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We recommend that the City consider adding an Economic Development Element to its General Plan. It is worth noting that most of the recently prepared General Plans in Alameda County have included such an element (e.g., Fremont, Newark, and Hayward), and that having an Economic Development Element is itself part of the economic development strategy in these cities. An Economic Development Element can be a useful tool to articulate a vision for the future of San Leandro's economy, along with strategies for achieving that vision. This optional Element would be built off of the findings of the policy and plan audit in Task 3, the targeted economic analysis and key informant interviews in Task 4.2, and resulting conversations with City staff and decisionmakers. Preliminarily, we anticipate that this new Element would include business attraction, retention, and expansion policies, describe existing and potential workforce development initiatives, and identify the steps the City can take to foster economic prosperity for local businesses. The Element would address the land use (and zoning) implications of its economic development goals, and identify ways to leverage the City's recent investments in technology and communication infrastructure. Policies for specific sectors, such as industry, hospitality, retail, and office could be considered. The Element would also address topics such as marketing and branding of San Leandro. Some of these topics are currently covered in the "Business and Industry" section of the Land Use Element. Repackaging them in a separate Plan element would provide a framework for some of the economic development initiatives that have been implemented in recent years. Because similar policies already exist within the General Plan, shifting them to a new Element would not change or increase the regulatory burden, and could have dual benefits of both streamlining the Land Use Element and demonstrating the City's prioritization of economic development. The Element could ultimately give the City a competitive edge relative to other cities in the East Bay, and better define San Leandro's economic strengths and opportunities. 6.3 Plan Production and Revision Barry Miller will take the lead in combining the chapters described above into an internally consistent Administrative Draft General Plan document. It is expected that there will be two iterations of this document before a Public Review Draft is released.