University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Strategic planning model for the Chatsworth-Northridge Industrial Core - Innov818

(USC Thesis Other)

Strategic planning model for the Chatsworth-Northridge Industrial Core - Innov818

PDF

Download a page range

Download transcript

Copy asset link

Request this asset

Transcript (if available)

Content

SPM innov818 1

Strategic Planning Model for the Chatsworth-Northridge Industrial Core -
Innov818
Jessica Strobel
Strategic Public Relations
Master of Arts
USC Graduate School
University of Southern California
August 2018

SPM innov818 2

Table of Contents
Background………………………………………………………………………………………3
Business Goal…………………………………………………………………………………...7
Statement of Problem or Opportunity…………………………………………………………9
Communication Goal………………………………………………………………………….10
Research………………………………………………………………………………………..12
SWOT Analysis………………………………………………………………………………...18
Objectives………………………………………………………………………………………29
Key Audiences…………………………………………………………………………………31
Key Messages………………………………………………………………………………….35
Strategies……………………………………………………………………………………….40
Tactics…………………………………………………………………………………………..44
Evaluation………………………………………………………………………………………51
Timeline…………………………………………………………………………………………54
Budget…………………………………………………………………………………………..55
Appendix A: Map of the innov818 Corridor…………………………………………………56
Appendix B: FAQ Example…………………………………………………………………...57
Appendix C: Media Alert Example…………………………………………………………...58
Appendix D: Interview Transcripts…………………………………………………………...59
Works Cited....................................................................................................................74

SPM innov818 3

Background
The City
According to Los Angeles City Planning Deputy Dang Nguyen, “the City of Los Angeles
has the second largest population in the United States (approximately 4 million as of
2016). The City is flanked by oceans, mountains, and exotic terrain; the city also [has]
fields, deserts, forests, rivers. Moreover, it is densely populated with a vast diversity of
peoples spanning all across racial, economic and demographic lines. The economic
makeup of Los Angeles (despite its apparent lack of cohesive direction as stated by the
General Plan), is titanic, diverse, and critical to the overall state of the City. Finally, it’s
worth mentioning that Los Angeles is undergoing a massive housing crisis with a
plummeting affordable housing supply that has a direct effect to rising homelessness,
rising cost of living, and increase in urban density.”

Dang Nuygen also pointed out that other issues that impact planning that the City has
been debating for a while, such as “McMansionization” - a practice where developers
but very large buildings onto relatively small lots - have had indirect effects that puts an
added strain on the housing market and creates a dichotomy in the character of Los
Angeles neighborhoods. And while these issues are debated, the impacts are felt
throughout the City.

Creation of the innov818 corridor
In an effort to halt this trend, the Chatsworth-Northridge Industrial Core-Innov818
(innov818) corridor was created by Councilmember Mitchell Englander through a motion

SPM innov818 4

submitted to the City Council on August 18, 2017. It was formally adopted by Council
with a unanimous vote on September 5, 2017 and directed the Department of Planning
to use a ZI designation to define and designate the innov818 corridor. It is a planning
overlay that encompasses the area that is geographically bounded by: Topanga Canyon
Boulevard on the west; Lassen Street on the north (between Topanga Canyon
Boulevard and Mason Avenue); Mason Avenue on the east (between Lassen Street and
Plummer Street); Plummer Street on the north (between Mason Avenue and Corbin
Avenue); Corbin Avenue on the east (between Plummer Street and Nordhoff Street);
and Nordhoff Street on the south (between Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Corbin
Avenue), (Los Angeles City Council File 17-0938).

In the motion, Councilmember Englander states that the City “needs to ensure that the
necessary land use policies are enacted and enforced to designate and preserve [the
innov818] area as a light industrial hub and as an engine of economic development and
growth,” stating that “the goal of this effort is to establish this area as a vibrant green-
tech, clean-tech, and incubation space to attract technologically modernized industries
that support high paying jobs” (Los Angeles City Council File 17-0938).

Deputy Chief of Staff and former Chief Planning Deputy for Councilmember Englander,
Hannah Lee, explained that the “innov818 was born from the Councilmember’s desire to
continue to protect and grow a valuable asset in the district - the light industrial core in
Chatsworth and Northridge - and the industry and innovation it brings. Historically, the
area supported a large aerospace manufacturing industry - in the early 1960’s, 70% of

SPM innov818 5

the Valley’s 1 million residents depended on this industry for their livelihood. A large part
of the Valley’s heritage and growth stems from this history. We know that the aerospace
industry and the complexion of manufacturing has changed since that time, but there
are still quite a few manufacturing businesses in the area that have roots in this history.”

There have been shifts in technology and industry that have created new uses for
industrial space that could not have been envisioned in the 1960’s. Since the current
and past two Councilmembers have been committed to preserving this industrial area,
the innov818 corridor is readily available to house these new uses (Lee). Recently,
there has been an increase in occupancy and interest in the area of these “newer
technology” businesses and the innov818 was created to capitalize on this interest to
ensure that both traditional light industrial and modernized businesses are attracted to
the area and preserve the economic assets it has brought to the San Fernando Valley
(Lee).

Ultimately, the innov818 corridor was not created because commercial or residential
uses are unnecessary throughout the area, it was created because commercial and
residential uses are not always compatible with the needs of industrial uses; once
industrial properties are converted into other uses, they cannot be brought back (Lee).

Follow-up motions
On August 18, 2017, Councilmember Mitchell Englander submitted a motion directing
the Department of Planning, along with the Bureau of Engineering and any other

SPM innov818 6

appropriate City departments, to develop a detailed assessment of assets within these
geographical boundaries, including, but not limited to, transportation, housing and
infrastructure, schools and education, fiber and internet speed capabilities, power
assessments, and cultural features (Los Angeles City Council File 17-0938-S1).

On October 4, 2017, the Councilmember submitted three follow-up motions:
1) directing the Bureau of Sanitation to look into the feasibility of using funding
from the Brownsfield program to help businesses looking to move into the area who
may need to do an environmental study or cleanup (Los Angeles City Council File 17-
0938-S2). This motion was adopted by Council on November 21 and signed by the
Mayor on on November 22nd.
2) directing the Department of Transportation to create an Overnight Parking
District pilot program for the innov818 corridor that would only post parking restriction
signs at the entrances of the area rather than throughout the area, which is how the City
currently operates (Los Angeles City Council File 17-0938-S4). This motion was
adopted by Council and signed by the Mayor on October 20th.
3) directing the Department of Transportation to look into the feasibility of using
Metro Local Return funding to create a shuttle system that would serve as a first-
mile/last-mile option from nearby transportation hubs to the innov818 corridor (Los
Angeles City Council File 17-0938-S3). The motion further directs the Department of
Transportation to assess other options, including creating a new DASH line serving the
innov818 corridor, that would connect the zone to major transportation hubs nearby.

SPM innov818 7

This motion was adopted by Council on October 20th and signed by the Mayor on
October 24th.

On December 8, 2017, the Councilmember submitted a resolution that formally directed
the Department of Transportation to install the signs for the Overnight Parking District
pilot program which prohibits parking on the streets that fall within the innov818 corridor
from 2 am to 6 am. The resolution also outlines the support for these signs from the Los
Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council. This
item was adopted forthwith by Council on December 13 (Los Angeles City Council File
17-0938-S5).

Business Goal
As Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitchell Englander stated in the motion that
created the innov818 corridor, the goal is to “establish this area as a vibrant green-tech,
clean-tech, and incubation space to attract technologically modernized industries that
support high paying jobs,” and the way to achieve this that is explained in the motion is
to “instruct the Planning Department to utilize a ZI designation to define and designate a
Chatsworth-Northridge Industrial Core, Innov818…” (Los Angeles City Council File 17-
0938).

There are two distinct goals for the innov818 corridor, the first being to maintain the
economic character of the area, and the second being to attract innovative businesses

SPM innov818 8

to the area by creating and branding a specialized environment in which these types of
businesses can thrive.

The first goal of the innov818 zone is to maintain the economic character of the
area.
● The preservation of the current zoning in the area through the creation of a ZI
designation helps to maintain the economic character of the area by formalizing
that the types of businesses that can enter the area will be similar to the historic
and current uses of the area
○ This designation allows the City to better control uses and industries that
move into the zone so that an emphasis is still on economic development
and employment
○ Creating another layer of oversight to make sure that the character of the
area remains an economic hub of the San Fernando Valley
● This preservation is a necessary foundation to create an environment that will
allow current and future businesses continued success in the area
○ Allowing for resources and amenities in the area to be specifically tailored
to meet the use needs of businesses that need/desire to operate in a light
industrial zone which may not be compatible with residential and
commercial uses that may have been introduced to the area had this
overlay zone not been put in place

SPM innov818 9

The second goal of the innov818 corridor is to attract innovative businesses to the
area by creating and branding a specialized environment for these businesses to
thrive in.
● “...technology and industry shifts have created changing demands for industrial
uses that [the City] could not have imagined back in the ‘60s” (Lee).
○ Due to these shifts, protection of this zoning is not enough to attract
innovative businesses to the innov818 corridor over other areas
throughout the City and Southern California
○ Creation of a specialized environment tailored to the needs of the
businesses that the innov818 corridor is looking to attract and then
branding and advertising that environment will be key in bringing new,
innovative businesses to the innov818 corridor

While these are two distinct goals, they are not mutually exclusive and in fact, the
second builds upon the foundation laid by the first. This does not mean that the first goal
should only be a step to achieve the second goal, they are each a distinct goal of the
innov818 zone on their own.

Statement of Problem or Opportunity
The innov818 corridor has created a unique opportunity in that there are now formalized
geographic boundaries that encompass an area that was zoned for light industrial use
and protects this use within the boundaries. This overlay zone will allow the City and the
Councilmember’s office to “...maintain and preserve the intent of the light industrial

SPM innov818 10

zone, which allows for clean industrial uses and traditionally more stable, higher-paying
jobs without the intrusion of commercial or residential uses” (Lee).

This is the first use of this type of overlay zone in the City which makes it a marketable
aspect for businesses that are looking for a location within the City (Councilmember
Mitchell Englander), since they will not find the same protections for zoning, creating a
more homogenous use of the area. With a more consistent use throughout the area,
resources and amenities can be tailored to best serve the light industrial and tech
companies that currently do and in the future will populate the area.

At the moment, the council office is currently spearheading the charge for the innov818
corridor, but they understand that it is “...important to bring in...consultants who have the
appropriate acumen to determine which industries are viable to enter the space.
Furthermore, it is also important to carefully monitor and provide follow-up once the
marketing and development plan in in place to ensure that economic growth is climbing
in the right direction” (Nguyen).

By breathing new life into an area that has historically been an economic hub and the
industrial heart of the San Fernando Valley there is an opportunity to create a vibrant,
sought-after area for clean-tech, green-tech, bio-tech, etc. companies to locate and
grow their businesses.

