HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-25-18 Regular Meeting of the La Porte Development Corporation Board
RICHARD WARREN,PRESIDENT
DANNY EARP, BOARD MEMBER
NANCY OJEDA, VICE-PRESIDENTDOYLE BLACK,BOARDMEMBER
CHUCK ENGELKEN, BOARD MEMBERSHELLEY FULLER, BOARD MEMBER
VENESSAGUERRERO,BOARD
MEMBER
MINUTES OF LA PORTE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION BOARD
MEETING OF MARCH26,2018
The City of La Porte Development Corporation Board met onMarch26,2018,at theCity Hall Council
Chambers, 604 West Fairmont Parkway, La Porte, Texas,77571, at 5:00p.m.to consider the following
items of business:
1.CALL TO ORDER
President Richard Warrencalled the meeting to order at5:00p.m.Other members of the LaPorte
Development Corporation Board present:Board membersEngelken, Black, Earp, andOjeda.Absent:
Board member Fuller. Staff Present: Corby Alexander, Jason Weeks, Patrice Fogarty, Ryan Cramer
andClark Askins.Board member Guerrero arrived at 5:03 p.m. after action was taken on Items 2(a)
and (b).
2.AUTHORIZATIONS
(a)Consider approval or other action regarding minutes of the February12, 2018, meeting of the
La Porte Development Corporation Board –P. Fogarty
Board member Engelkenmoved to approve minutes of the February 12, 2018, meeting of the
LaPorte Development Corporation Board. Boardmember Ojeda secondedthe motion.MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY 5/0.Board members Guerrero and Fuller were absent.
(b)Consider approval or other action authorizing La Porte Development Corporation Staff to execute
payment in the amount of $5,000.00 to Patrasia Helfey,in accordance with the terms of incentive
agreement for the enhancement grant projectat 832 S. Broadway–R. Cramer
Board member Engelken moved to authorize Staff to execute payment in the amount of $5,000.00 to
Patrasia Helfey, in accordance with the terms of incentive agreement for the enhancement grant
project at 832 S. Broadway.Board member Ojedaseconded the motion. MOTION PASSED
UNANIMOUSLY 5/0. Board memberFuller and Guerrero were absent.
Board member Guerrero arrived at 5:03 p.m.after action was taken on Items 2 (a) and (b).
3.DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTON
(a)Discussion and possible action regarding guidance as it relates to prospective incentive
projects –R. Cramer
Economic Development Coordinator Ryan Cramer presented a summary.
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March 26,2018, La Porte Development Corporation Board Minutes
4.SET DATE FOR NEXT MEETING
Board members set April 23, 2018,for the next meeting.
5.BOARD MEMBER COMMENTSregarding matters appearing on agenda; recognition of community
members, city employees, and upcoming events; inquiry of staff regarding specific factual information
or existing policies.
Economic Development Coordinator Ryan Cramer provided an update of Ineos economic
development.
Board member Ojeda asked Staff to confirm if the La Porte Development Corporation Board had
budgeted for additional parking at the ballpark.
6.ADJOURN
There being no further business, Board member Engelkenmoved to adjourn the meeting at 5:23p.m.
Board member Guerrerosecondedthe motion.MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY6/0.Board
memberFuller was absent.
Respectfully submitted,
____________________________________
Patrice Fogarty,City Secretary
Passed and approved on thisthe___day of__________________,2018.
____________________________________
President RichardWarren
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March 26,2018, La Porte Development Corporation Board Minutes
REQUEST FOR LA PORTE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AGENDA ITEM
Budget
Agenda Date Requested: June 25, 2018
Source of Funds:
Requested By: Ryan Cramer
Account Number:
Department: Administration
Amount Budgeted:
Report: X Resolution: Ordinance:
Amount Requested:
Exhibit: Proposed Economic Development Budget
Budgeted Item: YES NO
Exhibit: 038 Fund Summary
SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION
It has been common practice to show the Economic Development Corporation the Office of Economic
be approval from City Council.
Does the EDC accept this budget?
Action Required by the La Porte Development Corporation:
Provide staff
Approved for the La Porte Development Corporation Agenda
Corby D. Alexander, City Manager
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City of La Porte, Texas
Economic Development Corporation
038-6030-565
Detail of Expenditure
ActualActualActualBudgetEstimatedRequested
2014-152015-162016-172017-182017-182018-19
Notes - Revised EstimateNotes - Departmental Request
Personal Services:
1010Regular Earnings$ 75,827$ 53, 168$ 8, 561$ 60,546$ 56,389$ 58,608
1020Overtime- 18 13- - -
1035Longevity129 186 45 180 128 228
1055Termination Pay (S/V)- 2,850 -- - -
1060FICA5,666 4,165 5964, 6324, 3144, 484
1065Retirement 12,506 8,960 1,3859, 7729, 1809, 541
1080Insurance - Medical 10,42310, 423 10,423 13,028 13,028 12,000
1081Insurance - Life 29 32 31 32 32 32
1090Other Benefits- 950 -- - -
Personal Services Subtotal 104,580 80,752 21,054 88,190 83,071 84,893
Supplies:
2001Office Supplies 79 118 - 200 75 200
2002Postage140 113 37 200 50 200
2015Other Supplies1,370 1,636 420 600 500Dinner for TIRZ board 500Dinner for TIRZ boards
Supplies Subtotal 1,589 1,867 4571, 000 625 900
Services & Charges:
3001Memberships & Subscriptions 44,666 40,960 42,500 45,000 42,770 40,950BAHEP - $20,000; Economic Alliance - $20,000; American Planning
Association - $270; TEDC - $500; UMPSET - $25; Associtate TCMA -
$130; TCMA Region 6 - $25
3020Training/Seminars8,556 7,210 2,5374,500 4,500 6,475 TEDC Conference - $1,500; TCMA Conference - $2,200; TML
Conference -$2,000; Two TEDC Webinars - $175; Various
Workshops and Mileage - $600
3024Tuition Reimbursement- - -- - 3, 500Tuition Reimbursement - $3,500
5001Accounting5,000 5,000 5,0005,000 5,000 5,000
Annual Audit
5003Legal9,904 7,671 2,325 10,0006, 000 10,000
5007Other Professional Services6,305 12,742 - 108,500 108,500 78,500
Harris County Transit Bus - $74,000, $4,500 for Civic Plus (website)
6002Printing & Reproduction498 361 - 13,0002,000 4,000 Shop Local Poster Campaign; What's Made in the Industrial
District?; Local Restaurant Advertising Sheet for Golf
Course/Hotels
6005Advertising 45,715 41,301 8,4505,300 2,000 15,000Linkedin or Facebook campaign $1,500; REDNews $1,000; Other
$2,500; Real Estate Listing Service - $5,000; EDC Video - $5,000
6040Trade Shows8,828 2,482 -5, 000- 5, 000
9050Contingency- - - 250,000- -
9997Special Programs 123,957 215,500 443,872 235,000 120,000 427,527
Pipeline Incentive - $100,000; Mini-mural Project - $10,000; Other - $2,527 - 3% Merit; Northern Star - $50,000 (final); Pipeline
$10,000Incentive $100,000 (final), moved $275,000 from 9050 for
projects/enhancement grants and other incentives.
