EDC creates Sonoma Boulevard business‑retention ad hoc to meet with property owners and merchants

The Vallejo Economic Development Commission on Sept. 10 voted to form a one‑year Business Retention and Expansion ad hoc subcommittee focused on the Sonoma Boulevard corridor. The motion establishing the ad hoc group passed 6–0; members will be appointed at a future meeting and staff will return with a formal resolution and charge.

Vice Chair Monroe and other commissioners described the subcommittee’s scope as business and property‑owner outreach, including meetings with shopping center owners, motel/hotel operators and retailers to understand expansion plans, barriers, workforce needs and property‑level redevelopment opportunities. Commissioners proposed a mix of merchant visits, owner outreach and broker or investor breakfasts as tactics. The commission discussed making the subcommittee nimble — not a permanent standing committee — and setting a clear one‑year term with a charge to report back to the EDC regularly.

City staff reminded commissioners that ad hoc bodies must have a specific duration and charge; ad hoc meetings are not subject to the Brown Act if they contain no more than three commissioners. The commission directed staff to prepare a resolution formalizing the subcommittee and to include details such as the number of members (no more than three commissioners on the ad hoc), the one‑year term and reporting expectations. At the meeting’s roll call on formation the commissioners voted yes: Chair Lufus, Vice Chair Monroe, Commissioners Harrell, Gonzales, Williams and Mitchell. The commission also discussed leveraging the city’s list of businesses and property owners for outreach and suggested coordination with the City Council’s cluster focus on corridors such as Sonoma Boulevard.

Commissioners flagged topics they want the subcommittee to explore: landlord/tenant dynamics, property‑owner willingness to invest in facade or site improvements, workforce availability and how city purchasing policy could incentivize local procurement. Staff will return with the written charge, timeline and a proposed membership list for a future meeting where the commission will appoint subcommittee members.