Economic Development / Government Affairs Council

Economic Development Strategic Plan Scope of Work

Version 1.2

October 2009

Presented by:

Joshua Pettiette

Background

The Bulverde / Spring Branch Area Chamber of Commerce (BSBACOC) has initiated the first steps towards organizing and planning economic development for the Bulverde / Spring Branch area. This effort is being led by the newly developed Economic Development / Government Affairs council within the BSBACOC. A community workshop was help on June 16th, 2009 to bring community leaders and organizations together to begin discussing economic development for the Bulverde / Spring Branch area. The following are the items carried out during the workshop:

• Reviewed existing economic and demographic data on Bulverde/Spring Branch and the San Antonio metropolitan area.

• Reviewed available information and documents about the area.

• Prepared a presentation on current trends in economic development and findings from the review of data.

• Facilitated a four-hour workshop with the Bulverde/Spring Branch Chamber of Commerce and community leaders and stakeholders, at which time the presentation prepared in the previous item was given. At this workshop, participants also discussed the community’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (S.W.O.T) from an economic development perspective, and discussed options for an economic development initiative. For the purposes of the workshop and the economic and demographic review, we defined the Bulverde/Spring Branch area as the 78070, 78163, and 78260 zip codes.

From the outcome of the workshop, we have determined that our next step is to develop a community-driven economic development strategy for the Bulverde / Spring Branch area.

Scope of Work

LCRA / PEC has been selected to perform a series of tasks that will result in the completion of the community-driven Economic Development Strategic Plan for the Bulverde / Spring Branch Area to guide the organization for three to five years. Tasks and activities include:

Demographics & Economic Study

Population by race, ethnicity, age cohort, and other delineations
Population estimate and projections.
Educational attainment
Income Levels
Labor statistics
Tourism Infrastructure
Housing Assessment
GAP Analysis

Community Vision & Public Input

On-line Survey community to determine community strengths, issues, priorities & opportunities.
Conduct Town Hall meetings to further identify priorities and develop community vision.
Focus Groups (citizen action groups, civic organizations, etc.)
Interview key stakeholders (volunteers, officials, and such).

Goal Development (with Steering Committee)

Identify Common Themes and Opportunities
Prioritize Issues and Opportunities
Identification of Goals and Objectives

Implementation Guide and Strategic Action Plan (3 – 5 years)

Specific Action Items for each Goal and Objective
Measures of Success
Funding Resources
Partners
Timelines
Organizational Structure and Responsible Parties

a. AREA ASSESSMENT: The plan should analyze Bulverde/Spring Branch’s assets.

Areas to assess include economic, demographic, workforce, transportation, employer, utilities, telecommunications infrastructure, entertainment, recreation, housing, and quality-of-life factors. An economic and demographic analysis of the Bulverde / Spring Branch area including review and evaluation meetings with board members, investors, volunteers and community leaders, submission of an evaluation report, and presentation of findings of the evaluation at a meeting;

b. Coordination of a citizen participation process that may include citizen interviews, focus groups or task forces and will include not less than two public meetings to solicit input and define goals and objectives for the next five years;

c. Opportunities – The plan should identify opportunities for economic development throughout the area. This includes outlining strategies and actions to realize the area’s economic development vision.

d. Coordination of a process to refine the results of the initial three to five year program evaluation and citizen participation process into a prioritized list of goals and objectives including specific short term initiatives and 5 year initiatives included in a Strategic Action Plan (3 -5 years)

e. Organizational structure – The plan should evaluate the best structure for pursuing these opportunities.

f. Publication of the Economic Development Strategic Plan in digital format and presentation of the findings at a public meeting;

Organization

Council Organization

Josh Pettiette GVTC

John Hobson City of Bulverde

Craig Douglass Allegra Printing & Imaging

Paula Stakes Broadway Bank

Sam Mammen Mammen Investments

Ola Armstrong GVTC

Larry Finkel Keller Williams

Dave Schumaker GVTC Board Member

Jim Jones HBI

Denise Henk Frost Bank

Dickie Lubel 3DR Commercial

Neal Brodbeck Blanco National Bank

Pamela Cole City of Bulverde

Phil Owen OnTrac, Inc.

Robert Evans Bradfield Properties, Inc.

Mechelle Salmon Spring Branch EMS

Rob Hurst City of Bulverde

Stefanie Doyer EXIT Hill Country Realty

Erinn Murray Spring Branch Tennis Center

Lori Cardenas RBFCU

Strategic Planning Steering Committee