9004Adm Transfer to Fund 004 1,083,817 680, 668 685, 247 1,014,012 1,014,012 1,033,362
9015Adm Transfer to Fund 015- - 1,340,200 2,065,200 2,065,200 1,835,700Broadway lights, Texas Street and fitness center
Services & Charges Subtotal 1,337,246 1,013,895 2,530,131 3,760,512 3,369,982 3,465,014
Division Total$ 1,443,415$ 1,096,514$ 2,551,642$ 3,849,702$ 3,453,678$ 3,550,807
City of La Porte
La Porte Development Corporation (038) Fund Summary
(Section 4B Sales Tax)
Beginning Fund Balance 9/30/17$ 4,584,535
Plus Estimated 17-18 Revenues 2,530,000
Less Estimated 17-18 Expenditures and Commitments
Economic Development Operations 374,466
Debt Payments 1,014,012
Capital Projects/Transfers 2,065,200
Total Expenditures 3,453,678
Estimated Fund Balance 9/30/18 3,660,857
Plus 18-19 Revenues:
1/2 Cent Sales Tax 2,500,000
Interest Income 30,000
Total Revenues 2,530,000
Equals Total Resources 6,190,857
Less 18-19 Expenditures:
Economic Development Operations 681,745
*
Debt Service Transfer 1,033,362
Transfer to General CIP Fund:
Decorative Lighting on Mainstreet 480,700
Construction of Texas Avenue/E G St to Fairmont 355,000
Fitness Center 1,000,000
Total Expenditures 3,550,807
Ending Fund Balance 9/30/19$ 2,640,050
EstimatedProjected
2017-182018-19
Revenues$ 2,530,000$ 2,530,000
Expenditures & Commitments 3,453,678 3,550,807
Revenues over Expenditures$ (923,678)$ (1,020,807)
*Debt Service Payments for Library, Bay Area Boulevard & Canada Road and Ballfields.
REQUEST FOR LA PORTE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AGENDA ITEM
Budget
Agenda Date Requested: June 25, 2018
Source of Funds:
Requested By: Ryan Cramer
Account Number:
Department: Administration
Amount Budgeted:
Report: X Resolution: Ordinance:
Amount Requested:
Exhibit: Strategic Plan
Budgeted Item: YES NO
Exhibit:
SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATION
amount of time to wait for an update. With predicted growth in population in the coming few years, it is important
to begin to start looking ahead. Additionally, the City is in the process of going out for request for proposals for
years from 2013 through 2018.
believes the cost could be more, so has explored other areas for funding. There was $10,000 allocated for AEDO
certification, which appears the City is no longer interested in pursuing. Staff would like to lump this $10,000 in
with the strategic plan update budget of $20,000 for a budget of $30,000 to be available to be used to update the
Economic Development strategic plan.
This is not an
that staff can move forward with the proposal process.
Action Required by the La Porte Development Corporation:
ard with a strategic plan update.
Approved for the La Porte Development Corporation Agenda
Corby D. Alexander, City Manager
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgements……………………………………………………. 2
Introduction…………………………………………………………….. 3
Section 1: Community Development Policy Review………………. 4
Section 2: Strategic Plan……………………………………………… 17
Appendix: Incentive Policy Example………………………………….. 35
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
Acknowledgements
Avalanche Consulting, TXP, and Gateway Planning would like to thank the City of La Porte’s
City Council, staff, and Economic Development Board for their tireless support throughout the
course of this project. We would also like to recognize the input and support of the members
of the project Steering Committee for setting aside their time and providing invaluable insight
during the creation of this Economic Development Strategic Plan.
Members of the Steering Committee included:
Stephen Barr – Parks and Recreation Manager, City of La Porte
Ron Bottoms – City Manager, City of La Porte
Martha Gillett – City Secretary, City of La Porte
Karen Gregory – Economic Development Director, CenterPoint Energy
Gary Huffman – Plant Manager, Invista
John Joerns – Assistant City Manager, City of La Porte
Susan Muha – San Jacinto College District
Russell Plank – Principal, National Property Holdings
Jeff Suggs – Emergency Management, City of La Porte
Tim Tietjens – Planning Director, City of La Porte
Debbie Westbeld – Economic Development Coordinator, City of La Porte
In addition, the project team greatly appreciates the many other community leaders who
contributed insight during interviews and focus groups. Their input helped shape this plan.
These individuals included:
Katherine Aguilar, Resident Ronda Lunsford, Main Street Advisory Board
Margaret Anderson, Main Street Advisory Board Shar Lynch, Main Street Advisory Board
Nick Barrera, Planning & Zoning Commission Georgia Malone, La Porte City Council
Barry Beasley, La Porte EDC Board Member Bill Manning, Jr., Main Street Advisory Board
John Black, La Porte City Council Ed Matuszak, Main Street Advisory Board
Jerry Carpenter, Main Street Advisory Board J.J. Meza, TIRZ Board Member
Mike Clausen, La Porte City Council Tommy Moser, La Porte EDC Board Member
Chuck Dibala, Imperial Homes Mike Mosteit, La Porte City Council
Dennis Dunham, Resident Fred Muston, La Porte Heritage Society
Chuck Engelken, La Porte City Council Pat Muston, La Porte EDC Board Member
Mark Follis, Main Street Advisory Board Bob Pizzitola
Debra Gallington, Main Street Advisory Board Alton Porter, Mayor
David Janda, Planning & Zoning Commission Louis Rigby, La Porte City Council
Paul Larson, Main Street Advisory Board Garson Silvers, Silvers Development Co.
Hal Lawler, Planning & Zoning Commission Adam Yanelli, Bayshore Sun
Bill Love, La Porte EDC Board Member
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
Introduction
The economic development environment facing the City of La Porte and other Texas
communities has changed significantly over the past twenty years. Economic development
was once largely about corporate relocation and expansion, with cost considerations the
driving force and the competition almost entirely domestic. Today, while competition from
other communities has never been fiercer, there a variety of additional considerations shaping
the overall competitive landscape. These factors include, but are not limited to: the influence
that quality of place has on economic growth; the emerging role of the “creative class;” the
convergence of retail, tourism, entrepreneurship, and industry in economic development
planning; and globalization.
La Porte has long been a center of commerce and industry, and its bayside location has
attracted residents seeking a coastal lifestyle. The desire to refresh the city’s appearance,
build on its core assets, and continue to increase leisure opportunities inspired this economic
development strategy. Local leaders recognize that quality of life is critical to helping local
businesses and residents thrive.
La Porte is home to many unique assets. Currently, some of those assets are not well linked
or leveraged. Better connecting La Porte’s historic downtown district, the renaissance of
Sylvan Beach, and diversifying residents’ leisure and job options can transform La Porte into
one of the most desired destinations in the Greater Houston Area.
Success is dependent on a well executed planning effort that can be implemented and
sustained long into the future.
Planning Process
Crafting La Porte’s economic development strategy involved large-scale community input.
Through the course of this project, the consulting team interviewed 42 local leaders and
surveyed more than 300 residents. Their input, combined with economic research, formed the
platform on which the goals and recommendations in this plan were founded.
The six-month planning process began in November 2008. Prior to this document, the
consulting team provided city leaders with two reports that form the initial chapters of the
strategy: a Community Assessment Report and a SWOT Analysis / Target Audience Report.
Both reports were presented to the Steering Committee for review and finalized based on their
comments.
This final chapter of the strategy contains two sections. The first is a review of the City’s
community development policies. The second contains La Porte’s economic development
mission, vision, goals, and strategies. It is accompanied by an implementation calendar,
estimated budget, and performance metrics.
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
Section 1: Community Development Policy Review
La PorteÔs New Opportunity Ï Place-Based Economic Development
The Greater Downtown of La Porte offers a unique opportunity to link multiple destinations
that serve a broad market. The prospects to grow synergistically two different kinds of retail
markets (destination and local service), a tourism base and downtown living can establish La
Porte as one of the best places in the Houston Region to live and visit.
Sustainable development today means harnessing and coordinating real estate development,
architecture, urban planning and public-private partnerships. The nature of economic
development has changed, necessitating a review of current land use planning practices. Not
so long ago, economic development was mostly focused on recruiting businesses to locate in
your community. That is still important. But today, economic development has become firmly
connected to place and the environment.
