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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-05-2023 Work Session MinutesDUBLIN CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION JUNE 5, 2023 Minutes Mayor Fox called the Monday, June 5, 2023 work session to order at 6:06 p.m. Council members present: Ms. Alutto, Ms. Amorose Groomes, Vice Mayor De Rosa, Mayor Fox, Mr. Keeler, Ms. Kramb and Mr. Reiner. Staff present: Ms. O'Callaghan, Ms. Readler, Chief Paez, Ms. Rauch, Ms. Weisenauer, Mr. Dearth, Ms. Goehring, Ms. Goliver, Ms. Blake, Mr. Ament. Also present were: Gregg Wassmansdorf, Newmark Global Strategy & Consulting and Deborah Cummings and Joe Simkins, TEConomy Partners. Pledge of Allegiance Vice Mayor De Rosa led the Pledge of Allegiance. Economic Development Strategy Ms. O’Callaghan stated that the City has been working with TEConomy Partners on our Economic Development Strategic Plan since 2011. The Strategic Plan was updated in 2019 and adopted by Council. Recognizing major shifts that have occurred as a result of the global pandemic, it is essential to understand how the City’s economy has evolved and changed. These shifts have uncovered potential factors that could impact our community including physical space needs for companies, workforce dynamics, residential preferences, and the substantial growth of the Columbus region. This update includes the reexamination of the City’s previous Economic Development Strategy in light of these trends and provides direction to address these factors. Ms. O’Callaghan introduced Mr. Wassmansdorf from Newmark Global Strategy & Consulting. Newmark’s team of management consultants in the Global Strategy and Consulting division help companies determine what facilities they need and where they are needed, alongside identifying how those facilities’ operating conditions should be organized geographically, functionally, and socially while optimizing costs to the business. Newmark Global Strategy & Consulting Presentation Mr. Wassmansdorf stated that Newmark is a global real estate services firm. An important subset of Newmark is corporate strategy and site selection for their clients. They also specialize in economic development strategy for communities, specifically in the areas of investment attraction and readiness. He stated that the Semiconductor Industry (specifically, Intel) is an essential component of electronic devices, enabling advances in communications, computing, healthcare, military systems, transportation, etc. The semiconductor manufacturing process includes many stages, but can be categorized in three main phases: design; fabrication; and assembly, testing and packaging. He provided the following example: a company that does the fabrication phase of the manufacturing has hundreds of companies in a supporting role to that process. Intel coming to the greater Columbus area will make a huge impact as they are one of only five companies that design and manufacture their own chip with the assistance of hundreds of companies that they will use around them. The Columbus Ohio region is the fourth location in the United States for Intel. When Council Work Session June 5, 2023 Page 2 of 14 considering the impact this will have on surrounding communities and businesses, it is important to think about what the community wishes to attract. The functions that support semiconductor manufacturing live in different types of buildings and locations. Dublin must consider what industry activity fits within Dublin and what workforce does that attract. He shared that, as these companies, like Intel, land in an area, the impact over time is a cluster of businesses that come to a close proximity of the company. Dublin is in a good geographic spot to perhaps attract some of these businesses that will come to the area due to Intel. Mr. Wassmansdorf shared the site characteristics, built form and work description for each of the following property types: office, lab, flex, light industrial and heavy industrial. He stated that, as site selection specialists, Newmark did a planning district assessment on the City of Dublin for a semiconductor investment. They toured each of Dublin’s business districts to become familiar with the general development characteristics of each part of the City. They worked with staff to determine each district's suitability to support the development of various semiconductor asset types. | Tela | ar N A) | Industrial | Industrial Blazer Research District eee C06 ee © DQ Bridge Street District eee e e@ DQ DQ Emerald Corporate District CGE 6O@ ee ® DQ Metro Office District Ce © © ® DQ Perimeter Commerce District Ceo ee © e DQ Shier Rings Techflex District Ge 06 GG @G DQ West Innovation District CGE ee Cee 66 DQ Potential Annexation Lands ee COE Gee OGEe €@6 Sum of Suitability Scores: 22 19 16 11 3 DQ = Disqualified. Land use not suitable for district development based on discussions with City of Dublin Planning and Economic Development. Suitability Level Indicator Notes Significant challenges for this property type. Not e recommended for marketing efforts. Challenges : SS z may include infrastructure, available space, “s arse 1 Tt Oho rr) = te! Low Zoning, public opposition, etc. Area provides some suitability for Medium eg semiconductor types but may have some disadvantages or challenges. Area satisfies many criteria required for BUSINESS OO High ece semiconductor supply chain investment activity. DISTRICTS Recommended as an area to market to OO) semiconductor