Keller will overhaul online business guide, staff to interview local businesses; six new June openings reported

Keller Economic Development staff said the city will overhaul its online business guide to simplify information for prospective and expanding businesses, add a clickable flowchart, highlight early contact with the fire department and link to state and county workforce resources.

During the July 21 meeting staff said the guide redesign will remove duplicate or outdated links, provide clearer steps to permitting and inspections, and could include a pop‑up on the city’s site‑selection page that advises prospects to contact community development before signing a lease.

"We have a flowchart from a few years ago that we wanna figure out how to maybe link it to where the different steps maybe you can click into some of it," said Sarah, an economic development staff member. She also said staff will pilot a simple scheduling option for 30‑minute pre‑application conversations with economic development and community development staff.

Outreach and business interviews Staff plans to interview 10–12 existing local businesses — a mix of long‑standing firms and recent openings — to capture the practical steps that worked or created bottlenecks. Examples staff suggested for interviews included businesses in Town Center, Old Town Keller and along Davis and Bear Creek Parkway.

Recent openings and permit activity Staff reported six new businesses opened in June, listing the names included in the update: Cultivate Behavioral Management Corporation (therapy for autism), The Kindred (content creator space) at 126 Taylor Street, Maverick Emerging Technologies LLC at 900 Katy Road, Summit Orthopedics of Texas at 1149 Keller Parkway, Infinity Nail and Head Spa at 1340 Main Street and Superior Med Spa at 101 Town Center Lane. The presenter said the city had issued 62 certificates of occupancy through June, with 31 of those for new businesses.

Grants and code improvement programs Staff also reviewed local facade and life‑safety grant activity. The life‑safety grant is intended to help bring existing structures up to current life‑safety code and to offset mandatory, often costly improvements for businesses moving into older buildings. Staff said the life‑safety program is intended for pre‑existing structures; new construction is expected to be designed to current code.

Staff said facade grant activity has been ongoing and that two applications were expected to come to the board next month. The presenter offered to distribute application links and supporting materials to the board via email to encourage applications.

Why it matters: staff said simplifying the online guide and proactively contacting prospects can reduce costly mistakes by tenants and speed openings. Board members and staff framed the rewrite as a multiweek project that will continue after the city’s Open Rewards/Restaurant Week promotion is launched.

Next steps: staff will send the updated business‑interview list and the life‑safety and facade grant application links to the board, and will coordinate with the chamber on marketing and follow‑up.