Concord City Council
October 8, 2024

1 COUNCILMEMBERS
Edi E. Birsan, Mayor
Carlyn S. Obringer, Vice Mayor
Dominic D. Aliano
Laura M. Hoffmeister
Laura M. Nakamura
Civic Center
1950 Parkside Drive
Concord, CA 94519
www.cityofconcord.org
Regular Meeting of the
Concord City Council/City
Council Sitting as the
Local Reuse Authority
Tuesday,
October 8, 2024
6:30 p.m. - Open Session Council Chamber
1950 Parkside Drive
and/or Various
telephonic/electronic
locations
*IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT PUBLIC COMMENTS AND MEETING PARTICIPATION* Members of the public are invited to attend and participate at: Council Chamber, 1950 Parkside Drive, Concord, CA.

Please note the following change to the City’s public comment procedures: Unless a Councilmember is participating in the meeting remotely pursuant to AB 2449, remote public comment will not be accepted. Public comment may be provided in-person or via email, as set forth below. Members of the public desiring to provide comments as a part of the meeting are encouraged to either submit written comments by 3:00 p.m. prior to the meeting or to attend the meeting in person.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE
The public is invited to participate in the City Council meeting using any of the following methods:

1. IN PERSON:
a.Members of the public can provide in-person comments in the Council Chamber.

Members of the public are encouraged, but not required, to fill out a speaker card. The Council Chamber will have seating available for members of the public to attend in person up to full seating capacity.

Amended Agenda
Changes in highlight strikeout font
Agenda Item No. 3.a
2 2. REMOTE: Remote public comment will not be accepted, except when a Councilmember participates remotely pursuant to AB 2449. At the time of the posting of this agenda, none of the Councilmembers have notified the City Clerk’s Office that they intend to participate remotely pursuant to AB 2449, and therefore no remote public comment will be accepted at the meeting. If, after publication of this agenda and before the meeting begins, any councilmember determines that they will need to participate remotely due to just cause or emergency circumstances under AB 2449, their remote participation will be announced at the outset of the meeting in connection with the Roll Call item. If a Councilmember participates in the meeting remotely pursuant to AB 2449, the public may participate and provide public comment remotely, as follows:
a. Zoom: https://cityofconcord.zoom.us/j/83641976502?pwd=kplpmKuCT52bEBAC- Zh12tMGSaNPBA.2nfLZMrl5Jwu_-U0 or Zoom Webinar ID: 836 4197 6502 and Passcode: 303207
b.Zoom Phone Numbers. Dial Toll Free: (669) 900-6833 or (346) 348-7799 or (253) 215- 8782.
c.During the meeting, each period for public comment will be announced, and participants may use the “Raise Hand” feature on Zoom to request to speak. If calling in via Zoom use *9 to raise and lower your hand. The meeting host will call on you, by name, and promote you to panelist in the webinar so you can be seen via your camera. Please enable your microphone when it is your turn to speak. In order to ensure the orderly administration of the meeting using this method, providing your name is encouraged, but is not required. (If you need instructions on how to use this feature, please contact the City Clerk by 3:00 p.m. of the meeting date at [email protected]).

3. EMAIL:
a.Public comments can also be submitted via email to [email protected]. Please note that emailed comments will not be read aloud by staff. Any public comments received up until 3:00 p.m. of the meeting date will be:

1. distributed to the Council before the meeting,

2. posted online for public inspection at
https://stream.ci.concord.ca.us/OnBaseAgendaOnline/Meetings/Search, and

3. inserted into the meeting record.
b.As emails containing public meeting comments are part of the official record, note that personal contact information may be published if it is included with your email.

4. TO WATCH OR LISTEN ONLY:
a.Watch on TV on Comcast Channel 28, Astound/Wave Channels 29 and 1026, and AT&T U-verse Channel 99
b.Watch the TV broadcast through the City’s website by following THIS LINK c.Watch Live Streaming of the meeting by following THIS LINK d.Join the Zoom webinar by following THIS LINK
3 5. INTERPRETATION OR WRITTEN TRANSLATION:

OPEN SESSION

1. OPENING
Roll Call – Announcements/Consideration and Approval of Requests by Councilmembers to Participate Remotely Pursuant to AB 2449 Pledge of Allegiance – Councilmember Aliano

2. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD
This is a 15-minute Public Comment Period for items within the City Council’s subject matter jurisdiction that are not on this agenda. Each speaker will be limited to approximately three minutes.

State law prohibits the City Council from acting at this meeting on any matter raised during the Public Comment Period. Please see “How to Participate” above.

3. PRESENTATIONS
a. Update – from BCUS Acquisitions LLC (Brookfield Properties) on the Concord Community Reuse Project at the former Concord Naval Weapons Station. Report Introduction by Guy Bjerke, Director of Economic Development and Base Reuse, City of Concord.

4. CITY COUNCIL CONSENT CALENDAR
The public is entitled to address the City Council on items appearing on the Consent Calendar before or during the City Council’s consideration of the Consent Calendar. Adoption of the Consent Calendar may be made by one motion of the City Council, provided that any Councilmember, individual or organization may request removal of an item from the Consent Calendar for separate consideration.

If a request for removal of an item from the Consent Calendar has been received, the Mayor may defer action on the particular item and place the same on the regular agenda for consideration in any order s/he deems appropriate. Please see “How to Participate” above.

1. To access interpretation or written translation during the meeting, please scan the QR Code or click this link:

Para accesar a la traducción durante la reunion, por favor escanee el Código QR o haga clic en el enlace:
https://attend.wordly.ai/join/SYMQ-8840

2. Choose Language and Click Attend
Seleccione su lenguaje y haga clic en asistir

3. Use a headset on your phone for audio or read the transcript on your device.

Use sus auriculares para escuchar el audio o leer la transcipción en el dispositivo.
4 a. Considering – approval of a three-year Professional Services Agreement with the East Bay Small Business Development Center to administer a Small Business Support program in the amount of $134,504. Recommended by the Director of Economic Development and Base Reuse.

CEQA: Not a project/exempt per CEQA Guidelines Sections 15060(c), 15061(b), 15273, 15378, and/or Public Resources Code Section 21065.

5. CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERATION ITEM
The public is entitled to address the City Council on items appearing on the agenda before or during the City Council’s consideration of that item. Each speaker will be limited to approximately three minutes. Please see “How to Participate” above.
a. Considering – a work plan/project approach for the development of the Economic Development Strategic Plan and providing feedback to staff.

Report by Marie Suvansin, Economic Development Manager.

CEQA: Not a project/exempt per CEQA Guidelines Sections 15060(c), 15061(b), 15273, 15378, and/or Public Resources Code Section 21065.

6. CORRESPONDENCE
Correspondence received at the City Council meeting will be listed here on the Annotated Agenda.

7. REPORTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Closed Session Announcements
City Manager or Staff Reports
Council Reports

8. ADJOURNMENT
Next Meeting: Regular Meeting
Date: 10/22/2024 6:30 PM

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC
There is a 90-day limit for the filing of a challenge in the Superior Court to certain City administrative decisions and orders which require a hearing by law, the receipt of evidence, and the exercise of discretion. The 90-day limit begins on the date the decision is final (Code of Civil Procedure §1094.6). Further, if you challenge an action taken by the City Council in court, you may be limited by California law to raising only those issues you or someone else raised in the hearing or in a written correspondence delivered to the City Council prior to or at the hearing.
5 In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and California Law, it is the policy of the City of Concord to offer its public programs, services and meetings in a manner that is readily accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities. If you are disabled and require a copy of a public hearing notice, or an agenda and/or agenda packet in an appropriate alternative format; or if you require other accommodation, please contact the ADA Coordinator Tianjun Cao at (925) 671-3243 or [email protected], at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting. Advance notification within this guideline will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility.

Brookfield Concord Naval Weapons Station Project Update Josh Roden
President | NorCal
Land & Housing
Trece Herder
Vice President | NorCal
Acquisitions & Business Strategy
Emily Boyd
Director | Business Strategies
Gonzalo Rodriguez
Vice President | NorCal
Land & Planning

3.a

Brookfield Concord Naval Weapons Station Project Update Q3 2024 Progress
• Submitted Initial EDC Application & Term Sheet to Navy and began discussions • Welcomed two Landscape Architect firms to the project team (CMG & OJB) • Hosted Q3 focused topic workshop on Parks and Open Space • Prepared Draft RFP for Specific Plan services (anticipate publication in early November) • Continued coordination with special districts and utility providers Schedule subject to change

Brookfield Concord Naval Weapons Station Project Update Community Outreach and Engagement Update
• Continue to meet with community groups and stakeholders • Updates to informational website: https://concordbpproject.comom/ • September 17th Focused Topic Workshop on Parks and Open Space

Brookfield Concord Naval Weapons Station Project Update September 17th Parks and Open Space Workshop Recap
• Brookfield team and consultants were joined by representatives from City of Concord, EBRPD and Save Mt. Diablo • 80 community members joined from all five Concord City Council Districts • Participants provided 62 comments on the interactive station requesting their highest priority or concern • Feedback centered around:
o Passive activation
Trails and access to EBRPD, dog parks, biking trails
“Ability to walk/bike from area to area with as little city street use as possible” o Sustainability
Nature education, creating habitat, native landscaping
“Minimize green grass lawns, promote native plantings with paths” o Recreation and programming
Water features, pickleball, event spaces, playgrounds
“High quality playgrounds for young kids”
o Accessibility
ADA accessibility and parking, open to all
Special needs access
Cleanliness

Brookfield Concord Naval Weapons Station Project Update September 17th Parks and Open Space Workshop Recap (cont’d) • Participants placed green stickers on images for allowable uses and features they were excited about and yellow stickers for images they are less excited to incorporate. • In total, 721 green stickers were placed across five stations. Images with the most green stickers (20+) included:

Pedestrian Bridges (28) | Connections to EBRPD (28) | Trailheads (22) | Bike/Pedestrian Trails (23) | Public Restrooms (22) Feedback from participants
• “I love this format and ability to come and go as we please.” • “Thank you. Everyone was friendly and approachable.”
• “I enjoyed engaging with the staff and team.”
• “It was absolutely fantastic.”

Brookfield Concord Naval Weapons Station Project Update Q4 2024/ Q1 2025 Priorities
• Continue Term Sheet negotiation with Navy
• Specific Plan Consultant selection and Kick Off
• Continued refinement of Land Plan
• Host Virtual Q4 Informational “Open House” & Q1 interactive workshop (topic to be determined) Schedule subject to change

We look forward to hearing from you!

Staff Report
Date: October 8, 2024
To: City Council
From: Valerie J. Barone, City Manager
Reviewed by: Guy Bjerke, Director of Economic Development and Base Reuse Marie Suvansin, Economic Development Manager
Prepared by: Melissa Rea, Economic Development Specialist [email protected]
(925) 671-3018

Subject: Considering approval of a three-year Professional Services Agreement with the East Bay Small Business Development
Center to administer a Small Business Support program in the amount of $134,504.

CEQA: Not a project/exempt per CEQA Guidelines Sections 15060(c), 15061(b), 15273, 15378, and/or Public Resources Code Section 21065.

Report in Brief
In 2022 and 2023, the City partnered with the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce to support small businesses by distributing $2,000,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)-funded Small Business Reimbursement Grants over two (2) rounds. Due to the reimbursement nature of the grants and the failure of some awardees to seek reimbursement by the established deadline, $134,504 in funding remains from the grant program. Staff recommends utilizing these funds to enter a three-year contract with the East Bay Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to continue and expand upon the existing no-cost, small business advising pilot program at Concord City Hall. This recommendation is supported by the results of the August 2024 Concord Business Needs Survey.