SPM innov818 11

Communications Goal
Influence light industrial and tech-based businesses to consider locating within
the Chatsworth-Northridge Industrial Core - Innov818 Corridor.
● The innov818 corridor was created to preserve and enhance this economic
engine of the San Fernando Valley, making it an ideal place for businesses to
thrive and bring new jobs to the area
○ Without continual interest in the area, any improvements and protections
put in place do not support the goal of the innov818 corridor
● While it would be ideal to have every parcel of land occupied, the communication
goal of this campaign is not to actually sign the paperwork, but to make sure that
light industrial and tech-based businesses always have the innov818 corridor in
their minds when they are thinking of expanding their business, creating a
startup, or any other reason where they need a new office space
A sub-goal of this communication goal is to build awareness of the corridor within
the Los Angeles tech community.
● “...we see unprecedented occupancy and interest in the area, and see new,
exciting businesses moving in” (Lee).
○ With the historical uses of the area, there is a general knowledge of what
the innov818 corridor has to offer
● “Being near and supporting tech companies in the LA area, it’s easy to see that
like-minded people are constantly attending each other’s events and looking to
be more established in the community” (Maros).

SPM innov818 12

○ A former Operations Manager for a startup turned Fortune 500 company,
Leo Maros, tech companies have a tendency to group themselves out of a
desire for proximity
■ There is not currently a grouping of tech companies in the area
○ A major contributor to influencing tech-based businesses to consider
locating within the innov818 corridor would be to build their awareness of
what this area has to offer companies that are currently established within
the Los Angeles tech community

Research
Research Goals:
● Identify key audiences and audience segments
○ There are multiple audiences who will need to be engaged to ensure that
there is an awareness of the innov818 corridor and that it is always a
consideration when light industrial and tech-based companies wish to
move. By identifying each key audience and the specific segment within
the audience that needs to be targeted, it leads to more effective
communication because every entity that is being contacted is a decision
maker that can impact achieving the goals of the innov818 corridor.
● Assess current stakeholder attitudes and perceptions
○ This assessment will be done to figure out what current stakeholders think
about the innov818 corridor, how they see the progress of the
implementation of the zone, and what next steps need to be taken to

SPM innov818 13

ensure that the creation of the innov818 corridor proves fruitful. This
information will reveal what current stakeholders desire from the area and
what needs they have to make the innov818 corridor serve them better.
● Assess potential future stakeholder attitudes and perceptions
○ This assessment will determine what potential future stakeholders think of
the innov818 corridor, as well as what they are looking for in a new
location for their business. By finding out what potential future
stakeholders currently think of the innov818 corridor, hurdles (whether
they are real or perceived) can be identified and moves can be made to
rectify either the actual hurdle or the perception of the area. By gathering
information on what potential future stakeholders are looking for in a new
location, a wish list of amenities and other resources can be created and
implemented.
● Identify opinion leaders/influencers
○ With a communication goal of influencing businesses to consider locating
within the innov818 corridor, identifying opinion leaders and influencers is
key in achieving this goal. Identifying and tailoring this list of leaders and
influencers will also help with the sub-goal of building awareness within
the Los Angeles tech community. Strategically targeting the leaders and
influencers within the community, they will become an asset in spreading
awareness of what the innov818 corridor has to offer businesses.
● Establish benchmarks to measure progress

SPM innov818 14

○ While there is a clear communications goal for the innov818 zone, ways to
measure progress on the path towards achieving the goal are not as
defined. Research will reveal what benchmarks can be used to measure
progress, the steps that can be taken to reach each benchmark, and what
constitutes achievement of the goal.

Research Methodology
● Primary Research
○ Interviews: multiple interviews will be conducted to assess current and
potential future stakeholders’ attitudes and perceptions
■ Interviews will be conducted with current business owners,
operations managers, and upper management of companies that
are located within the innov818 corridor to assess their knowledge
of the creation of this zone, what/if any recent changes they have
seen within the area, and what they would like to see happen within
the area that would improve the way they are running their
business
■ Interviews will be conducted with business owners, operations
managers, and upper management of companies that are not
located within the innov818 corridor, but are in the target industries.
These interviews will assess their knowledge of the zone and the
creation of the innov818 corridor, as well as a priority list of what
they are looking for in a new location in the City

SPM innov818 15

● These two sets of interviews will also give insight into who
the opinion leaders and influencers are within the community
and the industries that the innov818 corridor is targeting, as
well as some of the key audiences to reach out to
■ Interviews will be conducted with local City officials to better
understand what they want to see achieved within the innov818
corridor, what assets are available within the area, what obstacles
there are within the City process that businesses looking to move
into the area may run in to, what can be done to either fully or
partially alleviate these obstacles, and what the City can offer to
help develop the innov818 zone to meet the business goals stated
previously
● These interviews will also determine if there are any
benchmarks that can be established that line up with the City
process
○ Focus Groups: Focus groups will be conducted with real estate agents
and with current business owners, operations managers, and upper
management if follow up is needed after the interviews
■ Real estate agents
● A focus group of real estate agents and brokers who
currently work within the innov818 corridor will be brought
together

SPM innov818 16

● This discussion will focus on what methods are currently
being used to attract potential future stakeholders, what
obstacles are in the way of building interest in the area, and
what additions to the innov818 corridor would help make the
area a more desirable location to site a business
■ Interview follow up
● Depending on the results of the interviews, if more
information is needed, it may be beneficial to bring small
groups of current business owners and operations managers
together
○ These groups would be determined by bringing
people together who answered interview questions in
a similar way that either needs more clarification or
leads to a number of follow up questions
● Bringing people together makes it easier to see if they
believe that their ideas line up or if there are slight nuances
to their answers that need to be finessed
○ Survey: two separate surveys will be sent digitally to two different
audiences
■ All employees that work within the innov818 corridor
● This survey will assess the knowledge of the innov818
corridor and the goal it was created to achieve; it also asks

SPM innov818 17

what other resources and amenities they would like to see
near their workplace
● By assessing how much employees know about the
innov818 corridor and its goals, it is easy to figure out how
much of an education campaign needs to be included to help
make these employees ambassadors for the zone
● Creating a comprehensive list of what employees would like
to see near their workplace will help to identify and prioritize
what resources and amenities should be added within the
innov818 corridor
● The survey results will also help determine how to best
target different key audience segments since it will reveal
their priorities
■ All students attending California State University, Northridge, Pierce
College, or the West Valley Occupational Center
● This survey will gauge the students current perceptions of
the innov818 corridor
○ Event attendance: attending industry events will help determine opinion
leaders and audience segments for potential future stakeholders as well
as awareness and perceptions of the innov818 corridor
■ All industries that are targeted by the innov818 corridor host events
that bring together people from various companies but the same
field

SPM innov818 18

● Tech companies, especially, tend to hold frequent meetup
events to bring colleagues from other companies together to
learn and discuss
■ Attending these events and speaking with other attendees will help
to gauge awareness/perceptions of the innov818 corridor and the
San Fernando Valley
■ Attending these events will also reveal opinion leaders and
audience segments because each event is tailored to meet the
needs of a specific group within the industry
● Secondary Research
○ Will establish benchmarks to measure progress
■ By conducting non-original research to see what has been done on
other campaigns to raise awareness of a geographic area,
benchmarks that were used in those campaigns will be evaluated to
see if they will be effective in measuring the progress made in
influencing companies to consider locating within the innov818
corridor

SWOT Analysis
Strengths
● History of the area
○ “The San Fernando Valley was a hub for technology and economic culture
throughout the 20th century. Formerly a historic tech core for the

SPM innov818 19

aerospace industry, the West Valley was the region’s primary hub for new
industries and technology. Today, it is zoned for light industrial that
remains prime for high-tech, clean-tech, green-tech, or bio-tech spaces”
(Nguyen).
○ The innov818 corridor has a history of use that lines up with the plans for
future use of the site. Because of this history, there is a certain knowledge
of the area as a possible location for a business that needs light industrial
zoning
○ Known historical use also make sites more viable because the potential
necessary environmental clean-up is either fully known, or a significant
guess can be made as to what a business would be getting into when
moving to a site regarding the California Environmental Quality Act
requirements
● Community Support Networks
○ Real estate agents
■ The rich history of the innov818 corridor also means that the real
estate agents in the area are well versed in what the innov818
corridor has to offer and will work to ensure that vacancies in the
corridor are filled by businesses that not only need light industrial
zoning, but will thrive within the corridor
○ Business support organizations
■ Organizations such as Chamber’s of Commerce and Economic
Alliances exist in the San Fernando Valley and are created to

SPM innov818 20

support businesses including those that choose to locate within the
innov818 corridor
● ZI designation and geography
○ Eric Moody, innov818 Director, feels that “the innov818 has all the
necessary land use controls currently in place which are suitable for the
location of high-tech, green-tech, and clean-tech uses.”
○ With the creation of the innov818 corridor all of the zoning and other land
use controls were maintained in the area to ensure that the historical uses
of the area are protected and that future uses that need these land use
controls will have multiple options as to where to locate within the zone
○ Maintaining the current land use controls keeps neighboring uses
compatible within the zone and can lead to less conflict because of the
differences in how neighbors need to use their space to conduct business
○ The innov818 corridor is a 2.5 square mile, contiguous zone, which is
beneficial for future amenity implementation, such as transportation
options, as well as creating an easily defined area that people will be able
to identify as the awareness levels for the innov818 corridor grow
● Support from the Councilmember’s office
○ “The inspiration for the innov818 overlay was the Councilmember’s idea to
preserve and protect the historic industrial core of the San Fernando
Valley as it is one of the few contiguous zones left in the City...Now, any
future development will have to comply with the conditions of the overlay

SPM innov818 21

zone and necessarily involve the Council Office in those endeavors”
(Moody).
○ “...we can also more easily identify policies that might create hurdles for
businesses (i.e. their specific use, while appropriate for the area, is not
something that fits neatly into [the City’s] zoning code) so that we can
work to address those issues in a targeted way” (Lee).
○ The innov818 corridor was the Councilmember’s idea, developers will
have to work closely with the office as they work to move into the zone,
and the office is willing to work with different businesses through the
process; this support through the City planning process will definitely help
different companies looking to move into the area
Weaknesses
● Infrastructure
○ “...given that the area historically developed over the years beginning with
industrial growth around World War II innovation, much will require
upgrade...Like much of the rest of the City, the innov818 has lacked
investment in preventative maintenance. The City’s water lines are aging
rapidly and this area will need to step up main trunk line replacement to
ensure both the supply and the quality of its water. New high-tech
businesses will need a reliable source of power; one that will grow with the
advances in technology. Communications systems that we take for
granted now, didn’t exist back in the ‘hey-day’ of the Valley. Modern cable
and fiber-optic investments will need to be made. With all this in place, we