“Quality of life” was once just a buzzword used as the calling card of the local neighborhood
activist. As measured by the quality of our neighborhoods, our cities and our regions, quality of
life has now become a bottom-line factor for many business decisions. Why? Business
decisions continue to be driven by competition. And competition is more and more about
recruiting the best talent—people who have the luxury of living and working wherever they
desire. Accordingly, attracting the best and the brightest means that companies must also
provide access to an attractive quality of life in addition to merely providing competitive
compensation.
Similarly, tourism has become a growing part of the economy, especially for those
communities that can harness historical, local assets such as Sylvan Beach. The tendency
towards more local spending because of the economy—rather than longer trips, and La
Porte’s location in the Greater Houston Region, position La Porte to draw tourists out of its
own community and from those living within the larger region. This strategy takes advantage
of the fact that economic development now is inextricably tied to sustaining quality of life,
fundamentally creating the concept of sustainable economic development.
A planning approach that takes advantage of this opportunity is the New Urbanism. The goal
of New Urbanism is to remarry real estate development, architecture and urban planning. New
Urban projects can include downtown redevelopment, infill and large-scale new growth in
suburban greenfield locations. Based on time-tested neighborhood design principles, the
New Urban approach to growth and development gained some traction in 1991. That year, the
Local Government Commission, a California-based non-profit promoting healthy, walkable and
resource-efficient communities, invited a group of urban architects to develop a policy for
planning sustainable communities.
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
Named the “Ahwahnee Principles” after the location of their formal presentation to a group of
public officials, these Principles include the supposition that “planning \[should\] form complete
and integrated communities containing housing, shops, work places, schools, parks and civic
facilities essential to the daily life of the residents.” The Principles also call for a diversity of
housing types and transportation options within each neighborhood. The environment plays a
central role, too, as the Principles call for respect for the natural site conditions and the
environmental resources of areas to be developed. At the regional level, the Principles call for
connected greenbelts, the locating of civic infrastructure in downtowns as well as
transportation networks built around both roads and transit. In terms of implementation, the
document calls for comprehensive planning that is community-based.
These principles provide support for the strategy of Sustainable Economic Development for La
Porte:
Main Street is positioned to provide a community gathering place to anchor
expanding residential urban living in the Greater Downtown.
Downtown La Porte has the opportunity to link this expanding opportunity for
urban living to the natural assets of the area including the waterfront and the
watershed corridors, providing natural linkages for the planned system of trails
that in turn will enhance the ability to attract and sustain high quality downtown
neighborhoods.
This sustained living environment will then make service retail for tourists and
neighborhoods more viable on Main Street and on key locations on Fairmont
Parkway, providing a competitive advantage to attract even higher potential
destination retail at SH 146
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
The “new” in the New Urbanism is really just a new appreciation for more sustainable
approaches to planning and development recognized by prescient leaders of earlier
generations. Developer J.C. Nichols, a founding member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI),
was one of them. Wayne Nichols, grandson of J.C. Nichols, says that the goal of his
grandfather and his peers in planning “was to create beautiful communities—not subdivisions,
not shopping centers—but long-term, integrated planned communities. They saw themselves
as building human environments.
Today, Nichols’ strategies are used by those of us in town planning who recognize that place-
making is the new frontline of economic development. When combined with the New
Urbanism, the Community Builders’ approach creates opportunities for real estate value
capture. Critical to sustaining all business, value capture is fundamental to economic
development.
In the context of town planning and development, value capture recognizes that with each
infrastructure investment some marginal improvement or marginal decline occurs in the value
of the surrounding land. A second form of value capture recognizes that planning and
implementing development under the same vision and set of rules over multiple parcels
creates adjacency predictability and thus increasing value. This additional value created in
terms of property tax revenue and sales tax revenue can then be captured through an
expanded Tax Increment Financing District (TIF), empowerment zone, chapter 380, or other
vehicles to provide sustainable funding streams for capitalizing and maintaining the needed
infrastructure for Greater Downtown La Porte.
The utilization of an enhanced, well funded infrastructure system for Greater Downtown will
provide the basis for linking the key opportunities and destinations. In this context, it is critical
that the street network for Greater Downtown makes it convenient and inviting for people to
walk from destination to destination. The power of linking the Main Street Gateway, Five-
Points, Sylvan Beach and the emerging retail at SH 146 and Fairmont will provide economic
and market leveraging necessary to create increases in tax base to energize value capture for
infrastructure.
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
A key linnk that can bee facilitated byy tax base vaalue capture wwill be reinvennting San Jaccinto
Boulevaard. Reinventting the streett as a safe, innviting pedesttrian corridor wwill bring the
emerginng trail systemm to and from Sylvan Beacch directly to the Main Streeet Corridor. TThe
right-of-wway of San Jacinto and the predominannce of public ownership of adjacent parrcels on
the westt side of the rroad can accoommodate a ddedicated traiil as part of a reinvented crross-
section.
The keyy to value capture to suppoort enhanced street infrastrructure and otther needed ppublic
amenitiees will be the creation of a de facto masster developer environmennt across multtiple
parcels controlled by different ownners within a ggiven area. This de facto mmaster develooper
environmment is why ddowntowns crreate and susstain value oveer time. The cchart below shows
the diffeerence betweeen conventionnal single-usee projects andd developmennt under valuee capture
environmments.
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The termm “suburban ddevelopment”” (the red linee) does not reffer to the “whhere” but to the “how,”
in termss of the type oof developmennt. These proojects are typiccally isolated and accessibble only
by drivinng to them, suuch as strip-commercial ceenters or single-use office ccomplexes.
In this TTeam’s experience with towwn planning, wwe are findingg that commuunities that booth (i)
leveragee the infrastruucture and traansportation ssystems throuugh value cappture and (ii) uuse
adjacency predictabillity through a de facto “maaster developeer” environmeent are realizing value
curves ssuch as thosee depicted forrdowntowns ((the blue line)) in the chart above.
“Empty-nesters” and young professsionals can bbecome key mmarket targetss for this strattegy.
They tennd to have moore disposablle income andd put less preessure on the costs of servving
communnities in termss of kids, social services, eetc.. Attractingg and maintaining empty-nesters is
like attraacting touristss. Empty nestters like to speend money; aand their childdren only visitt,
lesseninng burdens onn the local schhools. Moreovver, both emppty-nesters annd young
professionals like to llive in smallerr lot homes, toownhomes annd lofts. Moree dense in dessign,
those reesidences tend to be muchh more efficiennt in terms of community sservices such as
police,ffire and the mmaintenance oof utility systemms. Accordinngly, empty-neesters and yooung
professionals are an important target market foor any meaninngful economiic developmeent
strategyy.
Communities that attract empty-neesters and yooung professioonals are alsoo attractive locations
for corpoorate investmment. People like “cool” commmunities. Soo if a suburbaan communityy can use
good deesign and valuue capture to create great places to livee and work, thhose communnities will
have a ccompetitive advantage in aattracting a claass of “knowledge workerss,” such as arrtists,
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Forward La Porte Econoomic Developmment Strategic Plan I 2009-22013
scientists and engineers, university professors and architects. This “creative class,” the term
Richard Florida—who penned two national bestsellers, The Rise of the Creative Class and
The Flight of the Creative Class—coined, are the intellectual assets of the new economy.
The mortgage crisis may be an early indication of why a New Urbanism strategy makes
sense. Those communities that are not attractive to the broader market of living preferences
are showing signs of potential long-term decline. In many locations around the country, those
areas that offer only “cookie-cutter” housing (often times expensive, but homogenous) and
only strip commercial at the major highway interchanges are facing higher foreclosure rates
than mixed use centers and walkable downtowns. Accordingly, the key to La Porte sustaining
its new economic development prospects will be a focus on the livability and sustainability of
Greater Downtown.
The key here will be activating a vision for downtown that will be embraced effectively by the
market under a master plan implemented through responsive city policies and regulations.
Some of the current policies and regulations support the recommended place-based economic
development strategy, while others do not.
