|
Santa Clarita Launches 21-Point |
|
Written by The Magazine of Santa Clarita
|
Business Plan for Progress The City of Santa Clarita City Council approved an unprecedented 21-Point Business Plan for Progress, investing more than $5.1 million in new programs and incentives aimed at boosting the local economy now and well into the future.
The 21-Point Plan for Progress is a result of the City Council’s
request to staff to outreach to the local business organizations and
the business community and provide ideas to spur the local economy in
the short and long-term. The City Council adopted the plan in a 5-0
vote on Tuesday, April 28 at the regular City Council meeting.
The plan calls for use of both general fund dollars and federal stimulus monies to implement.
The 21-Point Plan boasts a variety of innovative programs, including a
first-ever Film Incentive Program (FIP), providing subsidized permit
fees and a TOT rebate program for locally based productions. The FIP
is designed to strengthen incentives recently introduced by the state,
helping to retain valuable productions and entertainment companies in
Los Angeles. Also included is a $250,000 “Think Santa Clarita Valley”
Shop Local campaign to promote the area’s abundant retail, dining, and
professional service offerings among residents, businesses, and
audiences in greater Los Angeles, in an effort to support locally-based
companies.
“I am very pleased with the 21-Point Business Plan for Progress the
City will be undertaking this year in partnership with several
community organizations. I believe these directives will go a long way
towards improving the local economy quickly and effectively,” commented
Frank Ferry, Mayor.
Since the City of Santa Clarita’s incorporation in 1987, staff has
worked to make doing business within the City as simple as possible.
As part of the 21-Point Plan for Progress, Santa Clarita will create a
development one-stop at City Hall, helping to streamline the permit
process and expedite business permitting needs. Based upon requests
from the business community, the City will review and update its
development process by introducing new technology, allowing business
owners to submit their plans and receive permits online, saving time
and money.
As part of the plan, the City of Santa Clarita will invest $50,000 to
broaden marketing efforts for the City’s Enterprise Zone program.
Since the City was designated an Enterprise Zone a year and a half ago,
the program has generated a potential $14,689,000 in savings to local
business, a number the City believes is only a small portion of what
can be achieved with increased awareness about the program and its
benefits.
The Santa Clarita City Council also approved further review and
consideration of a hotel business improvement district (BID), which
could potentially generate hundreds of thousands of dollars to support
tourism attraction to the Santa Clarita Valley. The City of Santa
Clarita already works closely with tourism partners like Six Flags
California, Westfield Valencia Town Center, and local hotels and
tourism-minded businesses to market the area and support regional and
national tourism, which contributes more than $10 million annually to
the local economy. A Use Tax incentive for business expansion program
was also approved, whereby business owners that direct use tax payments
in excess of $20,000 annually would qualify for subsidized permit fees
or rebates, directly improving local business’ bottom line.
Other aspects of the plan include: maximizing federal stimulus dollars
for infrastructure projects that benefit the community, directing
federal dollars towards Neighborhood Stabilization Programs that
proactively address local vacant and foreclosed homes, improving the
WorkSource Center, increasing the City’s incentive to purchase locally
from five percent to 10 percent; and working with local public and
private partners to create an Economic Development Corporation for
Santa Clarita.
Most of the programs detailed in the 21-Point Plan for Progress will
become active this coming May. Some programs requiring additional
research, community collaboration, and/or direction based on federal
rules and guidelines will be implemented as soon as possible. For more
information about the plan, please visit Santa-Clarita.com .
The City of Santa Clarita was founded in 1987 and remains one of
Southern California’s most sought-after communities in which to live,
work, and play, recognized as one of the best economies in California
by Union Bank. In 2008 the Los Angeles Economic Development
Corporation named the City of Santa Clarita “Los Angeles County’s Most
Business Friendly City,” and the California Association for Local
Economic Development recently recognized the City’s Small Business
Program as the “Best Economic Development Program” in the state for
2008. This marked the third consecutive year the City took home top
honors from CALED for its business programming, as the City was
recognized in 2006 for its Film Santa Clarita Program and in 2007 for
its Tourism Program.
|