suppliers. - Mr. Wassmansdorf summarized the assessment by stating that the West Innovation District has the greatest potential among all the districts for industrial uses. It has high transmission power and access to a rail line. Their recommendation is not to infringe upon those really unique assets with a lot of residential development, rather, explore how those assets might be maximized. He noted that Dublin has a unique opportunity for expansion to the west. He recommended the City be purposeful in the Community Plan updates for these potential annexation areas. Council Work Session June 5, 2023 Page 3 of 14 Mr. Wassmansdorf provided some examples of communities that have been successful in landing semiconductor industry assets. The Newmark team provided these examples to illustrate “lessons learned” and best practices for communities who have had success attracting these businesses. He stated that the Newmark team assessed Dublin’s strengths, challenges, and opportunities. He reviewed the following challenges and opportunities for Dublin: | Challenge / Opportunity Rigorous planning & development process is thorough but also lengthy and unpredictable Community Plan not current Property capacity studies unavailable or not utilized Lack of available industrial zoned property Political/social opposition to industrial development Stagnant office market with barriers to redevelopment in some areas Limited availability of manufacturing-focused high school programs within City boundaries. Presence of other competitive “development ready” communities throughout the region Colurmbus-controlled water and sanity sewer utility requires dual agreement Newmark Comments Semiconductor suppliers face tight timelines to establish operations in the region given Intel's aggressive 2025 production timeline. Dublin development projects are known for delays and last-minute planning or zoning issues. This is a major impediment to development in the community. An out-of-date Community Plan does not provide sufficient guidance to businesses or developers on the City’s vision for future development. Developers and businesses face risks that an updated plan may recommend zoning changes or envision different land use strategies. The City is in the process of updating its plan. Dublin has developed property capacity studies, but these studies are not readily available, nor are they actively used to encourage development. Studies are unavailable for many vacant properties. Existing studies focus heavily on retail and office uses, leaving no guidance for lab or flex/light industrial uses. The city has a very small stock of existing industrial property, along with low industrial vacancy rates and only one industrial project underway, severely limiting the city’s potential to attract flex, lab, or industrial users in the highly valuable and fast-growing semiconductor industry and other high-value sectors like automotive. Public opposition has inhibited new industrial development, perhaps based on limited conceptions of industrial uses that may fit well within Dublin's urban fabric and create high-skill, high-wage employment. High vacancies in office market. Much of the city’s office stock is aging. Some areas (Metro Office, Blazer Research) have significant ownership/political/procedural barriers that limit potential for redevelopment. Dublin City Schools does not directly offer manufacturing-focused career education, though this is supplemented by program offerings through Tolles. Columbus State Community College offers certificates and associate degrees in manufacturing, engineering, and related disciplines to support Columbus area students interested in entering manufacturing sectors, with a semiconductor program announced and in development. The Columbus region is home to several competitive communities that have experience attracting lab, flex, and industrial users. These communities have property that will become available and ready faster and with greater certainty for new developments than is possible in Dublin. Water and wastewater utilities not being under Dublin control adds uncertainty in the site selection process. This may deter businesses that have large water or wastewater needs from locating in Dublin. He noted that a recurring theme that the team from Newmark kept hearing from stakeholders was deliberate planning. He stated that they also heard that the planning/development process can be somewhat lengthy and unpredictable (known for delays and last-minute planning or zoning issues). He stated that if a process is unpredictable, then projects will be lost. He stated that companies would rather invest where the process is certain. Mr. Wassmansdorf was pleased to see property capacity studies already completed for Dublin. He noted that the studies focus heavily on office and retail uses. He encouraged the City to include lab or flex/light industrial so there is guidance on these uses. Mr. Wassmansdorf stated that there were 17 recommendations made in the report that span across five themes with suggested high, medium or low priorities. He highlighted the following recommendations: e Development/Planning Category: o Create an inventory of all vacant lands and City-owned parcels that could potentially be (re)developed for semiconductor sector and other high-priority areas. He encouraged Dublin to be in a state of readiness. Council Work Session June 5, 2023 Page 4 of 14 o Develop an annexation and infrastructure service strategy for lands