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Economic development director outlines goals: Spark Surprise, downtown master plan and workforce initiatives

5738510 · September 2, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Janine, economic development staff, presented the department’s strategic plan linking council priorities — jobs, retail, downtown walkability and talent — to projects including Spark Surprise, an Elm Street master plan, a digital-twin tech park and workforce partnerships with local schools and Ottawa University.

Janine, the city’s economic development lead, presented the department’s strategic plan to the Surprise City Council on Sept. 2, describing goals to grow jobs, strengthen retail amenities, create a walkable downtown and develop local workforce talent.

“We want to grow our employment base,” Janine said, summarizing the department mission to “foster economic growth by facilitating new employment opportunities, workforce development, retail attraction, entrepreneurship, and local business retention.”

Why it matters: Council members said economic development is central to the city’s fiscal future and quality of life. Janine tied day-to-day programs to the council’s strategic plan and emphasized partnerships with…

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