Economic Development

Board of Supervisors 2022

Promote economic development by emphasizing resiliency and entrepreneurship; retaining and attracting high quality jobs; investing in major infrastructure projects; and working with local, state and federal partners to support our small business, nonprofit, and tourism sectors.

Progress Update

Q4-22

Staff and local partners promoted economic development through the following five board initiatives. Highlights from the past quarter (October - December 2022) include:

1. To support tourism:

There was continued effort to build out the goneveadacounty.com website with a goal of making it the go to place to look for things to do in Nevada County. To that end, a travel alert and tips tab section was added to provide up-to-to-date information on weather, road conditions, construction, etc. to ensure visitors coming to the county can plan their trip accordingly.
Weekly articles showcased diverse areas of our county and helped direct people to regions that are not as heavily accessed by tourists. Examples include easy hiking options on the eastern and western side of the county, community theaters, local waterfalls, etc. There was also a strong focus on sustainable tourism.
While the website highlights lodging, restaurants and places to visit, features on local businesses are a strategic way to draw visitors to our downtown retailers. Recently this included ice cream and chocolate shops.
The website is drawing media attention. After viewing the site, Visit California is sending a reporter to do a piece on our County. This has been a collaborative effort involving county staff, the National Exchange Hotel team, a group on the eastern county, and others to assist with arrangements for the upcoming visit.

2. To diversify economy, create equity and sustainability:

Sierra Business Council (SBC) pushed out a community survey to inform priority projects in anticipation of the Community Economic Resiliency Fund (CERF) planning process. Valley Vision in Sacramento has been selected by the State as the regional convener. Over 300 surveys were received by the end of the fourth quarter. Surveys will be evaluated to help position Nevada County as we identify economic development priorities that will meet the CERF competitive funding requirements.
There has been progress by the community group working on the creation of a Community Foundation of Nevada County. A board of 13 was recently formed, bylaws have been finalized, and they are on track to submit their 501c3 paperwork in early 2023.

3. To establish infrastructure and further projects and plans to support economic vitality:

Affordable housing is a high priority for the county. The Building Department recently completed initial drafts of the affordable housing master plan project. Finalized drafts will be completed in the coming months.
An area plan is a public document which contains specific proposals for future land uses and public improvements in a community. Nevada County partnered with the South Area Municipal Area Council (MAC) for the Higgins Area Plan. This included analyzing stakeholder interviews and existing conditions analysis and hosting the third public workshop. At this workshop, draft concept proposals were presented incorporating community input received from previous workshops. Input from this workshop will be used to define specific plan goals and policies to achieve the community vision.
The County nearly completed the fee study and final determination of the tank site for the North San Juan Fire Suppression project which will provide greater protection and safety for that community.

4. To seek funding and advocate for economic development priorities:

The County continued to administer and monitor the $140,000 second round of Community Resiliency Grant funding to three entities: Nevada County Economic Resource Council, Sierra Commons, and Grass Valley Downtown Association to provide capacity building support and increase economic resiliency for small businesses.
A strategic approach is underway by the couty's grant committee to identify and consider grant opportunities that will help in the progression of projects. High priority areas include infrastructure, broadband, climate, recreation, and cannabis. In addition, grant opportunities that are more appropriate for businesses, nonprofits, or agencies to apply for are being directed to those entities. Recent funding options have been forwarded in the areas of historic preservation, education, economic development, and healthcare.

5. To support business attraction, retention and growth:

Working on the county's behalf, Sierra Businesss Council has been instrumental in advancing work in four key areas that will benefit the county's tax revenue and provide businesses the tools and resources to be successful. These include Business Technical Assistance; Warm Handoff Coordination; Inclusive Business Collaboration; and regional coordination with the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). In the fourth quarter this included free business counseling to 124 businesses, support of 38 in person and virtual workshops, and active work with Sierra Commons on the Business Ignitor Series that graduated 15 businesses.
County staff continued to engage with and provide funding for 34 active grants through the Community Resiliency Grant fund (CRG) designed to encourage economic recovery and resiliency.
The economic development staff participated in over 70 meetings to connect with business, government, and nonprofit agencies regarding their needs, their highlights and challenges, and how they have interacted with the county. Information from these meetings is being used to inform action steps and recommendations which will be incorporated into the economic development activities in 2023.

Next Steps

Q4-22

In the first quarter of 2023 (January - March), pending recommendations from the Board of Supervisors workshop, next steps include:

1. To support tourism:

The Trumba calendar, a little known community resource on the gonevadacounty.com website, is a great place for businesses and nonprofits to list activities (events, workshops, classes, etc.). A strategy will be implemented to promote this site to encourage greater use by listers and people locally and out of town that are looking for things to do on a particular day or week. The goal is to increase listings of 20% in 2023.
Over the year, the economic development office will collaborate with Nevada County Arts Council, who is currently gathering data for an economic impact report on arts and culture. This information will be utilized to help guide future recommendations and actions for the tourism sector.
The gonevadacounty.com team will continue to generate content, articles and social media posts to showcase the region's recreational amenities, direct people to some of the lesser known areas of the county, and promote retail, food, lodging and businesses that serve our out of town visitors.

2. To diversify economy, create equity and sustainability:

The economic development office will collaborate with the Nevada County Economic Resource Council to host a meeting with Valley Vision, recently appointed by the State as the regional convener for the Comprehensive Economic Resiliency Fund (CERF). Valley Vision will share with local businesses and agencies what CERF is and their planning phase process going forward.
To be competitive for future funding through the CERF, projects that meet the program's requirements need to be identified. In coordination with Sierra Business Council, this will be accomplished through one-on-one interviews and roundtable meetings from which a list of our region's top priorities will be determined.
The economic development office with outline first steps for a Comprehensive and Collaborative Economic Development Action Plan for Nevada County.

3. To construct infrastructure and further projects and plans to support economic vitality:

The Building Department team will finalize the Affordable Housing Master Plan project, with the 2022 approved codes.
The Building Department will develop a plan for community education and outreach regarding the updated codes.
Public Works staff will continue to work on the North San Juan Fire Suppression project.
Facilities will move forward with the County Storage building project which will eventually free up the building adjacent to the airport.

4. To seek funding and advocate for economic development priorities:

Staff will submit the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program (ICARP) grant in March 2023 which supports the development of a pipeline of climate resilient infrastructure projects across the state.
If the federal appropriation process goes forward in 2023, the economic development office will actively engage in the process for projects that will be strong economic development contenders for Nevada County.
Once the 2023 Nevada County Legislative Platform is finalized, staff will develop an action plan for those items tied to economic development.

5. To support business attraction, retention and growth:

The economic development office will engage with Sierra Business Council (SBC) in their work with the Valley Vision Comprehensive Economic Resiliency Fund (CERF) team to form High Road transition teams. This industry-based, worker-focused training partnership builds skills for California’s “high road” employers — firms that compete based on quality of product and service achieved through innovation and investment in human capital and can thus generate family-supporting jobs where workers have agency and voice.
Businesses will be invited to sign up to receive email communications (e.g. e-newsletter) from the office of economic development with updated information on county activities such as permitting, new building codes, county and community resources and funding opportunities. The office anticipates a planned roll out of its first communication in the 2nd quarter.
To further promote the Nevada County office of economic development as a point of contact for resources, funding opportunities, information how to work with county departments, etc., staff will market across several channels such as radio, print, community talks, etc.
Tentatively scheduled for March, the county will host a meeting for local businesses interested in hearing about opportunities for federal contracts through Beale Airforce Base, and how businesses would bid on those contracts.