west of the City as part of the current Community Plan update. o Also as part of the Community Plan update, identify any areas of the community that could be rezoned to allow development by right, rather than requiring additional approval. He explained that removing this uncertainty of additional approvals could encourage development. e Organizational Category: o Create a rapid response team for semiconductor projects. This team might include Economic Development, Planning, Engineering, the City Manager, and a representative from the Planning and Zoning Commission. e Site Readiness Category: o Develop industrial/flex/lab focused property capacity studies for priority sites. Encourage private property owners (possibly through incentives) to undertake required due diligence studies on their own land. o Demonstrate that the City is not only responsive to inbound project opportunities but can also improve its ability to satisfy information requests from complex project inquiries and execute projects with speed and certainty when semiconductor prospects arise. Ms. Amorose Groomes thanked Mr. Wassmansdorf for being in the meeting. She asked about the amount of acreage that would be attractive to these semiconductor entities. Mr. Wassmansdorf stated that it is important to have options. There is historically high demand for industrial land in North America. He stated that creating sites and a building design that allows for buildings to be sub-divided or expanded if necessary is very important for optionality. Mr. Wassmansdorf shared the example of a 140,000 square foot building that is 3.2 acres under roof, and industrial buildings are typically built on about 1/3 of total land area, so the estimate of acreage needed would be about a 9-acre site. Vice Mayor De Rosa stated that since Intel has done this before, there is a known list of players in this space. She stated that there have to be key vendors or suppliers that work together. Mr. Wassmandorf stated that One Columbus has a non-disclosure agreement in place and cannot share that information. They do know who the companies are that have been requested by Intel to be close by. It is a conversation that the City of Dublin could have with One Columbus to gain some insight. Ms. Goehring stated that they are being a little more open with information. Mayor Fox asked if there are areas in the semiconductor industry that we should be more focused on drawing. Mr. Wassmansdorf stated that the Research and Development and the Electrical and Design Engineering areas are higher wage and more conducive to the office environment. Mr. Reiner stated that we need to pinpoint available land, develop some kind of a fast track zoning code that allows a more streamlined, accelerated process. Mr. Wassmansdorf stated that the words “speed” and “certainty” are words that he hears a lot in this area of business and site selection. Ms. Alutto suggested putting together a comprehensive marketing package that utilizes the recommendations provided by Newmark. Mr. Wassmansdorf agreed. Ms. Alutto noted the positive partnership that Dublin holds with State elected officials and suggested that mentioning that in the marketing materials could be beneficial as well. Mr. Wassmansdorf stated that it is clear that Dublin Council Work Session June 5, 2023 Page 5 of 14 has a great working relationship with partners and elected officials, but the concern he has heard is the uncertainty of whether or not Dublin could execute on a project. Ms. Alutto stated that there is an educational component with this topic and Dublin has educational/career entities within close proximity. Should the City be working with these educational facilities to offer more certificate programming or is it enough that they are close by? Mr. Wassmansdorf responded that it is definitely part of Dublin’s value proposition, but adding additional workforce development within the City is great also. Vice Mayor De Rosa asked about next steps. Ms. O’Callaghan stated that staff would like to review the current strategy (as adopted in 2019) and present the overall draft updates to the strategy and get Council feedback. Staff would then take Council’s feedback and incorporate the recommendations Council would like to include in the comprehensive strategy. Once finalized, the documents would be presented to Council at a future meeting for adoption. Ms. Amorose Groomes stated that she would like to see workforce development within our community included in the strategy. Ms. O'Callaghan thanked Mr. Wassmansdorf for the report and reintroduced Ms. Cummings and Mr. Simkins with TEConomy Partners. Ms. Cummings reiterated that the last strategy was adopted in October of 2019 and then some months later the world changed due to a global pandemic. Staff approached TEConomy last year with a need to rethink the strategy post-pandemic and update it. TEConomy has been working on a comprehensive update driven by both qualitative and quantitative inputs that provide the basis for refining the strategies outlined in the 2019 Strategy. This strategic plan seeks to enhance the region’s current economic drivers as well as position the City of Dublin to capitalize on future economic opportunities. She stated that, while there has been tremendous growth in the region, many of the strategies in 2019 still hold true today. The concerns that were expressed in 2019, are now here today in our reality. Mr. Simkins stated that in the wake of the acute impacts of the pandemic, the Columbus