02-16-12 Regular, Public Hearing and Workshop Meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission

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DRAFT FEBRUARY 7, 2012 9 Center (SJC SBDC). Priority consideration should be given to already- owned property located in the Downtown area or in an area near San Jacinto College. The jointly sponsored incubator could include fully equipped office space at low cost (City provided) with initial and follow- along counseling at no cost (SJC SBDC provided) for entrepreneurs of small and emerging companies. Criteria would need to be developed for admission to the business incubator for start-up companies. In addition, the site could be cross-utilized as a temporary headquarters on a short- term, temporary basis (i.e., one to three months) for new arrivals of established, major companies relocating to La Porte. The Temple Business Incubator (in Temple, TX) is an example of a jointly sponsored and successful business incubator. 2)Consider creating a land banking program, managed by the La Potential Land Bank Site Porte Redevelopment Authority, to acquire and/or hold tax delinquent, condemned, and other City-owned property in key locations for reassembly and redevelopment (see Chapter 2, Map 2.1, Revitalization Target Areas). Advantages to the City include greater control over the quality, scale, and timing of new development. Alternatively, if the City is not interested in owning property not intended for public use, consider establishing program support in the Economic Development Board Department or a local non-profit to improve La Porte’s neighborhoods by returning vacant, abandoned, and underutilized residential and commercial properties into productive community assets (see also Transitioning to a Built Out Community in Chapter 2, The abandoned Bayside Terrace Land Use and Character for further actions relating to redevelopment apartment complex is an and revitalization). example of a property that could 3)Continue to provide adequate funding for the Economic benefit from land bankding, Development Coordinator/Business Ombudsman and associated staff where the intent is to remove positions. These are important functions as they direct economic impediments to rehabilitation development planning activities for the City by negotiating with and/or redevelopment and business and industry representatives to encourage location (or facilitate a quicker transition relocation) to the area. They also conduct research, analysis, and evaluation of data to determine the economic impact of proposed back to the private sector and expansions and/or new development. public tax rolls. 4)Continue to implement a single-point-of-contact protocol for all Source: Kendig Keast Collaborative. new development and business permit applications. This would be likened to a one-stop project manager or expediter who would help 9 The San Jacinto College Small Business Development Center (SJC SBDC) provides free business consulting and affordable training seminars to small- and medium- sized business owners and managers. The SJC SBDC is a business consulting and training center of the University of Houston SBDC Network, which serves 32 counties in Southeast Texas through 14 business consulting and training centers. It offers customized instruction training at its facility in Pearland, Texas, or it could be facilitated at the future established incubator site in La Porte. More information can be found at http://www.sjcd.sbdcnetwork.net/sanjacinto/default.asp 5.8 Chapter 5