Alameda Economic Development Plan Rewrite Goes to Council
The city's business roadmap hasn't been updated since 2018. A $250,000 contract would fix that by summer.
By The Alameda Pulse
The City of Alameda wants to spend up to $250,000 on a new Economic Development Strategic Plan, its first since 2018, and staff picked the consulting firm Harris & Associates to write it. The contract sat on the Alameda City Council's consent calendar for its Oct. 20, 2026 meeting.
- What: A five-year roadmap for which businesses Alameda, CA tries to attract, keep and grow.
- Cost: Up to $250,000. Harris bid $243,868, and the extra is a cushion for surprises.
- Who picked it: City staff, after the Mayor's Economic Development Advisory Panel reviewed four finalists out of 19 proposals.
- When: Kickoff is penciled in for Oct. 26, 2026, with the final plan targeted for June 2027.
Why does Alameda need a new economic development plan?
Because it's from before COVID, and the local economy doesn't look the same anymore. The city staff report points to shifts in the market for housing, office, retail and industrial space, plus the growth of the artificial intelligence industry around the Bay Area.
The 2018 plan picked six kinds of business to chase:
- Life sciences
- Clean tech, green tech and high tech
- Blue tech and maritime
- Retail and restaurants
- Tourism and hospitality
- Artists and small manufacturers
The new plan has to decide if those are still the right bets. That's the part you'll feel. It shapes where the city puts its limited time and money, from filling storefronts on Park Street and Webster Street to luring tenants into old Navy buildings at Alameda Point.
Who is writing the plan?
Harris & Associates leads a team of three smaller firms. Chabin Concepts of Chico handles marketing and business attraction. Urban Scenarios of Portland runs the real estate analysis and stakeholder outreach. Economic Forensics and Analytics of Petaluma crunches the economic data. The other finalists were Willdan Financial Services, Good City Company and BAE Urban Economics.
Staff said Harris put the most hours into its bid at the lowest hourly rate, and its team had written more plans like this than any other finalist.
Who gets a say?
Mostly business groups. The team plans up to six focus groups, including the Alameda Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Alameda Business Association, the West Alameda Business Association, Alameda Point tenants and the local arts community. It also plans up to 10 one-on-one interviews with big employers and property owners in Harbor Bay, Marina Village, Alameda Point and the Northern Waterfront.
There isn't a public survey spelled out in the proposal, so if you own a small shop or just have opinions about what's missing on your block, it's worth telling the council directly.
What happens next?
If the council signs off, early findings on Alameda's economy go to a City Council strategic planning workshop in January 2027, date still to be set. The full plan is due by June 2027, and the contract runs through Dec. 31, 2027. On empty storefronts, see the Park and Webster zoning rewrite, or follow our Alameda business news.