MSA industry base has begun to recover. The question is, how did Dublin recover? There are some industries that have been slower to recover, such as finance and insurance and residential healthcare services; all of which have a large base in Dublin. Dublin has experienced a rebound, growing at 1.4% from 2020 to 2021. Ms. Cummings noted that the 2022 data will be available in the October 2023 timeframe. Mr. Simkins shared the cumulative impact of these dynamics across the 2017- 2021 period and stated that most of Dublin’s industries aligned with regional clusters have experienced slower growth relative to regional and national trends. Dublin continues to remain a regional leader in traded industry jobs and overall base of employment relative to other benchmark communities in Greater Columbus, but has begun to be outpaced by some benchmark communities in growth across key industry sectors. Peer communities are growing at a faster rate than Dublin. Mr. Simkins stated that the “quality of place” indicators remain high and the region is still anchored by several highly specialized industries with major employment footprints. He stated that the IT workforce remains critical to the City’s competitiveness, but there is some evidence that Dublin is losing ground in growing this segment of workers. An emerging healthcare workforce and ongoing demand presents a potential growth opportunity. There are new opportunities emerging for retaining tech businesses and capturing a portion of the regional semiconductor industry buildout. Council Work Session June 5, 2023 Page 6 of 14 Changing workplace models, socioeconomic and demographic shifts, and increasing competition from other regional communities, risk disrupting Dublin-established industry base. Mr. Simkins stated that it used to be that companies would draw people to the area, but in many industries such as IT, the companies are going to the people. The ability to attract and retain talent in these highly technical jobs is critical for the companies. Mr. Simkins shared the headwinds that are driving the need for Dublin’s updated Economic Development Strategy. They are: e The rise of mixed-use urban development (like Bridge Park) in nurturing knowledge industries: Building on successful growth to establish new mixed-use nodes and adaptive reuse. e The shifting preferences among the modern high-skilled workforce: disruptive impacts of new working models and the role of the digital workforce as a City asset. e The changing nature of industry clustering and supply chains: Evolution of the Central Ohio industry base. e The need for ongoing investment in maintaining strong local economies: Role of amenities and infrastructure in driving business dynamism. Vice Mayor De Rosa asked how the collection of data is changing with the work from home shift. Mr. Simkins stated that he does not think that the impact of work from home has been fully manifested yet. Vice Mayor De Rosa clarified that she was asking about the data comparisons and job counts. The data is coming from the same source: The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages that is produced from unemployment statistics from the federal government. Ms. Cummings stated that employers are still reporting from an establishment level. She used the example that a company will say they have 100 employees as their employment base (even though 90 of them work from home). Ms. Cummings stated that as much as things may have changed, the economic mandate has not. The urgency at which these strategies must be implemented has accelerated. She noted that in 2019, discussion was held regarding surrounding communities in the region. Today, those communities have continued to work hard and are experiencing growth. As TEConomy was reviewing the data, they are of the opinion that the fundamental holistic approach still holds. Ms. Cummings referred to the graphic below: Council Work Session June 5, 2023 Page 7 of 14 Og Fe) eT tara ei Development Nodes Create vibrant environment and amenities to attract and retain talent base Create modern, flexible spaces to attract and retain industry base rend cls PTI ty eller lel) public-private partnerships Nurture Growth of Targeted industry Clusters Streamline Development Processes Create business- friendly environment that is highly responsive to changing industry needs Maintain High Quality Infrastructure & Quality of Place She stated that Dublin’s updated Economic Development Strategy is driven by an acceleration of the economic headwinds outlined and the City must focus its economic development efforts on the following strategies: fecor-lcomeltaslivadi ome (ears eye iors SMM eee sella industrial demand for vibrant physical space while maintaining Dublin’s high quality of place standards. This in turn will create the modern, flexible spaces that will attract and retain not only a vibrant industrial base, but also the iClCtal meer Mie yeaa cael icoe Make Dublin’s development processes more transparent and predictable thereby reducing uncertainty. This in etme d i Meto- lor B lites iaCaieiMm aie mettle highly responsive to changing industrial needs. Nurture growth of targeted industry clusters through proactive attraction and business retention/expansion activities. This will help ensure that Dublin's economy is positioned for future economic growth by making sure that cutting-edge industries and the talent they require find Dublin to be an attractive, business friendly environment upon which to anchor their