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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: June 7, 2005 <br />Action Agen <br />Item No. <br />SUBJECT: Economic Development Strategic Plan <br />DEPARTMENT: Economic Development PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />A) Resolution Supporting EDC Five-Year Dianne Reid, ext 2326 <br />Strategic Plan <br />B) Executive Summary of Plan <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To formally endorse Investing in Innovation, the Orange County Economic <br />Development Commission Five-Year Strategic Plan. <br />BACKGROUND: At its annual board retreat in October 2002, the Orange County Economic <br />Development Commission (EDC) resolved to complete a new strategic plan to guide the <br />organization. A subcommittee farmed to work with staff on development of the planning <br />process.. The group engaged Leslie Scott Stewart of the UNC-Chapel Hill Office of Economic <br />Development to assist in the effort. <br />In the period since the last economic development strategic plan was adopted in 1996, several <br />plans and studies were completed within the towns of Orange County and the surrounding <br />region. The EDC decided to build directly on that work to help frame the issues for the County's <br />current planning process. The EDC also decided to undertake aweb-based survey on broad <br />questions related to the Orange County economy. <br />The EDC used the summary and the survey results as background information for an Economic <br />Development Summit for Orange County, held on January 7, 2004 at the Friday Center and <br />attended by 120 people. Following a keynote speech by Mary Jo Waits, Associate Director of <br />the Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University, participants broke into four <br />groups to prioritize and develop 5-year strategies. <br />Based on the small group work, four key areas emerged: <br />Business Climate <br />• Infrastructure <br />• Workforce Development <br />• Quality of Place <br />After lunch, participants attended an initial work group session (based on individual interest) in <br />the four issue areas. <br />