Item 6.1
Economic Development Strategic Plan /
Economic Development Division Six-Month Work Plan
Gloria Ortega, Economic Development Manager
Kyle Weddington, Economic Development Coordinator
Dena Belzer, Strategic Economics, Inc.
2 • Celebrate the Completion of the Economic Development Strategic Plan (the “ ED Strategic Plan”)
• Recognizing Stakeholder Contributions and What Economic Development Means to City
• Metrics and Measuring Success, Market Data Impacts
• Review Six-Month Work Plan
• Discussion and Questions
Discussion Summary and City Council Request
City Council Actions:
• Resolution Adoption to Approve the ED Strategic Plan
• Accept the Economic Development Division Six-Month Work Plan 3 Establish clear
economic
development
goals and
priorities
Identify shortand long-term
focused
actions to
support goals
and objectives
Provide clear
metrics for
measuring
progress in
executing the
Plan’s actions
Economic Development Strategic Plan Purpose
The Economic Development Strategic Plan Can
• Build partnerships with businesses/ brokers to retain / attract businesses • Promote the City as a location of choice
• Keep city leaders informed of how their decisions and/or policies impact businesses and/or the ability to grow the economy/fiscal stability • Work with regional / State partners to direct policy / legislation impacting businesses and voice business challenges and opportunities • Ensure businesses have access/knowledge to state/regional resources and technical assistance
The Economic Development Strategic Plan Cannot
• Control market conditions – Can shift strategies to respond to changing conditions • Control property not owned by the City - Can ensure that zoning in place to facilitate uses desired by the decision-makers
4 5
Why Economic Development Matters to Union
City?
$
Sales
Tax
Industry
Mix /Jobs
for Local
Residents
Property Tax
Robust General
Fund
Local Businesses and Commercial Real Estate Support Union City’s Fiscal and Economic Health
6 Revenue Drivers
• Residential
• Industrial
Property
Tax
• Retail
• Business
to
Business
Sales
Taxes
Hotel
Occupancy
Taxes
Other
Taxes
Vacancy
Rates
Acquisitions
Real
Estate
Who Participated in Creating the EDSP?
City Council
• Mayor Singh
• Vice Mayor Patiño
• Councilmember Nishihira
• Councilmember Wang
• Councilmember
Sakakihara
Businesses
• USK (Adv. Manufacturing)
• Azimuth (Semiconductor
Packaging)
• Mizuho (Adv.
Manufacturing)
• GCM (Adv. Manufacturing)
• Sigmatron (Adv.
Manufacturing)
• Tenaya Therapeutics
(Biotechnology)
Property Owners
• Lu Tipping (Alvarado
Historic District)
• Sywest (Union Landing)
• Pappas Investments
(Union Landing)
• Jessica Kane (Union
Square Marketplace)
Real Estate Experts
• Bob Ferraro (Industrial
Broker)
• Carol Therien (Retail Broker)
• Fernando Cuebas (Retail
Broker)
• Tarlton (Life Sciences
Developer)
• Woodstock Development
• City Ventures (Residential
Developer)
8 Market Sector Indicators
Why We Track Them?
• Monitor Opportunities for Growth, Expansion
• Monitor Trends that Negatively Impact Economy
• Understand Conditions that Requires Shift in Strategies • Impacts on City, Business Fiscal Health, Jobs, and Revenues • Understanding Trends – Growth, Retrenchment
9 Market Sector Indicators
• Real Estate Vacancy Rates: Industrial, Warehouse, Research and Development, Commercial
• Retail Vacancy Rates
• Major Leases and Renewals
• Sales Tax Revenues: Retail and Business-to-Business
• Hotel Occupancy Taxes
• Major Land/Property Acquisitions
• Business License Applications and Renewals
• Building Permits
10 Examples of Market Sector Conditions that Impact
Local Economic Development
• Inflation - cost of gas, food, retail products, construction, labor, capital, utilities
• Geopolitical events
• Supply chain challenges - inability to receive products/materials, tariffs • Lack and cost of available land
• Retail transformation - bankruptcies, retrenchment and/or closures Market Sector Indicators
Measuring Progress
Prioritizing
Goals,
Objectives,
Strategies
Monitoring
Market and
Local
Conditions
Reporting
Quarterly
Progress to
City Council
Evaluate
Whether We
Are on Track
OVERVIEW OF
ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
STRATEGIC
PLAN
STRATEGIC PLAN STRUCTURE
VISION GOALS OBJECTIVES STRATEGIES
13 1 4 13 45
Economic Development Vision
Union City is a great place to do business
based on transparent and responsive
government services. Union City is
committed to retaining its existing
businesses, attracting new businesses that
include high-wage jobs for Union City
residents, and growing the City’s revenues.