SPM innov818 22

will require improved and upgraded roadways and transit systems to move
all this new commerce and goods around. However, with all these modern
systems, the area will prove very attractive to new, technological
business” (Moody).
○ As companies continue to innovate and push the boundaries of what
technology can do, they need infrastructure that can support these
innovative ideas. Unfortunately, the City has not maintained and upgraded
infrastructure in the Valley, so overcoming this obstacle will require a lot of
cost and effort to make the innov818 corridor capable of supporting new
businesses as best as possible
● Lack of awareness throughout the business community
○ While there is a history of light industrial use throughout the innov818
corridor, the San Fernando Valley does not have the correlation as being
a hub of innovation and industry that other areas of Los Angeles have,
especially with businesses that work within newer light industrial uses
○ There is also a lack of awareness of the creation of the innov818 corridor.
Other than a press release issued by the Councilmember’s office when
the motion was introduced, there has not been any outreach to the
community located in and around the innov818 corridor or to specialized
media outlets (i.e. business bloggers) who could cover the creation and
the things to come for the innov818 corridor

SPM innov818 23

● Slow City process
○ “The office is in the process of creating a framework outlining our goals
and vision for the area…” (Lee).
■ Even though the innov818 corridor is being spearheaded by the
council office, nine months later, they are still working on what their
overall vision for the area is. Until this is decided upon, it is hard for
work to be done to move the innov818 corridor forward
○ The Councilmember submitted a motion asking for “a list of assets that
includes the utility infrastructure, electrical/water/communications both
currently existing and future needs, transportation systems, etc.” that the
Department of City Planning is still developing (Moody).
■ This motion was also submitted over nine months ago, and while
creating a list of future needs can take time, an initial list of what is
currently existing should not take nearly as long to create
○ What this reveals is that the City does work on its own timeline and this
lack of urgency could cause problems down the road for businesses who
need to make deals happen quickly
Opportunities
● Olympics
○ “With the award of the 2028 Olympics to Los Angeles, the City and region
are investing in building out some of the most ambitious infrastructure
projects in North America” (LA’s 2028).

SPM innov818 24

○ The innov818 corridor can greatly benefit from these investments, but
would need the investments to be made near enough to impact them. The
closest venue for the 2028 Olympics is Sepulveda Basin Sports Complex
which is approximately seven miles away from the innov818 corridor.
■ While the infrastructure improvements will be focused around the
Olympics, they will be designed to benefit the City as a whole. If the
innov818 corridor can start to grow into the zone that is envisioned
while these improvements are being planned, the zone will more
likely be incorporated than if it is still just an idea of what could be.
● Proximity to CSUN and other technical colleges
○ “There’s a huge intelligence barrier of entry into tech, so surrounding the
business entities with institutions that feed that requirement is obviously
going to encourage more people to participate” (Maros).
○ The innov818 corridor begins two miles away from California State
University, Northridge and is just under four miles away from Pierce
College and West Valley Occupational Center
■ Having three schools, a State University, Community College, and
Technical School respectively, within close proximity of the
innov818 corridor means that there will be a lot of local talent to
draft into the companies moving into the area
○ With the development of the innov818 corridor, a reciprocal relationship
with one or more of these schools may occur where certain businesses
within the zone help with the education of students and then when it

SPM innov818 25

comes time to hire new talent there are multiple graduates nearby that the
business already has a relationship with
● Movement within large companies that have uses which fit the innov818 corridor
○ Within the past year there have been multiple large, well-established
companies looking for a new location such as Amazon (Cappetta) and
Snapchat (Pierson)
○ With this movement, the innov818 corridor can attract the attention of
these larger companies and even if they do not end up relocating to the
zone, getting the innov818 corridor on their radar and making a favorable
impression will be beneficial to the area, whether they remember to
consider the innov818 corridor once they need another location or if they
spread the word about the innov818 corridor
Threats
● Housing crisis and homelessness
○ “Finally, it’s worth mentioning that Los Angeles is undergoing a massive
housing crisis with a plummeting affordable housing supply that has a
direct effect on rising homelessness, rising cost of living and increase in
urban density” (Nguyen).
○ While jobs within the industries that the innov818 corridor is trying to
attract usually pay well, housing shortages and homelessness will impact
the employees of businesses within the zone

SPM innov818 26

■ A housing shortage means that employees will have to search and
potentially compete for housing near work or be willing to put in a
lengthy commute
■ Homelessness is on the rise with 869 unsheltered individuals in
Council District 12 as of the 2017 Homeless Count, up from 569 in
the 2015 Homeless Count (2017 Homeless Count)
○ While this issue is not specific to the innov818 corridor, homelessness and
the housing shortage will impact stakeholders within the zone on a daily
basis
● San Fernando Valley location
○ While probably not a deciding factor when looking for a new location, an
issue with having a physical address within the San Fernando Valley
means that the city designation is not Los Angeles, but one of the
communities located in the Valley
■ The innov818 corridor has a Chatsworth address
■ For anyone married to the idea of being located in Los Angeles, this
may give them pause
○ Suburban stigma
■ Even though there has been a lot of development and growth within
the San Fernando Valley since it was first developed as the
suburbs of Los Angeles, the suburban stigma remains. This may
deter some more cutting-edge businesses from wanting to locate to
the innov818 zone

SPM innov818 27

○ Proximity to prominent Los Angeles locations
■ There are certain locations that draw people to Los Angeles: the
Hollywood sign, downtown, the beach, etc.
■ All of these attractions are further away from the innov818 corridor
and the San Fernando Valley than other light industrial zoned areas
throughout the City. For businesses who are looking to locate in
Los Angeles without much knowledge of the area, this may be a
possible deterrent to locating their business within the innov818
corridor.
● Cost of doing business
○ “Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area are the two most expensive
metropolitan areas in the western United States” (Rose Institute).
○ With increases in minimum wage, cost per square foot, taxes, etc. Los
Angeles is an expensive city to site a business in and this holds true for
the innov818 corridor
○ For businesses already located in Los Angeles, these costs will not be a
surprise, but for businesses looking to move to Los Angeles, there may be
some sticker shock and possibly the decision to locate outside of the City
due to the cost of doing business in Los Angeles
Strategic Implications
● Timeliness
○ Taking into consideration external factors, this seems to be a good time to
create and act upon a communications plan for the innov818 corridor

SPM innov818 28

■ Potential dollars coming in for direly needed infrastructure
improvements due to the 2028 Olympics
○ Consideration has to be made as to how to convince the City to move
faster through the various processes
■ Two different actions that should be completed quickly have taken
three-quarters of a year and counting to complete, showing that the
City moves at a pace that is their own that does not align with other
timelines
○ Support from the council office should help with both of these factors, both
in advocating for future monies, as well as pushing to speed up processes
that could hurt the innov818 corridor by how long it takes the City to move
through them
● Los Angeles may need to become more business-friendly
○ With the slow government approval timeline, the high cost of business and
the lack of affordable housing, Los Angeles officials and influencers may
need to re-evaluate how businesses are treated
○ The council office support cannot only be counted on to help move
through the issues encountered due to these and other factors, but the
relationship with the council office needs to be nurtured to make sure that
overall policy changes are considered and supported that would help
businesses looking to locate within the innov818 corridor

SPM innov818 29

● Ability to build awareness
○ The location of the innov818 corridor within the San Fernando Valley has
many positive factors, despite the negatives listed above
■ Proximity to education
● Since there are three higher education institutions in
proximity to the innov818 corridor, outreach and coordination
with these schools is key in securing the workforce that is
needed to support the businesses that will be locating within
the innov818 corridor
● Coordination with these schools will also help educate the
students on the innov818 corridor which will help raise
general awareness of the area
■ History of the area
● Because there is already a base of people aware of the
innov818 corridor due to the extensive history of the area,
there is a core group of people who are interested in locating
a business in the area, preserving and protecting the uses of
the area, and developing the area to meet the needs of new
companies that will be moving in
● This core group of people will be able to act as ambassadors
for the innov818 corridor and help build awareness through
their different social circles

SPM innov818 30

Objectives
● By June 2019, among students who attend California State University,
Northridge, Pierce College, or West Valley Occupational Center, increase the
percentage having favorable opinions (4 or 5) of the businesses located within
the zone by 20% on a 1-5 scale
○ This increase would come not only from name recognition of businesses
that are located within the innov818 corridor, but from a targeted
campaign that shows the benefits of working within the innov818 corridor
and the amenities that are available to those who work in the zone
● By December 2018, among employees in the innov818 corridor, increase their
awareness of the creation of the zone by 5 points on a 1-10 scale as well as an
increase in their knowledge of future plans for the zone by 15%
○ The first half of this objective would be through an awareness campaign
so that businesses located within the innov818 corridor become aware of
what the innov818 corridor is and what it has to offer
○ The second half of this objective would expand upon the same campaign
as the first, but would focus on drawing attention to future amenities for
the zone that specifically impact the businesses currently located within
the boundaries of the innov818 corridor
■ Each business would have a targeted campaign based on the
surveys collected from all employees on their knowledge of the
zone as well as what they would like to see to make their work day
more enjoyable

SPM innov818 31

● By March 2019, increase the inquiries desired businesses make regarding
availability within the innov818 corridor to the council office by 50%
○ If the number of inquiries about available land within the innov818 corridor
by desired businesses (businesses that would be targeted as potential
companies to move into the innov818 corridor based on their use)
increases over the course of time, that means that awareness of the
innov818 corridor has increased and that these businesses are willing to
overlook the weaknesses and threats of the innov818 corridor

Key Audiences
● Current owners, operations managers, and upper management of businesses
located within the innov818 corridor
○ This audience is made up of the decision makers who decided to locate
their businesses in the innov818 corridor; they will give insight as to why
they located to this area and can become good ambassadors for the area
within their respective fields
● Current employees of businesses located within the innov818 corridor
○ This audience is made up of the people who work within the innov818
corridor every day; they will give insight on what it is like to work within the
area, what amenities and improvements they would like to see, and may
become ambassadors for the innov818 corridor

SPM innov818 32

● Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitchell Englander’s office
○ This audience is made up of the creators of the innov818 corridor.
Maintaining their support for the area is critical to growing and improving
the innov818 corridor and without their support, could become a significant
hurdle to overcome to achieve this goal
● Other government officials
○ This audience is made up of other government officials who can lend their
support to the innov818 corridor. This includes County and State elected
officials, leadership of Metro, and other governmental agencies that can
financially support the innov818 corridor
● Tech and light industrial company owners, operations managers, and upper
management that are located in Los Angeles, outside of the innov818 corridor
○ This audience is made up of the decision makers for target companies for
the innov818 corridor. Awareness of the innov818 corridor will need to be
determined within this audience and then a campaign will be created that
will raise that level of awareness and then influence the audience to
consider locating within the innov818 corridor the next time they need a
location for their company
● Faculty and staff at California State University, Northridge, Pierce College, and
West Valley Occupational Center
○ This audience is made up of the people who are educating the next
generation of employees. A relationship needs to be formed with both
professors and staff at these institutions so that they are made aware of

