2012 Redlands Economic Development Action Plan Adopted by City Council

The Redlands city council adopted a 2012 Redlands Economic Development Action Plan presented Tuesday night by the city's economic development manager.

The council voted 4-0 to adopt the plan presented and discussed by T. Michael Lengyel, the city's economic development manager. Councilmember Jon Harrison recused himself to avoid any appearance of conflict.

Retail "leakage," vacancy rates, assets and disadvantages were among the variables discussed by Lengyel during his presentation.

Lengyel described the action plan as a "living document" that establishes direction for long-term economic development in Redlands with a short-term action plan.

The plan identifies six primary development targets: Redlands Auto Plaza, Redlands Mall, the downtown Promenade development, partnering with ESRI, warehouse/distribution development, and biomedical facilities.

The plan's mission statement states it "will introduce provisions that will deliberately intervene in the normal economic growth cycle to influence the direction of private sector investment toward opportunities that can lead to sustained economic growth."

The plan is not intended to address the city's fiscal solvency, according to the plan mission statement.

The plan is a stand-alone document, and "it is not part of a larger comprehensive plan, which could include other economic development matters such as housing, utilities, transportation, agriculture, cultural resources, land uses and relationships with other jurisdiction," according to the mission statement.

The annual staffing cost for the 2012 Redlands Economic Development Action Plan, according to the plan.

"This does not include costs for consultants," plan states. "A minimum of $50,000 will be needed for technical assistance in various areas such as economic development, appraisals, etc. General business attraction efforts should start at $1,000,000 . . . and be adjusted in accordance with the individual deals.

"Attendance at ICSC in Las Vegas is approximately $10,000 (does not include booth development cost), marketing materials (material only) is approximately $20,000, an additional $20,000 for advertisements in local and regional magazine and $600 for ICSC memberships. The total budget is approximately $1.41 Million. This budget does not include the cost for office space, furniture & supplies, or any overhead cost," the plan states.

"A separate budget for the Economic Development Division will be included in the FY2012-2013 budget for the Development Services Department."

The 15-page plan is online at ci.redlands.ca.us/clerk/2012staffreports.