Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout0156.094February 10, 1994 THE HONORABLE CIT'!" COUNCIL PALO ALTO, CALI FORNIA Attention: Policy and Services co~jttee Policy ImplicatioD!! of Eoonomic Resources Planning Members of the Council: .: ;' On November 22~ 1993, the City Council refeLred the draft Economic Resources Plan (ERP) to the policy and Services and Finance cOlil.l'Cittees of the city council for report back to the full Council. Finance committee revieW" will be scheduled s'u.bsequent to the Pol icy and services committee discussions and recoro.rnendations on ERP. The pol icy implications of irnplementi!".g the draft Economic Resources Plar~ a:;:e substar.tial. city Council approval of the goals and objectives of the Plan, regardless of which ERP specific program recommenaations are eventually adopted, repre~cnts a substantive change in the way in ~hich we do busin~5s within the Ci t;.." of Palo Alto. Developing an economic information fraroe ... ork for city council decision-making, revisiting past policies affp.cting the business and 4eve.lopment community, and establishing an internal nmarket perspective" .... ithin the city on issues having an economic, ar.d therefore, fiscal impact clearly ~epresent a uifferent way of doing business for city staff. The questions we ask ourselves internally, what infonnation we present to policy makers, and when and in what corotE'.xt information 1s presented necessitate "shifting gears,a in a sense, for all of us. Fundamental to the implementation of Economic Resources Planning is tho concept that balanced input to cou.ncil decision-making is essential to the economic future of the community. In times past, Palo Alto has had the affordability of making decisions that have had economic conseq-..lene-es not generally affOl':deo other communities. We are not in a crisis budget Jr.ode. Nonetheless, ,",'e are not guaranteed that the past is predictive of the future. CMR:156:94 --",,----- Q Page 2 Economic Resources Planning evol....-ed in a sense with no formal City council approval of t.he concepts behind E.'RP being established. Ho'Weve::, there have been several ERP related issues that represent a shift in thinking and openness to business ideas that are note­ worthy. A sample of those is as follows: 1) Announcement of the probable location of a major east-coast basad hio-science firm to a Stanford Rese~:rch Park site culminates L~e efforts of the city of Palo Alto, the state cf California, the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce, and stanford University to attract industry to the City of Palo Alto thi3t best fits our, and their, criteria for location. This effort was extensive J and involved the City staff in responding t~ request for information. 2) Recent inro.;::;ds into the Cityl s -infonTlation highway"' neb."ork include Digital Equipment Corporation's connection of the City of Palo Alto to th~ lntcrnet, ~hich is consistent with the city COlJncil'3 stated objectives to place the City of Palo Alto in the forefront on communications issues in the region and nation. One example of an upcoming issue to be considered by th6 City Council is th~t of discretionary zoning, where the play between past actions, perceived public sentiment I and potentially new philosophy i~ particularly evident. Internal city staff discussions have been held recently regarding a long outstanding City council directive to bring forward 3 revised hetel zone that _i12 accomplish the City's goal to maintain a viable hotel room stock, ~hile at the sa~e time facilitating new hotel development. Fundamental policy aspects of this issue are at the core of Economic Resources Planning: is the traditional regulatory approach of defining all physical development parameters prior to any discretionary use approval still appropriate, or should the City consid&r a more proactive stand that will facil itate new hotel development? These are the types of issues that can assist the City Council in better understanding the possible role of Econonlic Resou.rces Planning in furthering the Council's priority ;.:hich focuses on the City's economic future. Respectively submitted, CAROL L. JANSEN Manager, Economic Resources Planning c'v~­~AR;~JJNY Assistant City Manager CMR~156:94 "