Date: May 25, 2017
To: Members of the Economic Development Authority
From: Chris Heineman, Community Planning & Development Director
Ben Martig, City Administrator
Title
Strategic Planning Update
Body
Summary Report:
The Northfield City Council conducted two strategic planning work sessions on May 9th & 10th resulting in a preliminary list of six strategic priorities for the next three years. These strategic priorities include the following:
• Economic Development
• Affordable Housing
• Infrastructure
• Addressing Changing Demographics
• Operational Effectiveness
• Climate Change Impacts
Additional details related to the desired outcome, key outcome indicators, and specific targets were also established. The preliminary desired outcomes related to economic development included expanding the commercial tax base, expanding the industrial tax base, and expanding the downtown area. The next steps in the strategic planning process will be a city staff meeting on May 31st to develop specific strategic initiatives and action plans which will be presented to the City Council for review and input.
The City Council is scheduled to adopt the final 2018-2020 Strategic Plan in June. The EDA’s strategic planning process to update our 2018-2020 work plan will take place on June 29th - 30th. Staff is currently working on developing a survey to gather input from Northfield business owners prior to the EDA strategic planning sessions. Staff is also working on scheduling a listening session for Northfield business owners to provide input on specific opportunities and initiatives that would be helpful for business growth and development in Northfield. Additional updates will be provided as details become available.