City Council
MEETING DATE: 9/14/2016
TITLE:
Title
Economic Development Update
End
FROM:
Curt Watts, Economic Development Director
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
This item is provided for information, discussion and direction only.
Body
BACKGROUND:
At its May 23, 2015 meeting, the City Council received an update from Economic Development Manager Leisa Lukes regarding both the various tools being used at that time to advance economic development within Cathedral City, and the most significant private sector and public works projects underway at the time.
Now, as then, the overall goal of economic development is to create a healthy economy for the community. According to the California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED), it is a concerted effort to influence the direction of private sector investment toward opportunities that can lead to sustained economic growth. Business attraction, retention and growth are impacted by economic development efforts undertaken by the city with the ultimate purpose of generating wealth to benefit the community (including the expansion of local job opportunities) and improving the overall quality of life for residents (including public amenities and convenient access to desired goods and services).
Toward those goals, he City of Cathedral City works on an ongoing basis to maintain and grow relationships with its local businesses, commercial real estate brokers, and the development community. As part of this effort, the City also has a regular presence at regional and national conferences of the International Council of Shopping Centers ("ICSC") where retail, hospitality, and development companies are represented. The City has also expanded its efforts to support the private sector investments in the community through special events, public infrastructure improvements, city code enforcement, police & fire services, business outreach and broad involvement in the community's overall activities. Al...
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