SPM innov818 33

the innov818 corridor and the benefits of working within the area. This
audience can become ambassadors to the future workforce, encouraging
them to consider looking for employment in what should be a burgeoning
area for innovation
● Students who attend California State University, Northridge, Pierce College, and
West Valley Occupational Center
○ This audience includes the next generation of employees for the target
companies in the innov818 corridor. Figuring out the level of awareness of
the innov818 corridor will determine what type of outreach needs to be
done to encourage looking for employment within the zone while they
finish their education and after graduation
● Real estate agents who cover the innov818 corridor and the surrounding areas
○ This audience is made up of one of the most important groups of
individuals who should become ambassadors for the innov818 corridor.
Real estate agents who focus on commercial properties can be a very
important asset if they are working to showcase the innov818 corridor to
those clients with uses that fit within the zoning of the area. Real estate
agents who focus on residential property (some of which is adjacent to the
innov818 corridor) need to be aware of the innov818 corridor and the
benefits it can bring to its neighbors; while keeping an eye out for housing
options for the employees of businesses that have recently located to the
area

SPM innov818 34

● Business support organizations
○ This audience is made up of organizations such as the Chatsworth-Porter
Ranch Chamber of Commerce, Valley Economic Alliance, Valley Industry
Commerce Association, etc. These organizations are dedicated to
supporting the businesses that are located within the areas that they
serve. By making sure these organizations are aware of the innov818
corridor, they can better coordinate efforts to support the businesses that
are currently located and will locate in the future to the innov818 corridor
● Business bloggers and journalists that cover the Los Angeles market
○ This audience is made up of journalists from traditional media outlets -
such as the Los Angeles Times, KTLA, and San Fernando Valley
Business Journal - and newer media outlets - such as bondstreet.com and
the National Association of Women Business Owners Los Angeles blog.
These influencers need to be aware of the innov818 corridor and kept in
the loop as newsworthy things occur within the zone so they can help
raise awareness through their coverage
● Real estate bloggers and journalists that cover the Los Angeles market
○ This audience is made up of journalists from traditional media outlets -
such as the Los Angeles Times, KTLA, and The Patch - and newer media
outlets - such as urbanize.la and Curbed LA. These influencers need to be
aware of the innov818 corridor and kept in the loop as newsworthy things
occur within the zone so they can help raise awareness through their
coverage

SPM innov818 35

● Tech bloggers and journalists that cover the Los Angeles market
○ This audience is made up of journalists from traditional media outlets as
outlined above and newer media outlets, such as Built in LA and SoCal
Tech. These influencers need to be aware of the innov818 corridor and
kept in the loop as newsworthy things occur within the zone so they can
help raise awareness through their coverage
● Industrial trade journalists
○ This audience is made up of journalists at outlets such as Industry Today
and Manufacturing Today. These influencers need to be aware of the
innov818 corridor and kept in the loop as newsworthy things occur within
the zone so they can help raise awareness through their coverage

Key Messages
● The innov818 corridor creates a supportive, innovative climate in which
companies can conduct business
○ This message can be used to reach out to multiple audiences because it
describes how the innov818 corridor impacts the business
○ Audiences:
■ Current owners, operations managers, and upper management of
businesses located within the innov818 corridor
● They should already be aware that this area is good for their
business, but this points out exactly how the innov818
corridor will support their business

SPM innov818 36

■ Tech and light industrial company owners, operations managers,
and upper management that are located in Los Angeles, outside of
the innov818 corridor
● They may have little to no awareness of the innov818
corridor, but this message states specifically how the area
can support businesses located in it
■ Business support organizations
● These organizations exist to support businesses, this means
that they should be well informed on how the innov818
corridor can support a business so all of the support efforts
can work together and enhance each other
● The opportunities provided within the innov818 corridor will help enhance a
career
○ The first message is targeted towards businesses owners, but this
message targets those who work or will work in the innov818 corridor
○ Audiences:
■ Current employees of businesses located within the innov818
corridor
● This message lets the current employees in the innov818
corridor know how they are directly impacted by the creation
of this zone and how it can help them as they move through
their careers

SPM innov818 37

■ Faculty and staff at California State University, Northridge, Pierce
College, and West Valley Occupational Center
● This audience is in a position to pass along this message to
students. So while they may not be the end user of the
message, they are a necessary audience to get this
message to so they can work as a conduit to help share the
benefits of the innov818 corridor
■ Students who attend California State University, Northridge, Pierce
College, and West Valley Occupational Center
● Getting this message out to students not just when they are
graduating, but when they are attending school allows for the
relationship to build over time so they can see exactly how
working in the innov818 corridor can enhance their career
● The innov818 corridor protects the history and economy of the San Fernando
Valley
○ This message does not target as wide a group as the first two messages,
but is still an important message to get out to parties who are concerned
about the historical value of innov818 corridor
○ Audiences:
■ Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitchell Englander’s office
● The innov818 corridor was created by the Councilmember in
part to protect the rich history the area has. By making sure
that the message gets to the Councilmember and his staff

SPM innov818 38

that this protection is still holding true, support from this
office should maintain and potentially increased
■ Business support organizations
● Business support organizations cover specific regions and
care about making the businesses within those regions
successful. Informing these organizations that there is a
preservation component of the economy of the area can help
cultivate the relationship between the innov818 corridor and
these business support organizations because they will
know that there is an element of history incorporated in the
zone and that it isn’t just a new idea coming in to take over
an area that has been an asset in the past
■ Business bloggers and journalists that cover the Los Angeles
market
● This message may be of interest to journalists who cover the
Los Angeles business market because the innov818 corridor
is the old and the new coming together to grow business in
the region
● Investment in the innov818 corridor improves conditions for constituents who live
and work in the San Fernando Valley
○ Government officials, elected or not, work for the public. The impact the
innov818 corridor has on constituents is a message that needs to get out
to government officials to garner and maintain their support

SPM innov818 39

○ Audiences:
■ Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitchell Englander’s office
● Even though the innov818 corridor was created by the
Councilmember to benefit the community, having an open
dialogue with the Councilmember’s office on how the
innov818 corridor is working to achieve the goals originally
envisioned is important to maintain support for the zone from
the office
■ Other government officials
● Communicating how the innov818 corridor is improving
conditions for constituents can get them to support the zone
and help bring amenities and improvements to the area
● The innov818 corridor is the prime location for a business that specializes in a
light industrial or tech use
○ This messages is tailored specifically for real estate agents who cover the
innov818 zone and the surrounding areas
■ Commercial real estate agents can use this message to help
market the area
■ Residential real estate agents who cover the surrounding area can
use this message to ease any concerns potential buyers may have
in moving adjacent to an industrial zone

SPM innov818 40

● The innov818 corridor is moving businesses forward through innovation
○ This message will be targeted towards the opinion leader and influencers
that create blogs and journalists that cover the Los Angeles market in
business, real estate, tech, and/or industrial use
■ Depending on who is being targeted, the supporting evidence to
prove that the innov818 zone is moving businesses forward through
innovation would be tweaked to meet the needs of the audience,
but the overall message is the use of innovation to drive business in
the San Fernando Valley

Strategies
● Create a strong partnership communication plan to keep California State
University, Northridge, Pierce College, and West Valley Occupational Center
informed of the opportunities for their students within the innov818 corridor
○ One of the biggest assets that the innov818 corridor has is that they are in
close proximity to three institutions of higher education
○ Creating a partnership communication plan will ensure that these three
assets are used correctly to help build awareness around the innov818
corridor for the thousands of students they serve daily
○ This partnership communication plan will also allow flexibility on the part of
the institution, the partnership can just be opening a line of communication
or can be as extensive as bringing students out for training or weighing in
on future planning for the innov818 corridor

SPM innov818 41

■ The decision of what type of partnership will be driven by the
school, but ideally at least one would sign on by the end of 2018 to
do some sort of collaboration work rather than just informational
updates
○ The partnership communication plan will also include a component to
ensure that businesses understand the quality and vastness of this
pipeline
○ The potential for partnership will be a factor in attracting new businesses
to the innov818 corridor for two reasons
■ The first being that it will be nice for businesses to have a large
pool of potential new hires that are receiving training they would
need to be able to work within the specialized fields most
businesses within the innov818 corridor will have
■ The second is that if a school does want to partner and bring
students on site to learn new skills, businesses located within the
innov818 corridor would need to be willing to open their doors to
these students and help foster the partnership
● Utilize regular buzz building events to build awareness and emphasize the value
and quality of the innov818 corridor
○ This strategy will help to build awareness and a positive impression of the
innov818 corridor within the business communities

SPM innov818 42

○ By hosting events that bring people working within the target industries
and influencers together that showcase the innov818 zone a conversation
is started
■ As each event happens, different aspects of the innov818 corridor
would be on display to encourage attendees to come to more than
one event and start to learn the full extent of what the innov818
corridor has to offer
○ The more company decision-makers and influencers learn about the
innov818 corridor, the more they will begin to consider it a viable location
for their company
■ And as companies within specific fields start to locate within the
innov818 corridor and are successful, other companies from that
same field will begin to follow suit
● Foster an open dialogue with government officials
○ Oftentimes, there is not an open door between government officials and
businesses within the community, especially in the tech field where they
like to launch ideas and then figure out how to make it work within the
government regulations
■ Companies like Airbnb, Uber, Lyft, and Limebike have all run into
issues with government regulations recently, and some are still
working through those issues
○ To avoid any future problems that could negatively impact the innov818
corridor and the surrounding areas, it is important to foster an open

SPM innov818 43

dialogue between government officials, the businesses that are moving
into and existing in the innov818 corridor, and future vision for what can be
added or improved within the innov818 corridor
■ This does not guarantee that everyone will be on board with what is
occurring in the innov818 corridor, but it does guarantee that
conversations are had and potential problems are discussed before
the innov818 corridor and government officials reach an impasse
○ Since the innov818 corridor was created by the current Los Angeles City
Councilmember, the open line of communication there should not be over-
or under-utilized
■ This line of communication should not be assumed to be the voice
of all government entities, dialogues should be had with many
government officials who either oversee of have an impact on the
innov818 zone
■ This line of communication should not be neglected under the
assumption that the support will continue whether or not they are
kept in the loop
● Embrace the media and real estate agents as allies
○ Media
■ Since the innov818 zone is still rather new in the city, it would be
helpful to ensure that there is an open dialogue with the media so
that the zone is covered correctly so that awareness can be raised

