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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1989 Resolution No. 044e ~00 oo.il e SERIES CF 1989 A ~100 SUPPCI\TIN; 'lllE FCIIMM'IOO OF AN ENGL&O:O m:::tn!IC D~;r cn\LITIOO. l\'l!EREAS, the Dlglewood Downtown Task Force is cxincerned about the continued econanic health of the City of Englewood; and lfflIBF.AS, the rontinued econanic health and vitality of Ehglcwood and the Denver Metro Area is necessary tc sustain a hi gh quality of life for Englewood residents; and ~llEREAS, t.l\e relationship between the econ®c health of Englewood and the ecor ·c health of the netropclitan area reeds to be fully understood; ru-1 , 'lllEREF(!IE, BE IT RESOLVID BY 'IBE CIT'i CXXJNCIL OF 'IBE CIT'i OF EY.il.El,o;)[)' (l)I.aWJO' '!HAT: section 1. '111e City Council supports the creation of the Englewood Econanic Develcprent coalition and agrees to have representation on the Coalition. section 2. '111e gcals of the Coalition are as follows: a) To main tain or i"t>rove the quality of life of Englewood residents. b) To insure that existing Englewood businesses have an opportunity to thrive and grCM, c) To. prarote the assets of Engl&OC>d and encourage the location of new b1sinesses to Engll!l,iood, ~ect. ,on 3. In su;,porting t.l\ese broad goals, the Coalition is hereby charged--:;,.-·.h the d'1Ve loprent c f a Strategic Plan for insuring the econanic vi tality ,,f En<,lewood that should contain at least the following elerrents: a) To c'.evelop an understanding of the Denver Metro econany and Englewood's place in that economy. b) To use the knowledge and experience of existing eco·.ianic developrent efforts in t.he State and Metro area. c ) A survey 11nd analysis of Engl&OC>d' s assets and Labilities relating to an in'proved business climate. d) An analysis of the =rent econcrny of Englewood, including the retail and industrial sectors, eitployirent, market area, etc. e ) A revie-.· of various organizat ional structures to inplerrent an eccnanic develq:mmt effort. f) Propcsals to insu..re cx,ntinued econanic health in bot.h the short and long tems with specific reoamendations on funding , staffing, and o rganizational structure. • section 4. 1'le Coalition be made up of fifteen msmers, including a r,nanent Executive camu.ttee made up of a representative fran the Englewood City eouncil, the Englewood DCJWntown DevelOl""!nt Authority, the Englewood tJrbM1 Renewal Authority, the Greater Englewood O\al!t,er n ~ camerce and the SoUth l'etl"O Denver Olanber of camerce. The Executive c.."ffl!littee will then select ten additional msmers to represent the following interests: 1. Real Estate 2. Landlord 3 • South Broadway 4 • lndu,n:rial Area 5. CenteMial Area 6 • .ieveloper 7. Banker 8. Retail 9. Cindexella City 10. f.ducat ion l\!XFl'ED I\ND l\PPROVED thi 9 7th day of l\ugUSt, Mayor 1 ~t: . il C, !!' M ( ( (. I L /I/✓ Patnc1a H. CrCM, City Cerk 1, Patricia H. CrCM, City Clerk for the City of Englewood, Colora~J 1 / her<?by certify the aoove and foregoing is a true cq;tt of Resolution No. 7-+, Series of 1989. ~ _ . . 6 'i,i-t««-,d) f -~ Patricia H. CrCM eK E K O ll A N D U K TO: Roger Fraser, Clty Kanager FllOK: Richard S. llanush, Dlrector of Communlty Development DAT!: Hay 11, 1989 SUBJECT : Economlc Development ln Englewood INTRODUCTION Slnce the openlng of Clnderella Clty ln 1968, the Clty has concentrated vlrtually all of its economic development efforts in the downtown area of the City. From the sale of Clty Park and openlng of the mall, through the 111 -fated downtown plan of the mld-1970' s, to the creatlon of the Englewood Downtown Development Authorlty and ~nglewood Urban Renewal Authority and the Little Dry Creek Project, our energy and ~esources have been focused on Englewood's downtown area. Because o f the City's current dependence on sales tax revenues for both the EURA bond payments and for the general fund, we obviously need to maintain a commitment to retail activity in the downtown . However, given our demonstrated dependence on the vagaries of the metro area and Co ,rado economies, and the increasingly competitive south metro are a market place, we must expand our view of economic development beyond the downtown area and beyond retail development. One of our greatest dangers, however I is that we will get so excited about doing s om ething that we will do the wrong thing • -or at least, we will do something that expends a l ot of energy for little or no results. We need to understa1~d how the metro area economy works before we commit resources to a long term economi ~ develop- men t program . We also need to understand how Englewood interact ... ·tth that economy . Some interrelationships that we should understand prior to developj ng s olutions are : A. RETAIL 1 . How does the development of retail centers in the south metro area affect the downtown market? 2. What factors affect decisions to shop or not shop in downtown Englewood? 3 . What role does the negative image of the Santa Fe/Hampden art=a have on shopplng declslons? 