Assessment of La Porte’s Comprehensive Plan and Regulations to Implement
New Economic Development Plan
Generally, the Comprehensive Plan sets up support for the recommended place-based
economic development strategy. The current code, however, would need to build on
substantially the Main Street Overlay and Design Guidelines in order to implement walkable
urbanism in Greater Downtown, the key to the initiative.
La Porte’s Comprehensive Plan provides support for the sustainable economic development
strategy recommended herein. The City’s pronouncement of the following principle sets the
stage:
“We have the ability and the resources to shape a more positive future. We
do not have to accept a declining quality of life. By planning for the future
and involving the entire community, we can maintain the qualities and make
La Porte even better.”
The keys to utilizing walkable urbanism to anchor a new place-based economic development
strategy are supported in the following comprehensive plan policies:
¤ “Encourage an active, vital downtown with a variety of uses” (Goal 4.4)
¤ “Provide an appropriate amount of land for various densities and types of residential
uses and ensure the highest quality living environment” (Goal 4.5)
¤ “Develop a \[pedestrian\] network … through the La Porte area, including an
interconnected system of paths, trails, lanes and routes (Goal 7.7)
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
¤ “Meet the future housing needs in La Porte by providing for a variety of housing
options” (Goal 9.2)
¤ “Preserve the integrity of existing neighborhoods and create livable and safe
neighborhood environments” (Goal 9.6)
¤ “Stabilize and improve the quality of neighborhoods and other areas of decline by
attracting renewed private investment activity.” (Goal 12.1)
¤ “Revitalize the City’s historic downtown area” (Goal 12.2)
¤ “Revise existing ordinances and adopt new ordinances as necessary to implement
the La Porte 2020 Comprehensive Plan Update.” (Goal 13.5)
The select policies implicitly recognize that linking destinations and quality neighborhoods is
necessary to sustain quality of life and to create the base for the recommended economic
development strategy. However, the following policies set up a possible conflict in terms of
being able to make it convenient by walking to link neighborhoods to improved downtown
destinations.
¤ “Protect Neighborhoods from encroaching incompatible development” (Obj.9.6.d)
- Amend the zoning ordinance to incorporate provisions regarding lot sizes,
setbacks and buffering (Action 1)
- Use the Land Use Plan to protect existing neighborhoods from adjacent
incompatible land uses (Action 3)
These policies of buffering uses from neighborhoods are depicted in the following schematic.
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The resulting development under this current policy likely will result in more conventional
development patterns, which will stunt the ability to transform the Greater Downtown into a
walkable urban environment because the policy reinforces the following conditions, which tend
to put development on the unsustainable “red” curve in the graph above.
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
Specificcally in regard to the Main SStreet and thee Historic District east of HHighway 146, the
objectivee currently in the Comprehhensive Plan of “neighborhhood bufferingg” will make itt difficult
to implement good traansitions to cconnect neighborhoods witth high qualityy adjacent
destinattions.
A betterr strategy will be to revise tthe land use pplan through tthe creation oof a Comprehhensive
Master PPlan for Greaater Downtownn and correspponding perfoormance-baseed regulationss to
facilitatee good pedestrian connections and transitions betweeen neighborhhoods and
commerrcial areas. TThe key is to rrely on qualityy pedestrian ttransitions bettween uses, nnot
buffers. The resultingg developmennt will take onn the followingg characteristtics, placing GGreater
Downtowwn on the susstainable “bluue” curve on the graph aboove.
Note thaat while this cconsistently hoolds true for LLa Porte’s dowwntown and hhistoric area,
neighboorhood buffering may be deesired for somme residential developmennts located weest of
Highwayy 146. Thesee homeownerrs will expect aa degree of bbuffering betwween their houuses and
surroundding industriaal or heavy coommercial usees.
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Forward La Porte Econoomic Developmment Strategic Plan I 2009-22013
Additionnal policies maake the development of a wwalkable linkeed downtownn challenging. For
examplee, the current land use plann does not prrovide for mixeed use as inddicated as crittical to
the strattegy in the graaphic above. Notwithstandding the Mainn Street Overllay, the current land
use plann provides strrictly for separrated uses, again reinforcing the need ffor a new Masster Plan
for Greaater Downtowwn.
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Forward La Porte Econoomic Developmment Strategic Plan I 2009-22013
The new approach underlying the need for a new master plan is somewhat reflected in the
Main Street Overlay and Design Guidelines. Those regulatory vehicles establish the following:
¤ Main Street Overlay
- Allows mixed use: commercial and residential
- Creates urban pedestrian environment through build-to lines
- Substantially reduces off-street parking requirements
Main Street Design Program
- Establishes standards for awnings, signs and colors
Both of these regulations provide a good starting point. However, they both should be refined,
and the reach of the intent of the overlay should be expanded as discussed above.
The Overlay supports mixed use, but it does not provide enough certainty of the form of the
buildings and the transitions beyond Main Street. Similarly, the Design Standards provide
aesthetic guidance such as color; but they do not provide enough guidance for architectural
function such as storefront design and public space design. The key to creating a successful
walkable Greater Downtown will be revising these standards to implement the recommended
new comprehensive master plan for Greater Downtown with a higher level of detail that
creates investment certainty from property to property and from street to street. See below for
an example of the kind of regulatory performance-based approach that could take the initiative
to the next level of quality development by providing more certainty of how buildings interact
with public spaces for walkability and retail success.
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
A key too the success of Greater Downtown oveerall will be thee proper design of streets so that
they botth support a wwell functioninng street netwwork for mobility; but so thaat they also
complemment walkablee mixed use eenvironmentss at the pedesstrian-scale. TThe Comprehhensive
Plan pollicies supportt this approacch:
¤“Develop a \[ppedestrian\] neetwork … throough the La PPorte area, inccluding an
interconnecteed system of paths, trails, lanes and rouutes (Goal 7.77)
¤ “Maximize nnetwork continnuity to providde for the freee flow of peopple….” (Obj. 55.2.d)
¤ “Provide a safe and effecctive means too accommodaate pedestriann traffic and pprioritize
sidewalk impprovement areeas based onn type of streeet and adjaacent land usse(Goal
5.7)
But the ttools available in terms of support for sttreets design to accomplissh these goalss are in
some seense in conflicct with anotheer comprehennsive plan policy that statess “\[e\]stablish a
hierarchhy of thoroughhfare classificcations that will provide for safe and connvenient flow of traffic
throughoout the commmunity” (Obj.9.6.d). The figuure below shoows the appliccation of this policy of
mobilityto the street network of Greater Downtown. If the sttreets depicteed below are
designed strictly to mmove cars, theey will not proovide the kind of context thaat will supporrt
sustaineed investmentt in walkable urbanism, an underpinningg of the placee-based econoomic
development recommmendation herein.
The poteential refinemment of the crooss-sections iimplementingg the thoroughhfare plan, witth the
guidancce of the new Manual for WWalkable Urbaan Thoroughfaares by the Innstitute for
Transpoortation Enginneers (ITE), wwill enable the effective marriage of the mmobility need
s of the
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Forward La Porte Econoomic Developmment Strategic Plan I 2009-22013
network and the adjacent land uses in Greater Downtown. Adopting these design practices
will further support La Porte’s new place-based economic development strategy.
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
Section 2: Strategic Plan
This strategy was designed to address what is needed to generate sustained prosperity for La
Porte through economic diversification and improvements in quality of life.
Core Themes
During the planning process, a number of themes emerged from discussions with
stakeholders, economic analysis, input obtained from the community survey, and the SWOT
analysis. Avalanche has grouped these major themes into broad categorize that capture the
essence of where the City of La Porte should focus its economic development energy in the
coming years.
