RESOLUTION NO. -2026
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT BRAGG APPROVING A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH THE RETAIL COACH FOR CITYWIDE RETAIL RECRUITMENT, VACANT STOREFRONT ACTIVATION, AND COMMERCIAL REVITALIZATION SERVICES AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE THE AGREEMENT WHEREAS, The City Council of the City of Fort Bragg has identified economic development, downtown revitalization, business attraction, fiscal sustainability, and community vitality as strategic priorities within the City’s Strategic Plan; and WHEREAS, A healthy and diverse commercial environment contributes to employment opportunities, community vibrancy, local spending, and long-term fiscal stability; and WHEREAS, Vacant and underutilized commercial properties can negatively impact neighborhood appearance, business confidence, pedestrian activity, and local tax generation while reducing opportunities for economic investment and downtown activity; and WHEREAS, The City of Fort Bragg contains several vacant and underutilized commercial properties, including the former Rite Aid building located at 490 South Franklin Street, vacant since 2025, and recognizes these properties as important opportunities for economic investment, business attraction, and downtown revitalization; and WHEREAS, Prior to its closure, Rite Aid consistently ranked among the City of Fort Bragg’s top twenty-five sales tax generators, serving as an important commercial anchor and contributor to local economic activity, further demonstrating the economic significance of reactivating key commercial sites throughout the City; and WHEREAS, The City recently conducted a Community Shopping and Retail Needs Survey to better understand resident shopping patterns, unmet retail and service needs, and priorities for future business attraction and redevelopment opportunities; and WHEREAS, The survey generated significant community participation and identified strong demand for expanded clothing and apparel retail opportunities, recreation and entertainment uses, and additional commercial services, while also demonstrating that residents frequently travel outside Fort Bragg or shop online to obtain goods and services not readily available locally; and WHEREAS, The City Council recognizes that addressing retail leakage and commercial vacancies requires a proactive and coordinated strategy involving market analysis, business recruitment, site marketing, stakeholder engagement, and direct outreach to retailers and commercial investors; and WHEREAS, The City Council desires to implement a proactive retail recruitment strategy focused not solely on a single property, but on strengthening Fort Bragg’s broader commercial environment through coordinated business attraction, support for property owners, and activation of vacant storefronts throughout the community; and WHEREAS, The Retail Coach submitted a proposal to provide Retail Recruitment Consulting Services for the City of Fort Bragg, including retail market analysis, leakage analysis, trade area and consumer data, retailer targeting, vacancy marketing, stakeholder engagement, conference representation, and direct recruitment assistance designed to support economic development and commercial revitalization goals; and WHEREAS, The Retail Coach is a nationally recognized retail recruitment and economic development consulting firm with experience serving more than 900 communities and specializes in assisting municipalities with retail recruitment, redevelopment strategies, and commercial activation efforts; and WHEREAS, The City Council finds that approval of the proposed agreement will support the City’s ongoing efforts to reduce retail leakage, support local businesses and property owners, activate vacant storefronts, strengthen downtown vitality, and create a more resilient and economically vibrant community.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the City Council of the City of Fort Bragg hereby approves:
Section 1. Findings
The City Council hereby finds and determines that the foregoing recitals are true and correct and are incorporated herein by this reference.
Section 2. Approval of Agreement
The City Council hereby approves the Professional Services Agreement with The Retail Coach for Citywide Retail Recruitment, Vacant Storefront Activation, and Commercial Revitalization Services in an amount not to exceed $27,500, including reimbursable expenses.
Section 3. Authorization
The City Manager is hereby authorized and directed to execute the Professional Services Agreement on behalf of the City of Fort Bragg and to take such additional administrative actions as may be necessary to implement the agreement and carry out the intent of this Resolution.
Section 4. CEQA
The City Council finds that approval of this agreement is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), commonly known as the “common sense” exemption, because the action involves administrative and professional consulting services and can be seen with certainty to have no potential for causing a direct or reasonably foreseeable physical change in the environment.
Section 5. Effective Date
This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon adoption.
The above and foregoing Resolution was introduced by___________________, seconded by _________________________, and passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Fort Bragg held on the 26th day of May, 2026, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
RECUSED:
JASON GODEKE
Mayor
ATTEST:
Diana Paoli
City Clerk
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