Elk Grove City Council to Consider Incentive Program
Hoping to jump start the local economy, the Elk Grove city council will consider an economic development incentive program at the next regul...
https://www.elkgrovenews.net/2009/09/elk-grove-city-council-to-consider.html
Hoping to jump start the local economy, the Elk Grove city council will consider an economic development incentive program at the next regular meeting this Wednesday evening.
If approved, the program would create an application process for new businesses to seek incentives ranging from development impact fee reductions or deferrals, grants and expedited plan reviews.
Among other requirements to qualify, the project must create 20 permanent full-time jobs equal to or greater than the area median income (AMI) or 50 permanent full-time jobs with salaries at least 75% of the AMI. To qualify for a tax grant, the project must also generate a minimum of $15 million in additional (new) taxable sales or $250,000 annually is additional (new) transient occupancy revenues.
Construction projects and their employees would not be eligible as they do not provide permanent jobs.
City staff reports there is no money currently budgeted for the program and any “incentives offered will require the use of either General Fund reserves or funds budgeted for other uses.” Any incentive over $50,000 would require approval by the city council.
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50 permanent full time jobs @ 75% of area median income....sounds like another Wal Mart coming our way.
Lord knows we don't need any more trashy Dollar Stores!
What sorts of businesses would possibly meet that requirement? Without running the numbers I can't think of any business near me in the last ten years that would have met this requirement.
Strikes Bowling? Hardly. A few multimillionaire developers/owners and dozens of below AMI salaries. A tax boon for the city, perhaps...but certainly not the sorts of local jobs that would allow for their workers to live locally. You think anyone working there could possibly afford Laguna West? Highly unlikely.
I understand that Elk Grove's SOI is intentioned to suck in a large swath of the southern county precisely because there aren't any undeveloped large tracts of land left in Elk Grove to attract the 55,000-65,000 new AMI jobs the council wants. Why would we possibly believe that now, with some token incentives, we'd be able to attract any jobs other than strip retail/low-wage entertainment? If we need such open space, then clearly, what we already have is destined for nothing more than low density suburban sprawl and more strip retail.
We won't attract these jobs, bottom line...not with these incentives and not with our expanded SOI. It isn't about that...it never has been about that. It's only ever been about building the same pattern of autocentric sprawl ever farther.
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