SPM innov818 44

which will lead to businesses considering to locate within the
innov818 corridor
■ A lot of research when looking for a new location, whether it be
individual housing or a business location, begins on the internet
and if there is either misinformation or a lack of coverage of the
innov818 corridor, this will negatively impact the goal of influencing
businesses to consider locating within the innov818 corridor
○ Real estate agents
■ An open dialogue needs to be maintained with real estate agents
that cover the innov818 corridor and the surrounding areas to make
sure that they are aware of the assets that are provided in the
innov818 corridor and are making businesses aware of this area if
their use fits within the parameters of the innov818 corridor
■ Either concurrently or subsequently to internet research happening,
businesses speak with a realtor to figure out what is available to
them and to help the businesses through the processes of signing
the deal
○ Since both the media and real estate agents are used in the research
phase of looking to move locations or acquire a new location for
businesses, it is important that there be an open channel for
communications between the innov818 corridor and these two entities

SPM innov818 45

Tactics
● Create an innov818 website
○ When people come across “innov818” there is a high likelihood that they
will want more information on what it is, currently there is no online
location that neatly stores more information on the innov818 corridor
■ This would be an informational site that explains the background of
the innov818 corridor, future plans for the area, and links to the
different businesses that are currently located within the zone. Each
time there is a development within the innov818 zone the website
would include these changes and would encourage stakeholders to
peruse the website once a week
● Hold meetings with school executives to discuss what the innov818 corridor is
and how a partnership could be mutually beneficial
○ If any of the schools are willing to enter into a partnership
■ Initial announcement of partnership through a press release and
press conference
● Due to the fact that the innov818 corridor is the first of its
kind in the City, meaning this would be the first partnership
of its kind in Los Angeles, it makes sense to not only send
out a press release but actually put together a press
conference to announce the partnership
■ Include a page on the partnership on the innov818 website that
shows how the partnership is progressing

SPM innov818 46

● This page would allow other institutions interested in
partnering to see what is involved, what the students get out
of it, and success stories of students who then get hired by
companies that they visited or trained with during their time
in school
■ Arrange for a business of the month to highlight to the student
population both on and off campus
● A monthly speaker series that would bring in a speaker from
a different business to speak on campus about their
expertise in their field and what makes being located within
the innov818 corridor a benefit to the company
● A tour or visitation hours where students could go and
explore the business location, get a feel for the surroundings
of the innov818 corridor, and potentially work on some of
their skills that the business specializes in
○ If the schools are not willing to enter into a partnership
■ Create an infographic that will be updated monthly and sent out to
the schools
● This infographic will be a snapshot of what is going on within
the innov818 corridor, it will be sent digitally with an email
that goes more in depth in what is occurring in the innov818
corridor and how the school may be able to influence the
area

SPM innov818 47

● Ensure that this email is not sent and forgotten about, get a
contact with the school who has their finger on the pulse of
not only the students but also of the light industrial and tech
businesses that are in the innov818 corridor
■ Arrange for a six month follow up meeting to discuss the potential
for a partnership opportunity now that there is a better
understanding of what the innov818 zone is
● Whether it be a partial partnership where only one piece of
the partnership is utilized (such as only doing the speaker
series portion) or a full partnership, it would be prudent for a
partnership to formed at this meeting, otherwise the
innov818 corridor is missing out on using an asset to its
fullest extent
● Host quarterly buzz building events for those involved in the target industries of
the innov818 corridor, influencers in those industries, and students who attend
California State University, Northridge, Pierce College, or West Valley
Occupational Center; realtors and the media would be included when appropriate
○ These events would be hosted throughout the innov818 corridor
showcasing different elements that are available
○ The event would start off with drinks, snacks, and networking, and then
lead into a guest speaker or panel discussion which will include an outline
of the importance of the innov818 feature that is being showcased that
quarter

SPM innov818 48

○ The ultimate goal of these events is to create a baseline knowledge
throughout the Los Angeles light industrial and tech use industries of the
innov818 corridor
■ Individual follow up may be necessary to quantify this change
occurring over time, or it may become apparent if there are more
people who sign up for the mailing list, an increase in mentions of
the innov818 corridor, or by some other means that can be
measured through online monitoring
○ The events would be industry specific (i.e. app and software development
in June and 3D printing in September) and would need to have a
prominent speaker/panel from the industry to convince companies that are
not located within the innov818 corridor to attend
■ While it would be nice to have a speaker that works in the innov818
corridor at the time of the event, there are experts in the industry
who could create more of a draw that are not located in the
innov818 corridor. This means that the speakers will need to be
briefed beforehand to know what the innov818 corridor is and know
what part of that zone is being showcased for the event. Another
speaker may need to be arranged if the guest speaker or panel is
not comfortable discussing the innov818 corridor
○ These events will be advertised on social media, posted on the website,
and digitally mailed out to those who have signed up for the innov818
mailing list

SPM innov818 49

■ For the initial few events, some door-to-door outreach will be
required for businesses that are located outside of the San
Fernando Valley, meetings would be arranged so that the personal
invitation could be given along with a brief background on the
innov818 corridor
○ For each event a media advisory will be sent out to publications that have
a specific focus on the topic of the quarter, some of the guest speakers
and panelists will be influential enough to have a media attend the event
rather than just do a write up for an upcoming event (if they engage at all)
○ Success of these events will be measured by attendance in the short term,
awareness of the innov818 corridor in the mid-range, and stated reason
for considering moving to the innov818 corridor in the long term
■ Thinking beyond this campaign, the focal point of the quarterly
events could be extended into a quarterly theme and become a
bigger event if it seems to be picking up enough traction
● Develop informational materials designed for employees of businesses located
within the innov818 corridor
○ People who already work within the zone need to be aware of what the
innov818 corridor is and what the plans are moving forward, they will help
spread information on the innov818 corridor through word of mouth and it
is better for them to have the information provided for them rather than just
assumptions they are making from being in the zone on a daily basis.
Research will help determine whether to craft printed, online (or both)

SPM innov818 50

materials. Either way, they will be derived from the intro packet described
below.
● Schedule meetings with the pertinent government officials
○ These meetings will reveal the concerns and ideas that these individuals
have for the area and what they can do to help or hinder the development
process of the innov818 corridor
■ After hearing their input, this will determine what materials need to
be developed, whether it be talking points and a brochure about the
innov818 corridor so the elected can help spread the word or
creating a report based off of the survey results taken that lay out
what the current employees would like to see regarding first-
mile/last-mile transportation options for the CEO of Metro
○ General follow up will consist of a monthly email that details the progress
that the innov818 corridor has made which will include a one-page
infographic/fact sheet about the innov818 corridor
● Create an introduction packet to the innov818 corridor
○ This would include background information, status updates on current
projects, available sites within the zone, upcoming event details, etc.
Some of the deliverables would include:
■ FAQ sheet
■ Infographic
■ One page history sheet
■ Project status update

SPM innov818 51

■ Press release announcing the creation of the innov818 zone
■ Next event flyer
○ This packet will be given to current stakeholders, media, businesses as
they move into the innov818 corridor, and can be provided to anyone who
expresses an interest in the area. There will also be copies of all of these
documents available for download on the website

Evaluation
Objective: By June 2019, among students who attend California State University,
Northridge, Pierce College or West Valley Occupational Center, increase the
percentage having favorable opinions (4 or 5) of the businesses located within the zone
by 20% on a 1-5 scale
● Surveys will be emailed out to the student’s in June of 2018 to set a baseline
result that can then be compared to the results received after a follow up survey
is sent in May of 2019
● The surveys will be anonymous so it will not be possible to compare answers
specific respondents turned in
○ The 20% increase will be determined by the percentage of 2018
respondents who ranked the businesses within the innov818 corridor a 4
or 5 out of 5 compared to the percentage of 2019 respondents who ranked
these businesses 4 or 5 out of 5
● Through campaigns targeted to raise student awareness of what is available
within the innov818 corridor, this increase should occur not only due to name

SPM innov818 52

recognition of businesses within the zone but also through an awareness of what
being located within the innov818 corridor affords these businesses

Objective: By December 2018, among employees in the innov818 corridor, increase
their awareness of the creation of the zone by 5 points on a 1-10 scale as well as an
increase in their knowledge of future plans for the zone by 15%
● Surveys will be distributed to all employees who work within the innov818
corridor late summer 2018, surveys will again be distributed early November of
2018. Within that time, the employees will have received the informational
materials and will have had the opportunity to attend one buzz building event
○ If any new businesses enter the zone during this time, they will have the
same materials distributed to them including the survey and then will
receive the November survey as a follow up
● If the overall score for awareness of the innov818 zone increases by 5 or more
points (i.e. from 2 to 7) that would mean that the current employees have met the
first half of the objective
● Their knowledge of future plans for the zone will be measured on a 1-7 scale. So,
if the average number increases by one, this would mean that both halves of the
objective have been met

Objective: By March 2019, increase the inquiries desired businesses make regarding
availability within the innov818 corridor to the council office by 50%

SPM innov818 53

● This data will be collected from the council office, they will be asked to track how
many inquiries from desired businesses regarding availability within the innov818
corridor each month starting in September 2018
● Through targeted outreach and word of mouth, this number should have
increased by 50% six months later
● If this increase has not happened, then it is time to reevaluate the outreach
methods to see where these efforts need to be stepped up

SPM innov818 54

Timeline

This is an 18-month campaign and the following graphic outlines when each step will
occur.

7/1
8
8/1
8
9/1
8
10/
18
11/
18
12/
18
1/1
9
2/1
9
3/1
9
4/1
9
5/1
9
6/1
9
7/1
9
8/1
9
9/1
9
10/
19
11/
19
12/
19
1/2
0

Obje
ctive
Obje
ctive
Obje
ctive
Research
interviews
focus
groups
surveys
event
attendance
secondary
research
Tactics
Website
partner with
schools
schools
wait to
partner
quarterly
event
employee
materials
government
relations
intro packet
Evaluation

SPM innov818 55

Budget

One time cost Monthly cost Individual cost Total cost
Website assessment
and development 5,000 5,000
Website maintenance 300 5,400

Research 15,000 15,000
Data Analysis 2,500 17,500
Extra reports: billed
with client consent

Manage school
partnerships 10,000 2,500 55,000
Quarterly Events
10,000 per
event 60,000
Government relations 2,500 1,000 20,500

Printed materials 10,000 10,000
Ongoing message
management 1,000 18,000
Extra prints
2,500 per
reprint 5,000

Total cost 211,400

SPM innov818 56

Appendix A: Map of the innov818 corridor

SPM innov818 57

Appendix B: FAQ Example
Chatsworth-Northridge Industrial Core - Innov818 (innov818) Corridor
Frequently Asked Questions

What is the innov818 corridor?
The innov818 corridor was created in 2017 through a ZI designation - planning overlay
- to preserve the area as a light industrial hub and as an engine of economic
development and growth. The innov818 corridor is a 2.5 square mile, light industrial
zoned, contiguous space located in Chatsworth that will house the technological future
of the San Fernando Valley.

