Santa Ana Economic Development Strategic Plan Update

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Juliet Carroll
5 years ago
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1 Santa Ana Economic Development Strategic Plan Update JANUARY 11, 2016

2 Process to Date Research for Data, Setting, & Context US Census CA EDD US EDA ESRI Real estate market reports CoStar Meetings and Interviews for Knowledge & Understanding ED Task Force Chamber of Commerce WIB Arts & Culture Commission DT Inc/SABC Businesses Schools Non-profits Council members City departments Developers/Real Estate Brokers Community Meetings for Input & Preferences 3 Community Forums

3 Methods Research Online resources Proprietary programs Purchases/Requests for data from 3 rd parties Internal data transformation Meetings and Interviews Formal & informal presentations Q & A sessions One-on-one and small group interviews and phone calls Community Meetings Paper surveys Fill in the Blanks poster boards Voting game for most important topics Station interaction and voting game for proposed solutions

4 Findings: Research, Meetings, & Interviews Resident Education and Job Potential Low educational attainment Below average high school graduation rates Low median household incomes Latino household incomes dropping faster than region High percentage of resident jobs are blue collar and service sector Under-employment is common Employment base in city divergent from labor pool Santa Ana below County in almost all regional industry employment averages Education is critical to Santa Ana long-term Student support and engagement is key

5 Preferred Solutions: Public Meetings Resident Education and Job Potential 1. Partner with school districts to increase skill development and job training as part of high school programming 2. Network with business community to strengthen involvement with job training/internships 3. Assist with parent engagement programs for school-aged children

6 Findings: Research, Meetings, & Interviews Attracting Investment and Growing Businesses Industrial real estate best performing Retail, office behind county averages New development is considered high risk in Santa Ana Land use codes not attractive to developers Homelessness is pervasive and highly detrimental to businesses Police force lacks adequate resources to deal with specialized problems, such as homelessness and marijuana dispensaries Cost of living challenges businesses Mexico labor market threatens manufacturing jobs Irvine address attracts investors for start ups Downtown suffers from lack of housing and upper floor investment/use of historic buildings Need competitive edge for entrepreneurs, start ups

7 Preferred Solutions: Public Meetings Attracting Investment and Growing Businesses 1. Incentivize/support locally-owned micro-enterprise and small businesses 2. Leverage/encourage socially responsible businesses 3. Increase housing density in areas connected to retail/entertainment for more walkability 4. Invest in technology-related infrastructure for businesses Add-ons 1. Need a recruitment of larger business / brand name win 2. Maintain relationships with large employers 3. Homelessness solutions

reputation of a hard-to-navigate City Hall Downtown dynamic is improving, but City

8 Findings: Research, Meetings, & Interviews City Image and Customer Service Santa Ana brand is not defined, nor marketed Cultural resources not recognized Long-standing reputation of a hard-to-navigate City Hall Downtown dynamic is improving, but City has not kept pace Residents deeply concerned about exclusion City not viewed as a partner

9 Preferred Solutions: Public Meetings City Image and Customer Service 1. Branding campaign 2. More positive media for events and development 3. Customer service training for City Hall staff

10 Findings: Research, Meetings, & Interviews City Funding and Focus WIB not understood or even known about Numerous and highly factionalized special interest groups deter action Economic Development Department underfunded for tasks at hand City s commitment to economic development not well-defined

11 Preferred Solutions: Public Meetings City Funding and Focus 1. Develop land use policy that provides greater assurance to investors 2. Develop projects that increase job opportunities for residents 3. Establish underwriting criteria for City investment

12 Next Steps 1. Populate website with meeting notes, feedback, link to online survey 2. Identify and engage champions committed to implementation by topic area a. Suggestions: members from Chamber, WIB, ED Task Force, High School Inc, SAUSD, Arts and Culture Commission, this Committee b. Downtown may need parallel track related to investment and business growth 3. Develop a work plan with Champions 4. Prepare proposed budgets for efforts 5. Present logic and proposals at Town Hall Meeting, solicit feedback and prioritization 6. Finalize the EDSP and present to City Council

Economic Development Concept Plan

Economic Development Concept Plan A. As the lead economic development organization, the Clay County Economic Development Commission (EDC) will enhance Clay County s capacity to engage in economic development