City begins planning economic recovery

<p>What could be a year-long process to resuscitate Petaluma’s economy began Monday, with the City Council deliberating over the goals and objectives of a new economic- development strategy.</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output --><p>The strategy and a plan to implement it will be developed by a consulting firm, but the council will determine the scope of that work, City Manager John Brown said.</p><p>He presented a draft of a “request for proposals” the city will issue to seek out firms with expertise in economic planning. Firms will be vetted by a “stakeholders” committee of residents and business representatives before a recommendation is made to the council.</p><p>The draft lists “goals and objectives” for the consultant’s work, including:</p><p>• Create an economic development strategy that seeks to maximize social and environmental benefits, and minimizes social and environmental costs;</p><p>• Strengthen and expand existing businesses and each existing business sector;</p><p>• Further diversify the local economy to reduce reliance on any one sector;</p><p>• Attract new and complementary businesses to Petaluma.</p><p>“Strengthening existing businesses is at the top of the list, as is bringing in new businesses to the community,” Brown said.</p><p>Council members and members of the public who spoke at Monday’s meeting offered additional considerations, including filling vacant retail and office space, exploring how local schools can prepare students for jobs likely to be available in Petaluma, and developing a “baseline” of data that shows the community’s current economic picture.</p><p>“I want us to have a full, complete picture,” Council-member David Rabbitt said. “Facts should not be filtered to set up policy.”</p><p>Mayor Pamela Torliatt said the strategic plan should include information on how the city can do outreach and marketing to bring existing businesses to town.</p><p>Consultants should also evaluate whether the city has a good mix of locally and corporate-owned businesses, and how changing demographics might alter the economy, she said.</p><p>Councilmember Mike Healy said the study should “identify the conditions that would cause businesses to want to locate in Petaluma.”</p><p>Noting the current economic climate, Vice Mayor Teresa Barrett said consultants should determine what sectors of local businesses do well “regardless of where the economy is.”</p><p>Attracting more families to Petaluma, investing in local entrepreneurs and evaluating downtown rents were also ideas that came from members of the public.</p><p>Martin Bennett, a Santa Rosa Junior College instructor who helped the city craft its Fiscal and Economic Impact Assessment requirement for large stores last year, suggested the the study include economic opportunities made poss-ible by the future Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit commuter train and the possibility of a “green jobs” sector.</p><p>Representatives of the Petaluma Area Chamber of Commerce and the Petaluma Downtown Association offered to serve on the stakeholders committee to evaluate consultants’ proposals.</p><p>The city said public participation is one of the goals for future economic development and community involvement in crafting the strategy will be required of any consultant chosen.</p><p>“I’m looking for a very public and participitative process here,” Brown said.</p><p>The council directed city staff to revise the RFP, and then seek qualifications from consulting firms that could develop an economic strategy.</p><p>The qualifications will be reviewed by the stakeholders committee before a formal RFP is issued.</p><p>(Contact Corey Young at corey.young@arguscourier.com)</p>