Over half the employment base in La Porte (51.9%) is in the production sectors of
manufacturing and construction, a much greater concentration than neighboring
communities, Houston (17.2%), and the state as a whole (15.9%). La Porte’s
proximity to the Port of Houston and transportation infrastructure should enable future
growth in the warehousing sector as well. While these sectors provide some counter-
cyclical benefit, little new job growth is expected in the near future.
La Porte’s location within Greater Houston is a blessing, and Houston area residents
should be a primary target audience for economic development. By the same token,
La Porte has a number of unique assets (such as Sylvan Beach) that help it stand out
within the region and the state.
The community appears primed to support economic development. When asked as
part of the community survey if they supported the statement that economic
development success is defined as “Enhanced prosperity and quality of life for La
Porte,” 4 out of 5 respondents said “yes.”
Unlike some communities that are struggling to revive their economies, La Porte is in
an enviable position. A strong industrial base generates jobs and healthy tax revenue
for the city. Despite recent fluctuations, the oil and gas sector will remain the dominant
force in the La Porte economy. The challenge is to diversify in order to maximize the
community’s economic potential.
Downtown is a priority for near-term action. The downtown area has the potential to
be a focal point for the community, both in terms of the day-to-day lives of local
residents and as a significant element of the attractions that make La Porte appealing
to both tourists and those relocating to the area.
Expanding the recreational and retail capacity of the community will serve both
residents and tourists. In La Porte, entertainment, retail trade, and enhanced tourism
amenities are valid targets for economic development. As an example, a destination
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
retail/entertainment project not only attracts regional shoppers, but also helps stop
retail leakage to neighboring communities.
La Porte’s Economic Development Mission and Vision
A mission statement describes what the Economic Development Corporation is charged with
doing throughout the duration of its existence.
The mission of the La Porte Economic Development Corporation is to plan,
provide, and promote economic development in the city of La Porte, Texas.
A vision statement describes what the city of La Porte will look like in 20+ years from now as a
result of the City’s economic development activities.
A doorway of commerce for the nation, La Porte, Texas, is a vibrant, historic
city that offers a diversity of economic opportunity and a healthy coastal
lifestyle for residents and visitors alike.
Mission and vision statements serve as the cornerstone of an economic development
strategy. All goals and tactics contained within the plan support the overarching vision of the
city.
La Porte’s Economic Development Goals
Avalanche Consulting created three goals that are critical to La Porte’s ability to succeed in
economic development and that move the city forward toward accomplishing its vision. These
goals are both attainable (reachable outcomes that will require commitment) and sustainable
(consistent with the long-term economic growth that does not harm the community’s unique
character).
Goal 1 – Adopt policies that encourage high quality development.
Goal 2 – Engage in an economic development marketing campaign that increases
awareness and perception of La Porte to residents and the outside world.
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
Goal 3 – Implement the strategies in such as way that maximum flexibility and
accountability are maintained.
GOAL1
Adoptpolicies
thatencourage
highquality
development.
VISION
Adoorwayofcommerce
forthenation,LaPorte,
Texas,isavibrant,
historiccitythatoffersa
diversityofeconomic
opportunityanda
healthycoastallifestyle
forresidentsandvisitors
GOAL3
alike.
GOAL2
Implementthe
strategiessothat
Engageinan
economicmaximum
development
flexibilityand
marketing
accountabilityare
campaign.
maintained
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
GOAL 1.0:
Adopt policies that encourage high quality development.
To provide a more competitive environment to recruit new businesses, to increase tourism, to
create a more attractive retail context and to expand the residential market in terms of variety
and quality of housing types, the Consultant Team recommends the following package of
steps to implement the place-based aspects of this new strategy:
Strategy 1.1 - Develop a Comprehensive Master Plan for Greater Downtown that
links key destinations and neighborhoods.
A master plan is the business plan of a particular focus point within a community such as a
downtown. City policy has been calling for a downtown master plan, understanding that the
real potential of La Porte cannot be realized ad hoc. A downtown master plan must be seen
not only as a planning tool that harnesses a vision to the opportunities at the street, block and
building level; but also, the master plan becomes the policy framework going forward for a
host of related issues such as infrastructure phasing, connecting key destinations, supporting
catalytic projects and determining how best to invest the public-sector’s limited resources. In
short, the master plan becomes the basis for creating and sustaining economic investment in
the context of creating a great place for people to live, work, visit, shop and play in Greater
Downtown La Porte.
The basic steps of the kind of master plan that is needed to realize the vision of downtown’s
renaissance includes the following:
Creating a block, street, public space and building level scale plan that respects and
builds upon the existing fabric of downtown;
Creating a revised street network concept that balances pedestrian-scale
development with good local access and regional mobility;
Identified catalytic development projects in the context of the master plan framework,
including a integrated mixed use strategy to link the Sylvan Beach Park Plan with the
remainder of downtown;
Undertake a fiscal impact analysis of the tax base impacts to determine the level of
public revenue that would be realized over time;
Develop a priority and phasing plan for infrastructure; and
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
Develop select renderings of key catalytic projects to provide a means to
communicate effectively the goals of the master plan to the community, developers
and future members of the City Council.
All of these steps would be taken in the context of an integrated public process.
Based on our evaluation of La Porte’s assets and opportunities, as well as our review of
current development policies, we strongly recommend that the Master Plan reflect the
following direction:
Develop and implement performance-based development standards beyond the Main
Street Overlay and Design Guidelines to implement the new Master Plan, including
refinement of street cross-sections to accommodate walkable urbanism.
Increase the boundaries of the TIF beyond the limited street rights-of-way within
Greater Downtown to capture more value for
needed infrastructure improvements for
Retail Development:
downtown.
Main Street and Fairmont
Reinvent San Jacinto as a walkable corridor
Fairmont developed as the
new location for the relocation
with a trail to extend the reach of Main Street
of some key destinations that
conveniently to Sylvan Beach.
once were anchors for Main
Street, the seat of
Create a partnership with the Harris County to
government, the post office,
make the Sylvan Beach Park a true mixed use
etc. In addition, new retail
tourist destination, building on the impending
sprung up on Fairmont, while
investment in the Park.
Main Street’s declined.
Today, La Porte has the
opportunity to have
Consider Fairmont Parkway as a means to
complementary retail in both
bring the reach of future destination retail at the
locations. Main Street offers a
SH 146 Interchange into downtown towards (i)
place well suited for
the intersection of Broadway and over to (ii)
entertainment, fine dining,
Sylvan Beach.
neighborhood cafes and
boutique shopping. On the
Preserve Broadway as a key connector street
other hand, Fairmont has
between the emerging gravity of Main Street
developed as a place for auto-
oriented retail that is not
and the reinvention of Fairmont Parkway.
necessarily a good fit for the
pedestrian and tourist-focus
Strategy 1.2: Prepare the City for retail
emerging on Main Street. The
development.
two can become a symbiotic
opportunity to offer the full
The key to aggregating land is to make protective
acquisitions in the context of potential land swaps,
range of retail needed to make
infrastructure coordination and potential city-initiated
any livable downtown a
rezoning to protect long-term destination retail
success.
opportunities.
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
Strategy 1.3: Ensure that the City has appropriate tools to finance and
incentivize quality economic development.
Tactic 1.3.1: Adopt incentive policy guidelines that are competitive with other regions while
protecting the tax base.
Before offering a prospect an incentive package, La Porte should conduct a cost-benefit
analysis to determine the potential value of the project to the community. As part of this
process, La Porte should be able to answer a number of general questions about each
project:
Would this project happen absent the provision of incentives?
What is the opportunity cost of the incentive (in other words, what alternative uses of
these resources are foregone by supporting this project)?
How much economic activity will occur because of the project?
What is the total present value of the incentive package?
How much will it cost the city to adequately service (e.g., utilities, public safety, etc.)
the project during its construction and operational phases?
What will be the environmental impact?
What return can government expect in terms of tax revenues from the project?
Beyond the questions outlined above, La Porte should consider adopting the following policy
guidelines.
