1 ATTACHMENT B
Business Development Division FY 2024-2025 Work Plan
Focus Area Work Plan Item Planned Outcome
Small Business Strengthening the Small
Business Ecosystem
Technical Assistance
Small Business Advisory
Committee: Provide
recommendations to staff and
City Council focusing on
access to capital,
neighborhood business
corridors, business advice &
education and permitting
resulting in three to five new
programs, policies or
initiatives.
Revamp the BOS Network:
Launch a new web-based
service with digital tools and
network for small
business/business
associations in the Fall of
2024.
Promotion: Leverage the Shop
Local page,
sjeconomy.com/shoplocalsj
and focus social media
content, digital ads and earned
media to promote two
business
corridors/neighborhoods each
month. Attract an average of
2,000 visits monthly to the
Shop Local page and increase
engagement on social media
by 2% each quarter.
Inclusive Prosperity: Launch
a new ‘Women in Business’
program with partner
2 Focus Area Work Plan Item Planned Outcome
Direct Financial Assistance
Prosperity Lab to coincide
with Women’s History Month
in March 2025.
Free Legal Services: Launch
an 18-month program,
estimated to serve over 100
business owners, focused on
mitigating commercial
displacement and improving
landlord - tenant
relationships.
Resource Events: Host two
in-person events in the City
Hall Rotunda and one in the
Mexican Heritage
Plaza. Attract a mix of 500
business owners,
entrepreneurs, and partners to
three free events with
programs comprising guest
speakers, panel discussions
and workshops.
Communications: Promote a
comprehensive list of free,
online or in-person business
advice trainings and
workshops hosted by technical
assistance partners through biweekly social media posts and a monthly e-newsletter (10K
subscribers). Garner a
minimum average engagement
rate of more than 5% on social
media content and an average
open rate of 43% and click
rate of 2% (all industry
averages) for e-newsletter.
Storefronts: Clear the current
wait list of 15 applications
3 Focus Area Work Plan Item Planned Outcome
and award 100% of budget
secured in 2024-25.
Neighborhood Economic
Grant: Launch two rounds of
the new program to
encourage neighborhoods to
attract private and
philanthropic capital to invest
in larger economic
revitalization projects.
Start-up Grant: Launch a new
program to encourage
expansion of home-based
businesses and early start-ups
to cover business expenses
such as purchasing
equipment, securing business
loans, accessing on-going
education, paying fees and
licenses, etc.
Business Corridors Improvement District
Formation
Business Association
Development
Monterey Road Corridor and
Tully Road:
Bring a recommendation to
establish two improvement
districts to City Council for
approval in the winter of
2024 /early 2025.
The Alameda: Bring forward
a recommendation to
establish a Property-Based
Business Improvement
district to City Council.
Continue to support existing
Business Associations to
develop in Alum Rock
Village, on Calle Willow and
4 Focus Area Work Plan Item Planned Outcome
Public Realm Planning &
Construction
East Village and along Alum
Rock E. Santa Clara St.,
Story Road and Winchester
Boulevard Business
corridors: Formation of new
business associations in the
Story Road and Winchester
Blvd business corridors.
5 Wounds Study and review
of Urban Villages: Support
PBCE to publish the report
and apply the conclusions to
the proposed Commercial
Mitigation study.
BART Phase 2 Mitigation:
Review the proposed
Business Resource program
and support VTA’s
promotion to the business
community.
Special Projects Cannabis Equity
Berryessa Flea Market
Cannabis Equity Business
Program:
Launch the next phase of the
Cannabis Equity Program in
the summer of 2024 to
establish five new delivery
and five new retail licenses.
Berryessa Flea Market
Advisory Group:
Sunset the work of the
Vendor Advisory Group with
the formation of a package of
recommendations for the
placement of vendors when
the current market site is
closed.
5 Focus Area Work Plan Item Planned Outcome
Downtown Management Public realm & Activation Post Street Pedestrian Mall Law: Complete property
owner outreach and begin the
legal process by Q4 2024,
leading to additional
programming and activation
on the street.
