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5 <br /> <br /> Business cluster group strategies are increasingly used to assist BRE. Sharing concerns <br />such as infrastructure, zoning and quality of life enables a more powerful voice to be <br />heard, influencing business climate improvement. <br /> One-stop permitting centers enable businesses to begin or expand operations quickly. <br /> Ensuring business finance availability is an important part of BRE. Many cities now work <br />on identifying and promoting financial incentives often through one stop services linking <br />companies to services in the key areas of: <br />o Finance <br />o Incentives <br />o Taxes <br />o Real estate <br />o Workforce issues <br />o Regulations <br />o Technology <br /> A recent trend in BRE has been further expansion of Planned Manufacturing Districts <br />(PMDs) which create tiered zoning reserving the core of an area for manufacturing and <br />creates a buffer area for commercial use, separating residential properties from the heavy <br />manufacturing area. This allows for heavy industry and upscale residential property to <br />coexist, reducing sprawl. <br /> <br />Benchmarking and Evaluating Business Retention and Expansion Programs <br />Business retention programs are concerned with relationship building, so they should have an <br />important influence on how businesses view their community and the activities of the local <br />government. <br />Business retention programs may not be directly involved with service provision, but they need <br />to know how to get a business the assistance it requires. The degree to which business retention <br />programs are linked to other community programs such as loan funds or workforce training <br />initiatives can have a significant impact on program effectiveness. <br />Quantitative Measures <br /> Number jobs created/retained <br /> Number of retained businesses <br /> Cost per job created/retained <br /> Number of businesses visited <br /> Number of businesses surveyed <br /> Number of at-risk businesses assisted <br /> Percent of jobs held by local residents/low income persons <br /> Average salary of jobs created <br /> Spinoff private investment <br />Qualitative Measures