DATE: December 1, 2015
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Manager
SUBJECT
Title
Economic Development Strategic Plan Annual Update (2014-2015)
End
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
That Council reads and accepts this report.
Body
SUMMARY
In 2013, the City of Hayward adopted an Economic Development Strategic Plan (EDSP) in order to create a purposeful and concentrated effort to further establish Hayward as a desirable place to conduct business and to grow the City's economic base. The EDSP has three focus areas: 1) Branding and Marketing; 2) Industrial Sector; and 3) Service and Retail Sector. Staff has been working toward completion of tasks as outlined in the EDSP focusing on foundational tasks, which include establishment of baseline data, identifying retail and industrial lands, and launching of the branding and marketing program. With the start of a new Economic Development team in September of 2014, significant time and effort has been dedicated to understanding Hayward's business community in order to design and implement business retention, attraction, and expansion programs. The following report provides a summary of key activities through September 2015.
DISCUSSION
The primary focus of the Economic Development Department during the past year was the creation and establishment of foundational data, which included the Industrial Baseline Corridor Study and its counterpart, the Retail Baseline study. The foundational data was the key starting point for documenting existing conditions and establishing program targeted metrics and reporting procedures. Establishing a mechanism to track the economic trends in the industrial and retail corridors provides information for program development and resource allocation. By understanding the types of businesses that are in Hayward, the number of workers they employ, how businesses are performing and how their operation contribu...
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