Policy Guideline #1:
Benefits should exceed costs, even after incentives are granted. Except in
extraordinary situations, the public sector should not be willing to “go upside down,”
meaning that tax revenues must exceed public sector costs.
This may appear obvious, but many communities do not accomplish this goal because
they do not correctly measure the costs and benefits. For other communities, the
challenge is to balance immediate jobs creation with long-term tax revenue required to
provide city services. La Porte is in a unique position because of its large industrial
districts and high percentage of workers who commute to the area for work. For La
Porte, what counts as success is linked more closely with quality of life projects rather
than strictly job creation. This translates into La Porte being more selective about
which projects to incentivize.
The success measures for La Porte should focus on:
1. Total tax revenue generated, with emphasis on sales tax revenue
2. Industry sector diversification (retail trade or business/professional service
firms)
3. Geographic location within La Porte
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
Evaluation Framework
Based on discussions with local economic development stakeholders and
professional expertise and experience, the project team has created a preliminary
framework (Scoring System) by which La Porte can assess the impact of future
projects. This process not only allows evaluation of projects, but also provides
guidance on the level of incentives that the community might ultimately offer. Our
approach strives to offer competitive incentives to important projects while protecting
the community’s unique position and cultural heritage.
The Scoring System is an approach that uses points for each of the major criteria
discussed in the next section. This Scoring System evaluates both the traditional
(economic impact) and non-traditional (quality of life) elements of the project. These
point values are for illustration, and should be refined as La Porte sees fit.
Table 1: Preliminary Scoring System
Overall Economic and Fiscal Impact
Minimal Acceptable Good Excellent
0 10 20 30
Character of Jobs
Poor/Minimal Acceptable Good Excellent
0 10 15 20
Connection to Economic Development Focus Areas
Unconnected Acceptable Good Excellent
0 10 20 30
Additional Contribution to Community Vitality
Minimal Acceptable Good Excellent
0 10 15 20
Total Possible Points 100
Bonus Points for Desired
Development Location in 15
Downtown/Sylvan Beach Corridor
Policy Guideline #2
Projects with a score between 70-100 may qualify for return of up to 50% of the net
present value of the estimated total tax liability, minus direct city and or county costs,
for a term that may be as long as 10 years. Projects with a score between 50-70 may
qualify for up to 30% of the net present value of the estimated total tax liability for a
term that may be as long as 10 years. Projects that score 50 and below do not
qualify. In addition, tax revenue returned will not exceed 80% of the total tax liability in
any single year.
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
Scoring System Factors
Economic/Fiscal Impact and Character of the Jobs
La Porte’s primary considerations when evaluating whether or not to offer an incentive
package is the potential aggregate economic and fiscal impact on the community and
the character of the jobs to be created. Standard questions asked when evaluating
firm-based incentives requests may include:
What is the absolute size of the net benefit (economic and fiscal)?
Is the firm a headquarters operation? Does it represent the “headquarters” of
a new product line/service for the firm?
Is the firm growing? Is the firm in a growing industry? How stable is the firm?
Does the project represent a significant enhancement of the local tax base
over and above the economic impact (i.e., a new entertainment/lodging facility
that can choose whether or not to locate in the city limits)?
Will the project make a disproportionate demand on the community’s
environmental and infrastructure resources?
Policy Guideline #3:
Chapter 380 of the Texas Local Government Code, due to its flexibility and simplicity,
is likely to be the preferred vehicle for any financial incentive agreement between La
Porte and a potential recipient.
Within this structure, sales taxes, property taxes, and other fees paid by the company
could be eligible to be included in the agreement, although all should be returned,
rather than waived/abated. Property taxes can be an incentive for existing space as
well. For end-user purchase, La Porte can offer to structure an agreement that
returns, on a performance basis, the taxes that accrue based on the incremental
growth of the property over time. The same process could be applied to end-user
tenants, since commercial/industrial leases can be written as “triple net,” where the
tenant directly pays the cost of taxes, insurance, and utilities.
What this structure does is to insure that La Porte covers its costs before offering
incentives, while essentially forgoing the right to use the “profit” from the firm to cross-
subsidize residents (as with utilities, commercial property taxpayers tend to provide a
disproportionate share of revenue). At the same time, the community (and the city)
gain in a number of additional ways, such as economic activity in the form of jobs and
spending plus additional tax revenues.
Policy Guideline #4:
Financial incentives should not be “front-loaded.” Rather, the community should set an
incentive policy based on returning taxes and/or fees paid by a company upon
execution of a specific set of agreed-upon performance criteria between the applicant
and the City.
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
Standard economic development practice has moved toward using performance-
based standards to safeguard the public interest in incentive agreements. The extent
of the incentive(s) to be offered could be a substantial percentage of the net gain to
the community, as measured by the expected tax revenue gains minus direct costs,
and the community should be aggressive in working with companies and projects that
meet the criteria established. However, the return of these funds must be
performance-based, and must occur after the funds have been paid initially to the
City.
Policy Guideline #5:
La Porte should reserve the right to craft a unique incentive package in the case of
extraordinary opportunities for economic development in La Porte. These may
include cases with: 1) exceptionally high levels of economic impact as measured by
investment, jobs, or tax revenue; or, 2) opportunities to leverage significant funds from
other public sector jurisdictions, for example federal or state sources.
Inevitably, there will be situations that should be exceptions to the policy guidelines
outlined above. This guideline provides some indication about the conditions under
which an exception should be made, and acknowledges that overall policy must be
flexible.
TheAppendixofthisreportcontainsanexampleofanincentivepolicyinaction.
Tactic 1.3.2: Create specific incentive strategies for Sylvan Beach, Main Street, and a new
retail center.
These three areas of focus likely will each require additional elements beyond those outlined
in the incentive policy above. For example, Harris County is a significant stakeholder in
Sylvan Beach, and policy & plans for its redevelopment and/or reuse should reflect their
cooperation and participation. Some tools that could facilitate the revitalization of Main Street
and the development of the retail site(s) are already in place (such as the TIRZ). These may
need to be modified or augmented (through boundary expansion, regulatory reform, etc.)
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
GOAL 2.0:
Launch a coordinated economic development marketing campaign that
increases awareness and perception of the community to the outside
world.
Economic development entails both capacity building and marketing. Capacity building
improves a community’s readiness for its target audiences. As addressed in Goal 1, master
planning and changes to City policies will greatly contribute to La Porte’s capacity for
economic development.
Marketing alerts a community’s target audiences of a city’s interest in them and its ability to
serve their needs. The mix of audiences vary from city to city. Many traditional economic
development programs market to industry, encouraging those businesses to relocate or
expand into the city. In La Porte’s case, local industry is strongly dominant. The community
has overwhelmingly stated its desire for economic development to prioritize quality of life
enhancements, specifically in four areas:
1. Beautification
2. Downtown
3. Sylvan Beach
4. Retail
La Porte’s marketing audiences are those that will complement these objectives and be
attracted to the city as a result. As discussed in Chapter 2: SWOT and Target Audiences,
Avalanche Consulting highly recommends the following four targets:
Tourists. La Porte should focus on attracting day visitors from the Greater Houston
area.
Hospitality Businesses. As La Porte invests in its tourism amenities, hospitality
businesses become a natural target. Full service restaurants are a prime target
immediately. Long-term, small grocers, wellness businesses, art studios, and bed
and breakfasts will fit well in La Porte.
Real Estate Developers. Several of the larger projects under consideration by the
city should involve a real estate development company.
Retailers. Ensure that the city has the appropriate infrastructure and policies in place
to attract retailers. Big retail centers will require a sizable, shovel-ready property.
Niche retailers, such as the type that would locate in the Main Street District, along
Fairmont, or in neighborhood centers, need attractive space, quality control, and
assurance of adequate local demand.
