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Salinas presents two‑year economic development work plan to guide new division
Summary
Assistant City Manager Lisa Murphy outlined a two‑year work plan for the newly formed Economic Development Division, listing five goals including business retention, attraction, destination branding, land‑use optimization and service modernization, and identified staffing and performance metrics for implementation.
Assistant City Manager Lisa Murphy presented a proposed two‑year economic development work plan to the Salinas Finance Committee on Aug. 12, saying the plan is intended as a working document for a newly created Economic Development Division.
“This is a working document for the division, the newly created division,” Murphy said, adding the plan “sets out a road map” for the division’s organization, priorities and performance measures.
The work plan, which Murphy said is distinct from a future strategic plan, lists five principal goals: support existing businesses through a business retention and expansion program; attract new businesses through targeted outreach and real estate tracking; promote Salinas as a destination; optimize land use and modernize infrastructure; and enhance city services and streamline permitting and regulatory processes. Murphy said hiring for a deputy director of economic development is underway and the division will work closely with the existing business navigator position in Community Development.
Immediate actions include conducting a business survey and inventory, adopting a customer relationship management system, launching a pop‑up storefront pilot called Streetfront to Storefront, developing a targeted marketing and branding effort that leverages local cultural assets such as the Steinbeck Center and Sherwood Hall, and preparing a set of six economic indicators to track progress: new business licenses issued, business discontinuations, transient occupancy tax (TOT) revenue, unemployment rate, sales tax revenue and building permits.
Councilmembers and staff discussed how to turn the plan’s goals into measurable internal accountability. Mayor Donahue and Councilmember Margaret asked for clear internal metrics on permitting turnaround, the number of development contacts that did not proceed and reasons why, and how the division will report progress back to the council. Murphy and other staff said those operational metrics are already being developed and that the new deputy director would focus on internal process improvements and reporting.
Murphy also described the division’s role coordinating projects such as the Chinatown revitalization and airport opportunities, and noted that future staffing could include an economic development analyst if data needs and funding support the hire.
Committee members offered general support and emphasized managing public perception through early, visible actions. Murphy said the plan is intended to be flexible and evolve as projects and partnerships develop.
