Concord committee refines business survey to capture employee needs, parking and confidentiality

Committee members spent a large portion of the Sept. 25 meeting refining a business survey intended to gather information from Concord retailers and service providers about customers, employees and operational constraints.

Staff and committee members discussed survey wording and data collection strategy. A draft estimate of seasonal customer mix — roughly 70% residents and 30% visitors in winter, reversing in summer — was flagged as useful context for marketing and visitation planning. The committee agreed the questionnaire should distinguish employees from shoppers, capture likely commute origins and hours employees need to arrive and leave, and include an upfront confidentiality statement to encourage candid responses.

"I think it's really important to state confidentiality just right up front so that people understand it," Mark Martinez said, urging that retailers be reassured before they answer questions about competitors or staffing challenges. Staff said the tool will be implemented using SurveyMonkey and distributed through flyers, QR codes and in‑person outreach at business events.

Members also debated whether the survey should aim at business owners, managers or landlords; several suggested separate outreach will be needed to reach developers and commercial landlords who declined to pursue storefronts. The committee asked staff to circulate a revised draft before wider distribution and proposed using local events to increase response rates.

Next steps include a revised questionnaire circulated to the committee and targeted distribution plans aimed at collecting actionable data for parking, transit and business‑recruitment recommendations.