4. How 11Uch of the relative stagnatl.n of Clnderella Clty ls tled to Colora- do's slumping economy, and how 'dluch to increased competi t t .,n? e 5 . le there a natural market area for downtown Englewood and are we meeting the needa of thia area? 8. INDUSTRIAL 1 . How doe ■ more indu ■try and employment impact the overa ll economy( 2. What percent of the industrial work force llvea in Englewood? Do they shop in Englewood? 3 . What percent of Englewood re1ident1 work in Englewood? 4 . Ooea additional lndu ■try mean job ■ for Englewood residents? Many more questions can and should be asked, but two things stand out for me. The first ls that the retail sector cf the economy must be viewe d in terms of market competition. Englewood la in conatant competition to provide goods and services to south metro area resident ■ (and to a le ■■er degree, the entire metro area) that the residents want and desire, competitively and conveniently. At least in this sector of the economy, we, as a city, must compete with all other jurisdictions for retail outlets and for market share . The second item that stands out la in contrast to the first . In the industrial sec- tor, we are highly integrated into the m,jtro economy . If the metro economy impro- ves, there will be more jobs for Englewo od residents whether these jobs are in En- ~lewood or elsewhere . An improvement n the metro economy is good for Englewood . ~n retail development:, we must be competitive. In industrial d evelopment, we must be cooperative. PRINCIPLES The development of an economic development program for Englewood must be governed by the following basic principles : I. Mainta i n or Improve Our Quality of Life . Any program must consider impacts on Englewood ~e sidents and neighborhoods . Some important elements are job,, environmental impacts such as noise and traffic , and the provision of needed goods and services , etc . 2 . Understand the Metro Economy . The program must be economically sound and make effective use of market forces. 3. Do Not Reinvent the Wheel . Kost metro area jurisdictions now perfc,rm some type of economic development function. The State, the Denver Chamber, and the South Metro Denver Cham- ber have also developed outreach p1.ograms for new bus l nesae'i locating in the area . We should coordinate with them as well as learn from o t her Jurisdictions . We should compete when we 11Ust 1 but coordina!.e vhen we can . e 4. Keep and Improve the Busine ■aes We Have . With all that la new that ve want to attract, we cannot forget our existing bualnea ■ea . We ehould keep them uppermoet in our minds and we should not craate undue and unnec,,■aary competition with incentives only to new bus ineaaes . THE PROGRAM Given the current ■tate of revenue ■, particularly sales tax revenues , I do not believe that we have the luxury of waiting until we develop a comprehensive, fully- integrated, economic development plan before we take any action . I believe that we must take immediate step ■ to addrea ■ the problem of increasing our share of the market for existing downtown retail and fill the vaca ncies that we currently have. At the same time that we are devoting time and resource s to this problem , we should begin a comprehensive long•term planning process with community inv olvement to deve lop a Strategic Economic Development Program for Englewood . These short and long-term proposals are discussed in more detail below : A. SHORT-TERM RECOMMENDATIONS . e 1. 2. Identify Vacant Downtown Retail Space . All vacant retail space in the downtown area should be identified and owners and/or leasing agents contacted . We should maintain an up-to-date list including such things as location, amount and type of space, price, etc . Affirmatively Participate in the Marketing of the Spaci:.. In cooperation with the owners or leasing agents, deve.1..op a program to seek out prospective tenants. In conjunction with this mark~ting effo rt , i den- tify all businesses in downtown Englewood by type to see if there are any gaps in the provision of goods and services or any natural combinations . 3 . Work with Cinderella City . Make a specific effort to work with Cinderella City management to develop a .orogram to rejuvenate the mall . 4. Work with Existing Businesses . 5. Cooperate with the EDDA in all aspects of their c urrent effort to marke t the downtown . Develop a list of needs of existing retai l. De ve lop capability to help businesses problem solve by coordinating with agencies and groups with expertise . Evaluate all City Pollclea and Regulations Relating to the Downtown . All areas including tax structure, maintenance levels , building codes , sig - nage, traffic patterns , etc. should be examined . Examine possible City 6 . incentive progrma. Po••ibly develop an ombudsman ■yatem where a business having problema with t'.1e City could call . Develop Central Point of Contact with City. All economic development matter ■ ■hould be referred to one person who would be responaible for implementation of the program. B . LONG-TERM RECOMMENDATIONS. The baalc long-term recommendation la to develop a Strategic Economic Develop • ment Progru for the City . Thia plan should have the following e lements : 1. An analysis of the metro area economy and how Englewood fits in . 