4.a4.a4.a4.a4.a

City Council Agenda Report
Agenda Item No. 4.a
October 8, 2024
Recommended Action
Approve a three-year Professional Services Agreement with the East Bay SBDC to administer a Small Business Support program in the amount of $134,504, and make the CEQA determinations as provided in this staff report.

Background
On September 27, 2022, City Council allocated $2 million in ARPA funding to the ARPA Small Business Reimbursement Grant for relief to small businesses. This amount was spread over two (2) rounds for businesses to receive up to $5,000 of reimbursements upon submitting receipts for approved business expenses. Not all businesses submitted for the complete reimbursable amount, resulting in $134,504 in remaining funds.

On June 4, 2024, Council adopted a resolution authorizing allocations and reallocations for ARPA-funded projects and authorized the City Manager to make administrative adjustments to ARPA funded projects to ensure all ARPA funds are fully expended in Calendar Year 2024. This included moving the remaining $134,504 of unspent grant funding into the General Fund for support to small businesses.

The East Bay SBDC is part of the Northern California network of one-stop small business development centers providing no-cost, technical assistance to small businesses interested in accessing capital, developing/exchanging new technologies, and improving business planning, strategy, operations, financial management, personnel administration, marketing, export assistance, sales, and other areas required for small business growth and expansion.

In December 2023, the East Bay SBDC began providing free, in-person counseling at Concord City Hall one day a week as a pilot program. This partnership began when staff reached out to the East Bay SBDC to request an in-person presence in Contra Costa County, which had been lacking since the Contra Costa SBDC was dismantled in 2020.

Small businesses have benefitted from the convenience of receiving small business counseling at the same location as the Permit Center, Economic Development, and Business Licensing. The East Bay SBDC has provided services to 145 total businesses, out of which 83 were Concord businesses, at Concord City Hall since establishing this partnership, which currently relies solely on funding from the East Bay SBDC. The City of Concord makes the meeting space available to the program at no charge.

The East Bay SBDC has requested funding support to continue in-person small business advising in Concord past November 2024. The results of the Concord Business Needs Survey conducted by the Economic Development and Base Reuse Department in August supports continuation of the program and identifies additional services that the East Bay SBDC could provide to further support Concord businesses.

The proposed City-funded program is designed to serve Concord businesses only, unlike the pilot, which was open to businesses countywide.

City Council Agenda Report
Agenda Item No. 4.a
October 8, 2024
Analysis
Results of August 2024 City of Concord Business Needs Survey Economic Development staff conducted a Business Needs Survey to assess current needs of Concord businesses. A total of 400 businesses completed the survey. See Attachment 2 for survey results.

The survey asked businesses to indicate which issues are negatively impacting them and what types of support would be helpful to their business. The top responses for negative impact were high costs at 61% of respondents, and insufficient revenue at 43% of respondents. The top responses to what kinds of support are needed were access to capital/grant funding at 43% of respondents, and brand awareness or digital/social media marketing at 34% respondents.

Although only twenty-six (26) out of 400 businesses indicated workshops would be helpful to their business, sixty-two (62) provided feedback on topics of interest. Topics suggested by respondents include brand awareness/marketing (18 respondents), general business operations (17 respondents), access to capital/funding (12 respondents), and e-commerce platform/website setup (9 respondents).

The East Bay SBDC in Concord
The East Bay SBDC currently provides a variety of workshops, seminars, and trainings on the topics most needed to Concord businesses as indicated from the survey results, in addition to free virtual advising sessions to small businesses. However, these services are only offered virtually, except through the pilot program currently offered at Concord City Hall – which the East Bay SBDC has indicated they cannot fund past November. East Bay SBDC Executive Director and staff frequently work with the US Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) to obtain funding sources for small businesses. Their established relationships with such organizations make the East Bay SBDC a desirable partner to continue offering free advising to Concord businesses.

The East Bay SBDC funded the in-person pilot program at Concord City Hall to test the feasibility and demand of offering advising sessions in-person rather than virtually.

Moving forward, the East Bay SBDC is committed to offering free virtual advising to Concord businesses as it does elsewhere. However, due to the reduction on its technical assistance funding by California legislatures and California Office of Small Business Advocates, the East Bay SBDC is no longer able to continue in-person advising without funding support.

Results of Small Business Advising Pilot Program at Concord City Hall Between December 4, 2023, and August 26, 2024, the East Bay SBDC provided in-person advising at City Hall to 145 businesses throughout the county. Out of the 83 businesses based in Concord, 77% have booked two (2) to five (5) sessions with an advisor, and five (5) businesses returned for ten (10) or more in-person sessions.

City Council Agenda Report
Agenda Item No. 4.a
October 8, 2024
Categories of support provided by advisors during this timeframe align with the types of support requested in the survey: marketing/sales, funding and financial assistance, and business planning (Attachment 3).

Scope of Work for Small Business Support Program
The three-year program shown in the Scope of Work provided by the East Bay SBDC (Exhibit A to Attachment 1) includes new programs in addition to in-person business advising at City Hall once a week, as currently established in the pilot. These new programs include in-person advising at the place of business, hands-on assistance for digital/social media marketing plans, hands-on assistance for establishing e-stores or websites, and workshops on how to raise capital held at a Capital Summit at the Concord Center of Cal State East Bay. Staff and the East Bay SBDC will review the program quarterly to reevaluate where assistance is most needed, using the rates established in Exhibit A to Attachment 1. The menu of offerings displayed are tailored to Concord businesses based on the results of the Business Needs Survey and pilot program results.

Quarterly reviews of the Small Business Support Program will also contribute to creation of the Economic Development Strategic Plan, for which City Council is considering a work plan on October 8, 2024. The scope of work for the Small Business Support Program is intentionally flexible to allow for programmatic changes in years two and three, if needed to better align with the then implemented Economic Development Strategic Plan.

Financial Impact
The $134,504 contract with the East Bay SBDC for Small Business Support would be funded by one-time dollars that were not spent through the City’s ARPA funded small business grant funding program. The ARPA funds were converted to General Fund dollars on June 4, 2024, with direction from Council to invest them in supporting small businesses.

Public Contact
The City Council Agenda was posted.

Attachments

1. Professional Services Agreement with California State East Bay Foundation, Inc., with Exhibit A – Proposed Scope of Work and Budget

2. Concord Business Needs Survey Results

3. East Bay Small Business Development Center Statistics

AGREEMENT FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
10/2022 1
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10
11 12
13 14
15 16
17 18
19 20
21 22
23 24
25 26
27 28
THIS AGREEMENT ("Agreement") is entered into on October 8, 2024, between the City of Concord, a California municipal corporation, ("CITY") and California State University, East Bay Foundation Inc, a nonprofit, 25800 Carlos Bee Boulevard, Hayward, CA 94542-3000 (“CONSULTANT”).

THE PARTIES ENTER THIS AGREEMENT based upon the following facts, understandings and intentions:

The CITY desires to contract with CONSULTANT to provide the professional services described in Section 2 of this Agreement, upon the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth.

NOW, THEREFORE, IN CONSIDERATION of the mutual covenants and promises of the parties herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:

1. TERM. This Agreement shall commence on
January 1, 2025 and expire on December
31, 2027.

A. Extension of Term. Upon mutual written agreement by the parties, the term of this Agreement may be extended for one additional period(s) of one year(s) each commencing upon the expiration of the initial or extended term, subject to the same terms and conditions of this Agreement.

CONSULTANT shall give written notice of its request for extension of the term of the Agreement to the City’s Authorized Representative, as identified in Section 4 below, at least thirty (30) days prior to expiration of the initial or extended term.

The extension(s) of the term of this Agreement shall be subject to a review of CONSULTANT’S performance in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement and shall be subject to City approval. Such extension of time shall be in writing by a duly executed Amendment to this Agreement.

2. SCOPE OF SERVICES. Subject to such policy direction and approvals provided by the CITY's Authorized Representative, CONSULTANT shall perform the services described in detail in Exhibit A, Scope of Services. The Scope of Services, detailed in Exhibit A, are to serve Concord businesses only. CITY retains all rights of approval and discretion with respect to the projects and undertakings contemplated by this Agreement.

3. PAYMENT. The compensation to be paid to CONSULTANT including payment for professional services and reimbursable expenses, shall be at the rate and schedules in detail in Exhibit Attachment 1

10/2022 2
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10
11 12
13 14
15 16
17 18
19 20
21 22
23 24
25 26
27 28
A. However, in no event shall the amount CITY pays CONSULTANT exceed one-hundred thirty- four thousand, five-hundred and four dollars ($134,504.00) for the term of this Agreement. Any Amendment to this Agreement that includes an increase to this compensation amount shall be made in accordance with Section 5 below.

CONSULTANT may submit monthly statements for services rendered; all statements shall include adequate documentation demonstrating work performed during the billing period. It is intended that CITY review such statement and pay CONSULTANT for services rendered within forty-five (45) days of receipt of a statement that meets all requirements of this Agreement. Payment by CITY shall not be deemed a waiver of unsatisfactory work, even if such defects were known to the CITY at the time of payment.

4. AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVES. Authorized representatives shall represent CITY and CONSULTANT in all matters pertaining to the services to be ordered by CITY or rendered by CONSULTANT under this Agreement except where approval for the CITY is specifically required by the City Council. The CITY’s authorized representative is Marie Suvansin, Economic Development Manager of the Economic Development & Base Reuse Department. The CONSULTANT’s authorized representative is Nancy Mangold, Executive Director.

5. AMENDMENT TO AGREEMENT. This Agreement may be amended in writing, subject to approval by both parties. If additional services are requested by CITY other than as described in the above Scope of Services, this Agreement may be amended, modified, or changed by the parties subject to mutual consent and in accordance with the CITY’s Municipal Code by execution of an Amendment by authorized representatives of both parties setting forth the additional scope of services to be performed, the performance time schedule, and the compensation for such services.

A. Amendment for Additional Compensation. CITY’s Authorized Representative is authorized to execute amendments to the Agreement on behalf of CITY, including amendments providing for additional compensation to CONSULTANT not to exceed the Minimum Threshold, including the base contract amount, throughout the term of this Agreement. “Minimum Threshold” means the dollar amount over which Council approval is required during each fiscal year as

10/2022 3
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10
11 12
13 14
15 16
17 18
19 20
21 22
23 24
25 26
27 28
set forth in Concord City Council Resolution 21-43 pursuant to Concord Municipal Code Section

3.10.040(a). The Minimum Threshold for Fiscal Year 2021-22 is $75,000 and increases by $5,000 each subsequent fiscal year such that by Fiscal Year 2026-27 the Minimum Threshold is $100,000. Any additional compensation to CONSULTANT that is greater than the Minimum Threshold, including the base contract amount, must be approved by City Council.

CONSULTANT’s failure to secure CITY’s written authorization for additional compensation or changes to the Scope of Services shall constitute a waiver of any and all right to adjustment in the price or time due, whether by way of compensation, restitution, quantum meruit, or similar relief.

6. INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR. Both parties understand and acknowledge that CONSULTANT, its officers, agents, employees, volunteers and subcontractors are and shall at all times remain as to the CITY wholly independent contractors. Neither the CITY nor any of its officers, officials, agents, employees or volunteers shall have any control over the manner by which the CONSULTANT performs this Agreement and shall only dictate the results of the performance.

CONSULTANT shall not represent that CONSULTANT or its officers, agents, employees, volunteers or subcontractors are agents or employees of the CITY, and CONSULTANT shall have no authority, express or implied, to act on behalf of the CITY in any capacity whatsoever as an agent, and shall have no authority, express or implied, to bind the CITY to any obligation whatsoever, unless otherwise provided in this Agreement.

