow on Saturday), it would cost the Collective roughly $1,000 comprised of the new permit fees as well as snow juice and fire pit propane costs (and the Collective has been only using half of the 16 fire pits they own to save some money). Four events? Four grand.
Simply put: that’s not sustainable for the grassroots organization, McDonald said.
He added that looking forward, non-summertime events will be difficult to finance, and he expects that there might only be one event, if that, every month, if there isn’t some additional support coming its way.
The group is looking for sponsors, and to become an official nonprofit organization with a board of directors. It is also asking Enumclaw for additional funds (the city often gives grants to organizations like the Enumclaw History Museum, the Farmer’s Market, and the Enumclaw Expo Center).
In regard to the latter, some headway has been made, and the city of Enumclaw has already agreed to help fund half of the money needed to continue the snowfall events on Cole Street in November and December 2024.
However, if you would like to donate to the Enumclaw Business Owners Collective, you can scan the QR code on various “Support Cole Street” posters around town, or go to Commencement Bank on Myrtle Avenue and Wells Street and ask to make a donation to the Collective’s account.
McDonald added that a website for the group is in the works; until then, those wanting to know what sort of Cole Street events are being planned can head to the “Enumclaw Here is What’s Happening” Facebook page for event information.
