Economic Development Plan

By Joseph J. "Joe" Palla

The City Council recently adopted an Economic Development Plan with both short term and long-term goals and objectives.

i. Grow and attract new businesses consistent with Cloverdale's small-town environment. Focus on small businesses in the short-term, while laying the groundwork for larger enterprises in the longer-term.

ii. Support existing businesses by promoting an environment that helps them to prosper.

iii. Leverage Cloverdale's arts community and attract complementary businesses.

iv. Maximize Cloverdale's assets of natural beauty, recreational amenities, and its role in the region in order to attract complementary businesses and visitors to frequent both existing and new businesses.

v. Focus on strategic growth via catalyst projects and annexation of areas that will promote job growth for the community.

vi. Improve and enhance City-owned and other assets, such as the Cloverdale Plaza and the current Police/former Fire station, in order to revitalize the downtown while maintaining Cloverdale's small-town, friendly atmosphere.

This plan will help guide us in efforts to develop a healthy business environment in the downtown corridor. The City needs to take a leadership role in efforts to bring needed retail services and light industry into the City.

This plan will help create needed jobs and will allow residents to shop and spend money locally, rather then leaving town to shop. In addition, it will help Cloverdale become a destination point, a place where people will come to visit, stay in our hotels, motels, B & B's and spend money.

By taking these steps, it will help build our infrastructure and help build our economic strength. Building our economic strength is critical if we are to be successful as a city. The city needs to build a solid tax base in order to provide and maintain essential services, such as police, fire, parks, youth and senior programs, and repair streets.

In order to accomplish this it will take team work, input from residents, investors, and developers. It won't be easy, but it is doable. Other cities have accomplished this task and Cloverdale is no different.