As an independent contractor, CONSULTANT shall not be eligible for any benefits, which the City may provide to its employees and all persons, if any, hired by CONSULTANT shall be employees or subcontractors of CONSULTANT and shall not be construed as employees or agents of the CITY in any respect. CONSULTANT shall receive no premium or enhanced pay for work normally understood as overtime, i.e., hours that exceed forty (40) hours per work week, or work performed during non- standard business hours, such as in the evenings or on weekends. CONSULTANT shall not receive a premium or enhanced pay for work performed on a recognized holiday. CONSULTANT shall not receive paid time off for days not worked, whether it be in the form of sick leave, administrative leave, or for any other form of absence. CONSULTANT shall pay all taxes, assessments and premiums under the federal Social Security Act, any applicable unemployment insurance contributions, Workers

10/2022 4
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10
11 12
13 14
15 16
17 18
19 20
21 22
23 24
25 26
27 28
Compensation insurance premiums, sales taxes, use taxes, personal property taxes, or other taxes or assessments now or hereafter in effect and payable by reason of or in connection with the services to be performed by CONSULTANT.

7. STANDARD OF PERFORMANCE. CONSULTANT represents and warrants to CITY that CONSULTANT is skilled and able to provide such services described in the Scope of Services and that such services shall be performed in an expeditious manner, and with the degree of skill and care that is required by current, good, and sound procedures and practices. CONSULTANT further agrees that the services shall be in conformance with generally accepted professional standards prevailing at the time work is performed.

8. PERFORMANCE BY CONSULTANT. CONSULTANT shall not employ other consultants, subconsultants, experts, or contractors without the prior written approval of the CITY.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, CITY shall not be obligated or liable for payment hereunder to any party other than the CONSULTANT. CONSULTANT hereby designates the CONSULTANT’S representative as the person primarily responsible for the day-to-day performance of CONSULTANT'S work under this Agreement. CONSULTANT shall not change the CONSULTANT’S representative without the prior written consent of the CITY. Unless otherwise expressly agreed by the CITY, CONSULTANT'S representative shall remain responsible for the quality and timeliness of performance of the services, notwithstanding any permitted or approved delegation hereunder.

9. OWNERSHIP AND MAINTENANCE OF DOCUMENTS. All documents furnished by CONSULTANT pursuant to this Agreement are instruments of CONSULTANT’s services in respect to this project. They are not intended nor are represented to be suitable for reuse by others except CITY on extensions of this project or on any other project. Any reuse without specific written verification and adoption by CONSULTANT for the specific purposes intended will be at user’s sole risk and without liability or legal exposure and expenses to CONSULTANT, including attorney’s fees arising out of such unauthorized reuse.

CONSULTANT’s records, documents, calculations, and all other instruments of service pertaining to actual project shall be given to CITY at the completion of the project. The CITY reserves the right to specify the file format that electronic document deliverables are presented to the CITY.

10/2022 5
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10
11 12
13 14
15 16
17 18
19 20
21 22
23 24
25 26
27 28

10. INDEMNIFICATION.

A. For Design Professional Services Only. Pursuant to California Civil Code Section 2782.8, CONSULTANT agrees to indemnify the CITY (including its officers, officials, agents, employees and volunteers) against liability for claims against the CITY that arise out of, pertain to, or relate to the negligence, recklessness, or willful misconduct of CONSULTANT in the performance of this Agreement. The CONSULTANT will reimburse the CITY for any expenditures, including reasonable attorney fees, incurred by the CITY in defending against claims ultimately determined to arise out of, pertain to, or relate to the negligence, recklessness, or willful misconduct of the CONSULTANT.

B. For All Other Services. CONSULTANT agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the CITY (including its officers, officials, agents, employees and volunteers) from and against all claims, demands, actions, losses, damages, injuries, and liability (including all attorney’s fees and other litigation expenses) arising out of the CONSULTANT’s performance under the terms of this Agreement. This indemnification obligation on CONSULTANT’s part shall not apply to the demands, actions, losses, damages, injuries, and liability arising out of the sole negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the CITY.

11. INSURANCE. CONSULTANT agrees to have and maintain the policies set forth in Exhibit B entitled “INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS,” which is attached hereto and incorporated herein. All policies, endorsements, certificates, and/or binders shall be subject to approval by the City Attorney as to form and content and shall be provided no later than thirty (30) calendar days following the execution of this Agreement by both parties. These requirements are subject to amendment or waiver only if so approved in writing by the CITY. A lapse in any required insurance coverage during this Agreement shall be a breach of this Agreement. The insurance contemplated under this provision shall remain in full force and effect during the term of this Agreement.

12. TIME OF PERFORMANCE. The time of performance of the services under this Agreement is of the essence, and all time deadlines identified in this Agreement or Scope of Services shall be strictly construed.

10/2022 6
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10
11 12
13 14
15 16
17 18
19 20
21 22
23 24
25 26
27 28

13. SUSPENSION OF WORK. CITY may, at any time, by written notice, suspend further performance by CONSULTANT. All suspensions shall extend the time schedule for performance in a mutually satisfactory manner, and CONSULTANT shall be paid for services performed and reimbursable expenses incurred prior to the suspension date. During the period of suspension, CONSULTANT shall not receive any payment for services, or expenses, except for reasonable administration expenses, incurred by CONSULTANT by reason of such suspension.

14. TERMINATION. CITY may terminate this Agreement for any reason upon ten (10) days written notice to the other party. CITY may terminate the Agreement upon five (5) days written notice if CONSULTANT breaches this Agreement. In the event of any termination, CONSULTANT shall promptly deliver to the CITY any and all finished and unfinished reports or other written, recorded, photographic, or visual materials, documents, data, and other deliverables (“Work Materials”) prepared for the CITY prior to the effective date of such termination, all of which shall become CITY’s sole property. After receipt of the Work Materials, CITY will pay CONSULTANT for the services satisfactorily performed as of the effective date of the termination.

15. COMPLIANCE WITH CIVIL RIGHTS. During the performance of this contract, CONSULTANT agrees as follows:

A. Equal Employment Opportunity. In connection with the execution of this Agreement, CONSULTANT shall not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of any protected class pursuant to California law. Such actions shall include, but not be limited to, the following: employment, promotion, upgrading, demotion, or transfer; recruitment or recruitment advertising; layoff or termination; rate of pay or other forms of compensation; and selection for training including apprenticeship.

B. Nondiscrimination Civil Rights Act of 1964. CONSULTANT will comply with all federal regulations relative to nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs.

C. Solicitations for Subcontractors including Procurement of Materials and Equipment. In all solicitation, either by competitive bidding or negotiations, made by CONSULTANT for work to be performed under a subcontract including procurement of materials or leases of equipment, each potential subcontractor, supplier or lessor shall be notified by CONSULTANT of

10/2022 7
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10
11 12
13 14
15 16
17 18
19 20
21 22
23 24
25 26
27 28
CONSULTANT’S obligation under this Agreement and the regulations relative to nondiscrimination on the basis of any protected class pursuant to California law.

16. CONFLICT OF INTEREST.

A. CONSULTANT covenants and represents that neither it, nor any officer or principal of its firm, has, or shall acquire any interest, directly or indirectly, which would conflict in any manner with the interests of CITY or which would in any way hinder CONSULTANT’s performance of services under this Agreement. CONSULTANT further covenants that in the performance of the Agreement, no person having any such interest shall be employed by it as an officer, official, agent, employee or subcontractor without the express written consent of the CITY. CONSULTANT agrees to at all times avoid conflicts of interest, or the appearance of any conflicts of interest, with the interests of the CITY in the performance of this Agreement.

B. CONSULTANT is not a designated employee within the meaning of the Political Reform Act because CONSULTANT:
(1) Will conduct research and arrive at conclusions with respect to its rendition of information, advice, recommendation or counsel independent of the control and direction of the CITY or of any CITY official, other than normal contract monitoring; and (2) Possesses no authority with respect to any CITY decision beyond the rendition of information, advice, recommendation or counsel. (2 Cal. Code Regs. § 18700(a)(2).)

17. COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS. CONSULTANT shall comply with all applicable Federal, State of California, and local laws, rules, and regulations and shall obtain all applicable licenses, including a business license with the City of Concord, and permits for the conduct of its business and the performance of the services.

18. CHOICE OF LAW. This Agreement shall be construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of California, excluding any choice of law rules which may direct the application of the laws of another jurisdiction. In the event that suit shall be brought by either party hereunder, the parties agree that trial of such action shall be held exclusively in a state court in the County of Contra Costa, California.

10/2022 8
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10
11 12
13 14
15 16
17 18
19 20
21 22
23 24
25 26
27 28

19. NON-WAIVER. The waiver by either party of any breach of any term, covenant, or condition contained in the Agreement, or any default in their performance of any obligations under the Agreement shall not be deemed to be a waiver of any other breach or default of the same or any other term, covenant, condition, or obligation, nor shall any waiver of any incident of breach of default constitute a continuing waiver of same.

20. ENFORCEABILITY; INTERPRETATION. In the event that any of the provisions or portions of application of any of the provisions of the Agreement are held to be illegal or invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, CITY and CONSULTANT shall negotiate an equitable adjustment in the provisions of the Agreement with a view toward affecting the purpose of the Agreement. The illegality or invalidity of any of the provisions or portions of application of any of the provisions of the Agreement shall not affect the legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions or portions of application of any of the provisions of the Agreement. This Agreement shall be interpreted as though it was a product of a joint drafting effort and no provisions shall be interpreted against a party on the ground that said party was solely or primarily responsible for drafting the language to be interpreted.

21. INTEGRATION. All exhibits identified in this Agreement are attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference. The Agreement contains the entire agreement and understanding between the parties as to the subject matter of this Agreement. It merges and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous agreements, commitments, representation, writings, and discussions between CONSULTANT and CITY, whether oral or written.

22. SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS: NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES; NO JOINT VENTURE. CITY and CONSULTANT respectively, bind themselves, their successors, assigns, and legal representatives to the terms and obligations of this Agreement. CONSULTANT shall not assign or transfer any interest in the Agreement without the CITY's prior written consent, which consent shall be in the CITY’s sole discretion. Any attempted assignment or transfer in breach of this provision shall be void. This Agreement is not intended and shall not be construed to create any third party benefit. This Agreement is not intended and shall not be construed to create a joint venture or partnership between the parties. CONSULTANT, its officers, employees and agents shall not have any power to bind or commit the CITY to any decision.

10/2022 9
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10
11 12
13 14
15 16
17 18
19 20
21 22
23 24
25 26
27 28

23. FINANCIAL RECORDS. Records of CONSULTANT’s direct labor costs, payroll costs, and reimbursable expenses pertaining to this project covered by this Agreement will be kept on a generally recognized accounting basis and made available to CITY if and when required.

24. NOTICES. All notices required hereunder shall be in writing and mailed postage prepaid by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, or by personal delivery to the CITY's address as shown below, or such other places as CITY or CONSULTANT may, from time to time, respectively, designate in a written notice given to the other. Notice shall be deemed received three (3) days after the date of the mailing thereof or upon personal delivery.

To CITY: Marie Suvansin,
Economic Development Manager
Economic Development & Base Reuse Department
City of Concord
1950 Parkside Drive
Concord, CA 94519-2578
Phone: (925) 671-3048
Email: [email protected]
To CONSULTANT: Nancy Mangold,
Executive Director
California State University, East Bay Foundation Inc
25800 Carlos Bee Boulevard
Hayward,
CA94542-3000
Phone: (510)885-4801
Email: [email protected]

25. NON-LIABILITY. No member of the CITY and no other officer, official, agent, employee or volunteer of the CITY shall be personally liable to CONSULTANT or otherwise in the event of any default or breach of the CITY, or for any amount which may become due to CONSULTANT or any successor in interest, or for any obligations directly or indirectly incurred under the terms of this Agreement.