In addition, the City should also remember that La Porte’s residents and businesses are also
audiences for the economic development campaign.
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
In this strategy, marketing recommendations are organized within two topics. The first topic,
“external marketing,” provides recommendations related to La Porte’s push to draw its target
audiences into the city. The second topic, “internal marketing,” offers the City and its partners
recommendations for bolstering collaboration and building widespread community awareness
of positive development.
Accomplishing this goal will require participation and support of many organizations in La
Porte in addition to City government. Within each strategy, Avalanche Consulting has listed
tactics required for implementation.
Strategy 2.1: Organize and launch an external marketing campaign.
Tactic 2.1.1: Develop and adopt a marketing plan based on the recommendations of this
Strategic Plan.
The City’s marketing capacity must improve if it is to achieve its long term vision. The purpose
of Goal 2 is to provide La Porte with a framework for engaging in an economic
development marketing campaign. The following tactics outline the core principles of the
marketing plan.
Tactic 2.1.2: Brand and market the downtown district.
In concert with the Master Plan, the City should package the entire
downtown district within a single brand identity. Naming the area will go a
long way toward creating a sense of place. The downtown district would
include the geography defined within the Master Plan and all of the
amenities within.
The specific name should incorporate aspects of La Porte that are well known outside of the
city and have universal appeal. We recommend the City adopt “Historic Sylvan Beach” as
the umbrella brand, and adapt that brand to each specific amenity. This concept is
illustrated below:
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
The City should incorporate the name into gateways and
signs within the district. Mock ups of what signage could
look like are provided to the right.
Finally, working with the Main Street Advisory Board and
Coordinator, the City should develop marketing materials to
help promote the district, including:
Historic Sylvan Beach District website – a
standalone website should be created that features
all amenities within the district. Model the website
on best practices of other communities such as
Long Beach, California (www.visitlongbeach.com),
Raleigh, North Carolina
(www.godowntownraleigh.com), and Annapolis,
Maryland (www.visitannapolis.org).
Historic Sylvan Beach District brochure – a
printed brochure highlighting amenities and
containing a map of the district. The brochure may
be mailed to prospects and distributed at various
establishments around La Porte.
Historic Sylvan Beach District newsletter – a
printed newsletter that is distributed 1-2 times per
year, showcasing new business activity,
developments, and events happening within the
district.
Historic Sylvan Beach District advertisement – an advertisement that can be used
across a variety of publications in the Greater Houston area (see Tactic 2.1.3 for
suggestions on which media should be considered).
Tactic 2.1.3: Market La Porte to tourists.
La Porte has a long history as a tourist destination. Long before industry came to town,
visitors from across the state flocked to Sylvan Beach and Main Street. The entire Ship
Channel area contains interesting historical sites, including the San Jacinto Monument. The
Economic Alliance Houston Port Region, an economic development organization
headquartered in downtown La Porte, is spearheading an initiative to package regional
attractions within one tour. This program, called “Project Stars,” is another basis for visitor
traffic into and around La Porte.
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
La Porte doesn’t need to travel far from home to find tourists. Greater Houston’s 5+ million
residents is a large enough market to fuel day travelers for years to come. The key will be
honing in on populations that will be the “early adopters” of the new tourism push. These
individuals will view La Porte as a diamond in the rough, and feel personally involved in the
rediscovery of La Porte. They will also be the city’s best word of mouth marketing agents as
the campaign kicks off. They are:
Residents of other historic, gentrified neighborhoods in Greater Houston, including the
Houston Heights, Boulevard Oaks, Broadacres, Independence Heights,
Westmoreland, and the Old Sixth Ward, to name a few.
Board members, members, and investors of the Houston Preservation Alliance
Board members, members, and investors in the Houston Heritage Society
Alumni of La Porte High School living in Greater Houston
Advertising the Historic Sylvan Beach District in neighborhood association
newsletters, particularly those targeted above, will be an affordable way to reach these
individuals. In addition, offer to host membership meetings or special events in La Porte
that include a tour and lunch.
As tourism traffic increases and buzz builds, La Porte can extend its tourism promotion to
more mainstream audiences. Place Historic Sylvan Beach District brochures and
advertisements at venues such as:
San Jacinto Monument Visitor Center
San Jacinto College
Hotels and attractions in and around the Bay Area
La Porte Municipal Airport
Houston Hobby, Ellington, and Intercontinental Airports
The Houston Chronicle’s travel section, both print and online editions
Longer term, as the district establishes itself, position City leadership and the Main Street
Coordinator as thought leaders on the topic of downtown redevelopment. Speak at
community planning, downtown association, and historic organizations across the region and
state, citing La Porte as a successful model for other communities.
Tactic 2.1.4: Market La Porte to culinary related institutes and businesses.
The City’s goal of attracting visitors and enhancing quality of life could be greatly supported by
additional culinary activity located in the downtown district, including:
Culinary academy – A culinary academy anchored in the historic district would be the
impetus for establishing La Porte as a visitor destination in the region. Not only would
it draw a daily stream of students into downtown, but it would also spark the growth of
niche retail and hospitality businesses.
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
Farmer’s market – Buying locally produced, organic food is a nationwide trend, but
La Porte residents have little if any access to these products. Currently, the closest
farmer’s market is located more than 10 miles outside of the city. Interviews and
surveys conducted for this Strategic Plan indicate demand for a farmer’s market. The
City should examine the possibility of hosting a market in downtown La Porte.
Specialty grocers – Residents express great concern about the availability of grocery
stores in the city. While attracting a major national grocery chain to La Porte may take
several years, the city is ripe for specialty grocers.
Wine merchants – Similar to specialty grocers, wine merchants are a natural fit in a
culinary environment. These merchants could sell bottles of wine, serve wine, and
host classes.
Restaurants – Independently owned or local restaurant chains are desirable for the
downtown district. While La Porte has a good number of restaurants, it currently lacks
variety.
A cluster of culinary activity will uniquely position La Porte as a destination for visitors from
neighboring communitiesas well as fill a need for local residents. It will complement other
attractions in the city, such as Sylvan Beach, burgeoning niche retail, cruise ships, and a trail
system that draws cyclists and other sports enthusiasts.
To start, develop a list of culinary academies, specialty grocers, wine merchants and
restaurants to target in this marketing campaign. Think small and regional chains versus
national big box retailers. Next, create marketing tools that express La Porte’s specific
advantages for culinary businesses. These tools may include a brochure, a web page on
the downtown website, and a series of advertisements for placement in specialty publications.
Tactic 2.1.5: Market La Porte to commercial real estate developers.
Once complete, La Porte’s Master Plan will identify specific catalyst projects that will heighten
the city’s ability to accomplish its economic development vision. These projects will likely
require participation from real estate developers. The Master Plan itself will serve as a
valuable marketing tool for the city when communicating with development companies. It will
provide a platform for conversation and illustrate to investors how their project will securely fit
within the city’s long term commitment to capital improvements.
As the Master Plan is being designed, the City should create a database of commercial
developers located in the Greater Houston area, as well as national firms whose niche
matches La Porte’s.
Invest in marketing tools to use when reaching out to contacts. These materials should
include:
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
A webpage or section within the City’s website that provides details about the
Master Plan and the catalyst projects contained within
A brochure and PowerPoint presentation that summarizes the Master Plan
Once marketing materials are completed, start a phone call campaign designed to
scheduleone-to-one with developer contacts to inform them of opportunities in La Porte.
As these relationships develop, host a Real Estate Day in which Greater Houston area
developers tour La Porte to learn firsthand about opportunities and catalyst project locations.
This half-day event could include a brief presentation about the community, a brief tour of sites
and community assets, and a golf tournament. Provide guests with printed materials about
the Master Plan, a map of the region, and a community profile. Approach them as experts
brought in to help the City refine versus sales targets.
Tactic 2.1.6: Market La Porte to retail developers.
