Economic Development
Draft Strategic Action Plan
December 12, 2023
CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION
1 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DRAFT STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN 2 C OUNCIL G OAL S TATEMENT
Economic & Community Vibrancy :
Sustain and develop a diverse and thriving economy that benefits Santa Rosa residents and businesses and contributes to the community’s economic health while preserving historical and cultural integrity.
C ITY OF S ANTA R OSA M ISSION S TATEMENT :
To provide high-quality public services and cultivate a vibrant, resilient and livable city.
General Plan Update:
Emerging themes – live, work, recreation
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DRAFT STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN
Timeline
JULY - AUGUST
• Process and element clarification
• Vision (goal/value) statement(s)
• ED Subcommittee Discussion 2
AUGUST - SEPTEMBER
• Internal engagement
• External engagement
SEPTEMBER
• Draft review by staff
• Draft review by ED Subcommittee
• Incorporation of changes and
recommendations
3 OCTOBER - NOVEMBER
• Review of final draft by staff
• Review of final draft by ED Subcommittee
DECEMBER
• Council Study Session
• Incorporation of changes & work with designer to
prep public document
Final Adoption Prior to July 1,
2024
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DRAFT STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN
Economic and Employment Drivers
Santa Rosa has a diverse economy with strengths in:
• Healthcare: largest industry in Sonoma County; 2 of the major hospitals are in Santa Rosa and serve the greater region.
• Retail Trade: 2nd largest industry; Santa Rosa is one of the few urban centers in the North Bay region • Manufacturing: driven mostly by the agribusiness industry. Relative to the county, Santa Rosa includes a relatively small share of manufacturing and agricultural jobs. • Advance Technology Research and Development and Manufacturing: a significant industry niche, includes medical tech related to the presence of health care, computer and electronics components, and clean tech. • Accommodation and Food Services: tied to the area’s well-established tourism and recreation destination brand.
• Sonoma County’s primary business and financial hub: Santa Rosa has approximately 41% of the county jobs in office-based industries (professional and tech services, finance/insurance, information, real estate, etc.). 4 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DRAFT STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN Input & Engagement
5 Surveys
• Past survey
• Other department/division surveys
• Upcoming survey
In Person Community Engagement
• 3 tabling/engagement sessions
• 1:1 discussions
• Targeted meetings
Departmental Engagement
Data, Studies, Research
Regional Economic Development Strategic
Plan Examples
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DRAFT STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN
2021 Economic Development Survey
600+ Respondents | Available in English and Spanish
• 59% identified as business owners
• Majority were long-term Santa Rosa residents (12 years or more) • Respondents identifying as Asian, Multi-racial, and White were over-represented compared to the population
• Respondents identifying as American Indian or Alaskan Native, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander were under-represented compared to the population.
• The majority were 35 or older and slightly more female than male • Top 5 zip codes across respondents were:
95404: parts of Downtown and South Park 95403: Coffey Park, Piner Rd./N. Mendocino areas 95405: Montgomery Village, Bennet Valley 95401: Stony Point Road/W. College Ave. areas 95409: Oakmont, Skyhawk
6 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DRAFT STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN 2021 Economic Development Survey
Survey Questions (based on input from interviews)
• What are the most important issues for the future of
Santa Rosa
• What econ dev issues are important to you?
7 o Business
Development
o Affordability
o Housing
o Childcare
o Economic Recovery
o Equity and Inclusion
o Other (public safety, homelessness,
infrastructure, environmental,
wildfire, beautification, vibrancy)
o Business
Assistance
o Development Proj.
o Workforce Dev.
o Civic Pride
o Permitting
o Permits (planning/building)
o Public Art
o Neighborhood programs
o Tourism
• Level of interaction with ED Division
• Challenges and barriers
• What changes do you want to see in the
city?
• What excites you about the future of Santa
Rosa?
o Difficult processes
o Unsure of resources
o Time consuming
processes
o Unsure who to reach
out to
o Unsure what is
required
o No money
o None
o Other
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DRAFT STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN
2021 Economic Development Survey
8 Most important issue for the future of SR
Business owners & residents prioritized
housing and affordability. Business
owners selected business development
next whereas non-business owners were
concerned about equity and inclusion.
