LAKEPORT >> Concerns regarding the updated vacant commercial property inventory were brought before the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee (LEDAC) Wednesday, though no final decisions were made.
Lakeport Community Development Director Kevin Ingram gave a status report which outlined problems and potential solutions associated with the project.
The primary concern for Ingram is the lack of search engine optimization.
“If you search ‘vacant property in lake county,’ it doesn’t pop up, because it isn’t properly formatted in the search engine,” Ingram said.
Ingram will be meeting with the city’s information technology representative to remedy the concern.
“When companies are looking to relocate their business, they go to the city website,” LEDAC member Melissa Fulton said. “That would put us a few steps ahead of everybody else.”
Ingram agreed, citing being contacted by a San Francisco- based company regarding square foot requirements for relocation. Such information is included in the inventory, and he was able to provide it at that time.
Furthermore, Ingram would like to make use of maps to list vacant properties, in order to make the inventory more navigable.
“I think it would be really simple,” Ingram said.
The primary goal of the property inventory is to attract tenants and investors
“One of the hurdles we have up here is a lot of those vacant properties aren’t owned by locals … it is part of an investment portfolio,” Ingram explained. “But if the right offer comes along and they get someone in there paying lease, then all of a sudden their tune changes.”
Possible resources in redevelopment budget to hire consultant on maybe a quarterly basis to provide listing.
Lakeport City Manager Margaret Silveria recommended working with real estate partners, as it would be mutually beneficial.
“It’s another tool for them,” Silveria said. “We’d like to put all the properties that are vacant out there, because maybe someone doesn’t know it is for sale yet.”
“They already have most of that information,” Ingram added.
Updating the property inventory has been a part of LEDAC’s goals since 2014, as the most recent update is from 2013, which has a total of 30 properties listed.
Contact J. W. Burch, IV at 900-2022.