success. Foster sustainable partnerships to catalyze value-added collaborations. The entire economic development strategy Teco elites Biel a mes ability to foster value-added collaborations among industry, academia, and the government and non-profit sectors. Council Work Session June 5, 2023 Page 8 of 14 It is important to point out that no economic development strategy can be successful unless the underpinning foundational assets of a community, its high-quality infrastructure and quality of place assets, are not only maintained, but also further enhanced. Ms. Cummings reviewed each Action Item under each of the four strategies with Council. Strategy Actions Action 1: Continue to build on the momentum of Bridge Park/Bridge Street District Strategy 1: Create distinctive development nodes to meet 21st Century industrial demand for vibrant physical Action 2: Move the West Innovation space while District forward by setting the conditions for development attractive maintaining to the targeted industry clusters Dublin’s High Quality of Place Standards Strategy | Actions | ; | Tactics Pursue two additional Class A office buildings by obtaining commitments from developers and approval by City Council by 2024 with construction occurring by 2025. Immediately adjacent to the Bridge Street District, market the city-owned land along Emerald Parkway (near Riverside Drive) and develop a new office project. Plan and program the Snouffer Road intersection improvement. Redevelop 5/3 Bank office site at Sawmill Road and West Dublin-Granville Road. Focus attraction efforts on high-growth companies being incubated elsewhere in the region that are seeking ability to scale (related to Strategy 3, Action 3). Ensure the Bridge Street District development node retains its “cool” factor by incorporating recreational amenities and collaborating with the Dublin Arts Council to incorporate public are displays. Undertake the SR-161 Corridor study to build upon/leverage Bridge Park. Target unique amenities to the region, including signature hotel and conference center. Redevelop the Dublin Village site to allow for additional mixed-use development. Execute the build-out of the balance of city-owned property associated with the OSU- Medical Center investment. Leverage city-owned and OU-owned land to build-out OU Dublin Campus. Pursue research investments/partnerships with both OU and OSU around key industry clusters (related to Strategy 3, Action 2). Complete construction of the US 33/Post Road Interchange. Pursue the relocation of Eiterman Road. Purchase strategic tracts of land for future development through further land acquisition, including focusing on access to rail as an economic asset: © Undertake a West Dublin Passenger Rail Station Area Planning Study and Vision Plan. © Incorporate land acquired on western border into planning strategies. Build on success of Crosby Court flex space. Action 3: Focus efforts to redevelop the Dublin Corporate Area/legacy office parks and provide additional points of connection to alternative living/retail space Strategy 1: Create distinctive development nodes to meet 21st Century Action 4: Connect development industrial nodes through deployment of demand for transportation and mobility vibrant physical —_ technologies and serve as suburban space while test bed maintaining Dublin’s High Quality of Place Standards | Tactics Implement the Dublin Corporate Area Plan (DCAP): © Implement best practices around mixed-use, higher-density development that combine live/work/play environment. © Partner with the property owners for the redevelopment of the Metro Center frontage. Continue innovation and technology cluster attraction efforts with emphasis on talent pipeline and access to Dublink. Consider the use of a Community Reinvestment Area (CRA)/abatement area to redevelop legacy office parks. Work with the property owner on the potential repositioning (i.e., rezone, mixed-use, utility issues) of the land on the far south end of the former Ashland campus. Pursue transportation and mobility connectivity to integrate DCAP with surrounding areas. Leverage proximity to 33 Smart Corridor and Beta District and Smart Columbus to build out autonomous/connected “Smart” infrastructure as a beta/testing platform for R&D. 0. Attract firms/technologies to beta test on the City of Dublin’s and 33 Corridor’s “smart infrastructure”. oO Determine next generation of Beta District and 33 Smart Corridor technology and initiatives. Explore the creation of a regular circulator shuttle that connects Districts. Continue to ensure biking/pedestrian walkability of future developments. Consider WID a place for a future passenger rail and Hyperloop stop. Create a Smart Corridor R&D facility in West Innovation District. Study and integrate with the MORPC and COTA corridor studies/initiatives. Consider multi-jurisdictional opportunities regarding East/West regional transit. Continue to support the linkage of the Northwest Corridor. Continue marketing and expanding the Dublin Connector service. Council Work Session June 5, 2023 Page 9 of 14 Referring to Strategy 1, Ms. Cummings explained the concern of cities “hollowing out.” She described hollowing out as the point that cities start to lose the vitality in the core (Metro Center and Blazer). There is a concern with Dublin hollowing out if we do not continue to create the diverse development nodes. She stated that the survey respondents all felt that Bridge Park was the best thing to happen to Dublin. She