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Home My WebLink AboutPackets - Council Packets (812) AGENDA ORO VALLEY TOWN COUNCIL STUDY SESSION SEPTEMBER 10, 2008 ORO VALLEY TOWN COUNCIL CHAMBERS 11000 N. LA CANADA DRIVE STUDY SESSION - AT OR AFTER 5:30 p.m. CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL 1. Economic Incentives Policy Guidelines for Professional Level Job Creation ADJOURNMENT POSTED: 09 03 08 11:30 a.m. cp The Town of Oro Valley complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If any person with a disability needs any type of accommodation, please notify the Town Clerk's Office at (520)229-4700. II TOWN OF ORO VALLEY Page1 of 1 COUNCIL COMMUNICATION MEETING DATE: September 10, 2008 TO: HONORABLE MAYOR& COUNCIL FROM: Amanda Jacobs, Economic Development Specialist SUBJECT: Economic Development Incentive Policy Guidelines for Professional Level Job Creation SUMMARY: The item before you is a draft Economic Development Incentive Policy Guidelines for Professional Level Job Creation. The purpose of the policy is to encourage professional level employment in the Town of Oro Valley, resulting in the diversification of the community's employment tax base. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Draft Economic Development Incentive Policy Guidelines for Professional Level Job Creation In/ / / 4 / Amanda Jacobs, omic Development Specialist David Andrews, own Manager TOWN OF ORO VALLEY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVE POLICY GUIDELINES FOR PROFESSIONAL LEVEL JOB CREATION Goal To provide the Oro Valley Town Council (Council) and Economic Development Division staff a set of policy guidelines that outline the possible use of incentives to encourage professional level employment in the Town of Oro Valley (Town), resulting in the diversification of the community's employment and tax base. Targeted Industries Business sectors outlined in the 2007 Oro Valley Community Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) and the Focus 2020: Town of Oro Valley General Plan(General Plan)should be the primary considerations when considering incentives to stimulate and encourage economic development within the town. The following sectors are outlined in CEDS and the General Plan: 1. High-Tech/Bio-Tech a. High-Tech sectors include: aerospace technology, biotechnology, information technology, nanotechnology and robotics. b. Bio-Tech is technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture, food, science and medicine. 2. Tourism/Resort/Convention Facilities 3. Hospital and medical facilities Targeted Development Criteria In certain cases, at the discretion of the Council, the Town may consider using incentives in order to attract or retain targeted industries capable of generating professional level employment to the community. A professional level job is defined as a job that pays above the prevailing median wage and offers full employee benefits, including employer-paid medical benefits, vacation',and sick pay. These incentives will only be used when the Town can objectively demonstrate that the addition or expansion of the business would result in increasing the professional level employment of the Oro Valley economy. The following policy guidelines shall be considered prior to the offering of economic incentives: 1. Business attraction or expansion projects that add at least 20 quality jobs in the targeted industries mentioned above. A quality job is defined as a job that pays 10 percent above the median wage rate in Oro Valley ($68,900 x 1.1) and the employer offers full employee benefits, including employer-paid medical benefits, vacation and sick pay; or 2. Business attraction projects that bring a unique and needed product or service to the Town of Oro Valley, which creates jobs and generates significant sales tax revenues; or 3. Recreation or tourism development projects that add needed recreational amenities for both the resident and the visitor. 1 Each project will be evaluated on an individual basis by the Oro Valley Town Council. Changing economic conditions and availability of funds may cause the Town Council to modify, amend, or discontinue any economic development incentive program. Should an incentive be discontinued, the Town Council will honor any incentives committed to before the discontinuance of the program. Policy Guidelines A. Fast Tracking a. The Town recognizes that time is extremely important in the planning and scheduling of business recruitment and expansion and the hiring of new employees. To that end, the Town will undertake the following:Project Teams The Economic Development Division will form a project team from the various departments that will work on the project. The purpose of theJro'ect team is to assist the p applicant through the Town's development review and approval process. p b. Planning and Zoning Reviews i. Projects in conformance with current zoning will be expedited, at the applicant's request for processing through appropriatep rocedures. ii. Submittals that must have Development Review Board (DRB) and Town Council approval, if in substantial compliance with code requirements will be scheduled for the next available public meeting. iii. Zoning compliance review of building permits, gradingp lans, and other reviews not requiring board review, will be processed consistent with procedures outlined within this policy. iv. Tentative development plans and improvement plans may be processed concurrently for projects in conformance with fast tracking criteria. 