All five City Council members last night lauded the Chamber’s 20-month effort to revise its Economic Vision document.

"This is a beautiful document that is beautifully written. It's a work of art, really," said San Luis Obispo Mayor Dave Romero. "It is something our community can be very proud of, and I will personally refer to it often."

This third revision of the document, first created in 1992, was presented to the council yesterday. It recommends several new economic development initiatives, including a new business retention program, incentives for new green businesses, more linkage to Cal Poly innovation, and development of a new community brand to be used for both tourism and business development. The city also helped the Chamber shape this new vision.

Chamber Chair of the Board John Ewan, President Dave Garth and Governmental Affairs Director Ermina Karim discussed the vision’s objectives, values and strategies at the special City Council meeting.

"I look forward to more when it gets down to the hard work of implementation," said Council Member John Ashbaugh. "I want to help fulfill this vision."

The Chamber released the vision document in January, but it took nearly two years to produce. By looking to a time when business is again expanding, the document articulates strategies for the Chamber and community to ensure San Luis Obispo is poised to take advantage of coming economic opportunities.

The 20-page, color booklet is available free online and the hard copy is available free at the Chamber Visitor Center.

Click here to read the document online (you can view it in full screen) and discover which aspects affect you the most.