Recommended Next Steps and Priority Areas
Following Survey of Fortuna's Business Community
April 10th, 2026
Summary - Fortuna is a wonderful place to live with rich natural beauty and significant untapped potential. The losses in the timber industry and the collapse of cannabis has placed Fortuna in a position of structural economic weakness and having to redefine its economic future. Individuals, families and businesses are being affected. The city's General Fund budget is strained with no easily identifiable source of funds to support important services.
Sixty-four business owners, executives, chamber members and downtown merchants surveyed said the following must be addressed in Fortuna's General Plan Update and Strategic Plan:
1. Create a new vision and brand for Fortuna and Fortuna's economic future.
2. Leverage Fortuna's greatest competitive advantage: its natural, cultural and historical assets; redwoods, rivers, climate, recreation, rural character and friendly community.
3. Provide support for business and business development including streamlined permit processing, clearer regulations and stronger city capacity.
4. Align workforce development with business needs.
5. Promote economic diversification through Millsite and Riverwalk development.
6. Prioritize housing availability and affordability.
7. Revitalize Main St./Downtown.
Numerous community members have indicated they love Fortuna and are willing to devote time to work on these important economic priorities.
While items 5-7 will likely take years to come to fruition, serious planning should start now. Items 1-4, however, could see more immediate effect. Creating a new vision and brand for Fortuna would establish a direction and build momentum toward a brighter economic future. Leveraging local assets would help with attracting more tourism dollars and would be beneficial for sales tax and transient occupancy tax revenues for city services. Support for business and business development by streamlining current permitting processes, providing clearer regulations and strengthening city capacity would convey that Fortuna is serious about economic development and is open for business. Aligning workforce development with business needs is also a logical next step. The current excellent positioning of the Fortuna Union High School District with their commitment to career technical education and the expressed willingness of College of the Redwoods and the new Cal Poly Humboldt's economically based technical programs to create partnerships will produce significant economic benefit to our area in the years to come. Student business competitions and strengthening work experience and internships with local businesses in the short term would be a way to promote the desired culture and opportunities for Fortuna's youth.
Direct support services to local businesses is not necessarily high cost and is another area where quick wins could be achieved and possibly have local impact through increased taxable sales and economic activity. Business development, retention, expansion and new business start-up services for individual businesses could gain traction rather quickly compared to longer term infrastructure projects.
Business development support would include: networking and relationship building, marketing and brand positioning, sales and growth tactics and strategic expansion. Business retention support would include: customer retention, employee retention and small business specific strategies. Business expansion support would include: location/geographic expansion, product/service development, market development, diversification and mergers and acquisitions.
Use of Al in each of these areas could also be provided. The North Coast Small Business Development Center is positioned and willing to assist with this support.
We cannot afford to have a plan that sits on a shelf. We believe there is a sense of urgency. We also strongly recommend the City of Fortuna and Fortuna's City Council support establishment of a small working group of city, chamber, business and community members to draft a plan with specific actionable steps to move these important economic development items forward.
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