expressed that it is important to continue to build on that momentum. She reiterated the need for allowing development to happen without the delays and uncertainty. Enhancing the live, work and play efforts will continue to keep the workforce tuned in to the community. Strategy 2 is a difficult challenge, but it is within Dublin’s control. It will be important to articulate the vision. Action 5: Foster e Validate Council’s commitment to the following area plans: understanding and o Dublin Corporate Area Plan (DCAP) Strategy 2: predictability regarding the 9 West Innovation District (WID) Make Dublin’s type of development being o Bridge Street District PS2)) sought and adhere to the e Update the Community Plan: Development stated vision/plan for o Reaffirm overarching Vision section Processes development o Update Community Character and Environment and Fiscal Analysis sections More e Articulate Council’s vision to Council/Board/Members/Staff o Conduct joint training for Board and Commission members and staff clearly Transparent articulating vision/responsibilities/purview and o Ensure that development plans are adhered to and policies are followed Predictable routinely. Thereby e Explore additional opportunities for innovative/expedited Visioning Process Reducing involving Council, Board/Members, staff, developers, and land owners similar to : 2022 DCAP Visioning Process. Uncertainty e Ensure that as new hires come on board as part of the economic development leadership staff they are connecting with industry leadership on a regular basis (Strategy 4, Action 10). Ms. Cummings clarified that it is not the fact that Dublin has high standards. She stated everyone appreciates the high standards. The predictability and uncertainty are what needes to be improved. Council Work Session June 5, 2023 Page 10 of 14 Action 6: Enhance e = Advance collaboration/partnerships among industry, academia, and government. existing economic ¢ Work with the Dublin City Schools on the growth of its academy programs. Strategy 3: development efforts ° Train Council and the City Leadership Team to conduct business retention and expansion visits. Nurture the e Have City Leadership visit with the Top 10 largest companies and key industry cluster firms annually. growth of e Understand/be creative in the types of incentives that can be leveraged. e i Provide staffing to ensure 250 business retention and expansion visits can be conducted annually. targeted industry clusters through = Action 7: Focus the IT and Computer Services: proactive Economic © Develop a renewed industry attraction and retention strategy for IT and computer services firms designed attraction ana Development Team’s to attract small and mid-sized anchor office locations to mixed-use development nodes. efforts on key © Deploy a parallel initiative aimed at attracting “tech” resident to mitigate risks to the “hollowing out” of business industry clusters Dublin’s high skills workforce, including increasing access to housing for early career tech workers, buildout retention/ of mixed-use nodes providing amenities, and branding initiatives designed to capture talent flows from the expansion Columbus region’s urban core to outlying suburban communities. activities e@ Build on Dublin’s valuable fiber infrastructure in the Dublink network to expand low latency, high performance connectivity across the city, and build out full coverage of residential fiber networks to build a strong workforce attraction asset for resident workers in tech industries. Medical Biosciences and Healthcare Services: e Continue to support buildout of major healthcare delivery sites anchored around the medical campus district, including targeted attraction of secondary healthcare suppliers and services that can cluster in proximity to large care delivery locations. e¢ Emphasize the value proposition of the region to digital health and healthcare services tech companies, and aggressively target small- and mid-sized companies in this space with attraction efforts to appropriately developed site locations in proximity to major hospitals and outpatient care facilities. © Continue to explore opportunities to attract R&D and innovation activities in gerontology/aging science as well as remote/rural health through public-private partnerships to build on the base of industry activity and align with patient population needs. e _ Explore ways to increase accessibility to high-density housing in proximity to major care facilities for allied health workers to meet labor demand in the face of changing commuting patterns. e As firms outgrow existing incubation space elsewhere in the Greater Columbus Region, leverage Dublin’s live/work/play developments (Strategy 1) to attract scaling firms thereby further diversifying Dublin’s economy. e Work with the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem (Revi, One Columbus, Strategy 3 cont.: JobsOhio, and area venture capital firms) to identify/access these scaling Nurture the growth of — Action 8: Capture a firms. ‘ 3 ph ; targeted industry larger portion of the e Monitor and work to attract international R&D locations in key industry clusters. clusters through Greater Columbus we Be : sete ‘ oe Neat eaatitn Recisntc e Develop additional building inventory suitable for scaling firms that require P eect 7 Rick : space to grow into (See Strategy 1). an erie scaling/high-growt e Continue to promote the start-up community in Dublin by leveraging the retention/ companies various co-working spaces