Title
Staff Report for Resolution Adopting the City of San Leandro Economic Development Initiatives and Work Plan
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the resolution adopting the City of San Leandro Economic Development Initiatives and Work Plan
BACKGROUND
One of the City Council's adopted goals for 2013 is to "Undertake programs and advance projects promoting sustainable economic development, including transforming San Leandro into a center for innovation."
On May 13, 2013, the City Council held a Work Session on economic development activities in San Leandro. At that meeting, staff presented a draft document titled "City of San Leandro Economic Development Initiatives and Work Plan" (Work Plan) to provide a categorized inventory of ongoing and planned activities. The preparation of this document was, in some ways, a result of the State's elimination of redevelopment funding. Working with reduced staff and financial resources, the City has needed to adapt its approach to economic development, relying more on partnerships and shared resources to grow the local economy. The Work Plan serves to organize all ongoing activities in the context of existing City goals and resources.
At the May 13 Work Session, the City Council requested that staff undertake an outreach process to gather feedback on the Work Plan from the community. The City Council also requested that the Work Plan be amended to include more detailed information on the current characteristics of the San Leandro economy and industries that San Leandro is well positioned to attract in the future.
Analysis
San Leandro last adopted an Economic Development Strategy in 1997. Although most of the principles outlined in that strategy are still relevant, many conditions have obviously changed. As noted in the Work Plan, four particularly significant changes since that time are the adoption of the City's Transit Oriented Development Strategy in 2007, the economic recession that began in 2009, the elimination of redevelopment agencies in 2011, and the implementation of Lit San Leandro, also in 2011. All of these changes, and many others, have impacted the City's ability to grow the business community and attract quality jobs to San Leandro.
The Economic Development Work Plan is intended to inventory and categorize ongoing and planned economic development projects and programs in San Leandro. Many of these projects are likely to change and evolve substantially over time. Therefore, this document is in many ways a snapshot of our current environment and will evolve over time. For the sake of organization, economic development activities are categorized into one of nine initiatives. In reality, programs and projects overlap and generally further more than one objective. The main initiatives are as follows:
1. Support and Retention of Existing Businesses
2. Marketing and Business Attraction
3. Completion of Strategic Development Projects
4. Downtown San Leandro
5. Development of Infrastructure Critical to Business Activity
6. Lit San Leandro and Broadband
7. Development of a Healthy Tech and Innovation Ecosystem
8. Regional Coordination and Policy Development
9. Successful Completion of Redevelopment Agency Unwinding
Public Outreach
Since the May 13 Work Session, staff has presented and distributed the draft Work Plan in an effort to gather feedback from the Community. The Work Plan was announced via a press release and requests for feedback were posted on both the City website and San Leandro Next. Additionally, staff developed a PowerPoint presentation of the Work Plan and presented it to community groups on five occasions. Feedback from the community was particularly helpful as it relates to specific projects, rather than the overall Work Plan in general. Planned development projects, in particular, generated substantial interest from the community.
Work Plan Revisions
As noted in the Work Plan, the economic development initiatives are certain to evolve over time. Several developments that took place in 2013 have been incorporated into the final draft of this document. Those changes include:
· City Council adoption of a Business License Tax Holiday that will waive the business license fee for one year for almost all business that are new to San Leandro. This program will enhance the City's ability to attract new business (initiative #2).
· The formation of the Downtown San Leandro Community Benefit District. This District will provide a substantial and ongoing funding source to support Downtown San Leandro (initiative #4).
· Completion of the Next Generation Workplace District Study. This innovative study provides a vision and strategy for ensuring San Leandro's industrial areas are competitive in the 21st Century economy. The Next Generation Workplace District Study includes recommended implementation steps related to support for existing businesses (initiative #1), zoning changes to support business attraction (initiative #2), and infrastructure improvements (initiative #5).
· The development and launch of www.SanLeandroNext.com. With a new blog and social media campaign, the Community Development Department now has improved tools for community outreach and marketing the City's businesses and innovation initiatives (initiatives #2 and #7).
Other minor revisions were made to the draft Work Plan to reflect changes in plans for development and infrastructure projects since May. The revised Work Plan also includes an expanded discussion of the San Leandro economy in the Introduction.
Previous Actions
The City Council reviewed the draft Economic Development Initiatives and Work Plan at a Work Session on May 13, 2013 and directed staff to seek public comments and make certain revisions to the document.
Summary of Public Outreach Efforts
Staff actively sought public feedback on the draft Economic Development Initiatives and Work Plan via a press release, website posts, and presentations to community groups including San Leandro Chapters of Rotary and Kiwanis, PACE, the Breakfast Club, and the Sentinels.
ATTACHMENTS
None
PREPARED BY: Jeff Kay, Business Development Manager, Community Development