Tracy Attracting New Businesses; 'We Go To Their Offices' Says Mayor
TRACY (CBS13) - The city of Tracy is proving to be an economic bright spot in San Joaquin County as the city continues to attract new businesses, which are creating more jobs.
During Wednesday's State of the City address, it was announced that 2,500 new jobs were created in the Tracy area last year. The mayor says it's because leaders aren't just sitting around and waiting for business opportunities but go find them.
"We go to their offices. We go to their conferences. We see them in person, online. We push our message as much as possible," Tracy Mayor Brent Ives said.
Tracy is a gateway to the Central Valley. It's close to the I-5 corridor and freeways that lead to the Bay Area and beyond. Because of its location, the city has its eye on high tech jobs, and hopes to lure Silicon Valley startups.
"Silicon Valley is a huge place and there is lots of elements of what they do there that are sized out, and they need to look for other places," said Ives.
The city has laid the groundwork for the development of large distribution centers by lowering development impact fees and other incentives.
"We have a very strong economic development strategy that will help get us through this economy and get us through the next economy," said Ives.
Another bright spot, Amazon is coming to town, which could bring 1,000 jobs.
The city also hopes to build apartments that include retail and office space to help attract people to the area.
