At their July 8 meeting, the Derby City Council adopted a new Economic Development Plan for the city.

According to Director of Economic Development Allison Moeding, the Economic Development Board (EDB) spent several months discussing the contents of the plan and ensuring that the contents reflect the city’s new mission and vision as it relates to economic development.

“The plan focuses on four primary areas of economic development viewed by board members to be uniquely valuable to Derby,” Moeding said.

Those areas include business attraction, business retention and expansion, housing, and marketing.

Business attraction will include recruiting a variety of new businesses into the community, including manufacturing, service, and retail. 

Business expansion and retention emphasizes the assurance that existing businesses are able and willing to remain in our community, especially small businesses.

Housing will work to ensure a variety of housing options across many price ranges are available to meet the needs of present and future Derby residents.

“Marketing will be promoting the attributes of our community in general but also focusing on economic development opportunities that will continue our growth,” Moeding said.

The plan is intended to illustrate what the board believes should be community priorities for economic development.

“The plan...highlights items considered to be key elements of the community’s efforts in meeting the city’s mission ‘to nurture a strong business community,’” Moeding said.

Several changes from the plan adopted by the council last year include a three-year time frame, an illustration of how the department will handle the activities and functions of a future convention and visitors bureau for the city, and suggested website enhancements related to economic development services that will assist businesses considering Derby.

For more information, visit www.derbyweb.com.

The Derby City Council will next meet at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 22 at Derby City Hall.