26. EXECUTION . Each individual or entity executing this Agreement on behalf of Applicant represents and warrants that he or she or it is duly authorized to execute and deliver this Agreement on behalf of Applicant and that such execution is binding upon Applicant.

This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, each of which shall constitute one and the same instrument and shall become binding upon the parties when at least one copy hereof shall have

10/2022 10
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10
11 12
13 14
15 16
17 18
19 20
21 22
23 24
25 26
27 28
been signed by both parties hereto. In approving this Agreement, it shall not be necessary to produce or account for more than one such counterpart.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement in one (1) or more copies as of the date and year first written above.

CONSULTANT CITY OF CONCORD, a Municipal
Corporation
By:_________________________________ By:______________________________ Name: Nancy Mangold Name: Valerie J. Barone
Title: Executive Director Title City Manager
Address: 25800 Carlos Bee Boulevard Address: 1950 Parkside Drive Hayward,CA 94542-3000 Concord, CA 94519
Telephone: (510)885-4801 Telephone: (925) 671-3150
Email: [email protected]
APPROVED AS TO FORM: ATTEST:

Susanne Meyer Brown Joelle Fockler, MMC
City Attorney City Clerk
FINANCE DIRECTOR'S CERTIFICATION:

Concord, California
Date:

I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT ADEQUATE FUNDS EXIST OR WILL BE RECEIVED DURING THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR 24/25 TO PAY THE ANTICIPATED EXPENSES TO BE INCURRED PURSUANT TO THIS CONTRACT.

THE SUM OF $134,504.00. Account Code .

Finance Director's Signature

10/2022 11
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10
11 12
13 14
15 16
17 18
19 20
21 22
23 24
25 26
27 28
EXHIBIT “B”
CONSULTANT shall procure and maintain for the duration of the contract insurance against claims from injuries to persons or damages to property which may arise from or in connection with the performance of the work hereunder and the results of that work by CONSULTANT, their agents, representatives, employees or subcontractors.

MINIMUM SCOPE OF INSURANCE.

Coverage shall be at least as broad as:

1. Commercial General Liability Policy: CONSULTANT shall maintain during the term of this Agreement a commercial general liability insurance policy providing coverage of at least one million ($1,000,000) combined single limit per occurrence or two million ($2,000,000) aggregate limit for bodily injury, personal injury and property damage. The coverage shall contain no special limitations on the scope or protection afforded to CITY, its officers, officials, agents, employees, or volunteers. CONSULTANT’s insurance coverage shall be primary insurance with respect to CITY, its officers, officials, agents, employees, and volunteers. Any insurance, risk pooling arrangement, or self-insurance maintained by CITY, its officers, officials, agents, employees, or volunteers shall be in excess of CONSULTANT’s insurance and shall not contribute with it.

2. Automobile Liability Coverage. CONSULTANT shall maintain automobile liability insurance covering all vehicles used in the performance of this Agreement providing a one million dollar ($1,000,000) combined single limit per occurrence for bodily injury, personal injury, and property damage.

3. Professional Liability Coverage (Errors and Omissions). CONSULTANT shall maintain professional liability insurance with coverage for all negligent errors, acts or omissions committed by CONSULTANT, its agents and employees in the performance of this Agreement. The amount of this insurance shall be not less than one million dollars ($1,000,000) on a claims made annual aggregate basis or a combined single limit per occurrence basis.

4. Workers Compensation: CONSULTANT covenants that it will insure itself against liability for Workers' Compensation pursuant to the provisions of California Labor Code §3700, et seq.

CONSULTANT shall, at all times, upon demand of the CITY, furnish proof that Workers' Compensation Insurance is being maintained by it in force and effect in accordance with the California Labor Code. The insurer shall also agree to waive all rights of subrogation against the CITY, its officers, officials, agents, employees and volunteers for losses arising from work performed under this Agreement. This provision shall not apply upon written verification by CONSULTANT that CONSULTANT has no employees.

10/2022 12
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10
11 12
13 14
15 16
17 18
19 20
21 22
23 24
25 26
27 28
If CONSULTANT maintains broader coverage and/or higher limits than the minimums shown above, the CITY requires and shall be entitled to the broader coverage and/or higher limits maintained by CONSULTANT. A lapse in any required insurance coverage during this Agreement shall be a breach of this Agreement.

The policies are to contain, or be endorsed to contain the following provisions:

1. Additional Insured. CITY, its officers, officials, agents, employees, and volunteers are to be covered as an additional insured as respects: Liability arising out of activities performed by or on behalf of CONSULTANT and operations of CONSULTANT, premises owned, occupied, or used by CONSULTANT. The coverage shall contain no special limitations on the scope or protection afforded to CITY, its officers, officials, agents, employees, or volunteers.

Except for worker's compensation and professional liability insurance, the policies mentioned in this subsection shall name CITY as an additional insured and provide for notice of cancellation to CITY. CONSULTANT shall also provide timely and prompt notice to CITY if CONSULTANT receives any notice of cancellation or nonrenewal from its insurer.

2. Primary Coverage. CONSULTANT'S insurance coverage shall be primary insurance with respect to CITY, its officers, officials, agents, employees, and volunteers. Any insurance, risk pooling arrangement, or self-insurance maintained by CITY, its officers, officials, agents, employees, or volunteers shall be in excess of CONSULTANT'S insurance and shall not contribute with it.

3. Reporting Provisions. Any failure to comply with the reporting provisions of the policy shall not affect the coverage provided to the CITY, its officers, officials, agents, employees, or volunteers.

4. Verification of Coverage. CONSULTANT shall furnish CITY with certificates of insurance and the original endorsements effecting coverage required by this Agreement. The certificates and endorsements for each insurance policy are to be signed by a person authorized by that insurer to bind coverage on its behalf. The aforementioned policies shall be issued by an insurance carrier having a rating of Best A-7 or better which is satisfactory to the City Attorney and shall be delivered to CITY at the time of the execution of this Agreement or before work commences. Such policies and certificates shall be in a form approved by the City Attorney. CITY reserves the right to require complete certified copies of all required insurance policies at any time.

5. Inclusion in Subcontracts. To the extent any of the services required of CONSULTANT under this Agreement are subcontracted to a third party, CONSULTANT shall include all of the provisions of this Section in all such subcontracts as obligations of the subcontractor.

City of Concord
Scope of Work and Budget
for Services to Small Businesses in Concord*
2025 – 2027
*These services are intended only for Concord-based businesses East Bay SBDC
Scope of Work and Budget for Services to Small businesses in Concord No Programs Description Rate 2025 2026 2027 Total
1 In-person One-on-one advising at City Hall 40 weeks, 4 hours each week Excludes 12 Monday Holidays below:
-New Year's Day
-Martin Luther King Day
-President's Day
-Cesar Chavez Day
-Memorial Day
-Independence Day (Monday before
or after)
-Labor Day
-Veterans Day
-2 Mondays before and after
Thanksgiving week
-2 Mondays before & after Christmas
Holiday
$130 per hour $20,800 $20,800 $20,800 $62,400
2A In-person One-on-one advising at Business
Location on specific business needs
15 business visits a year for 1 hour at
each business location, group 3-4
businesses with similar topic needs
for visits in one day
$130 per hour for 15
businesses
$1,950 $1,950 $1,950 $5,850
Exhibit A to Attachment 1

No Programs Description Rate 2025 2026 2027 Total
2B Hands-on assistance for Individual Concord
small business on digital/social media
marketing plans
Advisors working with clients on
one-on-one advising to design
digital/social marketing plans
$130 per hour, 4 hour
each for 5 businesses
$2,600 $2,600 $2,600 $7,800
2B Hands-on Assistance to Individual Concord
Small Business on digital/social media
marketing plans
Student team working with principal
advisor and business to help
implement a marketing plan
$50 Per hour, 10
hours each business
for 5 businesses
$2,500 $2,500 $2,500 $7,500
2C Hands-on eCommerce assistance to
Concord Business to establish an eStore or a
website
Advisors working with clients on
one-on-one advising to set up
eCommerce projects.
$130 per hour, 4 hour
each for 5 businesses
$2,600 $2,600 $2,600 $7,800
2C Hands-on eCommerce assistance to
Concord Business to establish an eStore or a
website
Student team working with principal
advisor and business to help
implement an eCommerce project
$50 Per hour, 10
hours each business
for 5 businesses
$2,500 $2,500 $2,500 $7,500
3A Raising Capital Workshops held on the day
of Capital Summit
4 workshops, 1 hour each
-Financing for Start-up and Early-
Stage Entrepreneurs
-Bank and SBA Financing
-Equity Financing
-Crowdfunding, PO Financing, or
Other Financing
$1,000 per workshop $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $12,000
3B Capital Summit for Concord small
businesses at CSUEB Concord campus or
other location
Invite many lenders to attend to set
up tables to meet small businesses
after workshops
$2,000 per event $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $6,000
Total program costs before Overhead $38,950 $38,950 $38,950 $116,850 Cal State East bay Office of Research and
Sponsored Programs Overhead
ORSP overhead for administering
local government contracts
15% $5,843 $5,843 $5,843 $17,528
Total Program Costs $44,793 $44,793 $44,793 $134,378

Available Workshops if needed
4 Marketing Workshops 5 workshops on Brand awareness or digital/Social Media Marketing 1 -2
hours each
-Branding & Design
-Social Media marketing
-Email Marketing and Content
Strategy
-Website & SEO
-Advertising and Budgeting
$1,000 per workshop
5 Human Resource Management Workshop Workshop on employee Hiring and HR Management 1-2 hours
$1,000 per workshop
6 Preparing a Business Plan Workshop Workshop on preparing a business plan - 1-2 hours
$1,000 per workshop

Concord Business Needs Survey
Survey dates: July 25, 2024 to August 22, 2024
Languages offered: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Dari (Persian, Afghanistan), English, Farsi (Persian, Iran), Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Distribution:
 Emailed link to 5,842 businesses through Finance Department (Business License) on July 25, 2024 and August 9, 2024.
 Posted to social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X) on July 26, 2024 and August 12, 2024.
 Shared with the following businesses and organizations: Child Care Network, East Bay Small Business Development Center, Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce, Monument Impact, Negocios Hispanos de Concord, Noor Islamic and Cultural Community Center, San Francisco Chinese Chamber of Commerce Todos Santos Business Association, Visit Concord, various shopping centers, various brokers and property managers.

Total responses: 400

1. Number of years in business:

Total (out of
400)
0-1 12.25% (49)
2-5 18.75% (75)
6-10 17.25% (69)
11-15 8.50% (34)
16-20 10.25% (41)
21-25 10.50% (42)
26-30 6.00% (24)
31-40 8.25% (33)
41+ 8.25% (33)

2. Business Zip Code:

Total (out of 400)
94520 43.75% (175)
94521 24.50% (98)
94518 19.00% (76)
94519 12.00% (48)
94523 0.50% (2)
94524 0.25% (1)

3. Number of employees:

Total (out of
400)
0-1 43.00% (172)
2-5 26.00% (104)
6-10 16.00% (64)
11-15 4.75% (19)
Attachment 2

16-20 1.75% (7)
21-25 1.75% (7)
26-30 0.50% (2)
31-40 0.75% (3)
41-50 1.00% (4)
51-75 1.75% (7)
76-
100

1.50% (6)
101+ 1.25% (5)

4. Primary language spoken in the business:

Total (out of
400)
English 86.75% (347)
Spanish 5.50% (22)
English & Spanish 3.00% (12)
Dari 0.50% (2)
English & Dari 0.50% (2)
English & Farsi 0.50% (2)
English, Dari, &
Pashto

0.50% (2)
Chinese 0.25% (1)
English & Chinese 0.25% (1)
English & Talog 0.25% (1)
English & Thai 0.25% (1)
English & Turkish 0.25% (1)
English & Urdu 0.25% (1)
English & Vietnamese 0.25% (1)
Farsi 0.25% (1)
French 0.25% (1)
Korean 0.25% (1)
Nepali 0.25% (1)

5. Do you operate your business at your personal residence or at a commercial location in Concord?
Total (out of
400)
Home-based 38.00% (152)
Commercial 62.00% (248)

6. Please choose your business industry:

Total (out of
400)
Business Services (Advertising, finance, insurance,
etc.)

