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East Palo Alto is set to roll out a streamlined version of its Economic Development Strategic Plan, in an attempt to gradually improve the local economy and the city’s brand while keeping development costs low.
The City Council unanimously approved, with Vice Mayor Ruben Abrica absent, a five-year plan last week that aims to simplify business permitting, create a business incubator program, develop the local workforce and increase public programming.
City staff will immediately begin to roll out early moves creating a business newsletter, coordinating with workforce development partners and updating the city’s business permit processes.
Some of these initiatives are not new. East Palo Alto has already begun evaluating ways to license microbusinesses like street vendors through a prospective ordinance, and a city consultant has been connecting with local stakeholders over the past year to ask how they envision economic mobility.
Based on staff recommendations, the council opted for a plan that focuses on smaller and existing projects in an attempt to keep spending low while evaluating project success.
“It focuses on foundational initiatives and achievable quick wins, using existing staff and limited consultant support,” Assistant to the City Manager Denise Garcia said at a March 17 council meeting.
The second option, which would’ve increased the city’s project list, included newer initiatives that economic consultants recommended at a January meeting. Some of the recommended projects included creating a small business guide and a comprehensive webpage where business owners can view reasons to work with East Palo Alto and research available land and building space.
Staff projected a cost of $100,000 to $150,000 for on-call consultant support in the selected plan, compared to up to $400,000 annually for new employees dedicated to newer economic projects.
In the following years, current city staff plan to present the first economic development report, incubate local businesses at the Gateway Retail Center and host events at underutilized public spaces in an attempt to boost the city’s brand.
Consultants found in their analysis that East Palo Alto’s strengths lie in its central Silicon Valley location, affordability, proximity to the Bay waterfront and self-reliance with opportunity for economic growth and a strong youth population. Although the city faces challenges with limited retail and transit, and a lack of county and state resources, council members recommended leaning on the city’s cultural identity to boost investment.
“We want to strengthen EPA’s identity and better highlight East Palo Alto’s story, specifically moving to shift perceptions and attract and retain businesses and visitors,” HR&A consultant Judith Taylor said at a Jan. 6 council meeting.
City staff said initiatives are not set in stone and council members have the flexibility to change goals and their investment to the plan at any time. Council member Mark Dinan expressed an interest in hiring employees dedicated to economic development in the future.
“I’m happy to support option A, go with the staff recommendation, but I think long term consultants can only go so far in a city like East Palo Alto,” he said.
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