Where is the innov818 corridor?
The innov818 corridor is located in Chatsworth. It is bounded by Topanga Canyon
Boulevard on the west; Lassen Street on the north (between Topanga Canyon
Boulevard and Mason Avenue); Mason Avenue on the east (between Lassen Street and
Plummer Street); Plummer Street on the north (between Mason Avenue and Corbin
Avenue); Corbin Avenue on the east (between Plummer Street and Nordhoff Street);
and Nordhoff Street on the south (between Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Corbin
Avenue).

What purpose does the innov818 corridor serve?
The goal is to establish the innov818 corridor as a vibrant green-tech, clean-tech, and
incubation space to attract technologically modernized industries that support high
paying jobs. While working on that process the innov818 corridor still serves the
purpose of protecting the land uses that were historically in place in this area beginning
in the 1960’s.

How long will it take for the innov818 corridor to become fully established as a
vibrant green-tech, clean-tech, and incubation space?
The Department of City Planning is working on an assets and needs assessment for the
area, including, but not limited to, transportation, housing and infrastructure, schools
and education, fiber and internet speed capabilities, power assessments, and cultural
features. Once that assessment is completed, the City can prioritize the work that needs
to bring the area up-to-date. When there is a timeline for the completion of necessary
improvements that is when a consultant will be brought on to run a marketing and
development plan for the corridor.

SPM innov818 58

Appendix C: Media Alert Example

For Immediate Release September 12, 2018

Skot Carruth to Kick Off the innov818 After Dark Speaker Series
How “making it better” can lead from startup to Fortune 500 company.

CHATSWORTH, CA, September 12, 2018 -- Skot Carruth, founder and CEO of
Philosophie, a digital innovation firm, will be speaking at tomorrow’s innov818 After Dark
Speaker Series on the journey he took with Philosophie from startup to Fortune 500
company.

“My firm belief in Philosophie’s mission to ‘make it better’ has lead me from an idea of a
company in Los Angeles in 2010 to the CEO of a fortune 500 with locations in
Manhattan, San Francisco and Los Angeles,” says Skot Carruth. “I cannot wait to share
my journey with people who are standing where I was just a few years ago and inspire
them to go after what seems impossible.”

The innov818 After Dark Speaker Series bring young, working professionals together
for a quarterly networking and speaker event in the innov818 corridor, the only
contiguous light industrial area in Los Angeles and home to many tech companies.

The innov818 After Dark Speaker Series focuses on how innovation can drive the
economy. Skot is a living example of how hard work and ingenuity can turn an idea into
reality

The innov818 Corridor was established in 2017 to protect land uses that were
historically in place in this area of the San Fernando Valley while also turning the area
into a vibrant green-tech, clean-tech, and incubation space that attracts technologically
modernized industries that support high paying jobs.

Media Contact
Jessie Strobel
Thesis Candidate
Cell: 818-356-3549
Email: jstrobel@usc.edu

###

SPM innov818 59

Appendix D: Interview Transcripts
Email Interview with Eric Moody
Thank you for answering some interview questions for my thesis!

For background, I am creating a (roughly) 60 page Strategic Planning Model (SPM) for
the innov818 overlay area. This is a research project (not a scholarly paper) that looks
to creating a strategic plan for a specific problem or opportunity; in this case, using the
new overlay as a draw for tech and other innovative businesses to the area.

As innov818 Director and with a lot of institutional knowledge with the city, my questions
are oriented through that light. Also, if you think of anything that I didn't address in the
questions that you think would be helpful, please feel free to include it.

Questions (sent on May 11)
1. What is your education/work background that gives you an expertise in the
field?
2. What was the inspiration for the innov818 overlay?
3. Was there a specific goal in mind when creating this from a governing,
planning, business, etc. standpoint?
1. What should the overlay zone achieve for CD12 and the city?
4. What work has been done/is currently being done within the zone to attract and
keep innovative businesses?
5. What amenities still need to be added within the zone to attract and keep
innovative businesses?
6. What other work is needed to attract and keep innovative businesses? And
who (ideally) would do this work?
1. Are there any hurdles to getting this work done/the correct parties
involved?
7. What are the biggest obstacles to keeping and attracting businesses within the
overlay zone?
8. Anything else to add?

Answers (received on May 12)
I wished I had more time! This is about all I can do for now. If you need anything else,
we can always follow up...

1. My educational background is general in nature, the usual liberal arts degrees (BA in
History & MPA in Public Administration and Policy with emphasis on intergovernmental
mgt) and not related to the field, per se. I decided I wanted to work in government
sometime during my sophomore year, but did not focus on anything until grad school. I

SPM innov818 60

started with the City as an intern and basically never left. Working in a variety of
departments and offices over the almost 30 years with the City gives one a bit of
institutional knowledge about how things work and some insight on how "things get
done." Which is a long winded way of saying one can never fully prepare! The
"expertise" you refer to? Years of working in the public sector, coupled with my
personality? Maybe that's it...I wanted to change the world but settled for helping to
ensure that the public's interaction with their government was positive and always
beneficial. I want to ensure their government does what they expect it to.

2. The inspiration for the innov818 overlay was the CM's idea to preserve and protect
the historic industrial core of the San Fernando Valley as it is one of the few contiguous
zones left in the City. Over the years, developers have sought to break it up with various
projects that would require zoning variances and density changes that were not, or may
not be, in line with the General Plan or Community Plans for the area. The innov818 has
all the necessary land use controls currently in place which are suitable for the location
of high-tech, green-tech and clean-tech uses. Changing that would negatively impact
the economic character of the west valley and could have further damage to our history
and culture. To avoid that, the CM came up with the idea to preserve the zoning with
the innov818 overlay. Now, any future development will have to comply with the
conditions of the overlay zone and necessarily involve the Council Office in those
endeavors.

3. Yes, as mentioned above, the goal was to preserve the economic character of the
area and maintain the industrial and commercial uses historically located there. By
preserving the zoning, we better control uses and industries we need to continue to
grow and create jobs in tech industries which pay more and provide for increased
quality of life for the valley.

The overlay zone helps us achieve the goal of focusing the uses we want, the jobs we
need and improves life for all. The City benefits from the increase in the economy; it's a
win-win for all.

4. The innov818 overlay zone is already proving beneficial to businesses and industries
that now know they can count on support from both our office and the City, and we have
just begun with establishing the zone. Once we determine what we have and complete
a needs assessment, we can move forward with marketing the area to attract
businesses that will thrive here. By focusing zoning on industrial uses, and prohibiting
non-industrial commercial uses from altering that framework, we reinforce existing
character and make it more attractive to the region's primary economic and commercial
hub for emerging industries and technology. As was done historically in this area, we

SPM innov818 61

are creating a "maker space" to promote business growth in desirable sectors.

The CM has introduced a series of motions to further expand the concept of the
innov818, asking for a list of assets in the area, so we know the condition and limitations
of the existing infrastructure. A list of assets that includes the utility infrastructure,
electrical/water/communications both currently existing and future needs, transportation
systems, etc., will help focus future resources to improve these systems which are
needed by those industries to grow. As we complete this initial phase, the next step
would be marketing the innov818 to attract the technology we need.

Toward this end, we are looking for a consultant team that can draft a marketing plan
based on an assessment of the area, help us develop a series of economic incentives,
support development of businesses leading towards pro-active business attraction and
retention.

5. We have yet to determine what is still needed, as the DCP is still developing the list
of assets the CM requested. Still in process is the list of local amenities, infrastructure
capabilities and a review of available transportation resources in the area. However,
given that the area historically developed over the years beginning with industrial growth
around World War II innovation, much will require upgrade in the process. Like much of
the rest of the City, the innov818 has lacked investment in preventive maintenance. The
City's waterlines are aging rapidly and this area will need to step up main trunk line
replacement to ensure both the supply and quality of its water. Also in the mix is a
study of power and communication infrastructure. New high-tech businesses will need a
reliable source of power; one that will grow with the advances in technology.
Communications systems that we take for granted now, didn't exist back in the "hey-
day" of the valley. Modern cable and fiber-optic investments will need to be made. With
all this in place, we will require improved and upgraded roadways and transit systems to
move all this new commerce and goods around. However, with all these modern
systems, the area will prove very attractive to new technological business.

6. As mentioned previously, infrastructure improvements will lay the foundation of the
innov818 and, coupled with the overlay zone, the area is ripe for successful businesses.
Of course, these improvements will come at a cost. The a fore mentioned consultant
team will help us figure that out. They will not only help with the needs assessment, but
they can also attract investment to complete those improvements. An infusion of capital
is obviously necessary to fully upgrade the plan we have laid out. Working with the City
departments and agencies controlling these utilities and exploring replacement and
upgrades to systems will be key. Seeking outside fiscal support via state/federal grants
or bonds will also help. Further, some industries/corporations will also bring

SPM innov818 62

redevelopment dollars to the table, if we can sell them on the vision that is the innov818.

By identifying utility work needed, and working closely with those utilities, we can push
forward with upgrading our infrastructure more rapidly. Water, power and gas
companies will usually upgrade systems based on customer need, and are best suited
to do that work, mostly at their cost as they will recoup the initial cost in future business
uses. Regional planning analysis should point to what we need, coupled with future
growth estimates to determine how quickly we can get things done.

7. Actually, the obstacles keeping us from attracting businesses and growing the
economic engine of the region are the infrastructure and the economy. We need a
strong foundation to attract hightech industry. We will need to prove that the area can
support these industries. To do that, we will need funding sufficient to complete these
tasks. Our marketing consultant team should be able to pull all that together and
promote the area to achieve our goal of attracting and retaining technologically
advanced businesses.

8. We are on the cusp of an exciting moment in time! The CM is setting the stage for
development of the next economic boom for the San Fernando Valley. The innov818
has the potential to be the economic powerhouse of the City, driving innovation and
technology forward to the benefit of all Angelinos.

SPM innov818 63

Email Interview with Dang Nguyen
Thank you for answering some interview questions for my thesis!

For background, I am creating a (roughly) 60 page Strategic Planning Model (SPM) for
the innov818 overlay area. This is a research project (not a scholarly paper) that looks
to creating a strategic plan for a specific problem or opportunity; in this case, using the
new overlay as a draw for tech and other innovative businesses to the area.

