Title
Recommendation for the Planning Board to Review and Endorse the Economic Development Strategic Plan (EDSP)
Body
To: Honorable President and
Members of the Planning Board
From: Lois RP Butler, Economic Development Manager
Re: Recommendation for the Planning Board to Review and Endorse the Economic Development Strategic Plan (EDSP)
BACKGROUND
The City of Alameda contracted with Strategic Economics to help prepare a citywide Economic Development Strategic Plan (EDSP), which is the long-term (five to ten years) roadmap for business attraction, retention, and workforce development activities. The EDSP identifies specific goals, strategies, and actions necessary to create, support and attract businesses and jobs, diversify the local economy, and maintain fiscal health.
The draft EDSP was presented to the Planning Board for its review and comment at its March 26, 2018 meeting. Based on comments received, staff and Strategic Economics have revised the draft EDSP. The revised draft EDSP is being presented tonight to the Planning Board for its endorsement.
The revised draft EDSP, incorporating the Planning Board’s comments was well as public comments received, and its Background Report, are attached as Exhibits 1 and 2. This document will replace the previous EDSP, which was originally prepared in 2001, and revised in January 2008.
DISCUSSION
Based on the comments the Planning Board provided at its March 28, 2018 meeting, staff and Strategic Economics reorganized the draft EDSP into ten priority areas, containing the following six business sectors and four critical services to support Alameda’s economic resiliency:
Business Sectors
1. Life Sciences Industry
2. Clean Tech, Green Tech, High Tech
3. Blue Tech and Maritime
4. Retail and Restaurants
5. Tourism/Hospitality
6. Artists and Small Manufacturers
Critical Services
1. Transportation Choices
2. Housing
3. Workforce Development
4. City Services and Policy Documents
In addition to line-by-line changes, staff and Strategic Economics made the following substantive changes to the draft EDSP as recommended by the Planning Board as follows:
• Attach the EDSP Background Report with its supporting data and summarize key findings
• Draft an easy-to-read executive summary (page 3)
• Explain why the EDSP focuses on these six business sectors (pages 3 and 13)
Clean Tech, Green Tech, High Tech
• Add high tech to the clean/green tech business sector. Previously it was not included (pages 15 and 16)
Blue Tech and Maritime
• Define “blue tech,” which includes research and development, engineering, software, and advance manufacturing maritime companies (page 17)
Retail and Restaurants
• Include Park Street, north of Lincoln as a potential area to drive economic and job growth (page 19, strategies 4.4 and 4.5)
• Identify Harbor Bay Landing as an underutilized retail center (footnote, page 19)
Tourism/Hospitality
• Target publications for placement of articles about Alameda’s visitor attractions and destinations (page 21, strategy 5.2)
Transportation Choices
• Include a statement that transportation and traffic congestion present specific barriers to economic development and each of the business sectors identified in the EDSP (page 24)
• Identify need to expand transit to and from downtown Oakland (page 24, strategy 7.1)
Housing
• Increase data collection on housing, particularly rental housing (page 26, strategy 8.1)
• Include a statement that the housing and rental housing crisis impacts economic development, particularly affecting the ability of local businesses to recruit and retain employees. Protecting Alamedans who are already housed here is a short-term imperative (page 25)
• Add homeless shelters in housing opportunities along with affordable housing (page 26, strategy 8.3)
Workforce Development
• In recognition of the growing income disparity in the Bay Area, consider increasing Alameda’s minimum wage (page 27, strategy 9.4)
City Services and Policy Documents
• Review city policies to encourage disadvantage business opportunities (page 29, strategy 10.5)
Following the Planning Board’s endorsement, the draft EDSP will be presented to the Mayor’s Economic Development Advisory Panel on June 21, 2018. It is anticipated that the EDSP will be presented to the City Council for its acceptance in July 2018. Once the EDSP is approved, staff will return to the Planning Board with specific recommendations to amend the Alameda Municipal Code and/or the General Plan, as appropriate.
ENVIROMENTAL REVIEW
This proposal is Categorically Exempt from CEQA Guidelines Section.
RECOMMENDATION
Review and endorse the Economic Development Strategic Plan.
Respectfully submitted,
By,
Eric Fonstein, Development Manager
Exhibits:
1. Draft Economic Development Strategic Plan
2. Draft EDSP Background Report