TUCSON, Arizona -- The Pima County Small Business Commission (PCSBC) comprised of small business owners appointed by Pima County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Thursday to support the initiatives and goals of the Project Prosperity Task Force and to begin a similar process of examination for small business enhancements in Pima County.
The Project Prosperity Task Force in Tucson was formed by a coalition of local business organizations – Tucson Metro Chamber (TMC), Metropolitan Pima Alliance (MPA), and Southern Arizona Home Builders Association (SAHBA) along with Mayor Rothschild and City Manager Michael Ortega, spearheaded the changes and improvements in City processes and systems designed to spur economic activity.
Although it is expected the items of focus will be different in the County than they were for the City, the Small Business Commission wants to recognize and support the arduous task performed by these local business organizations.
A full report on the Prosperity Task Force was published in Real Estate Daily News on January 6, 2017.
As the Small Business Commission discussed, this progress in public-private interaction adds momentum to the regional economy as a whole, that is already experiencing significant improvement. The Project Prosperity process has been an excellent example of heightened cooperation between business and local government that would benefit by county-wide expansion.
SIGN CODE REVISIONS FOR CITY OF TUCSON
One of the many efforts that came from the Prosperity Task Force and is underway within the City is a revision to the Sign Code. On August, 9, 2016, Mayor and Council gave Planning and Development Services staff directives to initiate a Sign Code revision process with a Citizens Sign Code Committee and the Planning Commission holding joint study sessions and public hearings on the proposed changes, and that staff return to the Mayor and Council with recommendations by January.
Metropolitan Pima Alliance (MPA) and The Tucson Metro Chamber have been working with various stakeholders regarding the City of Tucson Sign Code Revision Project. Several public meetings and hours of time have been spent reviewing the proposed changes, attending subcommittee meetings and gathering feedback from members. The two organizations recently collaborated with business owners and commercial developers to pinpoint key issues with the revisions and make language suggestions, as well as to identify areas to support.
This resulted in a letter being sent this week to City staff and the Citizen Sign Code/Planning Commission joint subcommittee.
You can find that letter here: MPA-CHAMBER Sign Code Revision Letter final
MPA and Tucson Metro Chamber encourage others, especially those in the development community, to also add their letters of support for the recommendations.
Should you choose to do so, your letter should be addressed to the following three people:
Lynne Birkinbine, PDSD Interim Director: Lynne.Birkinbine@tucsonaz.gov
Russlyn Wells, Principal Planer- City of Tucson: Russlyn.Wells@tucsonaz.gov
Daniel Bursuck, Lead Planner- Planning & Development: Daniel.Bursuck@tucsonaz.gov
ADDITIONAL PROJECT INFORMATION IS INCLUDED HERE.
Next Meeting of the Citizens Sign Code Committee and the Planning Commission joint study sessions will be Monday, January 23, 2:00pm-5:00pm –CALL TO THE AUDIENCE WILL BE AT BEGINNING AND END OF THE MEETING BEING HELD AT:
Pima County Public Works Building
201 North Stone Avenue – Planning & Development Services –
3rd Floor Large Conference Room