Councilman Roman reports IEDC trip: site selectors, housing strategies and outreach leads for Farmers Branch

Councilman Roman told the Farmers Branch City Council at the Oct. 22 study session that he and "Perla" attended the International Economic Development Council conference and came away with practical ideas and new contacts to support local economic development.

"I was 1 of the handful of people who were elected officials who attended," Roman said, describing the conference as "the largest economic development gathering in the world," and saying he and Perla split sessions to gather more information to share with staff.

Roman highlighted several takeaways: better municipal marketing and clearer web materials for site selectors, new approaches to address 'missing-middle' housing through public-private partnerships, and meetings with builders already looking at projects in the Dallas area. He said he and Perla also met the president of the National Association of Realtors and learned about grant programs that "are available for cities like ours." Roman said staff would follow up on those grant leads.

Roman also emphasized engagement strategies for the city’s Hispanic community, which he noted is "53% Hispanic," saying the conference included sessions on encouraging Hispanic civic participation and using targeted outreach channels.

He suggested the council and staff use conference contacts and materials to refine Farmers Branch’s value proposition to developers and to improve outreach to small-business owners and underrepresented populations. Roman said he looked forward to working with staff to implement several of the ideas.