2 c. Plans for Public Improvements A type 2 grading permit is a permit required for site construction of any new public or private street or roadway, a commercial, office or resort project, or any new residential development consisting of more than two platted lots. An expedited plan review for Type 2 Grading permits shall be made available at the request of the developer, providing the project meets targeted development criteria and the associated Development Plan has been recommended for approval by the DRB. Upon making complete and formal submittal, the plans shall be processed according to the following time lines: i. An initial expedited plan check shall be completed by all reviewing departments within twelve working days for non-complex facilities under 60,000 s.f. and/or five acres in site development size. Seventeen working days shall be required for complex facilities or facilities over 60,000 s.f. and/or 5 to 20 acres in site development size. Sites greater than 20 acres in size shall require a minimum of 20 working days for plan check completion. ii. The first resubmittal of plans shall be completed by all reviewing departments within twelve working days for non-complex facilities and seventeen working days for all other complex facilities. All subsequent resubmittals shall be completed by all reviewing departments within seven working days for plans addressing 20 or less staff generated comments. Plans addressing 21 or more staff generated comments shall be subject to original review time duration. iii. Town staff shall also coordinate comment review meetings to help aid the developer and their consultant address and mitigate open review issues. d. Building Permits An expedited plan review for building permits shall be made available at the request of the building owner. Upon making complete application for building permits the plans shall be processed according to the following time lines: i. An initial expedited plan check shall be completed by all reviewing departments within twelve working days for non-complex facilities under 60,000 s.f. and seventeen working days for complex facilities or facilities over 60,000 s.f. ii. The first resubmittal of plans shall be completed by all reviewing departments within twelve working days for non-complex facilities under 60,000 s.f. and seventeen working days for complex facilities or over 60,000 s.f. All subsequent resubmittals shall be completed by all reviewing departments within seven working days for non-complex facilities under 60,000 s.f. and twelve working days for complex facilities or over 60,000 s.f. iii. The Town will provide next day inspections on all inspection requests called in prior to 3:30 p.m. After hour and weekend inspections shall be made available at the building owner's request. 3 B. Job Credits and Fee Waivers It may be an option of the Town Council that a job credits and fee waivers program be established in the Town of Oro Valley with the following provisions. a. Job Credits i. In order to qualify for job credits, an employer must agree to create and maintain not less than 20 new full-time jobs or the number of new jobs upon which the credit is based, whichever is greater, as follows: 1. An employer, as defined above,that obtains a building permit for new construction within the Town, will be eligible for job credits. The employer will receive $1,000 per full-time employee. The maximum job credits shall not exceed $100,000 per parcel or project. 2. The business will enter into a five-year formal written agreement with the Town and will agree to the conditions and requirements for the job credits. a. After each year, the employer will receive $1,000 per full- time employee, once they show the new employee has been with the company for one year. 3. The employer receiving the job credits shall submit an annual report to the Town on the number of full-time employees on the anniversary date of occupancy. The Town shall have the right to review such company records as is necessary to verify compliance. p Temporary jobs, part-time jobs, or seasonal jobs shall not be eligible for job credits. b. Environmental Sustainable Grant Program The Town supports environmentally sustainable construction. To that end, the Town will rebate a percentage of the building permit fees for businesses who obtain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for the followingproject types: i. LEED for new construction: New construction and major renovations 11. LEED for existing buildings: Existing buildings seekingLEED g certification Certification Rebate Certification 2.5% Silver 5% Gold 7.5% Platinum 10% The maximum rebate shall not exceed $100,000 per parcel orJro'ect. p 4