Pleasanton — City staff presented an informational update on the 2024–2028 economic development strategic plan and outlined near‑term implementation steps to support business retention and retail attraction.

Ellen (staff) and Melinda (economic development lead) summarized five implementation priorities including organizational capacity building, business retention and attraction, local revenue growth through retail and lodging, strengthened regional partnerships, and a major‑projects accelerator program. Melinda said staff will develop an economic development microsite to centralize permit, zoning and process information for developers and tenants, with a target launch in early 2026.

The update outlined concrete outreach and marketing actions: industry‑specific brochures, monthly business newsletters, prelease coordination meetings with building/planning/fire staff to help prospective tenants and landlords, targeted broker outreach, and sponsorships tied to regional events. Melinda said the city is working with consultants (Alex Greenwood) on retail vacancy analysis and a retail attraction strategy, and plans to hire an economic development manager in January 2026 to accelerate phase‑2 implementation.

On regulatory streamlining, staff said changes adopted earlier in the meeting (design review and appeals amendments) complement retail and tenant‑improvement efforts. Council members asked how the city might shorten building plan‑review turnaround for tenant improvements (currently about three weeks for first review) and whether the city will actively recruit target retailers. Staff said they are exploring expedited TI plan reviews and additional marketing resources, noting some activities require additional staffing or consultant support.

Council discussion also touched on historic‑property incentives such as the Mills Act. Staff said the city has previously analyzed Mills Act options; property owners were cautious and the program has fiscal implications. Melinda and other staff said they would take the pulse of downtown property owners and report back with potential options and budget implications.

The informational item concluded with council encouragement for the proposed playbook and outreach, and with staff committing to return with additional details as staffing and consultant work progress.