'We are moving forward'

COEUR d'ALENE - Jim Hammond stressed the importance of a partnership between the public and private sectors Thursday while addressing 480 real estate professionals at The Coeur d'Alene Resort.

"Your success is our success," Hammond said.

The Coeur d'Alene city administrator was the keynote speaker at the 2015 Real Estate Market Forum. For 28 years, the event has been hosted by Spokane-Kootenai Real Estate Research - a non-profit corporation focused on developing reliable databases of statistics and trends in the region's real estate field.

Every three years, the forum takes place in Coeur d'Alene, and Committee Chair Michelle Fink told The Press that Thursday's event was a success.

"It gives us an idea of how we're moving forward as a community," Fink said. "And it was a very positive message this year as we continue to progress in our economic recovery."

In his speech, Hammond used the recession as an example of how a successful partnership between government and business can revitalize the economy. He said when the financial crisis hit the area, "it was not pretty."

"We didn't just slide gradually to the bottom," Hammond said. "We jumped over a cliff, and quickly went from prosperity to scarcity."

But, according to Hammond, community leaders did not just sit around and wait for the economy to improve. He cited projects like the Beck Road interchange in Post Falls and the development of a former mill site into the retail and residential developments at Riverstone.

"The key word in these efforts is partnership," Hammond said. "The interchange could not have happened without special legislation and private development. The mill site's redevelopment occurred due to partnerships among the city, LCDC, and private developers."

Although the country is still experiencing the lingering effects of the recession, he said, "we are moving forward."

"Thanks to diligent planning, our future looks bright, and we in government intend to be partners in facilitating the growth and efforts toward a stronger sustainable economy," Hammond said. "We look forward to working with you in building that future."