Using threat of floods, Bremerton mayor working to entice Kent businesses west

Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent wants to bring flood-threatened businesses along the Green River to Bremerton, but some businesses threatened by floods said no thanks.

As concerns escalate about the integrity of the Howard Hanson Dam and the surrounding levees, Kent businesses are bracing themselves for potential flood damage this winter. The Army Corps of Engineers has strengthened levees in the area and corps officials have said the risk of flooding has diminished.

But Lent said Kent remains “the most distressed area” for flood potential, and Bremerton could be a new home for businesses that can’t afford flood insurance or have suffered weather damage.

There are 19 buildings in Bremerton with vacant space available, Lent said. If Bremerton and Kent come to the agreement she seeks it would give Kent business owners a plan B in the event of an emergency.

“When you least expect to have something happen, oftentimes it does,” she said.

There is no agreement in place, but Lent said she would speak with Kent city officials in coming weeks and propose the idea.

A recent report by real estate firm Colliers International found that businesses in the Kent Valley are looking for new sites outside the flood plain. The vacancy rate of business spaces in the valley has jumped from 4.9 percent in 2008 to 5.7 percent in 2009 — the first vacancy hike in five years. The report cites anxiety over Howard Hanson Dam and flooding potential, rather than the recession, for the increase in empty business space.

But Kent business owners said relocating to Bremerton would be prohibitively costly and time-consuming.

Greg Larkin of Larkin Precision said though the Army Corps decreased the flood risk, odds are still good that damage may still happen. According to the company’s Web site, Larkin Precision has acquired flood insurance, pumps, sandbags, and other supplies in preparation of the worst case scenario.

But moving to Bremerton, and trading a flood-plan for a ferry, isn’t an option Larkin is considering.

“As far as moving out of this location, it’s impossible,” Larkin said.

The cost of relocating would be $750,000, and the move would be inconvenient to his employees who live as far away as Monroe and Olympia.

“To go to Bremerton to work on a daily basis would not work for some people,” Larkin said.

He doesn’t know of any businesses leaving the Kent Valley due to flood concerns, but has heard of businesses not renewing their leases or changing their minds about moving into the valley. A better option than relocation might be trying to work from home, if possible.

Ken Frankel, president of Three Sigma Manufacturing, also said moving out of Kent was not worth the hassle. The cost of moving and setting up his equipment and machinery would be too great when it’s easier to protect his business where it is, he said. And even if the worst did happen, he would rather shut down for a month than move.

“I just don’t see it being very practical,” he said. “I think most owners would say, ‘Let’s see if we can keep from doing damage to our stuff.'”