REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Review and Consider Adoption of the Economic Development Strategic Plan
Report
BACKGROUND
In 2019, Economic Development staff began developing an Economic Development Strategic Plan (EDSP) to strengthen and expand services to the business community and keep the City competitive in retaining and attracting businesses. The four primary goals of the EDSP to support these efforts include:
* Identifying strategies and actions designed to support existing businesses;
* Defining strategic actions to market Sunnyvale as an attractive place to shop and do business;
* Engaging in place-making to enhance quality of life to retain and attract new businesses and
employees; and
* Acknowledging the importance of fiscal sustainability that include strategies to expand the
City's revenue base to fund services and future investments.
Staff collected data to better understand the needs of the business community and Identify ways to enhance business services. This included a high-touch business engagement effort with key stakeholder groups to solicit feedback on support needs and identifying opportunities and concerns. Staff used email surveys to broaden the reach for feedback, and researched best practices and strategies of similar-sized cities and local and national economic development polices. These efforts identified initiatives that enhance business services and maintain sustainable City growth.
Staff targeted April 2020 to present the draft EDSP to Council; however, due to the pandemic, staff pivoted and launched emergency service programs to support businesses. Staff created the Sunnyvale Cares program to provide grants to nearly 200 small business and 15 non-profits to help sustain operations and an outdoor dining program to provide a streamlined permit issuance process at no-cost to help restaurants stay afloat and operate safely. Staff also launched the Shop Sunnyvale online marketing initiative to ...
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