City of Tacoma Community & Economic Development Department Business Plan: Prosperity on Purpose for the City of Destiny* City Vision The City of Tacoma will be recognized as a livable and progressive international city, regarded for the richness of its multicultural population and its natural setting. City Mission We provide high-quality, innovative and cost-effective municipal services that enhance the lives of our citizens and the vitality of our neighborhoods and businesses through teamwork, integrity and continuous improvement in partnership with our community. City of Tacoma Strategic Plan Goals Create and sustain a safer community Maintain and enhance neighborhoods as desirable places to live Build and sustain a vibrant economy City of Tacoma Guiding Principles Service Integrity Accountability Respect Stewardship Innovation Teamwork Community & Economic Development Department Mission Prosperity on Purpose: Providing leadership for a balanced, vibrant economy and a thriving community. Goals Promote Tacoma s livability; its cultural diversity and physical assets; its civic momentum and competitive advantages as a business location. Cultivate and attract private investment. Develop and redevelop the community s housing. Act as a catalyst for an even more livable community. Provide thoughtful comprehensive planning for the future of Tacoma. *This business plan will be reformatted as a brochure for public distribution in the near future. H:\mregan\CED Business Plan February 2010 FINAL.doc Page 1
GOAL: Stimulate the economy by promoting Tacoma s livability; its cultural diversity and physical assets; its civic momentum and competitive advantages as a business location. STRATEGY: Utilize proven public relations and marketing methods to promote Tacoma. 1. Market Tacoma s assets for business investment purposes, focusing on: Available sites and buildings, comprehensive planning, historic preservation, arts amenities, housing, desire for growth and development, and the unique capacities and value of our municipal utilities and incentives. 2. Promote the many positives of Tacoma s business climate and the success of our entrepreneurs, small businesses and business districts. 3. Use public relations a. To support regional clusters, targeted industries and development opportunities; b. To advance downtown Tacoma as the South Sound s Downtown, the place for regional office locations; and c. To get the word out about our fast, fair permitting system and the absence of impact fees in Tacoma. 4. Promote Tacoma s international linkages through our Sister Cities network and Port relationships. 5. Market the strengths of Tacoma s neighborhoods as well as the benefits of downtown Tacoma as a place to live. 6. Leverage Tacoma s distinctive character, cultural diversity, and recreational opportunities to encourage people to work, play, and stay in Tacoma. 7. Promote Tacoma s unique array of higher education and training assets. 8. Collaborate with downtown stakeholders to promote the success of downtown residential development. 9. Work with downtown stakeholders and partner organizations to promote downtown for investment purposes, including office and retail development. 10. Work with a public relations contractor who will garner media coverage of Tacoma s advantages to attract investment. 11. Create an investor and media relations kit. STRATEGY: Utilize grassroots marketing methods to gain increased visibility and recognition for Tacoma 1. Utilize Forward Tacoma and other electronic newsletters designed to circulate through and be proactively distributed by our engaged citizenry. 2. Serve the information needs of citizens who desire to promote their community and grow the local economy. 3. Serve as a single point of contact for citizens to share their leads and referrals with City staff. 4. Implement an awards program to recognize the achievements of citizen volunteers in grassroots efforts resulting in job creation in the City of Tacoma. 5. Establish a web-based repository of demographics, statistics and other resources citizens can use in telling Tacoma s business-friendly story. H:\mregan\CED Business Plan February 2010 FINAL.doc Page 2
6. Enhance www.cityofdestiny.com as a primary source for general information about the unique amenities in Tacoma. STRATEGY: Improve community outreach and relations 1. Increase partnerships between the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Board of Tacoma-Pierce County and Pierce County s Economic Development division and the Community & Economic Development Department to increase outreach to the community. 2. Serve as a general City of Tacoma ombudsman to help the community remain informed and engaged. 3. Support Community and Economic Development initiated research projects and help citizens get involved with this work. 4. Support the Community Based Services program in community development and ushering in a new cross-functional way of doing business with the City of Tacoma. 5. Increase community outreach and involvement for all Community and Economic Development Department divisions. 6. Address hot legislative topics by securing input from community stakeholders. 7. Use CED staffing of Neighborhood Councils, Business Districts, and appointed boards and commissions to provide additional venues for coordinated community outreach efforts. GOAL: Stimulate the economy by cultivating and attracting private investment. STRATEGY: Work directly with developers, entrepreneurs, employers and their advisors to secure new and expanded investments in Tacoma. 1. Facilitate private sector investments generating jobs in Tacoma. 2. Use a professional client services model for high performance customer service from a dedicated team in our Private Capital Division. 