2. An analysis of the current economy of Englewood , including the retail and industrial aectors, jobs, marke t area, etc. 3 . Maj o r assets of the City . 4 . Major 11abil1t1ea o f the City . 5 . Recommendations to reduce liabilities and increase assets. We must identi• fy our "window of opportunity." ~ had previously recommended, and still believe, that the most appropriate to under- ~ake this strategic planning process is the existing Downtown Deve lopment Task Fo r ce . This Task Force is cu·:rently made up of members from the: 1 . City Co uncil 2 . Englewood Downtown Dnvelopment Authority 3 . Englewo od Urban Renew ,! Authority 4 . Greater Englewood Cham 1er of Co mmerce 5 . South Metro Chamber of Commerce 6 . City Staff '.his basic committee could be expanded by including · -J tailers, industria l conce rns , etc. ou tside of the downtown area . The current eleven members (not coun ting staff) could be increa sed to fifteen. This would then be a fai r ly representative group . HOii DO 1/E GET THERE FROM HERE ? l. 2. e Ident ify one pers on as responsible for economic development and for i mpleme nting the short •term program . This person would also provide s taff for the develop• ment of the long •term program . If you wanted to do th is witho ut an inc rease in staff, you could give me the responsibility , and I would appoint one of our plan ners full time . You could also operate this out of the Manager's Office if you want by increasing staff , or taking one of the Planners . We should discuss the strategic planning concept with the Downtown Task Force . If this group is formed, we would still have to find a way to communicate with residents . Ir othE'lr colllDlunities, I have found that a good way to generate interest and introduce the community to strategic planning is to hold an "Engle• wood Fu tures Conference". This would be open to all of the public, including the buaine•• co1111Unity , Aa an example, we could start off with a town meeting with a panel of export ■. Topic• coul d bo: a , The Colorado and Metro Econo11iea. b . Why Dou a Buaineaa Locate? c . What Ia Retail Buainoaa Doing For Ua? d . He v Do We Earn a Living? •· Englewood'• Economy --What Makos It Tick . Subsequent aeaaions would break up into 1uller working groups who would tackle nar- rower issues and report back to the larger group , In summary I I recomend : l. Council develop a set of prin•. iples to guide strategic planning . 2 . A short -term effort be made to addre11s immediate retail and sales tax concerns . 3 . A long-term strategic planning effort be undertaken using an e xpande d Downtown Task Force as the overseeing group . 4 . One staff person be designated responsible for our 8C'Jnomic development efforts . COU!ICIL COIIIIIJRICATIOR DAT! Auguot 7 , 1989 AGENDA ITEK II (c) SUBJECT Resolution Supporting the Format ion of an Englewood Econo11ic Oeve lopment Coalition INITIATED IY Englewood Downtown Task Force STAFF SOURCE Richard S . Wanush, Director of Community Development PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION None ACTION PROPOSED ei n addition to the City Council, the proposed Resolution has been following groups fc..t' passage by their respective boards: 1 ) Englewood Downtown Development Authority 2) Englewood Urban Renewal Authority 3) Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce 4) South Metro Denver Chamber of Commer ce sent to the Each board is being asked to pass an identical resolution that establishes an Englewood Economi c Development Coalition, and to appoint one pe rson to sit on the Execu t ive Committee . This Coalition is charged with de v eloping a Strategic Plan for insuring the economic lfitality o f Englewoo d. STAFF /.NALYSIS A key issue in the developm ent of an economic development program for the City ts o rganization . Who is ultimately responsible ? Who should take the lead ? How should both the planning and implementing efforts be organized? Afte r several months of review , the Downtown Task Fore~ felt that "economic development" ls not solely the responsibility of tho "City" or public sector, but needs at least an equal push by the private sector , The Task Force felt that there would be a greater likelihood of success and participation if the initial planning effort were broad based . .A.niere were also lengthy discus1.i ons concerning the goals and objectives of the 'WEconomic Development Coalition , and it was decided that it should concentrate on -ong term otrategi c planning, and not implementation . It should , however, r e commend the organiz ational otructure needed t o implement it• fi ndings . IIACKGlOIJIII) The Downtown Tas k Force waa formed to re ■pond to the fast -mov ing changes tha t we re occurring in the downtown renewal area . It va ■ designed to increase the flow of information, and tc, involve all of the major actor ■ in the downtown a rea . Th e Mayor c halred the mee tings . With the completion of tho urban renewal project, the Task Force felt a need to clarify it1 purpoae and concluded that City -wide economic deve l opment wa ■ a critical need . FINANCIAL There are no direc t financial impact ■ of this action . However, there wi ll be staff and some operational resources devoted to the effort . RECOIIIIENDATION ArJopt the resolution .