“A new day is dawning in Turlock. Our city has awakened with the hope that surrounds a new morning and the opportunities it brings. There is a new attitude at City Hall. Bold new ideas are emerging. Old divisions are being bridged. The city’s growth and development are being reinvigorated. Turlock is a city on the move.”

Written within the City of Turlock’s recently released 2014 Draft Economic Development Strategic Plan, the opening message from Mayor John Lazar expresses optimism for Turlock’s future economic growth and quality of life for Turlock residents, saying that the Plan’s activities “will result in strategic projects that are intended to have a catalytic effect on Turlock’s overall economy and city revenues.”  

Citing economic development as being the responsibility of the Turlock City Council, staff and community partnerships, Lazar took the opportunity to thank the Mayor’s Economic Development Taskforce for reviewing and building upon the City’s 2003 plan to help create the new draft economic plan alongside city staff and the Stanislaus Alliance.

Although spending the past several months reviewing Turlock’s economic goals and identifying new strategies to make the City a stronger economic competitor, the Mayor’s Economic Taskforce was only recently presented with the draft economic plan resulting from their hard work and collaborative efforts.

On Tuesday, the Mayor’s Economic Development Taskforce is scheduled to fully discuss the draft plan in-depth, after having a month for individual review.  As the plan is currently still in draft form, and since the Mayor’s Economic Development Taskforce has additional meetings scheduled over the coming months, Economic Development and Housing Director Maryn Pitt says that the document will continue to evolve based on future meetings and comment from sub groups, in addition to input from partners such as the Alliance, the Turlock Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Turlock.

In its present state, the Draft Economic Development Strategic Plan includes an economic profile of Turlock, a competitive assessment of the City’s strengths and weaknesses, site selection factors for new businesses or industries, a list of goals and plans of action.

The Mayor’s Economic Development Taskforce will meet at 4 p.m. on Tuesday at City Hall, located at 156 S. Broadway.