San Pedro Street Activation
and Vibrancy: Implement
interim improvements on San
Pedro Street such as
programming, removeable
bollards and a street mural.
Santa Clara Street
Beautification Initiative:
Improve Santa Clara Street
through tactical aesthetic
improvements beginning in
May 2024, in partnership
with the Property Based
Improvement District.
Paseo de San Antonio
Visioning: Develop a shared
vision of public and private
space utilization on the Paseo
de San Antonio through the
coordination and production
of a report by the end of the
calendar year.
Downtown Wayfinding:
Support efforts to improve
wayfinding in the Downtown
in collaboration with DOT
partners.
Pop-Up Retail Program:
Launch five retail storefronts
with 11 small businesses in
6 Focus Area Work Plan Item Planned Outcome
Clean & Safe
early May 2024, leading to
increased foot traffic.
Road to 2026: Position San
Jose as a major
experience/activity hub for
upcoming major sports events
through partnership with the
SJ Sports Authority and Bay
Area Host Committee.
Holiday Lighting: Expand the
holiday projection lighting
program from one to three
buildings for 2024’s holiday
season.
Promote a “college-town
feel” through additional
branding/partnership with
San Jose State University,
including through asphalt art,
banners, and event/promotion
partnerships.
Partner with interagency,
department and
mayor/council offices to
address issues related to
unpermitted vendor activity
downtown while supporting a
pathway to permitted
activity.
Support activation,
marketing, parking
utilization, and business
development through the
City’s services agreement
with the San Jose Downtown
Association.
7 Focus Area Work Plan Item Planned Outcome
Business Outreach and
Development
Addressing unhoused and
mental illness: Continue to
support the efforts of social
services providers in
downtown through The
Collab initiative, addressing
the needs of the most
vulnerable downtown
residents.
Downtown Safety and
Security Committee:
Continue to program the
Downtown Safety
Committee, bringing together
stakeholders from public
safety, social services and
business to discuss and
collaborate on issues
affecting the Downtown.
Downtown Resource Guide:
Design and distribute a flyer
to downtown businesses that
provides an overview of the
layers of support for qualityof-life concerns, leading to increased utilization of
available resources.
Address top blighted
buildings by partnering with
Code Enforcement and City
Attorney’s Office.
Meet with Downtown’s Top
20 large and strategic
employers to encourage
retention and expansion.
Support positive decisionmaking on DTSJ with
investors, brokers and tenants
in the market.
8 Focus Area Work Plan Item Planned Outcome
Host regular broker
roundtables/breakfasts to
communicate Downtown
progress to key decisionmakers and address
concerns.
Develop new collateral to
communicate Downtown’s
benefits to various
audiences.
Support Team San Jose’s
efforts to recruit/retain major
business conferences that
activate Downtown and
generate business
Development Facilitation Permit and Process
Assistance
Deliver the permit facilitation
service for complex, high-value
and fast turnaround
commercial, industrial, and
residential projects.
Corporate Outreach Engagement with mid- and
large-sized companies
New campaign focused on
developing relationships with
top 50 corporate employers
and top 20 sales tax revenue
generators.
Increase corporate
manufacturing tours during
national Manufacturing
Month in October by at least
10%.
Emerging industries:
Facilitate the establishment of
up to two Artificial
9 Focus Area Work Plan Item Planned Outcome
Intelligence-related
incubators.
Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ):
Expansion of FTZ 18 by up
to three companies.
Maximize CHIPS Act-related
benefit to San Jose
companies.
Policy Economic Development
Initiatives
Cost of Development Study:
Annually update to the study
and report findings to City
Council.
Commercial Mitigation
Policy: Procure consultants
and launch the policy design.
Downtown Residential HighRise Incentive Program:
Bring extension of program to
City Council for
consideration.
Fiscalization of Land Use:
Complete analysis of cost to
service various types of
development in the City.