The survey conducted for this project revealed that increasing retail shopping options is a top
priority. Per capital taxable retail sales in La Porte were $1,844 in 2007, which is significantly
lower than neighboring cities Deer Park ($4,220), Texas City ($4,561), and Baytown ($7,024),
and Harris County as a whole ($5,938). La Porte needs to capture a higher level of spending
by residents, but first it must attract retailers to start up or expand into the city.
Although most retail developers have sophisticated approaches to site selection, and are
primarily driven by population demographics, it is beneficial to build relationships with these
businesses. In addition, as discussed in Goal 1, La Porte must prepare adequate sites and
development policies to meet the needs of retailers.
The International Conference of Shopping Centers (ICSC) is the shopping center industry’s
global trade association. It has 65,000 members, which include shopping center developers,
owners, managers, investors, lenders, retailers, and marketing specialists. ICSC’s Texas
Conference and Deal Making event occurs every fall in San Antonio. The conference attracts
major companies such as Applebee’s, Chipotle, FedEx, Hastings, JC Penney, Staples,
Starbucks, and The Container Store. Almost every major commercial developer is also
present.
Once prepared for retail, the City should attend and exhibit at ICSC. The current cost to
register is $250 for members and $460 for non-members. Exhibit space ranges in cost from
$350 to $2100.
As with developers, La Porte should invest in marketing materials to address its retail
audiences.Dedicating a webpage within the City’s website to retail opportunities, sites,
and sales points is an important step, as is having appropriate printed collateral for use in
sales meetings and at conferences.
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
Strategy 2.2: Engage in internal marketing to increase community awareness
of the City’s economic development initiative.
Internal and external marketing activities should be equally balanced in terms of time and
financial commitment. Internal marketing is essential to successful economic development.
Companies want to locate in places that exhibit a spirit of teamwork. It assures outsiders that
the city is friendly, welcoming, and will work together, and residents feel personally involved in
economic development
Tactic 2.2.1: Share the results of the final Strategic Plan with the community.
With more than 40 individuals participating in interviews and 300 in the public survey, La
Porte’s residents have contributed time and energy into the creation of this Strategic Plan. It
is important that they experience the results of their hard work.
Share the Strategic Plan with the Bayshore Sun. Encourage the Sun to develop a
series of articles over a period of several weeks that feature various topics covered
herein.
Host a roll out event in which project team members speak about the Strategic Plan.
Include a flyer about the Strategic Plan in City utility bills.
Working with La Porte Independent School District to distribute information about the
Strategic Plan to parents and teachers.
Tactic 2.2.2: Formalize a communications function within City government.
Ensure La Porte’s residents are kept updated on City activities. Create a communications
officer position or reorganize so that a current staff member(s) has time and authority to
implement this recommendation. The person should be responsible for:
Writing and distributing media releases on a regular basis about City activities
Hosting a series of events in which City leaders visit with civic groups about economic
development activities
Continuing to post current news stories and the community hotline on the City’s
website
Continuing to produce newsletters and annual reports that highlight top stories and
assure residents that the City cares about their interests
Alerting the Economic Alliance, Bay Area Houston Partnership, and Greater Houston
Partnership about economic development in La Porte
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
Ensuring the City, economic development, and Historic Sylvan Beach websites are
kept up-to-date
Overseeing the design and production of collateral materials
Ensuring all City marketing activities, including those related to economic
development and the Historic Sylvan Beach District, are consistent in appearance and
messaging
Conducting an annual survey of residents to gauge perception and concerns related
to La Porte’s economic development
While these responsibilities may be handled by a single individual or divided across several
departments, each is important to maintaining a positive information flow between City
government and the public. This will help stem misinformation and generate a sense of
goodwill.
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
GOAL 3
Implement the strategies in such a way that maximum flexibility and
accountability are maintained.
From the outset, this plan was designed in such a way that the priorities led to clear
implementation actions.
The goals, strategies, and tactics within this plan will be carried out by the City of La Porte with
cooperation from the Economic Development Corporation and the Main Street Advisory
Board. However, successful implementation will require energy and coordination from the
entire community.
Of foremost importance to economic development success is to accept that not everyone in
the community will agree with every tactic in this strategy. Through interviews and surveys,
we can say without question that almost everyone in the city agrees to the tenets on which this
strategy was developed. Improving La Porte’s quality of life is residents’ number one priority.
Beautification, Sylvan Beach, and Downtown redevelopment are critical components of this
initiative. City leaders and residents should not lose sight of these goals and should let them
guide decisions.
The second factor of economic development success is to keep policies flexible, geared
toward accomplishing La Porte’s long term vision versus reacting to daily crises. To
accomplish this, the public sector will have to:
Provide an overall planning context (a master plan) and funding for key catalyst
projects (e.g., Sylvan Beach and infrastructure improvements).
Ensure that policies related to land use should be focused on performance rather than
function. Focus on how the structure interacts with other elements of the built
environment, as opposed to what is going on inside the building per se.
Adopt an incentives policy that provides guidance to potential recipients as to
community priorities and goals while not being overly specific as to the type of firm or
project that is eligible. Include a system for grading a project’s eligibility that is based
on the project’s contribution to City vision and goals. Judgment should be a key part
of the evaluation process.
Focus on context and adjust this Plan as needed to facilitate market-driven evolution
of specific activities.
Finally, this strategy is an active document that should be updated and adapted to new
economic circumstances. The City should incorporate the Plan’s Implementation Guide into
staff management and evaluations. At least once a year, adjust the Implementation Guide to
include new projects and remove those that have been accomplished. In doing so, this
Strategic Plan can live well beyond its three-year timeframe.
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
Appendix
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
IncentivePolicyExample
MixedUseProject
NewUrbanBuildersplanstobringamixeduseprojecttothedowntownLaPorte/Sylvan
Beachcorridor.Theplanistobuild105,000squarefeetofretail/entertainment,a100room
hotel,45,000squarefeetofofficeusesand175housingunits,ofwhich75willbeowner
occupiedpricedbetween$155,000and$275,000/unit,withthebalancemultifamilyrental.
TheCitywillspend$375,000ininfrastructureextensions.
OverallEconomicandFiscalImpact
MinimalAcceptableGoodExcellent
010 20 30
CharacterofJobs
Poor/MinimalAcceptableGoodExcellent
010 15 20
ConnectiontoEconomicDevelopmentFocusAreas
UnconnectedAcceptableGoodExcellent
01020 30
AdditionalContributiontoCommunityVitality
MinimalAcceptableGoodExcellent
0 10 1520
TotalPossiblePoints100
BonusPointsforDesiredDevelopmentLocationin
15
Downtown/SylvanBeachCorridor
ProjectScore:85(qualifiesforupto50percenttaxincentive)
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013
ProjectDetails
Taxable Annual Sales$28,875,000
Number of FTEs150
Average Hourly Wage$12
Average Annual Wage$24,000
Total Annual Payroll$3,600,000
Taxable Hotel Revenue$3,832,500
Value of Property, etc$56,875,000
Payroll Growth Factor3%
Sales Growth Factor3%
Value of Plant/Equipment Growth Factor3%
Hotel Revenue Growth Factor3%
Discount Rate5%
Present Value of Fiscal Benefits - No Incentives
$9,964,168
Estimated Direct City Costs$375,000
Present Value of Fiscal Benefits - With Incentives$5,371,194
Present Value of Public Costs$344,590
Present Value of Net Benefits - With Incentives
$5,026,604
Value to City as Percentage
50.4%
ExampleAbatementSchedule
Direct
YearLaPorteCostTiming
Year1 80%50%
Year2 80%25%
Year3 65%25%
Year4 65%0%
Year5 65%0%
Year6 65%0%
Year7 10%0%
Year8 5%0%
Year9 5%0%
Year10 5%0%
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Forward La Porte Economic Development Strategic Plan I 2009-2013