in Dublin, such as Brickhouse Blue and CoHatch, and also determining the relevancy and future focus/efforts of the DEC. e Leverage Dublin’s IT infrastructure capabilities: o Promote Dublink as a competitive/cost saving advantage by developing a new targeted education campaign on the benefits of Dublink. o Increase Dublink capacity and availability to commercial buildings. Ms. Cummings stated that Strategy 3 is about nurturing targeted industry clusters and enhancing existing economic development efforts. Building a cohesive plan for creating career paths through educational and workforce development is important. Because some of the workforce have remained remote, it has opened up the opportunity for companies to find talent anywhere. Ms. Cummings commented on Dublin’s impact as a healthcare destination for Northwest Ohio. expansion activities Council Work Session June 5, 2023 Page 11 of 14 Pon Mo ieee e Conduct semi-annual Industry Roundtable events hosted by City Council to create dialogues to ensure continuous process improvements Conduct semi-annual Developer and Commercial Real Estate Brokerage Roundtable events to create dialogues to ensure continuous process Action 10: Connect industry leadership with city leadership on a regular basis Strategy 4: improvements regarding services offered, development processes, permit Foster processes, etc. sustainable Action 11: Establish more e Establish formal industry networking groups with dedicated events with the partnerships effective industry networks goal of enhancing regular local business community interactions. to catalyze to better connect local e Actively pursue opportunities to host regional innovation-related events at value-added companies to each other leading Dublin industries or establishments to increase awareness of the city collaborations and to the broader and highlight local industry. community as wellas better ¢ Support and attend Chamber and other business organizations’ events. connect the publicand non- °@ Leverage and work with other regional economic development initiatives led profit sectors to one through organizations such as JobsOhio, One Columbus, and MORPC. another and to industry e Better connect businesses to the community Ms. Cummings stated that Strategy 4 speaks to establishing and fostering sustainable partnerships. The last few years have brought changes in leadership and it will be important to reestablish connections again and keep nurturing those. There is a collaborative effort in Ohio and Dublin stepping into those relationships will only benefit the City. Ms. Cummings then prioritized the action items and attached timing to them. Strategy/Action Priority Timing Strategy 1: Create distinctive development nodes to meet 21st Century industrial demand for vibrant physical space 2 es sani sodas Soe wep na as Sa CRE tS ee the momentum of Bridge Park/Bridge Street District Essential | Immediate Move the West Innovation District forward by setting the conditions for development Essential Short-term ‘Focus effortsto redevelop the Dublin Corporate Area/legacy office parks = sttststi(<is~i‘“‘<;é‘srSSC*éR tid ‘Short-term Connect development nodes through deployment of transportation and mobility technologies Important Medium-term | Strategy 2: Make Dublin’s Development Processes More Transparent and Predictable Thereby Reducing Uncertainty Spe eS a ee a j Foster understanding and predictability regarding development being sought Critical Immediate — — | Strategy 3: Nurture growth of targeted industry clusters through proactive attraction and BR&E activities Enhance existing economic development efforts Significant Short-term Focus Economic Development Team’s efforts on key industry clusters Significant Short-term = eens ae : _| Capture larger portion of Greater Columbus Region’s scaling/high-growth companies Significant | Mid-term Strategy 4: Foster sustainable gartherships to catalyze value-added céllaborations Connect industrial leadership with city leadership Important Immediate Short-term Establish more effective industry networks Important For the priority classification: a Essential for those actions that are critical for the success of the strategy; a Significant for those actions that can make a major impact in advancing the strategy; and s Important for those actions thet can contribute to the success of the strategy. Council Work Session June 5, 2023 Page 12 of 14 Ms. Cummings concluded her presentation by bringing a call to action for the rapidly changing economic environment that Dublin is facing. She highlighted the following: e Be prepared to capture Dublin’s share of the transformative economic development changes that are occurring in the region; e Trends in remote and hybrid work are likely to persist and will have real impacts on Dublin’s ability to attract traditional large-scale office developments. Focus efforts on attracting the workforce through housing options and key amenities; e Explore the redevelopment of legacy real estate stock into additional mixed-use nodes (the success of Bridge Park); and e Maintain desirability through sustained investment in quality of place amenities and infrastructure. The City should continue to explore development of new higher density housing stock integrated into mixed-use developments. She stated that if Dublin wants to maintain its desirable economic position, it will need to approach ongoing investment in a tactical manner that accounts for the ways in which its business and amenities districts