11.75% (47)
Retail 11.75% (47)
Other (Please specify) 9.50% (38)

Restaurant/Food Service 9.00% (36)
Medical Services 8.50% (34)
Real Estate 8.50% (34)
Building Materials/Contractors 7.25% (29)
Child Care/Education 6.50% (26)
Manufacturing/Distribution 5.00% (20)
Beauty/Wellness (Hair salon, nail salon, spa, etc.) 4.75% (19) Cleaning Services 4.00% (16)
Architecture, Engineering, and Related Services 3.25% (13) Automotive (New/used car sales, repair, etc.) 3.25% (13) Travel/Hospitality 3.00% (12)
Gym/Fitness 2.00% (8)
Information Technology 1.75% (7)
Research & Development 0.25% (1)
Other (Please specify):

Total (out of
400)
Nonprofit 2.00% (8)
Misc (See below.) 2.00% (8)
Transportation 1.50% (6)
Author/Publishing 0.75% (3)
Pet Care/Training 0.75.50% (3)
Photography 0.75% (3)
Repair/Installation 0.75% (3)
Maritime Equipment 0.50% (2)
Storage 0.50% (2)
Misc. for #6: Historical research, laundromat, videogame development, personal investment, N/A (unidentifiable), home for the intellectually disabled, senior care, government affairs.

7. What are the top challenges you are currently facing? Total (out of
400)
Costs 26.25 % (105)
Finding Clients 21.50% (86)
Employees (hiring, management) 16.50% (66)
Misc (See below.) 12.25% (49)
Sales 10.25% (41)
No challenges presented 9.25% (37)
Rent 7.50% (30)
City/Government 6.00% (24)
Advertising/Marketing 6.00% (24)
Homeless 6.00% (24)
Safety 4.00% (16)
Parking 3.50% (14)

Taxes 3.50% (14)
Rent Control 2.75% (11)
Access to Capital 2.00% (8)
Remote work 1.50% (6)
Cleanliness 1.50% (6)
Misc. from #7: Limited time, COVID-19 impacts, traffic, insufficient housing for refugees, power outages, building upgrades, infrastructure (unspecified), IRS rules/changes, personal/employee need for childcare or childcare subsidy program, internet/online competition, laws banning products (most likely tobacco), commuting for work, personal health issues, employee competency, need of vehicle to perform job, acquisition/selling of company, work from home, supply chain, site selection

8. Please select any of the following if they negatively impact your business (Select all that apply):

Total (out of
400)
High costs 60.50% (242)
Insufficient revenue 42.25% (169)
Rising rental rates 25.50% (102)
Hiring and retaining employees 21.75% (87)
Low foot traffic 18.50% (74)
Other (Please specify) 16.75% (67)
Navigating permits and regulations 15.75% (63)
Safety 11.75% (47)
Supply chain disruptions 10.00% (39)
Other (Please specify.):

Total (out of
400)
No support needed 6.50% (26)
Miscellaneous 4.25% (17)
Homeless 2.00% (8)
Government (regulations, taxes) 1.75% (7)
Marketing/Advertising 1.00% (4)
Rent Control 0.75% (3)
Misc. from #8: Traffic blocking entry to business, difficulty obtaining insurance, difficulty working with landlord, personal/employee need for childcare, work from home, COVID-19, unpermitted street vendors, difficulty with freight trucks dropping off products at non-commercial locations.

9. What types of support would be helpful to your business? (Please check all that apply):

Total (out of
400)

Access to capital and/or grant funding 43.00% (172)
Brand awareness or digital/social media marketing 34.00% (136) Other (Please specify) 30.50% (122)
Certifying or bidding for government contracts 12.00% (48) Employee hiring and management 12.00% (48)
E-commerce assistance (E-store setup, website,
cybersecurity, etc.)

11.75% (47)
Business plan development 11.00% (44)
Obtaining licenses or permits necessary for business
operations

10.75% (43)
Site selection/business expansion 9.25% (37)
Succession planning 8.75% (35)
Trainings/workshops (Please describe in Question
#10)

6.50% (26)
Other (Please specify.):

Total (out of
400)
No support needed 10.75% (43)
Government (reducing regulations, reduce taxes, or
more support from city)

7.75% (31)
Miscellaneous 6.50% (26)
Safety 3.50% 14)
Connectivity to other businesses 1.25% (5)
Misc. from #9: Access to medications for patients, finding affordable industry software, general business services (ie: accounting, taxes, etc.), affordable access to meeting/training spaces, financing for a fuel-efficient car, cleanups around business, creation of Workplace Violence Plan, assistance with lease, time management, general increase of economy, upgrade to facility.

10. If you are interested in trainings/workshops, please describe the topics that would be helpful to your business.
a. 62 businesses provided suggestions for trainings/workshops.

Total (out of
400)
Total (out of
62)
Brand awareness or digital/social
media marketing

4.50% (18) 29.03% (18)
Business Operations (general
operation, management, sourcing, HR,
networking, small business
certifications, work from home
strategies)

4.25% (17) 27.42% (17)
Access to capital and/or grant funding 3.00% (12) 19.35% (12) E-commerce assistance (E-store
setup, website, cybersecurity, etc.)

2.25% (9) 14.52% (9)
Miscellaneous 2.25% (9) 14.52% (9)
Employee hiring and management 1.75% (7) 11.29% (7)

Taxes 1.00% (4) 6.45% (4)
Business plan development 0.75% (3) 4.84% (3)
Succession planning 0.75% (3) 4.84% (3)
Site selection/business expansion 0.75% (3) 4.84% (3)
Mental Health 0.75% (3) 4.84% (3)
Certifying or bidding for government
contracts

0.50% (2) 3.23% (2)
Obtaining licenses or permits
necessary for business operations

0.50% (2) 3.23% (2)
Misc. from #10: Bedside patient care, pet/obedience, active shooter, working with the school system, shelter-in-place/fire/disaster, sustainability/green infrastructure, investments, lease negotiation, real estate (for buyers and sellers).

11. Would you like a member from the Economic Development Team to contact you for support? If so, please provide your business name and contact information below.
a. Out of 400 responses, 87 indicated they would like the ED team to contact for support (Q11). Out of those 87, 81 provided either the business name or direct contact information, 20.25% of the 400 total.

East Bay Small Business Development Center
Statistics for the Small Business Advising Pilot at Concord City Hall as of 8/26/24 Businesses Served
Concord Business All
Businesses
Total 83 145
Initial Stage of Business
Concord (out of
83)
All (Out of
145)
Pre-Venture 27.71% (23) 37.93% (55)
Start-up (in bus. < 1 year) 16.87% (14) 13.79% (20)
In Business (> 1 year) 55.42% (46) 48.28% (70)
Current Stage of Business
Concord (out of
83)
All (Out of
145)
Pre-venture 21.69% (18) 27.59% (40)
Start-up (in bus. < 1 year) 9.64% (8) 8.97% (13)
In Business (> 1 year) 68.67% (57) 63.45% (92)
Number of Sessions
Concord (out of
83)
All (Out of
145)
1 session 9.64% (8) 13.10% (19)
2-5 sessions 77.11% (64) 70.34% (102)
6-9 sessions 7.23% (6) 11.72% (17)
10+ 6.02% (5) 4.83% (7)
Economic Impact in 2024
Concord (out of
83)
All (Out of
145)
New Business Starts (PreV to Start-
up) 5 15
Change in Sales $ 141,950.00 $ 816,950.00
Change in Part Time Employees 8 11
Change in Full Time Employees 18 32
Attachment 3

Owner Investment $ 115,450.00 $ 510,450.00
Grants $ 5,000.00 $ 5,000.00
Loan $ - $ 182,000.00
Categories of Support

Concord (out of
83) All (Out of 145)
Marketing/Sales 36.14% (30) 28.28% (41)
Business Plan 22.89% (19) 16.55% (24)
Funding/Loan Assistance 21.69% (18) 14.48% (21)
Expansion/Scaling 18.07% (15) 11.03% (16)
Start Up Assistance 14.46% (12) 21.38% (31)
Bookkeeping 10.84% (9) 11.72% (17)
Business Accounting/Budget 3.61% (3) 3.45% (5)
HR/Managing Employees 3.61% (3) 2.07% (3)
Managing a Business 2.41% (2) 2.76% (4)
Supply Chain/Inventory Management 1.20% (1) 2.07% (3)
Advertising/Branding 1.20% (1) 1.38% (2)
Buying/Selling a Business 0.00% (0) 2.07% (3)
How did the business hear about SBDC Advising at Concord City Hall? All (Out of 145)
City of Concord 51.03% (74)
East Bay SBDC Newsletter 39.31% (57)
Internet/Google 2.76% (4)
City of Pleasant Hill 0.69% (1)
City of Richmond 0.69% (1)
Vice Mayor Obringer's Newsletter 0.69% (1)
SBA 0.69% (1)
Referred by East Bay SBDC Staff 0.69% (1)
CSUEB Student 0.69% (1)
BBB - Better Bus. Bureau 0.69% (1)
CA Small Business Advocate 0.69% (1)
Craft Party Teachers Facebook
Group 0.69% (1)
Landlord 0.69% (1)
Ownership Gender
Concord (out of 83) All (Out of 145)

Male/Female-Owned 10.84% (9) 11.72% (17)
Male-Owned 31.33% (26) 27.59% (40)
Prefer not to say 3.61% (3) 4.83% (7)
Woman-Owned 37.35% (31) 42.76% (62)
(blank) 16.87% (14) 42.76% (19)
Ethnicity
All (Out of 145)
White/Caucasian 23.45% (34)
(blank) 17.24% (25)
Hispanic/Latino 17.24% (25)
Black or African American 15.17% (22)
Asian 12.41% (18)
Middle Eastern 4.14% (6)
Chinese 2.07% (3)
Other 2.07% (3)
Filipino 1.38% (2)
Amer Indian or Alaskan Native &
Black 0.69% (1)
Asian & White 0.69% (1)
Black or African American & White 0.69% (1)
Choose not to respond 0.69% (1)
Native American or Alaskan Native 0.69% (1)
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.69% (1)
South East Asian - Indian 0.69% (1)

Staff Report
Date: October 8, 2024
To: City Council
From: Valerie J. Barone, City Manager
Reviewed by: Guy Bjerke, Director of Economic Development and Base Reuse Prepared by: Marie Suvansin, Economic Development Manager [email protected]
(925) 671-3048
Subject: Considering a work plan/project approach for the development of the Economic Development Strategic Plan and providing feedback to staff.

CEQA: Not a project/exempt per CEQA Guidelines Sections 15060(c), 15061(b), 15273, 15378, and/or Public Resources Code Section 21065.

