HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 4a. OVERVIEW AND UPDATE OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN Item 4a
Human Relations Commission
Agenda Report
For Agenda of: 6/4/2025
Item Number: 4a
FROM: Samantha Vethavanam, DEI Administrative Specialist
Phone Number: (805) 781-7064
E-mail: svethava@slocity.org
SUBJECT: OVERVIEW AND UPDATE ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
STRATEGIC PLAN
RECOMMENDATION
Receive and file the Economic Development Strategic Plan overview and update.
BACKGROUND
In July 2023, the City Council adopted an updated Economic Development Strategic Plan
(EDSP). The original EDSP was adopted in 2012 and updated in 2015. The overarching
goal of the plan is to continue to advance the economic vitality of the City of San Luis
Obispo (City) and develop strategies that strengthen the City's economic development
efforts while integrating the principles of sustainability, diversity, equity, and inclusion. The
current EDSP also emphasizes business retention, expansion of arts and culture, and
ongoing contributions to the vibrancy of downtown.
The EDSP has created broad themes that encompass the three following key pillars and
their subsequent action plans:
1. Business & Entrepreneurship Vitality
2. Placemaking & Promotion
3. Talent Development & Attraction
To keep the community informed on progress towards the goals of the EDSP, City staff
publish quarterly updates online. The latest update, from April 25, 2025, can be found
here. Of particular interest for the Human Relations Commission within the EDSP are the
following items, which overlap with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives:
• 1.4.2: Encourage business development in sectors that support the long-terms
goals of the City as it relates to sustainability and DEI.
• 1.4.3: Use information gathered from the business license demographic questions
to reach out to specific types of businesses to help determine the unique needs of
minority-owned businesses and develop a plan to address identified challenges
with assistance from relevant partners.
• 1.4.4: Encourage and promote inclusive business practices Citywide by capturing
Item 4a
and showcasing best practices discovered from the DEI Business Grant program
and other relevant programs. Share and distribute creative solutions to the broader
business community.
• 1.5.2: Continue to partner with the Office of DEI to implement the economic
development related actions in the DEI Major City Goal and planned DEI strategic
framework as well as the DEI related actions in the updated EDSP.
• 1.5.3: Leverage information gathered from surveys, business visitations, insights
from local partners, and other sources to determine business support gaps and
monitor improvements over time.
• 1.5.4: Ensure awareness of business support and economic development
resources, especially within minority communities and among business owners
who are new to the area or may have language barriers.
• 2.1.2: Ensure that the City’s efforts related to sustainability and open space
protection (as documented in the CAP) and DEI (as documented in the forthcoming
DEI Strategic Plan) are incorporated into the ED&T work program, as appropriate.
• 2.2.1.1: Highlight diverse residents, visitors, business owners, and employees to
share testimonials of their experiences in SLO. This could be individuals sharing
stories of their business, occupation, hobbies, personal history, or experience with
local events and destinations.
• 2.2.2: Highlight the diverse culture, history, assets, and amenities of the City to
help foster a sense of inclusion.
• 2.4.3: Investigate the alignment of artistic and cultural initiatives across the City.
• 2.4.5: Engage the Office of DEI to develop initiatives that encourage increased
participation in arts programming by underserved groups, including youth.
This item will include an overview of the Economic Development team and their roles
within the City, an overview of the EDSP and some progress highlights, and an update
on the items listed above.