Last week we talked about what sort of businesses would be a good fit for the downtown. This week I want to address some of the things we can do to recruit businesses we want downtown and keep the ones we have.
The key is to create an environment where businesses can thrive.
The city signed on as an “investor” with the Pasco County Economic Development Council (PEDC). We purchased the proverbial seat at the adult table and it has paid off with the PEDC taking notice of New Port Richey. The SMARTstart Incubator is a prime example of the payoff.
The companies in the Incubator feed off each others energy and the excitement is contagious. The Tampa Bay WordPress group is holding a meetup there on Wednesday. The meeting is open to anyone interested in WordPress, but you have to RSVP as seating is very limited. If successful, this will become a regular monthly meetup location.
Had we not stepped up and shown the PEDC that we were serious, I believe the Incubator would have been located elsewhere, likely along the SR 54 corridor.
We recruited an economic development officer and now have a full time staff responsible for economic development rather than assigning the job to someone with more than they can handle trying to do their existing job. Economic development is no longer an afterthought.
We have a Main Street program with Greater New Port Richey Main Street being the organization in charge of implementing the program. Our Main Street program and what can be done to make it more effective is on my list of future topics, so I won’t belabor it now.
How we deal with new business owners is getting better. The owners of the Dulcet Restaurant couldn’t say enough nice things about the city in the Suncoast News article Saturday. We got the Dulcet instead of New Tampa or Trinity because we have the better business environment.
The Applicant Insight story is another example of the city going to bat to make things happen. In this case, we kept a growing company.
I went by City Hall Friday to get my mail and check for messages. Our Economic Development Director, Mario Iezzoni, called me into the conference room to introduce me to the new owner of the Roscoe building. (Roscoe’s Rexall Drugs was a fixture on Main Street for years.) He also introduced the new owner to the folks downstairs in the Development / Building department and the staff at the SMARTstart Incubator. I’ve talked in the past about the need for a single point of contact that can connect a business owner with the right people. What I saw Friday afternoon was EXACTLY what I’ve been talking about.
The city council and staff are getting creative looking for ways we can make New Port Richey as business friendly as possible. The sign and facade grant programs were very popular before the Great Recession gutted our local economy. Don’t be surprised to see these programs revived and new programs created over the course of the next year.
Other incentives are possible down the road. With the CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) budget only now starting to grow out of the hole created by the Great Recession, throwing wads of cash at potential new businesses simply isn’t in the cards.
Starting to trim back the millage rate is a more realistic goal. The TRIM (Truth in millage) notices about to go out show the the proposed millage at less than the “rollback rate”. Staff has recommended a lower rate (the same one as this year) and we may yet pull off a slight reduction in the millage rate. The millage rate effects both businesses and residents. Growing the value of the business community will allow the millage rate to be reduced further in the future.
Keeping the businesses we have is an important component of rebuilding the business community. This is a “group project” involving both the city and our local business leadership.
The West Pasco Chamber of Commerce “gets it” and in a dramatic change from just a couple of years ago, is going out of its way to get the downtown businesses involved in the “Bike Fest” coming this October. Greater New Port Richey Main Street is also working to become more business friendly, including involving the local bars and restaurants in the planning for this coming Friday Night’s “Night In The Tropics”. I would expect nothing less from their respective boards and executive directors.
Everything we do needs to be viewed through the lens of what helps our community as a whole, including improving resident quality of life and improving the business environment. We are currently working through some options for traffic patterns around the new Sims Park. The trick is to come up with a solution that best improves the park while maintaining the calm of the surrounding residential neighborhood and designing a traffic pattern that continues to work for nearby businesses. With any luck, we will be able to agree on a plan that actually improves park safety, improves business access, and makes the surrounding residential neighborhood more desirable.
We’ve got a trivia contest week. Who is the person in this photo, how is she related to this week’s article, and where is the photograph hanging?
FWIW, I’ve got topics for my NPR Notes scheduled into mid-October at this point. There are lots of things to talk about and we will get to each one in due time. Please encourage your friends to check out my weekly blog and subscribe to be notified when new articles are published.
Rob Marlowe, Mayor
City of New Port Richey
The owner of the Roscoe building provided me with a key to show anyone at a moments notice.