Report in Brief
City Council identified the development of a new Economic Development Strategic Plan as a Tier 1 Priority for Fiscal Year 2024-25 during its Goal Setting Workshop on April 6, 2024. The new Economic Development Strategic Plan will replace the currently used Economic Vitality Strategy, which was first adopted in 1997 and last updated in 2020.

The new Economic Development Strategic Plan will be based on current economic and market data and incorporate strategies to address the unique market characteristics cities have been facing since the COVID-19 pandemic, including the loss and downsizing of office tenants, working from home trends, changes in retail shopping patterns, and reduced downtown foot traffic. Feedback from City Council on the work plan for developing the Economic Development Strategic Plan will ensure that staff’s approach to this project matches Council’s goals and Council’s feedback will be incorporated into the request for proposal to identify a consultant to assist the City with this project. After receiving Council feedback, staff will write and issue a request for proposal and anticipates returning to Council for approval of a contract with the selected consulting firm in January 2025.

5.a5.a5.a5.a

City Council Agenda Report
Agenda Item No. 5.a
October 8, 2024
Recommended Action
Review the draft work plan/project approach for the development of the Economic Development Strategic Plan and provide feedback to staff, and make the CEQA determinations as provided in this staff report.

Background
At the City Council Goal Setting Workshop on April 6, 2024, staff provided to City Council a presentation on the local economy that included trends in sales tax revenue and real estate over the past five years, covering the timeframe before and after the COVID-19 pandemic (January 2020 to May 2023). Although the pandemic has ended, resulting workplace trends such as remote work have continued, creating rippling effects on the real estate market (Class A vacancy is 13 percentage points higher than before the pandemic), as well as on sales tax revenue (State and County Pools has increased by 75 percent, a reflection of increased online shopping and directly correlated to the City’s share of brick-and-mortar sales tax revenue compared to other cities in the County).The Todos Santos Business Association continues to report that daytime foot traffic in the downtown is significantly lower than what it was before the pandemic, a direct result of hybrid work schedules and the loss of office tenants in and near the downtown. With sales tax revenue still 13 percent lower in the downtown than in Fiscal Year 2018-2019, it is evident that the downtown has not fully recovered from the pandemic.

The City developed an Economic Vitality Strategy in 1997 and has updated its strategy periodically since then. The last update was in January 2020, just before the pandemic began. While elements of the Economic Vitality Strategy are still relevant, it does not address the significant changes in the economy that have occurred since the COVID-19 pandemic. It was for this reason that the Council identified creation of a new Economic Development Strategy as a Tier 1 Priority for this fiscal year.

On June 4, 2024, at the mid-cycle budget update for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-2025, City Council approved the roll-over of unspent Economic Development Operating Expenses from FY 2023-2024 into the FY 2024-2025 budget to support the completion of a new Economic Development Strategic Plan. The amount rolled over, $98,478.90, may be utilized for strategic plan development and implementation.

Analysis
The following is the draft work plan for the Economic Development Strategic Plan:

Through an RFP process, staff will onboard a consultant or consulting team to support staff in working with the community, business stakeholders, and City Council to develop the new Economic Development Strategic Plan.

City Council Agenda Report
Agenda Item No. 5.a
October 8, 2024
Guiding Priorities for the Plan
 Enhance Concord’s quality of life
 Facilitate a stable, healthy business environment
 Expand and diversify the City’s tax base to ensure long-term fiscal stability  Provide efficient, effective government support to Concord businesses  Promote high-quality job opportunities
 Maintain a highly-skilled competitive workforce
 Support entrepreneurship and small business opportunities  Continue to support the downtown business district
 Identify economic opportunities for all the business districts within the City Interested consultants will use the priorities to construct their proposals. These guiding priorities originate from the current Economic Vitality Strategy, but have been updated by staff. The selected consultant will work with the community, business stakeholders, and City Council to refine the guiding priorities and develop a vision for the Economic Development Strategic Plan.

Elements of the Economic Development Strategic Plan—Below is a basic outline of the elements to be included in the Economic Development Strategic Plan. Staff will work with the selected consultant to refine the timeline and work plan for incorporation into the consulting contract as the scope of work. Staff anticipates issuing the RFP in late October 2024 and returning to Council with the consulting contract in January 2025.  Data Collection/Baseline Conditions Analysis: Consultant to prepare an existing conditions report on the City’s local economy. The report would include the following, at a minimum:
o Analysis of retail, office, and industrial markets (a SWOT analysis) o Comparison of retail, office, and industrial markets to cities competing for similar tenants
o Analysis of workforce commuting to/from Concord
o Analysis of small business ownership and defining characteristics such as years of business, country of origin, and women/minority-owned, to the extent that the data is available
o Results of Small Business Needs Survey
 Community Involvement: In a format that is most convenient for the business community, consultant to collect input from the following stakeholders, at a minimum:

City Council Agenda Report
Agenda Item No. 5.a
October 8, 2024
o Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce and their members o Todos Santos Business Association and their members
o Monument Impact and their members
o Landlords & Real Estate Professionals (Retail, Office & Industrial) o Major Tax-Generating Businesses in Concord
o Small Business in Concord
o Business in and Property Owners of Concord Shopping Districts/Centers  Economic Development Strategic Plan: Once the Baseline Conditions Analysis is complete, the consultant will develop a draft vision and goals for the Economic Development Strategic Plan. The Plan will incorporate draft implementation actions, supported by data and input from the City and the business and property owner community, to achieve the vision and goals.

Oversight Method
Staff recommends the Council direct the Housing and Economic Development (H&ED) Committee to provide preliminary direction for creation of the Economic Development Strategic Plan. The consultant would utilize the H&ED Committee to receive input before presenting the Economic Development Strategic Plan to City Council for adoption. Additionally, the consultant may use H&ED Committee meetings or other venues to gather input from community and business stakeholders, as appropriate.

Timeline
 Late October 2024: Staff to issue the RFP for the Economic Development Strategic Plan
 January 2025: Agreement with selected consultant brought before the City Council for approval
 February – May 2025: Work on the Specific Plan to occur with the Council’s HED Committee assisting in drafting the Plan
 June 2025: City Council to Consider and adopt an Economic Development Strategic Plan, with implementation to follow
Financial Impact
The estimated cost of using a professional consulting firm to develop to collect data, perform outreach, and draft a strategic plan is $60,000 to $90,000. Actual costs won’t be known until responses to the City’s RFP are received.

Public Contact
The City Council Agenda was posted.

City Council Agenda Report
Agenda Item No. 5.a
October 8, 2024
Attachment

1. Current Economic Vitality Strategy

C I T Y O F C O N C O R D
Economic Vitality Strategy
2020 Update
Community & Economic Development Department
1950 Parkside Dr., MS/01B
Concord, CA 94519
Attachment 1

MISSION:

The City of Concord is an integral part of the business community. The City fosters a premier business location by creating and implementing innovative and flexible strategies that foster business growth and profitability.

VISION:

Concord is a financially stable City that strives to preserve and enhance its strong business climate and the community’s high quality of life.

VALUES:

The City of Concord is committed to promoting partnerships among all interests and solving problems creatively. The City anticipates its customers’ needs, communicates clearly and consistently, and delivers prompt service.

EV Strategy adopted: July 1997
Updated: July 2002
July 2009
April 2017
January 2020
For more information:

Call the Economic Development Division
at (925) 671-3355
or visit www.ConcordFirst.com

1 One Concord Center near BART
City of Concord
Economic Vitality Strategy

INTRODUCTION
The Economic Vitality Strategy (EVS) sets the
vision, goals, and priorities for all City efforts
related to economic development. The EVS is
updated every five years.

By taking a long-term, comprehensive approach
to economic development, the City of Concord
seeks to:
 Enhance Concord’s quality of life;
 Facilitate a stable, healthy business
environment;
 Retain, attract, and expand businesses in
strategic industries;
 Expand the City’s tax base to ensure
long-term fiscal stability;
 Provide efficient, effective government
services to Concord businesses;
 Promote high-quality job opportunities;
 Maintain a highly-skilled, competitive
workforce;
 Support entrepreneurship and small
business opportunities; and
 Revitalize Downtown and other business
districts.

This 2020 EVS update was completed with the
guidance of the Housing & Economic
Development Committee and is based on input
from many local business leaders, residents,
property owners, and other stakeholders who
participated in a prior series of public meetings
in 2017. The EVS also incorporates data and
analysis from a host of other regional sources.

CONCORD’S POSITION IN THE EAST BAY
MARKET
Concord is the largest business center in Contra
Costa County and is a destination for innovative
and entrepreneurial businesses that require
highly-skilled labor. Concord offers the
infrastructure and amenities that businesses
need for success. Its vibrant business
environment has attracted successful firms and
created ideal conditions for local businesses to
expand. The City’s commitment to families and
to the business community fosters a high quality
of life with attractive residential neighborhoods,
excellent public safety and services, convenient

Economic Vitality Strategy

2 mass transit, abundant recreation and
entertainment for all ages. Concord is a
community of safe and friendly neighborhoods
with an excellent park system, world-class
medical center, convenient shopping, diverse
dining opportunities and large preserves of
scenic open space.

Concord is located in a highly-competitive area
where there are many high-quality locations
businesses can choose. However, Concord has
distinguished itself as a premier business
destination due to several key advantages:
 A central, convenient location
 Best value for office/industrial space
 Access to a skilled workforce
 An efficient, responsive, business-
friendly government
 Transit-oriented commercial space
This 2020 update of the Economic Vitality
Strategy comes at a time when Concord has
faced several critical challenges and
opportunities. Despite the challenges, Concord
has achieved some key successes in economic
development since 2017, when the Economic
Vitality Strategy was last updated. These
successes place Concord in an ideal position to
significantly expand and upgrade existing
businesses and to attract new business. Some of
the City’s most notable achievements include:
 Akesis, a 56,000-square foot
R&D/oncology hardware manufacturer
 The Veranda, a 30-acre, 375,000-square
foot lifestyle retail center
 Multi-office Wells Fargo relocation of
1,800 employees to Swift Plaza
 The Concord VIBE marketing initiative
that aims to attract young professionals
to Concord to increase the local talent
pool as a business attraction strategy
 Attraction of major regional retail
tenants to Sunvalley Shopping Center,
The Willows, The Veranda and the Park
& Shop Center
 Attraction of key shops and restaurants
to the downtown
 Increasing events attendance at Todos
Santos Plaza to more than 100,000
annual visitors, including the Spring
Brews Festival and Oktoberfest
 Attracting and retaining key retailers and
restaurants, including: Brasas do Brazil,
The Yard House, Dunkin’, GEN Korean,
iSlice, Yum2, Parkside Bar & Grill, Half
Price Books and others
Despite these successes, Concord currently
faces an array of challenges and opportunities
for its economy, including:
 Building Concord’s image/identity
 Planning the Concord Community Reuse
Project (former Concord Naval Weapons
Station)
 Attracting emerging industries (e.g.,
advanced manufacturing, life sciences)
 Redevelopment of the area surrounding
Downtown/Concord BART Station
 Changes in the retail environment
 Large development-ready pads in North
Concord, Downtown and elsewhere
 Closing or consolidation of retail,
financial services and other employment
sectors
The Veranda

Economic Vitality Strategy

3 KEY INDUSTRY CLUSTERS
Over the past 20 years, several industries have
driven job growth in Concord (and Contra Costa
County in general), such as manufacturing,
construction and information technology. These
industries will continue to be important sources
of jobs, but in some cases they are not expected
to continue the rapid growth that was
experienced previously. As a result, the City is
identifying additional industries that offer the
potential for job growth in the future.

