ECONOMIC VITALITY

ISSUES

The entire Bay Area has been hit hard by an economic slowdown in recent years. Resolving this problem will depend in part on improvements in the national economy.

General economic conditions are compounded by state fiscal policies that cause local jurisdictions to “fiscalize” land use and compete for revenue-producing development. Coordinated efforts are needed to achieve fiscal reform and equitable distribution of economic opportunity. Other components of economic health include providing quality education, producing affordable housing, investing in transportation, and maintaining environmental quality.

OBJECTIVES

There are three objectives to consider in strengthening economic vitality:

Retain and allow for the orderly expansion of existing businesses.
Attract new businesses.
Offset revenue-driven development through fiscal reform and interjurisdictional cooperation.

POLICIES

The following subregional policies are intended to maintain and improve economic vitality.

Develop a coordinated subregion-wide approach to economic development.
Encourage economic development which provides jobs at all income levels for residents of the subregion.
Develop strategies to retainexisting employers.
Identify and mitigate, where appropriate, obstacles to the formation and expansion of local businesses.
Work to remove impediments to gainful employment, such as lack of transportation, child care, job training, vocational education, and other factors.
Improve cooperation between public agencies and private sector representatives, such as chambers of commerce, financial institutions, plant managers and business associations, in formulating economic development plans and programs.
Cooperate to develop sufficient housing in a range of sizes and prices to meet the needs of workers employed in the subregion and to ensure that prospective employers have a diverse local labor pool.
Explore special programs, including financing, to expand and attract small and medium size firms with good growth potential.
Protect existing and future businesses by discouraging encroachment by non-compatible uses in areas designated for commercial and industrial use.
Work with local jurisdictions and the business community to maintain and provide information about economic development for governmental agencies and the private sector. Examples include:

An inventory of commercially and industrially zoned land and an estimate of its potential for employment.
A list of specific businesses and industries likely to provide jobs for subregional residents, and strategies for attracting them to locate in the subregion.
An analysis of the potential for redevelopment of marginally developed land or derelict facilities, and an inventory of sites.
Information on existing and pending development throughout the subregion for use by government, business groups and potential developers.
Information about public sector financing to facilitate the location of appropriate business with a focus on financing transportation, housing and necessarypublic improvements.

Monitor the absorption and availability of industrial land within the subregion to ensure a balanced supply of available land for all sectors, including industrial suppliers and services, and periodically assess the need to designate additional industrial land to achieve this end.
Identify appropriate sites, provide infrastructure, and facilitate development of tele-commuting centers. Dynamic
Facilitate expansion or, if necessary, relocation of existing businesses within the subregion.
Special-handle projects of economic significance.
Expedite development review for desirable employment generating projects.
Permit reuse of industrial properties (existing structures or land plus new facilities) without discretionary permits.
Develop subregion-wide strategy to expedite redevelopment of military bases.
Support/establish employment training and vocational education programs to ensure residents’ skills meet the employers’ current and projected needs.

Conduct a survey to identify the labor force requirements and job training needsof current and anticipated future employers.
Encourage cooperative efforts among school districts, community colleges and employers to offer appropriate classes and internships.
Maintain an employment information clearinghouse.

Identify sites within the subregion suitable for mixed use development and develop strategies to expedite development, including sharing of on-site development costs and tax revenues, and provision of off-site infrastructure and services.
Develop recommendations and advocate for reform of state fiscal policies in order to offset revenue-driven land use plans and development programs.