3. Encourage developers and employers to utilize Tacoma s unique tax credit programs emphasizing family wage job creation, historic preservation incentives, and our downtown International Financial Services Zone and the Renewal Community Programs. 4. Leverage EB-5 designation to promote additional investment in Tacoma. 5. Encourage small business growth and grass roots entrepreneurship using economic gardening methodologies. 6. Promote partner resources, and make appropriate referrals to, the Economic Development Board, the Tacoma Angels network and William Factory Incubator. 7. Work with neighborhood councils, neighborhood business districts and other partners to sustain, expand and diversify business in our designated neighborhood business districts and mixed use centers. 8. Assist artists and arts organizations with the development and sustainability of their businesses to increase the impact of the creative cluster by providing existing economic gardening tools to artists and creative entrepreneurs and developing new ones targeted to that sector. H:\mregan\CED Business Plan February 2010 FINAL.doc Page 3
9. Target and grow opportunities for private investments that are consistent with our Comprehensive Plan and that fulfill our aspirations as a community. 10. Communicate that Tacoma wants business to thrive and appreciates the business risk-takers who create jobs for our citizens. 11. Complete Voice of Customer sessions (Finance, Clean Tech, Health Care/Services, Defense/Military) and develop spreadsheet synthesizing customer comments to share with City Council Economic Development Committee upon completion of series: (IT/Software, Trade and Logistics, Business and Professional Services, Creative Arts, Financial Services, Clean Tech/Energy, and Health Care/Services, and Defense/Military). STRATEGY: Review our business climate to encourage businesses and individuals to grow and prosper in Tacoma. 1. Identify and suggest opportunities that will aid in causing local business growth. 2. Convey the analyses of allied and partner organizations and from economic and community development studies undertaken from time to time. 3. Communicate to developers, brokers and existing businesses regarding incentives and programs for which they may be eligible. 4. Facilitate and develop opportunities for international trade, particularly with our Sister Cities. 5. Create an information-rich business environment for Tacoma, providing excellent data, mapping, and analysis to facilitate investor, employer and entrepreneurial decisionmaking. 6. Implement business retention strategies that recognize and appreciate long-term businesses and involve the Economic Development Board with our own staff in servicing retention and/or expansion candidates. 7. Collaborate with partner organizations and philanthropies to develop programs encouraging financial independence and self-sufficiency for our citizens. Our consultative services include: Site and building selection Contacts for utility and infrastructure analysis and permitting entities Referrals to and access of resources from partner agencies and nonprofits Federal, state and local incentive support Local agency coordination Marketing and public relations support Regional demographics and marketplace research Supply chain referrals Coordination with other agencies on international trade assistance and workforce development Business workshops Business Loan Programs & Tax Credits Economic Gardening & Business Workshops Secret Shopper Programs H:\mregan\CED Business Plan February 2010 FINAL.doc Page 4
GOAL: Stimulate the economy by developing and redeveloping the community s housing. STRATEGY: Leverage public and private resources to provide a range of housing choices and housing development opportunities. 1. Implement the 2010-2015 Consolidated Plan for housing. 2. Actively promote and effectively implement the Multi-family Property Tax Abatement program to provide for the planned growth and development of our City s 17 designated Mixed Use Centers. 3. Assist in the formation of the strategic LIDs for infrastructure improvements in the City s mixed use centers. 4. Utilize housing rehabilitation and major home repair funding to optimize value to residents and neighborhoods. 5. Update the Tacoma Municipal Code to reflect state legislation affecting the multi-family housing property tax abatement program. 6. Implement the Affordable Housing Policy Framework and Action Plan. GOAL: Stimulate the economy by acting as a catalyst for an even more livable community. STRATEGY: Develop and support our community s quality of life. Support the development of thriving neighborhoods and business districts. 1. Continuously engage in national and regional benchmarking to identify benchmarks and trends, calling them to the attention of the City Manager and City Council and sharing them with relevant local organizations. 2. Invest in the training and development of professional and support staff and engaged citizens to support high performance in pursuit of community and economic development objectives. 3. Foster and preserve Tacoma s historic character and historic districts, encouraging rehabilitation and adaptive re-use of our most significant historic buildings. 4. Continue to engage citizens through commission and board involvement in the cause of community and economic development. 5. Encourage and support the sustainability of Tacoma s cultural institutions. Work with the Wallace Foundation to develop communities of practice among arts leaders and organizations. 6. Encourage opportunities for artists to live and make a living in Tacoma. Develop a temporary art installation program for downtown that activates the streets and employs artists. (Banner art gallery in partnership with the Chamber; solicit submissions for temporary art installations in the downtown core.) Develop and implement a public art training program for local artists to build capacity and competitiveness. 7. Support Public Art development and maintenance in Tacoma by identifying eligible public art projects and planning their implementation and by creating a public art review sub-committee of the Tacoma Arts Commission. Develop and implement a communitybased art program. 8. Comprehensively promote the community as a learning environment via higher education and training resources. 9. Encourage former residents to return to Tacoma; encourage visitors, as well, to call Tacoma home. H:\mregan\CED Business Plan February 2010 FINAL.doc Page 5