Looking forward to the next 5 - 20 years,
several new industries are becoming
increasingly important to Concord’s economy
and have the potential to become major drivers
in employment. These industries include:
 Advanced Manufacturing
 Life Sciences/Biotechnology
 Engineering
 Start-Up Technology Companies
 Health Care
 Financial Services
 Professional and Business Services
 Applied Sciences
 Cannabis
UFCW & Employers Plaza
Swift Plaza
These emerging industries may have special
needs with respect to infrastructure, workforce
development, Zoning and General Plan issues,
and business services. The City will incorporate
the needs of these key industries as it works to
continuously improve its delivery of efficient,
effective business services, and as it continues
to update other City policies. The City’s
Economic Development Program will also
develop targeted marketing strategies and other
initiatives, all in a coordinated effort to facilitate
the growth of these industries in Concord. The
following section describes the strategic
initiatives to be undertaken as part of the
Economic Vitality Strategy.

Economic Vitality Strategy

4 STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
Goal #1: Implement a comprehensive, integrated Economic Development Marketing Strategy to strengthen Concord’s image and brand identity among Bay Area businesses and within key target industries
Objective 1.1: Carry out an integrated Marketing and Public Information Campaign targeted to prospective new businesses that are seeking office, research and development or retail locations, based on well-defined branding strategies.

A. City’s Economic Development Website Optimization and Internet Marketing. The City’s Economic Development Program will optimize the www.concordfirst.com website for improved speed, functionality and reportability. In addition, online advertising campaigns will be launched as appropriate, targeting websites and other online media that will maximize exposure to key market sectors. In addition, the City’s Economic Development Program will use direct marketing tools such as LinkedIn InMail to promote Concord, targeting C-Suite executives and site selectors, as well as established community websites, blogs, developer/real estate-oriented and social media platforms that may include Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

ConcordFirst.com economic development website
B. Marketing and Promotions. The City’s Economic Development Program will redesign its line of brochures, maps and other collateral materials that are intended for prospective businesses so the content will be consistent with the City’s branding strategy. In partnership with economic development organizations and other support agencies, Economic Development staff will attend key trade shows, conferences and business events, and will send out emails and plan meetings in advance and/or afterwards in order to maximize the

Economic Vitality Strategy

5 effectiveness of the attendance. At larger trade shows and conferences, staff may also utilize location-based marketing such as geofencing to target site selectors and corporate decision- makers by displaying Concord-specific messages to smartphone/tablet users who enter a predetermined boundary or geographic area. Geofencing messaging can direct recipients to a landing page with Concord information and opportunities specific to their industries.

Objective 1.2: Develop and expand partnerships with businesses, other government agencies and economic development organizations to help promote the region, to leverage the City’s Economic Development marketing funds and to advocate for initiatives and policies that benefit the region in general, and Concord in particular.

A. Partnerships with Regional Retailers and Hotels. The City’s Economic Development Program will partner with regional shopping centers such as Sunvalley Shopping Center, The Willows, Park & Shop, Veranda, the Concord auto dealership community, other major sales tax generators and the Visit Concord Tourism Business Improvement District to further promote Concord as a shopping, hospitality and entertainment destination.

B. Partnerships with Other Government Agencies and Economic Development Organizations to Leverage Relationships to Attract New Investments to Concord. The City’s Economic Development Program will partner with the East Bay Leadership Council, Concord Chamber of Commerce, Contra Costa County’s Northern Waterfront Economic Development Initiative, Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development, Bay Area Council, International Council of Shopping Centers and the California Association for Local Economic Development to pursue initiatives and programs that promote the region’s and Concord’s business attraction, retention and expansion efforts.

Objective 1.3: Leverage existing City programs, resources and amenities to strengthen the City’s economic development strategies.

A. Special Events. The City will continue to sponsor downtown promotions and cultural events at Todos Santos Plaza and throughout the city, including the year-round Tuesday Farmers’ Market, annual Music & Market Series, annual Brews Festival, Oktoberfest, the Fourth of July parade, holiday events and other special events.

Thursday Night Music & Market in Todos Santos Plaza

Economic Vitality Strategy

6 B. Concord Vibe Marketing Initiative. The City will promote activities and opportunities that appeal to Millennials in an effort to attract this generation to Concord to both live and work.

Millennials are a sought-after generation for companies seeking employees to join their workforce, so the increased presence of Millennials can contribute to the City’s business attraction efforts.

Goal #2: Develop long-term, integrated strategies to target key emerging industries in Concord Objective 2.1: Develop strategies to facilitate and encourage the development of modern, high- quality office, advanced manufacturing, research and development, engineering and industrial space that can attract and serve the needs of key industry clusters.

A. Facilitating Development Planning & Development Approval Process. The City’s Economic Development Program will work with industry contacts to determine the site requirements, building requirements, infrastructure requirements, and other development standards that are needed in order to attract and foster the development of key industrial tenants in Concord. Using this data, Economic Development staff will work internally with Planning, Building, Engineering, Finance, Public Works, and other city divisions as well as developers and brokers to incorporate the needs of key industry clusters into the development planning and to streamline development entitlements, including the Design Review process.

B. Planning for Life Cycle of Company Expansion. The City will pursue strategies to facilitate the business and real estate needs of emerging industries at different points in their growth. The goal will be for companies to feel confident that Concord is an excellent location to address their needs as they progress from the start-up phase to reaching maturity as a medium- to large-sized business occupying one or multiple facilities. This will require partnerships with local brokers and property owners; partnerships with the Contra Costa Small Business Development Center, East Bay Leadership Council and other organizations serving small businesses; incorporating the long-term growth needs of key industries into planning for the Concord Community Reuse Plan (CCRP), and other related efforts.

C. Retail Attraction. The
City’s Economic
Development Program will
seek opportunities to
continue to attract retail to
key commercial areas and to
promote a diversified mix of
retail uses, including
business-to-business retail,
non-traditional retail, as well
as more standard consumer-
based retail such as
restaurants, grocery, and
specialty retail.

Sunvalley Shopping Center

Economic Vitality Strategy

7 D. Retail Center Investment. Develop strategies to promote reinvigoration and repositioning of retail centers throughout the City by seeking best practices in incentivizing improvements and utilizing land use and code enforcement tools to facilitate basic property upgrades.

Objective 2.2: Enhance Educational and Workforce Development Opportunities A. Program Assessment and Facilitation. The City’s Economic Development Program will continue to support the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce, Mt. Diablo Unified School District, private school operators, EastBayWorks, along with the California Employment Development Department, California State East Bay – Concord, and other educational institutions in their efforts to link the business community to local educational resources.

B. Community Training. The City’s Economic Development Program will work with Local, Regional and State Agencies who are focused on building a diversified training and retraining program to meet the rapidly changing technical and professional needs of the business community. The City’s Economic Development Program will promote partnerships and support of the Mt. Diablo Unified School District, Diablo Valley College, EastBayWorks, Contra Costa Small Business Development Center, Workforce Development Board and other agencies in promoting their training programs and referral services.

Goal #3: Business District Strategies
The City’s Economic Development Program will continue to implement its downtown revitalization strategy, and will begin developing comprehensive business district strategies for all business districts in Concord. The key business districts to initially focus on include:
 Clayton Road
 North Concord
 Monument Boulevard/Shary Circle/Detroit Avenue
 Other business districts as time and resources are available

Monument Sign in North Concord

Economic Vitality Strategy

8 Objective 3.1: Develop District Strategies for Concord’s Key Business Districts The City’s Economic Development Program will develop and implement comprehensive business district strategies for Clayton Road, North Concord, Monument Boulevard, and other business districts as time and resources provide. These strategies will incorporate the unique characteristics of each area, promote the businesses currently operating in these areas and encourage reinvestment, development and redevelopment opportunities to support business attraction efforts.

Objective 3.2: Continue Downtown Revitalization Efforts A. Downtown Management & Merchant Organization. The City’s Economic Development Program will continue to support the activities of the Todos Santos Business Association in order to strengthen relationships between the City and the business community. Where possible, the City’s Economic Development Program will develop programs to address the needs raised by this association in a proactive manner. In addition, the City will execute a comprehensive Downtown Management Program that addresses issues related to appearance, maintenance, circulation, wayfinding, safety and parking.

B. Special Events. The City will continue to sponsor promotions and cultural events at Todos Santos Plaza and throughout the city, including the year-round Tuesday Farmers’ Market, annual Music & Market Series, the annual Brews Festival and Oktoberfest, Fourth of July parade, holiday events and other special events. The City will review opportunities to co- sponsor and/or present new special events in the downtown area and throughout the city that promote the downtown businesses, community identity, the arts, and are consistent with the businesses in the downtown.

Todos Santos Plaza
Goal #4: Retain, Expand, Develop and Attract Business
Objective 4.1: Strengthen the positive business climate that supports the growth, development and prosperity of Concord’s business community.

Economic Vitality Strategy

9 A. Business Surveys. The City’s Economic Development Program will reinstate Business Surveys to seek the input of businesses on an ongoing basis. These online surveys will gather information about existing firms, evaluate the business climate and identify business problems, business opportunities and firms with expansion or relocation plans.

B. Customer Service. The City of Concord will continue to seek ways to further expedite permit decisions, such as coordinating inter-jurisdictional permit reviews to speed, clarify and ease communication between applicants and permitting agencies, and will also provide employee training and support to further implement improvements to customer service.

C. Ombudsman and Information Services. Economic Development staff will continue to serve as an ombudsman and information resource to existing and prospective businesses, providing information, direction, advice and documents on all issues pertaining to doing business in Concord and Contra Costa County.

D. Business Communications. The City’s Economic Development Program will continue to regularly communicate with residents, businesses, property owners and other stakeholders and partners using electronic media, print sources, flyers, advertisements, radio, television, e- mail notifications, and other appropriate avenues to ensure information of interest is provided to Concord’s residential and business community.

E. Business Recognition Awards Program. In cooperation with the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce, the City will continue to honor throughout the year companies that have shown significant growth or innovation, have longevity in Concord, support Concord’s community, are major employers, or are major tax revenue generators.

F. Welcome Letters. The City’s Economic Development Program will continue to send welcome letters, signed by the Mayor, to targeted new businesses in Concord in order to make them feel welcome, promote cooperation with City Hall, and provide them with a resource to contact when issues arise that affect the success of their business.

View of Buchanan Field Airport, Downtown Concord and Mt. Diablo

Economic Vitality Strategy

10 Objective 4.2: Provide assistance to attract, retain, and expand businesses in Concord A. Goodwill Visits. The City’s Economic Development Program will continue to conduct goodwill visits to major employers and sales tax generators to build strong, long-term relationships, improve communication between the City and the business community, demonstrate Concord’s concern for its existing major businesses, and to encourage these businesses to remain and expand in Concord. The City will utilize proprietary subscription databases, broker consultant insights and market research to identify those Concord businesses with leases expiring in the following 12-18 months to strategically and proactively target those specific companies to determine if they’re considering relocation or expansion so that the City may take appropriate action to keep their business in Concord.

B. Business Retention Visits. The City’s Economic Development Program will continue to conduct business retention/expansion/welcome visits to small businesses that are expanding, new to the community, or in a growth sector in order to build a rapport with the business community, encourage communication between the public and private sectors and to encourage these businesses to remain and expand in Concord, and to promote the City to their business colleagues.

Concord Gateway Center II
C. Participation in business events and community building activities. The City’s Economic Development Program will support local business organizations’ efforts that encourage business leaders to contribute to the community by having staff serve on appropriate task forces and special committees, contribute to projects and sponsor events.

Staff will also work with these organizations to increase the number of events and activities they host in Concord so that potential business executives may meet with City leadership and see the opportunities in Concord first-hand.