Challenges and Barriers to Engagement
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DRAFT STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN
2021 Economic Development Survey
9 ED Issue Areas of Most Importance
Business Owners
ED Issue Areas of Most Importance
Non-Business Owners
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DRAFT STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN
2021 General Plan Update Survey
10 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DRAFT STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN Community Perspectives Summary
Lack of Affordable Housing / High Cost of Living &
Limited Workforce Attraction and Development
o Costs are high for businesses and employees alike
o Poses challenges to business retention and attraction o Is a critical limiting factor for workforce development o Employers cited need for downtown entertainment and living options for young professionals.
o “Workforce development begins with equitable access to early education.” 11 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DRAFT STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN Community Perspectives Summary
12 Need for a more inclusive approach to economic development o Perceived shift on moving from a focus on economic gardening and business/community resiliency needs to traditional business attraction.
o Noted the importance of supporting small businesses and creating an environment where information and resources are easily accessible to all. o Interest in publicly available training to support entrepreneurs (e.g. incubators). o Inclusive ED would intentionally center equity and data to evaluate processes and procedures that are not effectively serving the whole community, and to identify new avenues to increase opportunity.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DRAFT STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN
Summary of Goals
Business Climate & Communication
• What it’s like to work with the City;
how easy do we make it?
• How effectively do we communicate?
13 Resiliency & Community Investment
Economic Vibrancy
• Business Retention
• Business Expansion
• Business Attraction
• Economic Accelerators & Infrastructure
• Infrastructure resiliency
• Skilled and resilient workforce
• Community investment, placemaking and place-keeping
• Address poverty and increase economic opportunity through upstream investments
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DRAFT STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN
Business Climate and Communication
14 Enhance Biz-
Friendly Policies
& Processes
Development Services
Strat Plan
Identification/address
concerns, opportunities
Enhance access &
access points
Communication
& Collaboration
Track/share ED opps &
business needs &
inquiries
Conduct biz
visits/facilitate direct
idea sharing
Collaborate with private
sector on biz forums
Support education &
workforce Investment
Biz Satisfaction
& Marketing
Business/developer
attract/retain/expand
marketing program
Digital marketing, social
media, and in-person
engagement
Feedback loop to
monitor City service
satisfaction
Equitable
Economic
Opportunities
District-based surveys
BIPOC business audit
Support/collaborate to
strengthen BIPOC &
women-owned biz
Meet cultural &
language needs of biz
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DRAFT STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN
Economic Vibrancy: Biz Retention, Expansion, Attraction 15 Support
Business
Retention
Establish a Business
retention program
Changing market
trainings/resources
Develop industry
focused incentives
Implement ARPA
funded Biz Support
Promote
Business
Expansion
Small Business Expansion
Fund
Incubator programs
Biz development tech
assistance & funding
Attract New
Businesses
Conduct industry specific
cluster analysis
Council Goals aligned
incentives
Emerging tech – office,
distro, research
Biz recruitment & support
team
Area specific data & data
tools
Streamlined re-tenanting
program
Accelerators
and
Infrastructure
Asset & civic investment
strategy + EIFD
Intensification of industrial
land uses; state/fed zones
One-time incentives to
jumpstart specific land uses
Supply chain analysis
Home-based
entrepreneur support
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DRAFT STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN
Resiliency and Community Investment
16 Enhanced
Infrastructure
Resilience
Assess business
infrastructure needs
Economic & fiscal impact
study of Downtown infill
housing
Infrastructure
reinforcement plan
Climate action &
sustainability principles
Foster
Community
Investment
Community Investment
Fund
Partnerships for
community
development projects
Community amenities
location assistance
Build a Skilled
& Resilient
Workforce
Workforce needs &
gaps by industry
Support curricula
alignment w/ industry
needs
Apprenticeships,
internships & retraining
Leverage/support
upskilling programs
Advance
Placemaking &
Place-Keeping
Public Art Program
strategic plan
Support community
events and activities
ARPA funded
placemaking
Economic
Opportunity &
Upstream
Investments
Advance the Childcare
Support Program
Capitalize on funding
opps to extend upstream
investment programs
Continue ARPA funded
pilot programs
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DRAFT STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN
Implementation, Monitoring, Evaluation
Objectives
• Implementation
• Identify and respond to new opportunities
• Address historic challenges and reproduce successes
• Communicate progress to stakeholders - dashboards
Economic Development Subcommittee
o Prioritization & programmatic development (as needed) in coordination with City Manager’s Office o Development of targets, metrics and/or enhancement of existing performance measures o Review, assess and adjust to adapt to changing economic conditions o Act as forum for stakeholder involvement and feedback 17 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DRAFT STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN Questions and Feedback
• Modifications or additions to the goals
• Modifications or additions to the strategies
18