Stakeholder Meetings Begin To Help Form Economic Development Plan

BATAVIA, IL — In an effort to create its first economic development strategic plan, the City of Batavia is hosting a series of stakeholder engagement meetings.

City staff will hold focus group sessions — with members of the Batavia Chamber of Commerce, Batavia MainStreet, businesses, residents and community leaders — to collect feedback using SWOT analysis, a strategic management technique organizations use to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats existing in the current environment, according to a Monday news release.

Staff will use information collected to create an economic development strategic plan with measurable objectives and action plans meant to guide the city's decision-making, officials said. The plan is one of the goals of Batavia's 2021-23 strategic action plan.

"We are conducting these sessions to solicit feedback on Batavia’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats so we can find consensus on key items," Economic Development Manager Shannon Malik Jarmusz said in a statement. "The feedback will be delivered to city council for prioritization and refinement of business retention and recruitment practices in Batavia."

Using the newly formed plan, officials plan to help revitalize sections of Batavia impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff cited the Randall Road retail corridor as a particular place that has seen an increase in vacancies.

The first stakeholder meeting, which took place earlier in May, included board members from the Batavia Chamber of Commerce. Participants shared ideas about what types of businesses they thought would be a good fit for Batavia, according to the release.

Results from the first meeting are expected to be shared with City Council "later this year," according to Jarmusz.

Margaret Perreault, president and CEO of the Batavia Chamber, was among the participants and said it was a good way for city officials to hear business leaders' opinions.

"I thought it was an excellent way for the city to learn what some of our business leaders in Batavia believe are the challenges we face in attracting and retaining businesses here," Perreault said in a statement. "It was also interesting to discuss ideas for opportunities and ideas for attracting business that would make a great fit for our community."