D. Home-Based Businesses. The City will continue to support the development of entrepreneurs in home-based businesses by providing business licenses and home-based business permits to these businesses. The City will encourage and foster the development of

Economic Vitality Strategy

11 “executive suites” facilities and other services to encourage and assist home-based businesses in their expansions into commercial spaces.

E. Small Business Seminars. In order to provide new information, resources and trends on marketing, planning, management, advertising, financing and other business topics of interest to Concord’s small business community, Economic Development staff will continue to facilitate small business seminars and other appropriate programs with its partners, such as the Contra Costa Small Business Development Center, Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce, Workforce Development Board, Todos Santos Business Association and the Small Business Administration. These events will also continue to promote local business- to-business transactions.

F. Business Attraction. The City’s Economic Development Program will create more robust attraction programs to broaden Concord’s business and economic base by identifying sites and available space that would be desirable to businesses in all sectors and their respective representatives. The City’s Economic Development Program will work aggressively with brokers, realtors, site selectors, trade associations, the East Bay Leadership Council, Concord Chamber of Commerce and the Todos Santos Business Association to evaluate and encourage opportunities for new businesses that enhance our economic base. The Economic Development Program will actively implement strategic outreach to businesses that are likely to relocate and that fit Concord’s targeted industries. The City’s Economic Development Program will continue to work with brokers and property owners on land assembly opportunities for larger development projects, and will leverage the upcoming Concord Community Reuse Plan (CCRP) to attract growing companies to Concord that will later need more space that may be provided within the CCRP.
a. CCRP: Staff will create project-specific marketing materials, leverage existing regional partnerships to promote the base as a regional economic development opportunity, utilize the Blue-Ribbon Taskforce work to attract institutions of higher education, monitor existing Concord companies for expansion plans and position current Concord commercial space as a temporary location that will enable companies to easily expand into the new development.
b. Cannabis: Staff will monitor the industry, including best practices adopted by other cities and identifying properties and/or amenities that are most desirable for Cannabis industry operations, while also collecting trend information to maximize Concord’s visibility and marketability with industry leaders.

The initiatives in this document will further develop the City’s economic vitality and ensure Concord’s position as a premier business location.

Economic Vitality Strategy

12 -This page left intentionally blank-

Economic Vitality Strategy

13 -This page left intentionally blank-

Economic Vitality Strategy

14 For more information:

Call the Economic Development Division
at (925) 671-3355
or visit www.ConcordFirst.com

Staff Report
Date: October 8, 2024
To: City Council
From: Valerie J. Barone, City Manager
Reviewed by: Guy Bjerke, Director of Economic Development and Base Reuse Prepared by: Marie Suvansin, Economic Development Manager [email protected]
(925) 671-3048
Subject: Considering a work plan/project approach for the development of the Economic Development Strategic Plan and providing feedback to staff.

CEQA: Not a project/exempt per CEQA Guidelines Sections 15060(c), 15061(b), 15273, 15378, and/or Public Resources Code Section 21065.

Report in Brief
City Council identified the development of a new Economic Development Strategic Plan as a Tier 1 Priority for Fiscal Year 2024-25 during its Goal Setting Workshop on April 6, 2024. The new Economic Development Strategic Plan will replace the currently used Economic Vitality Strategy, which was first adopted in 1997 and last updated in 2020.

The new Economic Development Strategic Plan will be based on current economic and market data and incorporate strategies to address the unique market characteristics cities have been facing since the COVID-19 pandemic, including the loss and downsizing of office tenants, working from home trends, changes in retail shopping patterns, and reduced downtown foot traffic. Feedback from City Council on the work plan for developing the Economic Development Strategic Plan will ensure that staff’s approach to this project matches Council’s goals and Council’s feedback will be incorporated into the request for proposal to identify a consultant to assist the City with this project. After receiving Council feedback, staff will write and issue a request for proposal and anticipates returning to Council for approval of a contract with the selected consulting firm in January 2025.

Benched Staff Report
Agenda Item No. 5.a
October 8, 2024
Changes in Highlight/Strikeout font

City Council Agenda Report
Agenda Item No. 5.a
October 8, 2024
Recommended Action
Review the draft work plan/project approach for the development of the Economic Development Strategic Plan and provide feedback to staff, and make the CEQA determinations as provided in this staff report.

Background
At the City Council Goal Setting Workshop on April 6, 2024, staff provided to City Council a presentation on the local economy that included trends in sales tax revenue and real estate over the past five years, covering the timeframe before and after the COVID-19 pandemic (January 2020 to May 2023). Although the pandemic has ended, resulting workplace trends such as remote work have continued, creating rippling effects on the real estate market (Class A vacancy is 13 percentage points higher than before the pandemic), as well as on sales tax revenue (State and County Pools has increased by 75 percent State and County Pools was 65 percent higher in year one of the pandemic and is now 47 percent higher than before the pandemic began, a reflection of increased online shopping and directly correlated to the City’s share of brick-and-mortar sales tax revenue compared to other cities in the County).The Todos Santos Business Association continues to report that daytime foot traffic in the downtown is significantly lower than what it was before the pandemic, a direct result of hybrid work schedules and the loss of office tenants in and near the downtown. With sales tax revenue still 13 percent lower in the downtown than in Fiscal Year 2018-2019, it is evident that the downtown has not fully recovered from the pandemic.

The City developed an Economic Vitality Strategy in 1997 and has updated its strategy periodically since then. The last update was in January 2020, just before the pandemic began. While elements of the Economic Vitality Strategy are still relevant, it does not address the significant changes in the economy that have occurred since the COVID-19 pandemic. It was for this reason that the Council identified creation of a new Economic Development Strategy as a Tier 1 Priority for this fiscal year.

On June 4, 2024, at the mid-cycle budget update for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-2025, City Council approved the roll-over of unspent Economic Development Operating Expenses from FY 2023-2024 into the FY 2024-2025 budget to support the completion of a new Economic Development Strategic Plan. The amount rolled over, $98,478.90, may be utilized for strategic plan development and implementation.

Analysis
The following is the draft work plan for the Economic Development Strategic Plan:

Through an RFP process, staff will onboard a consultant or consulting team to support staff in working with the community, business stakeholders, and City Council to develop the new Economic Development Strategic Plan.

City Council Agenda Report
Agenda Item No. 5.a
October 8, 2024
Guiding Priorities for the Plan
 Enhance Concord’s quality of life
 Facilitate a stable, healthy business environment
 Expand and diversify the City’s tax base to ensure long-term fiscal stability  Provide efficient, effective government support to Concord businesses  Promote high-quality job opportunities
 Maintain a highly-skilled competitive workforce
 Support entrepreneurship and small business opportunities  Continue to support the downtown business district
 Identify economic opportunities for all the business districts within the City Interested consultants will use the priorities to construct their proposals. These guiding priorities originate from the current Economic Vitality Strategy, but have been updated by staff. The selected consultant will work with the community, business stakeholders, and City Council to refine the guiding priorities and develop a vision for the Economic Development Strategic Plan.

Elements of the Economic Development Strategic Plan—Below is a basic outline of the elements to be included in the Economic Development Strategic Plan. Staff will work with the selected consultant to refine the timeline and work plan for incorporation into the consulting contract as the scope of work. Staff anticipates issuing the RFP in late October 2024 and returning to Council with the consulting contract in January 2025.  Data Collection/Baseline Conditions Analysis: Consultant to prepare an existing conditions report on the City’s local economy. The report would include the following, at a minimum:
o Analysis of retail, office, and industrial markets (a SWOT analysis) o Comparison of retail, office, and industrial markets to cities competing for similar tenants
o Analysis of workforce commuting to/from Concord
o Analysis of small business ownership and defining characteristics such as years of business, country of origin, and women/minority-owned, to the extent that the data is available
o Results of Small Business Needs Survey
 Community Involvement: In a format that is most convenient for the business community, consultant to collect input from the following stakeholders, at a minimum:

City Council Agenda Report
Agenda Item No. 5.a
October 8, 2024
o Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce and their members o Todos Santos Business Association and their members
o Monument Impact and their members
o Landlords & Real Estate Professionals (Retail, Office & Industrial) o Major Tax-Generating Businesses in Concord
o Small Business in Concord
o Business in and Property Owners of Concord Shopping Districts/Centers  Economic Development Strategic Plan: Once the Baseline Conditions Analysis is complete, the consultant will develop a draft vision and goals for the Economic Development Strategic Plan. The Plan will incorporate draft implementation actions, supported by data and input from the City and the business and property owner community, to achieve the vision and goals.

Oversight Method
Staff recommends the Council direct the Housing and Economic Development (H&ED) Committee to provide preliminary direction for creation of the Economic Development Strategic Plan. The consultant would utilize the H&ED Committee to receive input before presenting the Economic Development Strategic Plan to City Council for adoption. Additionally, the consultant may use H&ED Committee meetings or other venues to gather input from community and business stakeholders, as appropriate.

Timeline
 Late October 2024: Staff to issue the RFP for the Economic Development Strategic Plan
 January 2025: Agreement with selected consultant brought before the City Council for approval
 February – May 2025: Work on the Specific Plan to occur with the Council’s HED Committee assisting in drafting the Plan
 June 2025: City Council to Consider and adopt an Economic Development Strategic Plan, with implementation to follow
Financial Impact
The estimated cost of using a professional consulting firm to develop to collect data, perform outreach, and draft a strategic plan is $60,000 to $90,000. Actual costs won’t be known until responses to the City’s RFP are received.

Public Contact
The City Council Agenda was posted.

City Council Agenda Report
Agenda Item No. 5.a
October 8, 2024
Attachment

1. Current Economic Vitality Strategy

Work Plan for Economic
Development Strategic Plan

MARIE SUVANSIN, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
OCTOBER 8, 2024
1

Background
Tier 1 Priority for Fiscal Year 2024-2025
Currently using Economic Vitality Strategy (1997)
2

Background (Continued)
Post-P andemic Economic Trends
Hybrid or remote work schedules
Decreased demand for office space
Decreased daytime foot traffic in the downtown
Online shopping growing stronger

3

Elements of the Strategic Plan
Guiding
Priorities
Baseline
Conditions
Analysis
Community
Involvement
Economic
Development
Strategic Plan
4

Guiding Priorities
Enhance Concord’s qualify of life
Facilitate a stable, healthy business environment
Expand and diversity the City’s tax base to ensure long-t erm fiscal stability Provide efficient, effective government support to Concord businesses Promote high-q uality job opportunities
Maintain a highly-s killed competitive workforce
Support entrepreneurship and small business opportunities Continue to support the downtown business district
Identify economic opportunities for all the business districts within the City 5

Baseline Conditions Analysis
Retail, Office, Industrial Market Analyses
Regional Competitiveness Analyses
Workforce Analysis
Small Business Ownership Analysis
Results of Small Business Needs Survey
6

Community Involvement
Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce
Todos S antos Business Association
Monument Impact
Landlord & Real Estate Professionals
Major Tax-G enerating Businesses
Small Businesses
Businesses/Property Owners of Shopping Districts/Centers 7

Proposed Timeline
8 Late October
2024
• Staff to issue RFP
January 2025
• City Council to consider agreement with selected consultant February-
May 2025
• Consultant and staff work on Baseline Conditions Analysis, Economic Development Strategic Plan • Gather community input and seek guidance from H&ED Committee June 2025
• City Council to consider adopting Economic Development Strategic Plan

Estimated Cost
Estimated cost $60-90K
9

Council Action
Review draft work plan/project approach for development o
f Economic Development Strategic Plan and provide
feedback to staff
Guiding Priorities
Baseline Conditions Analysis
Community Involvement
Oversight Body
10

11 Questions?