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Assistance
The Economic Development & Housing Department has primary responsibility for enhancing the economic health and prosperity of the City of Riverbank, and effectively administering services, programs and projects that benefit the local economy, its businesses and residents. With this critical responsibility, staff will engage in the following four core objectives: Business Attraction and Economic Diversification; Business Creation, Retention and Expansion; Economic Redevelopment and Revitalization; and Public-Private Partnerships.
Business Attraction and Economic Diversification
Opportunities for business attraction and diversification include simultaneous focus on contacting existing businesses and property owners, and making contact with potential business recruits. The City will continue its efforts to attract additional companies to our community by providing competitively priced land and community infrastructure, improving its development process, and cooperating with our local economic development partners in attracting new business and industry diversification.
Business Creation, Retention and Expansion
The City of Riverbank supports and encourages the creation of new business and the growth and development of existing businesses within our community. Through its own programs and referral to those of our economic development partners, the City seeks to direct targeted technical and financial assistance to entrepreneurs, start-up and small businesses, and to our area’s several business. In most economies, existing businesses create a great majority of the annual capital investment and job creation in the community. It is particularly important for the City to have all of its existing businesses identified, understand their needs and concerns, and provide direct and indirect support for their expansion desires.
Public-Private Partnerships
Economic development is a “team effort”. It requires close and ongoing coordination between the elected, volunteer leadership, business organizations, the general public and the City’s staff. It is important to understand that the overwhelming amount of economic development activity takes place in the private sector; therefore, it is important to adopt processes and policies that are “business-friendly” while protecting the public interest. The Riverbank Business Association (RBA) and the reinitiated Riverbank Chamber of Commerce will be natural partnership extensions of the City’s efforts to retain and expand businesses and partner in collaborative fashions, in addition to using the related services offered by the Alliance.
Economic Redevelopment and Revitalization
Riverbank is a well-established community with citizens, neighborhoods, and businesses sharing a sense of local identity and purpose. Riverbank will maintain its unique sense of place and economic vitality while preserving its history, diversity, natural beauty, and “small town” character. Due to the range of these detrimental physical and economic conditions, the Agency must undertake a comprehensive program of activities, including providing needed public improvements, direct financial assistance to stimulate quality development, assisting with site acquisition and assembly, financial assistance to promote rehabilitation of existing improvements and structures, and various other activities that would serve existing residents and businesses, and would induce new private investment.