10. Continue to partner with the Foss Development Authority and Metro Parks to protect and promote our recreational assets. GOAL: Stimulate the economy by providing thoughtful, timely and customer focused planning and permitting aimed at partnering with our community and our customers to grow the economy and improve quality of life. STRATEGY: Ensure an adequate supply of available land to provide for the aspirations of our community for residential, commercial industrial growth and environmental protection. 1. Facilitate orderly growth and development through thoughtful planning. 2. Review and adopt the Comprehensive Plan and Land Use Regulatory Code annually and facilitate City Council amendment process. 3. Complete a Mobility Master Plan to improve the safety, comfort and utilization of nonmotorized transportation modes throughout the City. 4. Adopt a comprehensive update to the City s Shoreline Master Program. 5. Continue an ongoing review and necessary revisions of the Land Use Regulatory Code to ensure predictable and prompt decision making regarding land-use permitting. 6. Ensure compliance with state planning laws, specifically the Growth Management Act, the State Environmental Policy Act and the Shoreline Management Act. 7. Adopt a Historic Preservation Plan to facilitate the protection of historic and cultural assets and improve development predictability. 8. Complete the 2011 State mandated Comprehensive Plan Update. 9. Incorporate Vision 2040 policies and sustainability strategies in Comprehensive Plan. Strategy: Utilize technology to improve the management of the permit system s financial, business and information processes. 1. Develop activity based cost model for permitting process to assess true cost of services. 2. Continue work on implementation of electronic plan review process. 3. Continue the development of a management information system to support permitting decision makers, records management, and information management methods tied to process automation. 4. Establish plan for the survival of development services in the case of a catastrophic event. 5. Develop proactive, cross functional support for code conflict analysis and implementation planning concurrent with code development legislative process. 6. Establish a concurrent permit review process by cross functional teams that are organized around the permit system business process. 7. Complete the full implementation of the Permit Center. 8. Integrate management approach with establishment of specific service level goals across all service areas commensurate with available resources. H:\mregan\CED Business Plan February 2010 FINAL.doc Page 6
Measures Increased private investment by 10% over 2009 levels. Increased opportunities for entrepreneurship/use of Business Loan Programs by 5% over 2009 levels. Maintain employment level at 2% above 2009 for 2010. Support for home ownership: assistance to 40 low-to-moderate income homebuyers; conduct 3 foreclosure prevention workshops in 2010. Preservation of existing housing and development of new housing: Rehabilitation, energy, or emergency major home repair assistance to 55 households in 2010. Partner with the community (Chamber, Go Local, Property Managers, Shunpike, creative businesses) to create at least 6 pop up stores that utilize and activate empty storefronts with creative entrepreneurs. Provide existing economic gardening tools to artists and creative entrepreneurs and develop new ones targeted to that sector. Increase technical assistance to creative entrepreneurs by 10% over 2009 levels. Partner with Shunpike to provide technical assistance to arts organizations through partner artist program, workshops and consulting including 4 public workshops, a weekly drop-in business clinic, and local development of Arts Leadership Lab. Adopt a Mobility Master Plan. Adopt an updated Shoreline Management Program. Adopt a new Historic Preservation Plan. Enact Code Development Service Level Agreements. Establish Cross-Functional Code Development Team. Engage the Tacoma Partnership collaboration in expanded agenda for downtown redevelopment. Create a new web site promoting Tacoma s higher education institutions. Create a new web site and other tools to promote downtown Tacoma. Update our Neighborhood Business District web sites and/or brochures. Complete annual reporting under ICMA and quarterly review under service level agreements. Conduct customer satisfaction survey, focus groups, technical advisory committee, quarterly review of service level agreements and annual reporting under ICMA. Conduct and report the findings of quarterly reviews of service level agreements. Tacoma is a livable, progressive, international, diverse and beautiful City. You are invited to live, work and play here. Investors Welcome! City of Tacoma Community & Economic Development Department 747 Market Street, Room 900 Tacoma, WA 98402-3793 253.591-5056 www.cityofdestiny.com H:\mregan\CED Business Plan February 2010 FINAL.doc Page 7