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Carlsbad staff propose six new economic development actions and $75,000 study; pilot for faster permitting suggested
Summary
Staff presented progress on 55 strategic actions and proposed six additions for FY26–27—including a business-walk outreach, employer feedback mechanism, pilot for prioritized faster permit review and a $75,000 one-time business-sentiment study; the subcommittee was asked to review and return recommendations.
City staff presented an update on implementation of the five-year economic development strategic plan and proposed six new actions for fiscal year 2026–27. The staff memo said 55 strategic actions are already underway and the six proposed additions would raise the total to 61.
Key proposed actions include a coordinated business-walk program to conduct outreach in business parks and commercial centers; a retooled cadence for the business sentiment (biannual) survey (proposed every three years to save costs); a feedback mechanism for real-time employer recruiting and hiring challenges; and a pilot economic-development prioritization that would evaluate faster preliminary permit review for businesses meeting specific criteria.
Staff estimated a one-time cost of $75,000 to support a business sentiment study that includes surveying costs; staff told the subcommittee surveying alone commonly drives costs and said Cal State San Marcos may be engaged to reduce vendor expense through senior-experience coursework. "Anytime there is a surveying element, it's automatically $50,000 just to do that, when we talk with providers," staff said.
Program metrics and tools: staff highlighted existing program outcomes—151 businesses served through the small business liaison program (representing about 1,100 employees), expansion of office hours and a Digital Resource Hub that logged over 4,100 page views and 20,000 insight reports since its soft launch in 2025.
What’s next: Staff will refine proposed criteria for any prioritized-permit pilot and return with final recommendations and cost estimates to the subcommittee for further direction during the budget process.