As the person working as the boots on the ground for this with a background in urban
planning, my questions are oriented through that light. If you think of anything that I
didn't address in the questions that you think would be helpful, please feel free to
include it

Questions (sent on May 11)
1. What is your education/work background that gives you an expertise in the
field?
2. What was the inspiration for the innov818 overlay?
3. Was there a specific goal in mind when creating this from a governing,
planning, business, etc. standpoint?
4. Generally, what does the creation of an overlay zone do to the planning of a
city?
5. Within LA specifically, what are potential planning impacts of the creation of an
overlay zone within the current planning landscape?
6. What work has been done/is currently being done within the zone to attract and
keep innovative businesses?
7. What amenities still need to be added within the zone to attract and keep
innovative businesses?
8. What other work is needed to attract and keep innovative businesses? And
who (ideally) would do this work?
1. Are there any hurdles to getting this work done/the correct parties
involved?
9. What are the biggest obstacles to keeping and attracting businesses within the
overlay zone?
10. Anything else to add?

Answers (received on May 12)
Please see below for my response to your questions. Some of these questions are hard
to answer because we’re in the prelim stages of planning, so there are lots of
uncertainty and lots of variables we’ve yet to encounter, but I did my best :)

SPM innov818 64

Please let me know if any answers are lacking, or if I can elaborate further on anything.

1. I have a BA in Political Science, and a Masters in Urban Studies & Planning from Cal
State University Northridge. I was also certified in paralegal studies at UCLA Ext. Prior
to becoming an Associate City Planning Deputy for LA City Council District 12, I was a
paralegal, a marketing coordinator, a community development/data analyst, and a
transportation engineering intern at LADOT.

2. The San Fernando Valley was a hub for technology and economic culture throughout
the 20
th
century. Formerly a historic tech core for the Aerospace industry, the West
Valley was the region’s primary hub for new industries and technology. Today, it is
zoned for light industrial that remains prime for high-tech, clean-tech, green-tech, or bio-
tech spaces.

3. Our goal is to implement innov818 Development & Marketing Plan to conjoin assets
and utilize the innov818 corridor as a primary attractor and destination zone for new,
existing, and desirable sectors. We are looking also to brand it going forward as the San
Fernando Valley's hub of innovation and it has already been established as a special
zone. We are targeting, tech, bio-tech and pharma as well as other desirable sectors.

4. Overlay zoning is a technique allowing for flexible control over a specified district.
Overlay zones essentially designates a zone that is applied over one or several other
underlying zones beneath it. This makes a very powerful governmental regulatory tool
as it provides additional criteria or standards to existing conditions. It can affect city
planning in a variety of ways including adding protections to special features of a city
(historic buildings, sensitive environmental areas, etc.) In our case, it can also be used
to promote specific development projects including economic development, potential
transit improvements, and urban industrial revitalization.

5. City planning is a profession teemed in interconnectivity and complexities. Before
explaining the potential impacts of overlay zones in planning, it’s best to briefly sum the
depth and vitality of Los Angeles. The City of Los Angeles has the 2
nd
largest population
in the United States (~4mil population as of 2016). The city is flanked by oceans,
mountains, and exotic terrain; the city also fields deserts, forests, rivers. Moreover, it is
densely populated with a vast diversity of peoples spanning all across racial, economic
and demographic lines. The economic make up of Los Angeles (despite its apparent
lack of cohesive direction as stated by the General Plan), is titanic, diverse, and critical
to the overall state of the city. Finally, it’s worth mentioning that Los Angeles is
undergoing a massive housing crisis with a plummeting affordable housing supply that

SPM innov818 65

has a direct effect to rising homelessness, rising cost of living, and increase in urban
density.
That said, a prominent and well debated planning issue in Los Angeles
isMcMansionization whereby suburban home developers try to push the boundaries of
how much “building” they can build on one parcel. Well, this subsequently led to the
demolition of older smaller houses and replaced with extremely large houses upon
relatively small lots/parcels. This caused many inadvertent indirect effects including a
loss of affordable housing, higher ecological strains, and a dichotomy in neighborhood
character throughout the entire city.
So now we finally arrive to the discussion of overlay zones. In the past decade
LA City Council has passed a series of ordinances and amendments in order to curb
McMansionization: The Baseline Mansionization Ordinance (BMO). As discussed
previously above, overlays allow for an additional layer to be placed simultaneous
above with other zones, authorities and restrictions. In this particular case, the BMO
was applied on single family residential zones (Particularly R1 zones) believed to be
most vulnerable. In a slurry of different tweaks and modifications of metrics (such as
variables of determining Residential Floor Area), the BMO provides the City further
authority and control measures to cease or at least slow down the mansionization. This
BMO has a significant impact to citywide planning, but is also prominent in CD12 as of
recent.
Now, we switch gears to the innov818 area. Whereas the BMO discussion
focuses on the housing supply element of planning, innov818 focuses more so at the
crossroads of historic preservation, economic development, and even public safety.
Again, this 2.5 contiguous region is comprised of a large majority of industrial zoning
vital to dozens of businesses across different industries. In past years, this area has
seen growing concerns from an exodus of homelessness; particularly RVs that park and
reside in front of many businesses. Some of the inhabitants are mostly benign, but
nonetheless they still draw unwanted attention, while attracting more uninviting RVs
inclined towards crime or affliction. Currently, the District is able to utilize the innov818
overlay to provide layers of protections to not only disperse the RVs and protect local
businesses and tenants, but also offer services for those in RVs to seek a permeant
shelter and assistance.

6. Insofar as economic development, the District is currently working on an innov818
Marketing & Development plan to further attract new businesses and desirable sectors
to the region. However, as discussed above, the innov818 overlay allows the district to
enforce parking restrictions to deter surging homelessness and blight.

7. Currently the District is seeking to perform a SWOT analysis on the area to properly
assess its makeup along with assets including amenities. However, ideally, there are

SPM innov818 66

several things that can be placed that’ll maximize potential for innovative businesses to
flock:
- Government + Private partnerships
· Creating an economic advisory board/commission facilitated by the District but led
by innov818 tenants.
- Government credits, loans, grants (CDBGs etc), monetary incentives, etc.
- Economic Clusters and viable business conditions
- General attractive commercial and residential amenities
· Innov818 would certainly benefit from a decent housing stock in the periphery
(ideally affordable housing of course..)

8. As previously mentioned, a SWOT analysis, market/economic assessments, are just
some potential items to determining where innov818 stands. But just as important are
identifying economic conditions from the macro level. While the District has several
sectors to attract in mind, we remain flexible and lean in with an eyes wide
openapproach to determining the best industries to bring to the innov818 region.
This makes it important to bring in (whether by 3
rd
party or internally through
procurement) consultants who have the appropriate economic acumen to determine
which industries are viable to enter the space. Furthermore, it is also important to
carefully monitor and provide follow up once the Marketing & Development plan is in
place to ensure that economic growth is climbing in the right direction.

9. While we are in the preliminary stages, one of the biggest obstacles remains in
marketing with probably very limited amounts of resources. Despite its deep history as
an economic hub, the leap to evolve it into future tech can carry a considerable
investment and careful partnerships moving forward. As with any economic
development plan, we foresee many undertakings possessing considerable risk. That
said, we believe that the rewards of raising the quality of life, economic prosperity, and
community involvement will be worth the risk alone.

SPM innov818 67

Email Interview with Hannah Lee
Thank you for answering some interview questions for my thesis!

For background, I am creating a (roughly) 60 page Strategic Planning Model (SPM) for
the innov818 overlay area. This is a research project (not a scholarly paper) that looks
to creating a strategic plan for a specific problem or opportunity; in this case, using the
new overlay as a draw for tech and other innovative businesses to the area.

As Deputy Chief of Staff, Chief Planning Deputy, and your institutional knowledge with
CD12, my questions are oriented through that light. Also, if you think of anything that I
didn't address in the questions that you think would be helpful, please feel free to
include it

Questions (sent on May 11)
1. What is your education/work background that gives you an expertise in the
field?
2. What was the inspiration for the innov818 overlay?
3. Was there a specific goal in mind when creating this from a governing,
planning, business, etc. standpoint?
4. What does the creation of an overlay zone do regarding city planning?
(allowances, restrictions, overrides, etc.)
5. What differentiates this from Northridge Vision and the Specific Plan?
1. What was the idea behind creating Northridge Vision? And is it still
relevant to the areas of the overlay it covers?
6. What work has been done/is currently being done within the zone to attract and
keep innovative businesses?
7. What amenities still need to be added within the zone to attract and keep
innovative businesses?
8. What other work is needed to attract and keep innovative businesses? And
who (ideally) would do this work?
1. Are there any hurdles to getting this work done/the correct parties
involved?
9. What are the biggest obstacles to keeping and attracting businesses within the
overlay zone?
10. Anything else to add?

Answers (received on May 13)
1. I have served Council District 12 under three Councilmembers for the past 15 years,
handling land use and transportation matters in various capacities. I am currently
serving as Councilmember Englander's Deputy Chief of Staff and have served as his

SPM innov818 68

Chief Planning Deputy for the last 5 years. Personally speaking, I am a Council District
12 native and was born and raised in the area.

2. innov818 was born from the Councilmember's desire to continue to protect and grow
a valuable asset in the district- the light industrial core in Chatsworth and Northridge-
and the industry and innovation it brings. Historically, the area supported a large
aerospace manufacturing industry- in the early 1960’s, 70% of the Valley’s 1 million
residents depended on this industry for their livelihood. A large part of the Valley's
heritage and growth stems from this history. We know that the aerospace industry and
the complexion of manufacturing has changed since that time, but there are still quite a
few manufacturing businesses in the area that have roots in this history.
Additionally, the Councilmember recognizes that technology and industry shifts have
created changing demands for industrial uses and users that we could not have
imagined back in the 60s. Despite economic shifts and downturns, the past three
Councilmembers have been steadfast in their commitment to preserve this industrial
core, even in the midst of difficult times, vacancies and pressures to convert empty
buildings to commercial or residential uses. Commercial or residential uses aren’t wrong
or unnecessary, but they aren’t always compatible with the needs of industrial users.
Once industrial properties begin to erode away because of conversions to other uses,
we can’t get them back.
That effort toward preservation has proven fruitful, as we see unprecedented occupancy
and interest in the area, and see new, exciting businesses moving in. innov818 was
created to build on this preservation effort, reinforce the importance of the area, and
enact and establish policies to attract both traditional light industrial and technologically
modernized businesses—all with the end goal of preserving the area as an economic
engine and source of stable, high-paying jobs.
3. We really want to be able to brand and market this area as a vibrant, viable place to
site and grow a business, and to continue our message that this is a valuable area
that’s worth preserving from an economic development and employment standpoint.
4. The initial creation of the innov818 overlay serves to identify the target area we are
working with. With this target area established and mapped, we can begin to do an
inventory of the area’s assets (i.e. housing availability, educational opportunities,
transpiration and infrastructure) that might make the area attractive for businesses
looking for a home. On the flip side, we can also more easily identify policies that might
create hurdles for businesses (i.e. their specific use, while appropriate for the area, is
not something that fits neatly into our zoning code) so that we can work to address
those hurdles in a targeted way.
Ultimately, we will maintain and preserve the intent of the light industrial zone, which
allows for clean industrial uses and traditionally more stable, higher-paying jobs without
the intrusion of commercial or residential uses. We also want to be sensitive to newer

