[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6650085,"mediaKeyId","2510693-a151628bf9e5c06dd66b11c31f0eae97","parentId",2510693,"title","Carlsbad staff seek subcommittee recommendation to council for economic development actions, signage pilot and digital hub","audioSeconds",856,"startMs",2372000,"endMs",3228000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2510693-a151628bf9e5c06dd66b11c31f0eae97&start=2372&end=3228","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2510693-a151628bf9e5c06dd66b11c31f0eae97/thumbnail_2372000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6650085/Carlsbad/San-Diego-County/California/Carlsbad-staff-seek-subcommittee-recommendation-to-council-for-economic-development-actions-signage-pilot-and-digital-hub","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6650085-8a9fdcfd921f09d51dae4be889242e6c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155378&Signature=Hxxe74OddFVY9sXGYowPwi0I8O0oQULiisF9HwQUwjrJl36O799~dZiDArDy65NYJTqc2MNz87Csf~0B3aE0zbt62Fhf3Cyhm6fc-XatD0ft-okMPmJJMqNEHN-Vx~MLE4ZReSKDQHXXeyIxNCxxi60dkvKtfdnYs39P7qa5xffe7RyLtacr6dOgV4qDkVJCL2CRen0KAwgDPW8bipFvNc89ZRpPLv0SPuzV0jQXLapfYeMa0efEfruj4ok3YVPvUuZcjFz7fMGeILNyTjxF4mshRoPxyDvB5AGEswlg7QtLLr6Ho9~PpLL4g3eiHWqQtODfD-rwcPRaqmybbdDQlA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Carlsbad","date","2025-03-05T00:00:00Z","article","City economic development staff asked a Carlsbad subcommittee to recommend a set of strategic actions and modest budget requests for fiscal year 2025–26 that would expand small‑business support, workforce development and placemaking.

\"The small business liaison provides 1 on 1 support to help businesses navigate city processes, including permitting, zoning, workforce resources, signage regulations, and compliance with other city ordinances,\" said Rachel Mault, senior program manager and small business liaison for the City of Carlsbad, describing the liaison program and a newly launched digital resource hub designed to give businesses market data, supplier maps and a \"shop local\" directory.

Staff described 15 proposed actions across four pillars in the adopted Economic Development Strategic Plan (small business support, workforce and talent attraction, key industry support, and placemaking/engagement). Two items staff said would require requested budget allocations during the normal budget process were a pilot signage improvement program (staff asked for $25,000) and a package of items with a combined budget request the presentation described as $60,000 for the fiscal year.

Rachel Mault said the city is working with UC San Diego's i4x program to research storefront and signage programs used by 13 California cities; students will deliver recommendations in late May. Matt (economic development staff) said staff believe a targeted signage pilot would be the \"best bang for the buck\" as an early, cost‑effective way to support downtown businesses while staff develop a fuller storefront improvement framework.

Representatives of local business organizations offered updates: Brett Schanzenbach, president and CEO of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, described a new Future CEO program for middle‑school students; Christine Davis, executive director of the Carlsbad Village Association, discussed a potential signage/facade approach and reported mixed results from a small‑business survey; and Kim Sidorak, president and CEO of Visit Carlsbad, reported modest hotel performance growth in 2024 and described destination marketing and an autism‑friendly certification effort.

After staff presentation and questions about coordination with the communications team and program details, a council member moved and a second was recorded (names not given in the transcript). The subcommittee voted unanimously to forward staff's recommended actions to the full City Council for inclusion in the 2025–26 budget process. The vote was recorded in the meeting as \"passes unanimously; all of the committee members voted for.\"

