Economic Development Now

IEDC’s Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO) program recognizes organizational excellence in the areas of internal and external operations, structures, and procedures. This series profiles newly accredited AEDOs, putting some of economic development’s highest-performing organizations in the spotlight.

AEDO member: City of Garden Grove (Calif.) Office of Economic Development

Accreditation date: August 2022

Mission statement: To improve the physical, social, and economic health of Garden Grove by creating opportunities for businesses, residents, and visitors

Vision statement: To enhance the quality of life in Garden Grove

Geography served: Garden Grove is 25 miles southeast of Downtown Los Angeles and just southwest of Anaheim, home to Disneyland. It is the fifth largest city in Orange County and the 31st largest city in California.

Population served: Nearly 175,000 residents

Organizational structure: The City of Garden Grove Community and Economic Development Department has four divisions: the Office of Economic Development (OED), Neighborhood Improvement / Code Enforcement, Planning, and Building.

Budget: The OED utilizes $469,012, and $2,824,936 is a marketing pass given to Visit Anaheim, the official destination marketing organization for the Greater Anaheim area.

Strategic focus: To increase the city’s tax base, increase other revenue sources, create and retain jobs within the city, address sales tax leakage and diversify the sales tax base, create new markets, and build local and regional relationships to aid in the advancement of the economic development program

Highlighted accomplishments: The OED highlighted three projects successfully undertaken within the past five years:

Brookhurst Place Phase I — In 2018 city officials and developer Kam Sang Company celebrated the grand opening and ribbon cutting for phase I of Brookhurst Place, the largest residential and commercial mixed-use development in the city’s history. Phase I consists of 180 apartment homes and a clubhouse, recreation center, pool, and leasing office. The collaborative project is a result of a public-private partnership which has planned a new urban community located in the center of Garden Grove within walking distance to Little Saigon and the Korean Business District.

Garden Grove Kia — The city facilitated a public-private partnership for the relocation of an auto dealership, Garden Grove Kia. The goal of the relocation was to retain jobs and sales tax revenue for the city.

SteelCraft Garden Grove — SteelCraft Garden Grove, which opened its doors in 2019, is an outdoor urban eatery comprised of 22 repurposed shipping containers woven together beneath a barn-like roof structure. The 20,000-square-foot craft food and drink gathering space houses 10 unique small businesses and a vintage video arcade.

Q&A with the City of Garden Grove OED:

What does the City of Garden Grove OED do particularly well?

The OED does a great job of building and maintaining relationships with our business community. One in particular is the Garden Grove Tourism Improvement District (GGTID). The GGTID is the city’s resort district and assists the city’s marketing efforts by collaborating with Visit Anaheim to attract new visitors. This has been very successful in bringing tourism to Garden Grove.

What unique programs or initiatives does the OED carry out?

One is the Jobs 1st grant and another is the Vehicle Rebate Program. The Jobs 1st program provides up to $50,000 per business and is 50% forgivable. The Vehicle Rebate Program offers a $500 incentive for Garden Grove residents to purchase new vehicles in Garden Grove.

What is a challenge facing Garden Grove, and how does the OED work to address it?

One challenge that the OED is facing is lack of funding. State and federal grants are competitive, and we do not have ongoing funds for new projects. We do utilize resources such as state initiatives for redevelopment that allow for sharing of sales tax revenues.

Why did the OED decide to pursue AEDO accreditation?

The city felt that going through the AEDO accreditation would enable it to become more attractive to developers and businesses. The process also helps to reaffirm the quality of our EDO and ensures that our program is competitive and relevant. We always look for innovative ways to improve the services we provide our residents and business owners. The accreditation will keep the city accountable and dynamic as we continue to advance in the field.

What feedback from the AEDO Review Team did you find particularly helpful, and how do you plan to implement their recommendations?

The feedback we received was extremely insightful. We took all recommendations into consideration and are continuing to improve our operations. Staff will attend IEDC’s Leadership Summit in January. The city’s IT division is looking into the CRM software that was recommended, and the city has also retained an additional administrative aide to support the OED’s ongoing efforts.