As this plan was developed, the following economic development goals were identified as being of concern to many City residents:

• Diversify the tax base to relieve property tax burdens and to provide more local shopping and employment opportunities.
• Establish a memorable community image that builds on the City's small town atmosphere and natural amenities.
• Improve the overall climate for business development through public outreach, business development programming, and actions of city representatives.
• Protect and improve the quality of life by balancing sound fiscal and environmental management.

This plan presents support for the following recommendations:

• Pursue new commercial development catering to local consumers.
• Encourage compact housing that pays more in property taxes than the revenues needed to support it with public services.
• Target industries that are growing regionally and jobs that are matched to local levels of education, skills, and housing costs.
• Demand distinctive development projects that improve community identity and marketability.
• Create a genuine downtown, and encourage distinctive neighborhood design.
• Redevelop existing brownfield and grayfield areas before developing "virgin" land.
• Economically position the City within the region's emerging economic "clusters".
• Pursue economic development in a proactive, but patient and judicious manner.
• Guard the City's existing physical assets.
• Work to retain, improve, and expand locally grown businesses.
• Continue to pursue public-private partnerships.
• Use tax abatements sparingly or not at all.
• Broaden the community's tax and employment base by focusing its business recruitment and land-planning toward growing professional service sectors:
  • Advertsing
  • Management consulting
  • Engineering
  • Environmental consulting
  • Architectural
  • Business consulting
  • Accounting/Auditing
  • Medical services
  • Computer and data processing
  • Financial services

• Actively recruit new retailers in market segments that are currently underserved and that complement the above employment sectors, including restaurants, entertainment, apparel, recreation, and a variety of other essential and non-essential consumer goods for higher income households.
• Reserve principal community gateways for regional service/information-economy uses and high profile buildings.
• Adopt a detailed downtown redevelopment master plan centered on Janesville Road between Bay Lane and Pioneer Drive. The plan should reflect land uses that are more compact, mixed, and connected with adjacent land uses, including the library.
• Recognize the function of economic development by creating a staff position of Economic Development Planner/Coordinator.