Union City will continue offering clean and
safe business districts and improving the
quality of life of residents.
City Council Feedback
• Enhanced Chamber of Commerce
Collaboration
• Support Shopping Center Vitality
• Streamline Business Permitting
• Support Business Investment
• Small Business Startups and Growth
• Clean and Safe Business Districts
• Prioritize High Impact Initiatives
16 GOAL 1: SUSTAIN, RETAIN AND
GROW UNION CITY’S EXISTING
BUSINESSES
Objective 1.1: Strengthen
communication, engagement, and partnership
with business community.
Objective 1.2: Best practices to maintain
clean and safe industrial and commercial
districts
Objective 1.3: Connect businesses to federal,
state, regional and local resources
Objective 1.4: Support existing small
businesses and start-ups
17 GOAL 2: ATTRACT
BUSINESSES TO UNION CITY
Objective 2.1: Prioritize efforts to attract new
businesses
Objective 2.2: Working with shopping center
owners to attract new tenants that will service Union
City’s diverse population
18 GOAL 3: FOSTER INVESTMENT
IN UNION CITY’S INDUSTRIAL
AND COMMERCIAL AREAS
Objective 3.1: Strengthen communication, engagement, and partnership with the local business community
Objective 3.2: Facilitate reinvestment in Union City’s Shopping Centers
Objective 3.3: Strengthen multi-modal connections between Union City’s business districts and the City’s existing amenities Objective 3.4: Enhance the vitality of the Historic Alvarado District as a destination for shopping, services, and dining.
Objective 3.5: Facilitate development of City-owned properties. 19 GOAL 4: TELL UNION CITY’S
STORY OF SUCCESS
Objective 4.1: Promote Union City by
telling a strong story
Objective 4.2: Keep community members
and local businesses informed and
involved
20 Ongoing Work
• Chamber Collaborations
• Maintain and Monitor Market Sector Indicators
• 2 EDAT Meetings
• Update and Track Union City Indicators
• New and Existing Business Support
•Internal Department Collaborations
• Homeless Task Force
• City Manager Initiatives
• Regional Collaboration with Economic
Development Partners
Implementation: Planning for Success
GOAL 1: SUSTAIN, RETAIN AND GROW UNION CITY’S
EXISTING BUSINESSES
21 2026 Deliverables
• Industrial Roundtable
• Emergency Preparedness Trainings
• Establish new Chamber Agreement
• Manufacturing Day
• UPRR engagement to address homeless
encampments in the industrial sector
• Establish Small Business Promotion –
Open Rewards
Implementation: Planning for Success
GOAL 1: SUSTAIN, RETAIN AND GROW UNION CITY’S EXISTING
BUSINESSES
22 •Broker and new business support (On-going)
•Site selection support (On-going)
• Develop promotional material for shopping
center retail attraction (2026 Deliverable)
•Targeted outreach to at least 2 shopping
center property owners (2026 Deliverable)
Implementation: Planning for Success
GOAL 2: ATTRACT NEW BUSINESSES TO UNION CITY
23 •Track property transactions and engage
property owners (On-going)
• Maintain PG&E engagement to support
business needs (On-going)
•Participate in City’s Development Review
Committee (On-going)
• Continued support of ULPOA / PBID (Ongoing)
•Promote and educate business on access to
the FLEA (On-going)
• Develop marketing materials to highlight
opportunities sites (2026 Deliverable)
Implementation: Planning for Success
GOAL 3: FOSTER INVESTMENT IN UNION CITY’S
INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL AREAS
24 • Regional participation and
collaboration with Economic
Development Partners (Ongoing)
• Develop Union City Marketing
Plan (2026 Deliverable)
• Update Economic
Development Webpage (2026
Deliverable)
Implementation: Planning for Success
GOAL 4: TELL UNION CITY’S STORY OF SUCCESS
25 ED Staff will provide quarterly updates to the City Council which include:
• Overview of relevant market indicators
• Overview of staff accomplishments, strategies implemented during the previous quarter, and progress towards performance measure
• Updates on relevant economic development market trends / topics
Measuring Progress
26 Recommendations
Staff recommends that the City
Council adopt a resolution
approving the Economic
Development Strategic Plan, and
Accept the Economic Development
Division Six-Month Work Plan