Economic Development in Davis – Part 1

By Rob White

When I first arrived in Davis, there was a lot of discussion about economic development and how to assimilate into a single vision the many years of process and many documents developed to address the stated need. This was a pretty serious task, especially while in the background staff were working on public engagement regarding innovation park sites, the Mace easement discussions, Yolo County rail relocation, County-wide broadband, outreach to  the university, branding the City, working with regional entities, discussions with tech businesses to identify needs, assisting small businesses, hosting international visitors, establishing networks across the greater Northern California region… well, you get the idea.

And of course, we also conducted significant outreach to meet with as many community members and organizations as possible (though I know there are more to go!) so that I could become educated about the Davis community values. This is important because traditional economic development efforts will not work in Davis. We are not trying to build a retail power center, we are not working to get the latest and greatest entertainment complex and we aren’t looking to attract an auto super mall. These are the efforts many economic development professionals across the US are engaged in on a consistent basis, but these do not fit with the current Davis culture.

These efforts are often referred to as business attraction, retention, and expansion. And though Davis most certainly wants to do this with technology companies, downtown businesses, boutiques and local purveyors, most economic development professionals are not discriminating and are doing everything they can to facilitate job creation of any kind.

What I have surmised from my outreach is that in Davis there is a specific focus on being discerning. We want to build an economy that is not dependent on any one sector, builds from the robust research and development at UC Davis and embraces the concepts of sustainability and conservation. And though this is a tall order and a much more difficult vision to execute from, I think it is what makes Davis special in the Sacramento Region.

I have also spent a lot of time reading the documents from the many iterations of business park efforts, the General Plan, various specific plans, the work by the Business and Economic Development Commission from the last two decades (or more), the many fact sheets and handouts created by staff and other partner organizations, UC Davis’ plans and reports, the regional Next Economy documents, the Sacramento Area Council of Governments Blueprint Plan and guiding documents, and various other related economic development and land use plans, guidance, and proposals. I am sure I have forgotten some, but again you get the idea. And my best resource has been Sarah Worley, the City’s Economic Development Coordinator for the last 9 years, and her encyclopedic memory and vast knowledge of our efforts in Davis.

And for comparability, I have spent a lot of time reading information about other regions in the US and assessing the similarities and best practices that may be instructive to our own efforts. It is always easiest when trying to chart a pathway to be able to see if someone else has a map, or at least a compass. And not surprisingly, we have lots of knowledge to draw from and there are many cities and regions that are trying to accomplish similar outcomes.

One great example of this is California Forward (www.CAFWD.org), who has done a considerable amount of work framing the future of California prosperity in the words of triple bottom-line sustainability – economic, environmental and social. And I think these words and concepts are very much in line with the efforts in Davis. I encourage you to review the CA FWD website and see if you agree.

So what does Economic Development look like in Davis? Well, it most certainly is not rooted in the traditional economic development activities that most other jurisdictions would commit their resources towards. And though it is easy to say what it isn’t, it may be a little more challenging to state what it is. But let’s try. Though not a complete list (due to article size), I would premise that economic development activities include:

• Working in close partnership with the university at the administrative, college, dean, faculty, researcher, staff and student level to identify shared business opportunities, including support of small and emerging technology startups.
• Supporting technology companies through facilitating collaborative networks that increase investment capital, enhance facilities, encourage job creation and lead to additional research and development.
• Engaging with small and local businesses in downtown and across the City to identify needs and strengthen networks between community partners to help address these needs.
• Creating a consistent positive message about Davis’ amenities and attributes that are beneficial to business, including a high quality of life, sustainability leadership, educated workforce, abundant entry level trainees and a vibrant community.
• Assessing and determining appropriate location(s) for technology and research business growth.
• Identifying areas in downtown and across the City that are appropriate for reuse and densification for business and urban living, and identifying the appropriate ways to remove barriers to success that accomplish positive outcomes in line with Davis values.
• Engaging with our elected delegations and administrative agencies at the regional, state and federal levels and more clearly communicating our efforts, successes and needs.
• Encouraging a positive regional approach that educates our partner cities and counties about Davis’ leadership capacity and puts Davis staff and community leaders in key positions of opportunity.

Though these are just a few of the concepts that I believe encompass the efforts Davis should take to improve economic vitality, I am happy to report that City staff will be bringing a draft Economic Development Strategy to the City Council meeting on February 11^th to more completely outline the actions, goals and desired outcomes for the next 24 months. The strategy will be very focused on key activities so that the limited City staff resources are directed at activities that will maximize our impact.

Above all else, in my mind we need to set the stage for success… we need to start to broadly engage each other and our partners locally and regionally so that the easy to achieve goals are realized, as well as the more long-term strategic efforts. The strategy document is meant to focus our efforts narrowly on opportunities for success and to outline our actions so that our partners will have a clear sense of what the City staff will be working on and how they can best engage and collaborate.

I will write more about this economic development strategy next week as we lead up to the City Council meeting. I look forward to seeing you there.

Please let me know your thoughts here on the Vanguard or email to me at rwhite@cityofdavis.org.

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