have aged over time as well as the changing population dynamics driving broader socioeconomic shifts. Mr. Reiner shared that a CEO he spoke to provided him with the following information of why employees would rather be in Dublin rather than Columbus: education, safety, walkable neighborhoods and amenities. He noted that the Parks and Recreation Master Plan was just updated and speaks to the quality of place amenities. He also mentioned that CEOs bring their companies with them to their home communities. He stated that our CEO housing stock is somewhat limited. Ms. Cummings stated that when she spoke with CEOs, about 50% lived in the City and 50% did not. Of those that did not, they did not seem to feel that it was necessary to live in Dublin. They like Dublin, but there were other factors keeping them outside the City. What she continues to hear from those she interviewed, was that they want mixed-use areas and not the four-bedroom colonial home. Mayor Fox asked about the place making nodes and best practices. What would give Dublin the fast track to develop the targeted areas we want? Ms. Cummings suggested that having a defined process with little uncertainty for developers is helpful. She continues to hear that issues in process can mean money lost for developers. Mayor Fox stated that developers want to build apartment complexes, but not the amenities. She wanted to know if there was a way to get to a better vision. Ms. Cummings stated that there are ways to get to the vision through master lease agreements, the way you own the land and lease the land allows Dublin to dictate what the land is used for. Mr. Simkins stated that there are best practices regarding proactivity and attracting talent. Ms. Kramb thanked the consultants for the information. There are a lot of tactics and strategies listed. She requested staff's plan on how these tactics and strategies will be tackled in order to accomplish this plan. Ms. O'Callaghan stated that this is an update of our previous strategy. Many of the strategies have been guiding staff on not only economic development, but planning, engineering, transportation, etc. She suggested that staff could elaborate on the timeline/priority chart that Ms. Cummings provided earlier. Council Work Session June 5, 2023 Page 13 of 14 Ms. Alutto stated that there have been staffing changes, so a workforce plan that goes with these tactics and strategies would be helpful for Council’s understanding of what is prioritized and how it will get done. Ms. O'Callaghan stated that a lot of work has been happening behind the scenes with the consultants and staff to get us to this point. The Newmark study is new to staff, but there is a lot of overlap, so the next step for staff will be to identify where the overlaps are and look specifically at the recommendations involving the semiconductor realm. She added that this is perfect timing to be in the front of our minds as we work on the Community Plan update. Vice Mayor De Rosa stated that she appreciated Mr. Wassmansdorf's candor and prioritization. She agrees with Ms. Kramb that she would be interested in seeing staff's priorities and implementation strategy. She stated that, as Ms. O’Callaghan eluded to, a lot of this has already been made a part of our institutional fabric. Ms. Amorose Groomes stated that she is looking forward to what the next data tells us for 2022. Mr. Keeler stated that he appreciates the candor as well. For years, Dublin has been the envy of our neighbors and it has taken a while, but those communities have caught up and are passing us. We need to decide what we want to do and who we want to be. We have the West Innovation District and it is not being used to its fullest potential. The challenge that the commercial developers are having is navigating our process. By being very clear about what we want and how to navigate the process from the beginning would be fairer to the developers and to staff. New Albany’s motto is “shovel ready.” We are not “shovel ready.” The wins that we have experienced in the medical industry are happening in other communities as well. We need to determine what we want and Stick to it. Mayor Fox agreed that we need to understand what we need to do to be successful. It is clear that if we can be clear and transparent about what we want then it would be better. The problem is that Council may want something different than Planning and Zoning Commission and Planning staff. We need to understand what we want collaboratively so it can be shared with the developers and they can be clear as well. We need to think hard about our message regarding what we want, how quickly it can be done and it can be communicated clearly. Ms. O'Callaghan asked if it was Council's desire to have staff bring forward the strategy for implementation along with the Resolution to adopt the updated strategy to an upcoming Council meeting. Council consensus was agreement, but if staff was unable to provide it all at once, it was fine to accept the documents at a Council meeting first and then follow-up with an implementation plan. Ms. O’Callaghan stated that staff will finalize the documents and bring forward to Council for acceptance at an upcoming Council meeting. Staff will be working on an implementation plan, but it does not have to be a part of the accepting of the documents. The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m. Council Work Session June 5, 2023 Page 14 of 14 ene feel Presiding Officer - Mayor . Clerk/of Coufcil