Staff said they will return with greater detail, a proposed eligibility framework and a proposed implementation plan for any pilot programs if the full council approves budget allocations during the city budget process.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Carlsbad - Economic Development Subcommittee - Mar 05, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","City economic development staff asked the subcommittee to forward a package of 15 strategic actions for fiscal year 2025–26 to the full council, including a $25,000 signage pilot and a digital small‑business resource hub. The subcommittee voted to recommend the actions to the full council.","taxTitle","Carlsbad, San Diego County, California","taxId",2843,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6650089,"San Diego North EDC: High mortgage rates, slower life-science leasing and tight labor market shaping Carlsbad outlook",1414,46000,1460000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2510693-a151628bf9e5c06dd66b11c31f0eae97&start=46&end=1460","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2510693-a151628bf9e5c06dd66b11c31f0eae97/thumbnail_46000.jpg","/articles/6650089/Carlsbad/San-Diego-County/California/San-Diego-North-EDC-High-mortgage-rates-slower-life-science-leasing-and-tight-labor-market-shaping-Carlsbad-outlook","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6650089-7d8ac197dd8073883534a6b56d8ce18e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155378&Signature=XYxTsIBj9kqt6YIkrqGzbJ030JvrZSkEIXxkETKo0a6pLPKy8IC1MmP4S9sXT~qj26976IKSDyolP8eRn7vAyMb9mlYB1PwdWBYKXdFFb6vwAiXfs15v8CwonTZMe7F8uOTVCbR0JJdQPGS29hyu4~XcXr1JfbeW19zL3nYoPoN1qYI03YmPrdg9CjtV4X8oAhLTiqYAh5OojBqavIcvN44Op4kPora5iHw-rhFF52GIKcbIqYi6xYKDTnTBqMoETWpJmm7tQwnpRg65hR-gpcfzHy-M4hjKV~sid~ym0Kqc~ojktl-ucqdb9yvc4oCzUAW7ENVYmAcykL3PC6IhPw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Eric Buevold, president and CEO of the San Diego North Economic Development Council, told a Carlsbad economic development subcommittee that several regional trends — elevated interest rates, slower life-science expansion, rising vacancy in local business parks and an ongoing housing–jobs imbalance — are likely to shape the city’s economy in 2025.

\"Inflation's likely to remain modestly elevated, and consequently, we're not gonna see a rate cut,\" Buevold said, adding that mortgage rates have tracked the Federal Reserve and have recently been \"well above 6%\" and at times above 7 percent. He said that high mortgage rates and higher borrowing costs have reduced home turnover and suppressed nonresidential construction.

Those mortgage-rate dynamics have curtailed home sales in Carlsbad: Buevold showed data indicating the market recorded just 65 home sales during a recent month, and he said the city added about 9,500 net jobs between 2013 and 2023 while adding roughly 3,100 housing units in the same period. \"That is not sustainable,\" he said, linking the imbalance to continued developer interest in rezonings, accessory dwelling unit requests and other housing actions.

Buevold also described a softening in the local office/industrial market: Carlsbad's business park experienced negative net absorption of about 54,000 square feet, he said, driven in part by a pullback from large users such as Amazon and by reduced leasing by a major life‑science real estate investor that has prioritized assets in Torrey Pines.

On federal policy, Buevold highlighted two risks for the region. First, he said the National Institutes of Health supplied \"over $1,000,000,000\" to the region in 2024 and warned that cuts to indirect‑cost reimbursements could create \"multi‑hundred‑million dollar\" shortfalls at research institutions that support local jobs and labs. \"People who you are who are your constituents will get laid off,\" he said. Second, he described tariff proposals affecting U.S.–Mexico cross‑border manufacturing as a concern for North County firms that rely on Baja supply chains, noting manufacturers such as Thermo Fisher and TaylorMade operate cross‑border production.

Buevold said unemployment is likely to remain low and that CPI in the 3–4 percent range should not materially reduce retail sales. He recommended local efforts to support shop‑local programs and workforce development, and he flagged health‑care funding risks, saying potential Medicaid cuts could threaten emergency‑room operations at regional hospitals that serve Carlsbad residents.

Council members thanked Buevold for the briefing and pressed for more data tying housing costs to recruitment and retention at local employers. Buevold said his organization plans targeted research on midlevel manufacturing roles and professional development as a strategy to retain and grow local talent.

The presentation and council questions focused on trends rather than formal actions. Staff and regional partners said they will continue monitoring mortgage and labor indicators, NIH funding proposals, tariff developments and Medicaid policy for implications to Carlsbad.

","Eric Buevold of the San Diego North Economic Development Council briefed Carlsbad officials on 2025 trends: persistently elevated mortgage rates and inflation, slower life-science expansion, rising office vacancy in local business parks, and risks tied to federal policy including NIH indirect-cost changes and tariffs.","actionData","errors"]

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Carlsbad staff seek subcommittee recommendation to council for economic development actions, signage pilot and digital hub

San Diego North EDC: High mortgage rates, slower life-science leasing and tight labor market shaping Carlsbad outlook