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Corridor cities and businesses, including Energy Recovery Inc. & Cleaire. Building the East
<br />Bay Green Economy Oakland Chamber of Commerce and the UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy, laying out �
<br />� efficiency, environmental consulting, recycling and solar energy.
<br />Updated logo, developed website and added 12 business testimonials, 187 green business listings. selection as a 2011 Microsoft
<br />Partner of the Year Award Winner. A comparison of website page views for the period of 1/11-6/11 and 1/12-6/12 shows a 9.9% increase. Letters of Support to San Leandro �
<br />� �
<br />� Application
<br />3 Green Corridor Goals, 2012 Business Promotion & Stimulation Publish quarterly e-Newsletter Showcase Green Corridor activity to increase visibility Populate website with existing green
<br />businesses & startups Show the East Bay as a green technology magnet Drive viewers to website Via e-Newsletter, marketing materials, public appearances �
<br />� Capture startups and work to site locally Develop & market opportunity sites Expand & retain existing businesses, attract new businesses,
<br />develop cleantech clusters. Track metrics Quantify & demonstrate effectiveness Develop Private-Public Partnerships & Revenue Stream Increase revenue, build partnerships with industry.
<br />Hold key events with strategic partners Strengthen leadership position, increase visibility, increase networking/business opportunities & linkages Strengthen ties to green businesses
<br />Achieve more fully integrated innovation ecosystem Policy Development Develop Standardized Solar Energy Permitting Process -create stronger solar markets, job creation, solar business
<br />attraction and growth Develop iHub state policy initiative -support cleantech development and business creation
<br />CITY OF SAN LEANDRO MEMORANDUM Date: June 19, 2012 To: City Council Community Development Committee Via: Luke Sims, Community Development Director From: Jeff Kay, Administrative Analyst
<br />Subject: Proposed Parameters for the Broadband Connection Business Incentive Program Summary and Recommendation On April 17, 2012, the Community Development Committee recommended that
<br />a Broadband Connection Program be included as an eligible use of the FY2012-13 funding appropriation of $180,000 for business incentive programs. This memorandum contains proposed parameters
<br />for that program for discussion and feedback from the Community Development Committee. Background Broadband connectivity has become basic infrastructure for economic development. A lack
<br />of sufficient bandwidth is a significant impediment to successful business operations. By contrast, access to state-of-the-art broadband networks is a competitive advantage; both for
<br />existing businesses and for the City as it seeks to attract companies in growth industries. Research conducted as part of the development of the Commercial
<br />Broadband Strategy revealed several areas of the City that suffer from a lack of acceptable broadband infrastructure. Most of the broadband infrastructure in the City is owned by either
<br />AT&T or Comcast and those systems were primarily constructed to serve residential customer bases. As a result, commercial areas, and industrial zones in particular, are commonly underserved
<br />in San Leandro. For businesses in
<br />broadband availability, but rather the high cost of connecting their facilities to the network infrastructure. In San Leandro, staff is aware of instances where Internet service providers
<br />presented costs as high as $40,000 for a business to connect. Upfront connection costs of $5,000 to $20,000 are common. These costs are typically for installation of conduit, connecting
<br />the business to the existing network lines, although point-to-point wireless antennas can also serve this purpose. While the ongoing deployment of the Lit San Leandro fiber network holds
<br />great potential to bring extremely fast broadband service to San Leandro businesses, there will also be costs for
<br />businesses to make a physical or wireless connection to the fiber loop. For a business directly adjacent to the loop, the cost of connecting and running a conduit to the building could
<br />be as high as $15,000, depending on the specific characteristics of the site. Those costs will obviously increase with distance from the loop. Assisting businesses in upgrading their
<br />broadband capacity is an effective tool for the City to meet our economic development goals. Businesses are better positioned to innovate and modernize their operations if they are connected
<br />to world class digital infrastructure. Additionally, once a building is connected to a broadband network, if the current business relocates, the property will be far more attractive
<br />to prospective tenants. With that in mind, one of the recommendations of the of the Commercial Broadband Strategy was to add a broadband connections program to the list of incentives
<br />the City offers in order to assist local businesses in meeting the upfront capital costs of connecting to broadband networks. Proposed Parameters for the Broadband Connection Incentive
<br />Program business incentive programs the Commercial Rehabilitation and Industrial Competitiveness Programs provide an effective starting
<br />model for the Broadband �
<br />�-of pocket costs for an eligible project. If the business complies with the terms of the loan agreement, the loan balance is forgiven by the City and no payment is owed. Available
<br />Funding Due to limitations in available funding, the Broadband Connection Program is proposed as a subset of the existing $180,000 appropriation for business incentives. Funds will
<br />be allocated across all three programs as applications are received. A reasonable starting assumption is that the Broadband Connection Program would use about a third of the total budget
<br />in FY2012-13. In future years, once staff has had an opportunity to assess the program, a more precise allocation between incentive programs might be appropriate. Eligible Projects
<br />The Broadband Connection Program is proposed to fund physical and wireless (point-to-point) connections between a business and a broadband network. The program would be carrier neutral,
<br />supporting connections to Lit San Leandro as well as more tradition service providers such as AT&T and Comcast. Internal networking equipment, such as switches and routers, would not
<br />be eligible for City funding. City Funding Contribution -of-pocket
<br />costs to connect, up to a maximum contribution of $10,000. The minimum City contribution would be $2,000. The City contribution would be structured as a reimbursement, paid after the
<br />participant provides proof of the project cost and completion. If a need for a higher higher funding limit is identified, the change would first be brought to the Community Development
<br />Committee for reconsideration. Forgivable Loan Terms As with the other incentive programs, loans will be structured as interest-bearing forgivable loans. The loan terms will require
<br />the business to maintain the
<br />\\CH-FP01\dept$\CM\DEPT\Committees\Community Development\Agendas\2012 Agendas\Broadband Incentive Program CD 6-19-12.docx improvements in good condition through the term of the loan.
<br />The loan balance would be due in the event of a default. Loans are proposed to be for one year under this program. Business Eligibility Participants would have to be businesses or
<br />property owners within the City of San Leandro. Applicants must own the commercial property to be connected, be tenants of the commercial property or hold a master lease for the commercial
<br />property. Tenants will be required to include a copy of the lease agreement and written authorization from the property owner allowing them to make the proposed building and site modifications.
<br />Tenants will also be required to verify that they have at least a five-year lease on the property. Participating businesses would also be required to ensure that the business is legal
<br />and complies with all applicable City regulations. Prevailing Wage -To the extent applicable to the project, all contractors and agents hired by the participant will be required to comply
<br />with California Labor Code Section 1720 et seq. will be responsible for carrying out the requirements of the law. Evaluation
<br />Criteria Applicants would be evaluated under the following criteria: 1. Likelihood of the project to maintain or create quality jobs in San Leandro 2. retention 3. Ability of the
<br />project to stimulate high-tech business activity 4. Potential for the improvements to improve broadband access for neighboring properties, particularly in locations that have been identified
<br />in the Commercial Broadband Strategy as priority improvement areas Project Approval Given the funding limit of $20,000 per project and the importance of moving projects through the
<br />process efficiently, funding decisions are proposed to be made on the staff level and then reported out to the Community Development Committee.
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