TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Keith Stahley, City Manager
FROM: Kristin Retherford, Urban Development Director
SUBJECT:
title
Economic development quarterly report
Ward(s): All Wards
Councilor(s): All Councilors
Neighborhood(s): All Neighborhoods
Result Area(s): Strong and Diverse Economy
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SUMMARY:
summary
City Council requested quarterly economic development reports from the Urban Development Department. This report includes activity from quarter three of calendar year 2022.
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ISSUE:
Information report on economic development activities during the third quarter of Calendar year 2022.
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Information only.
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FACTS AND FINDINGS:
URA Grant Activity
Property owners and businesses continue to access URA grants to spur new development and redevelopment. In the Riverfront-Downtown URA, approximately $20,000 of Strategic Project Grant funds awarded to cover costs for crime prevention improvements, including trash enclosures, fencing, security lighting, and cameras. Capital Improvement grants helped partially fund window replacement in two buildings.
In the North Gateway URA, one Strategic Project Grant project was completed and eight are underway. To date, $138,819 of grant funds have been committed to assist with crime prevention improvements.
Business Outreach
Urban Development staff had over 40 connections with businesses in the last quarter. Common topics of outreach and assistance meetings are Urban Renewal Grants, questions on business expansion, assistance with development projects, and general inquiries on City services and doing business in Salem.
Marketing Videos
The first Business Marketing video was completed in October. The video features downtown coworking spaces and can be viewed on YouTube. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRW_jWI_h_E>. Two more videos are being edited, one on Oregon Fruit and the other on Chubby Bao located in Fork Forty.
Entrepreneurship
The first cohort of the Latino Microenterprise Development Program started in September. The cohort consists of about 25 new and aspiring businesses. Classes focus on six key areas of business and are taught at Chemeketa Community College.
Local start-up Chomp! Chocolate is expanding. The business started about a year ago with one employee. They have now grown to six and are planning to add six more employees with the addition of a second shift. They sell their vegan chocolates online, at Roth’s, and recently signed a contact with Kroger/Fred Meyer. Chomp! Chocolate has been receiving a lot of attention including SEDCOR’s Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Recruitment
City staff continue to work with Scannell Properties to create a new lot for the Dollar General distribution center at the Mill Creek Corporate Center. The company will be starting construction this fall along with a new public street proposed as Logistics Street SE that will connect Mill Creek Drive SE to Turner Road SE. At around 800,000 square feet, the project is valued at $168 Million and will add about 400 jobs.
Seth Lenaerts
Program Manager
Attachments: None