Leander rolls out small-business toolkit and new permitting supports; city and chamber outline steps to ease openings

Leander officials introduced a small-business resource guide and several related support steps Monday at a city-hosted small-business roundtable and workshop, saying the materials and process changes are intended to help entrepreneurs navigate zoning, permitting and site selection.

The resource guide "is a step-by-step guide on how to start a business here in Leander," said Ken Sarajasic, assistant to the city manager and innovation coordinator. Sarajasic told attendees the guide will be posted on the city website and distributed electronically to those who sign the meeting sheet.

The guide and staff presentations focused on practical start-up steps — choosing a business structure, registering a name, tax and insurance basics — and on local, procedural supports: a predevelopment meeting to identify permit and zoning issues early; an online site-selection "story map" that shows commercial developments and visitor data; and a new project-manager role in Development Services to shepherd new projects through reviews.

"We now have a senior planner set up to be a project manager for a case," said Robin Griffin, executive director of Development Services. Griffin said the city also launched a comment-resolution meeting process, in which reviewers and applicants meet after initial review comments to resolve issues before formal resubmittal.

Randall Malik, director of Economic Development, described tools the department can use to advise site selection, including a Placer.ai data feed and a city "story map" that shows traffic, demographics and development timelines. Malik said the city is seeing substantial retail and industrial activity in corridors including Ronald Reagan, 183A and Hero Way, and noted specific projects such as a 250,000-square-foot speculative industrial project off Hero Way and roughly 750,000 square feet of retail expected to come online in 2026.

Chamber of Commerce president Bridget Brandt and local business owners said the most common challenges for new Leander businesses are simply "getting open" and finding and retaining employees once open. "Getting open is probably the biggest hurdle," Brandt said. "And then awareness — making sure people know you exist — is the other big issue."

Dino Bolero, owner of Sharks Burgers, cited signage and staffing as recurring problems. "When you open, make sure you check your signage," Bolero said, describing difficulties with visibility and with sign-location rules for businesses tucked behind larger developments.

Speakers also pointed to funding and workforce resources available beyond the city. Sarajasic and others listed county and state incentive programs, the U.S. Small Business Administration, Texas Workforce Solutions and regional start-up supports such as Capital Factory, MassChallenge and Tech Ranch as potential funding, training or networking resources.

Transportation and access questions arose for some attendees. Staff noted a city pickup transit service now extends to a six-mile radius and that the city will host a transportation workshop for the public on June 25 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in council chambers to discuss broader transit priorities.

The session concluded with several practical next steps: the city will publish the digital small-business guide and economic-development story map online, continue implementation of project managers and comment-resolution meetings in Development Services, and share contacts for local nonprofits and banks (South Star Bank provided SBA-lending information at the event). The Leander Chamber of Commerce will continue outreach and business spotlights; staff encouraged new and prospective business owners to use the chamber's referral and networking services.

The meeting included questions from several small-business owners and staff stayed afterward to take follow-up questions from attendees.