SPM innov818 69

uses that were born out of technological innovation that the zoning code may not have
envisioned. Wholesale zoning changes or modifications to the area are not anticipated.
5. Northridge Vision was created to give the community an early look at buying into
concepts for development along significant areas in Northridge. No zoning was modified
as a part of the Vision process- this wasn't really the end goal anyway. Rather, the
creation of the plan gave the community a sense of what the existing Community Plan
would allow, gave stakeholders the opportunity to early on envision what kind of
development might occur given the parameters of the Community Plan, and allowed for
a discussion to take place on what the area could/would look like. innov818 is more of a
strategic plan to identify the current landscape of the area, including an inventory of
existing businesses as well as of the area's assets/strengths, so that we can use this
information to market and brand the area to attract business.
a. The Vision document is still very much relevant. In fact, when potential applicants
come in to talk to us about a site in one of the Northridge target areas, we direct
them to the Vision plan for them to use as a roadmap to design a compatible
project. It provides a degree of certainty for applicants, which is largely the most
difficult part of the development process in the City. At least two projects have
received City approvals with relatively little controversy, having worked early on
to design projects that were in keeping with the pedestrian-oriented flavor of the
Vision plan.
6. The office is in the process of creating a framework outlining our goals and vision for
the area, and we are likely to work with a consultant partner or education institution that
will assist us in drawing up a more detailed strategic plan with specific deliverables for
implementation. Our office also provides hands on assistance to establishing
businesses with the challenges that sometimes come with navigating permitting and
other City processes.
7. We are currently in the process of working with various City departments and
agencies on creating an inventory of assets, as discussed above. When completed and
compiled, this inventory will yield a clearer picture of what amenities are needed to
create a more vibrant business environment. One possible idea is to create some kind
of an advisory business council, made up of business stakeholders in the area, that we
could rely on to guide the vision for the area and implementation of some of the future
deliverables in the strategic plan.
8. Attracting and keeping innovative businesses really needs to be a collaborative effort.
The City plays a large role in this- from the ease, time and costs of permitting, to our
business tax structure, to the amenities the area offers- most every decision a business
might consider has some connection or relation to the City. It’s in the City’s’ interest (as
a whole and as individual departments and agencies) to be efficient and business-
friendly in order to attract the best, newest or most innovative businesses out there. We
definitely need to include real estate/broker partners and communicate our efforts to
them, so that these messages are being communicated to potential users. We need

SPM innov818 70

involvement from local and regional business organizations (Chambers of Commerce,
VICA). And of course, we need the businesses that are here to be active as well.
a. There will definitely be a lot of work involved in getting the parties we need
engaged, active and interested, but I believe this is easier done when we have
something concrete to offer and specific goals to collectively work toward.
9. The constantly changing face of industrial users and the rapid progression of
technology sometimes make it difficult for the area to keep up with the needs and
demands of more technologically advanced users. However, with a renewed emphasis
on heritage and history, we find that more tech advanced users are willing to make the
investment to be a part of an area that has a legacy of innovation.

SPM innov818 71

Email Interview with Leo Maros
Thank you for answering some interview questions for my thesis!

For background, I am creating a (roughly) 60 page Strategic Planning Model (SPM) for
the innov818 overlay area. This is a research project (not a scholarly paper) that looks
to creating a strategic plan for a specific problem or opportunity; in this case, using the
new overlay as a draw for tech and other innovative businesses to the area.

As someone who has been the lead on two different office build-outs, in two major
cities, for a tech-based company, my questions are oriented through that lens. If you
think of else that is not addressed in the questions that may be helpful, please feel free
to include it.

Questions (sent on May 11)
1. What is your education/work background that gives you an expertise in the
field?
2. What nearby amenities would be a contributing factor to picking an office
location?
3. What type of outreach, if any, could help to attract businesses to a specific
geographic area?
a. Would targeted outreach be more effective than general advertising
of open office space?
4. Excluding cost, what are deciding factors in choosing an office location?
5. How can local government help to make specific areas more attractive to
innovative companies?
6. Excluding cost, what are the biggest obstacles to having office space in LA?
7. Based on locations like Silicon Valley and Silicon Beach, we can see that tech
companies tend to group themselves together. What do you believe is the
driving force behind this?
a. How can a geographic area looking to attract tech businesses
harness this force?
8. Is there a specific person/company/entity who would be seen as a real estate
influencer for tech companies?
9. Would having a university, incubator, or other source of potential new talent
nearby be a draw for a new office location?
10. Anything else to add?

Answers (received on May 14)
1. I acted as the Operations manager for a then startup but now founded fortune 500
company called Philosophie for 6 years.

SPM innov818 72

2. While we actually valued the build-out options and inside space usability more
important in settling in our location, surrounding amenities where compared more than
required. Here's a list of some of the nearby amenities we were looking at in order of
relevance to us and our staff.
- Nearby access to food for lunch and/or happy hour
- Nearby access to public transport.
- Nearby access to recreation
- Nearby access to the beach

3. Since the majority of our dealings with how we were able to even look at office space,
was with our Real Estate Broker. I'd suggest forming some kind of alliance with Brokers
representing tech companies and lobby them to inspect your space.
You could also visit in on nearby tech meetups, startup weekends, etc and find people
who have great ideas but a place to put them.
a. If the space is posted on the major "rent space" websites the Brokers
representing the tech companies already know about it. Advertising for office
space at event meetups is a bit taboo unless you clear it with the organizer. Be
mindful of your goal, but also consider if you'd rather your space be rented or do
you seek to build a space where a community of intelligent people meet every
day.

4. We had certain requirements for look and feel, and functionality. For example we
required to have full-glass walls on 1, 2, or 3 of our conference room walls. This gave
the appearance of transparency because we often had clients working out of our office
with us on projects we took on. So, we required a large build-out expense, and
willingness to do it from the landlord.
We also needed it to be specifically in Venice or Santa Monica in California, and in the
Flatiron district in Manhattan, NY for the cultural tech presence. Being apart of "Silicon
Beach" and the "Flatiron Tech" were valuable to our clients as they were locally starting
to resonate and become established quarters of the city.
We also considered commute. While working the heart of 2 giant cities, we didn't want
to upset anyone's commute to the point that they would quit, so we only moved a few
miles each time from our original office, we've moved 5 times since the company started
in 2008 in Los Angeles, and twice in NYC.

5. I think one of the best ways to design an plan for a tech center is make sure it has all
the elements in order for tech companies to start small and scale big. Having an
established incubator that attracts young and aspiring talent, is just as important as
having a struggling startup next door, or an established tech giant, having the ability to

SPM innov818 73

see the natural progress of tech business gives all the resources and interested people
to come together.

6. We had some competition! We had to really be amazing at the negotiation table
because we had other offers on the space and had to draw up a relatively attractive 10
year deal in order to secure it.

7. Tech companies operate in certain ways that make it easy to not only share
resources but also cultivate culture. After a full day of work, its nice to bond with people
who are also having similar experiences. They also share stories and keep tabs on
each other's success and failures.
a. Silicon Beach has the beach, so that was pretty good bonus to have. I would
suggest that the area be designated no only to support tech companies but the
culture, so having the amenities I've suggested earlier, but also a place to meet,
an amphitheater of sorts, so presentations could be booked, would be huge.

8. I would say that a lot of tech space is modeled after WEWORK spaces. Google is
known to have really big and awesome campuses.

9. Absolutely. There's a huge intelligence barrier of entry into tech, so surrounding the
business entities with institutions that feed that requirement is obviously going to
encourage more people to participate.

10. More than anything, the money matters first to many startups. We had to be very
aggressive in our negotiations where our landlord was responsible for huge build outs
and lower than average deposits, because we were strapped for cash in our infant
years. Being near and supporting tech companies in the LA area, its easy to see that
like-minded people are constantly attending each other's events and looking to be more
established in the community. Local talent is what really drives outreach.

SPM innov818 74

Works Cited
“2017 Homeless Count - Count by City Council District (CD).” Los Angeles Housing
Services Authority. www.lahsa.org/dashboards?id=12-count-by-city-council-
district-cd- 25 May 2018.

Cappetta, Michael. “Amazon has Finished Visiting the Top 20 Contenders for its new
HQ” NBCNews.com. NBCUniversal News Group, 16 May 2018.
www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/amazon-has-finished-visiting-top-
20-contenders-its-new-hq-n874436. 23 May 2018.

Chiland, Elijah. “LA 2028 Olympics: Mapping the Sites of the Los Angeles Summer
Games” Curbed LA. Curbed LA, 02 Aug. 2016. la.curbed.com/maps/olympics-
map-los-angeles-2028-games-locations. 22 May 2018.

Councilmember Mitchell Englander. “Launching Phase Two of Innov818.” E-News
(Sept. 2017): n.pag. Newsletter Archive.
d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/englander/pages/35/attachments/original/15051
61934/Councilmember_Mitchell_Englander's_E-News_-
_September_8__2017.pdf?1505161934. 15 May 2018.

“LA’s 2028 Olympics Already Catalyzing Transformative Infrastructure Investments.”
The Planning Report (Feb. 2018): n.pag.
www.planningreport.com/2018/02/13/las-2028-olympics-already-catalyzing-
transformative-infrastructure-investments. 22 May 2018.

Lee, Hannah. Email interview. 13 May 2018.

Los Angeles City, Council. Council File 17-0938. Substitution 24. Los Angeles City
Clerk, 5 Sept. 2017, http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2017/17-0938_mot_9-5-
17.pdf.

Los Angeles City, Council. Council File 17-0938-S1. Los Angeles City Clerk, 18 Aug.
2017, http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2017/17-0938-s1_mot_08-18-2017.pdf.

Los Angeles City, Council. Council File 17-0938-S2. Los Angeles City Clerk, 4 Oct.
2017, http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2017/17-0938-s2_mot_10-04-2017.pdf.

Los Angeles City, Council. Council File 17-0938-S3. Los Angeles City Clerk, 4 Oct.
2017, http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2017/17-0938-s3_mot_10-04-2017.pdf.

SPM innov818 75

Los Angeles City, Council. Council File 17-0938-S4. Los Angeles City Clerk, 4 Oct.
2017, http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2017/17-0938-s4_mot_10-04-2017.pdf.

Los Angeles City, Council. Council File 17-0938-S5. Los Angeles City Clerk, 8 Dec.
2017, http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2017/17-0938-s5_mot_12-08-17.pdf.

Maros, Leo. Email interview. 14 May 2018.

Moody, Eric. Email interview. 12 May 2018.

Nguyen, Dang. Email interview 12 May 2018.

Pierson, David. “Snap Inc. Puts More than Half its Venice Office Space Up for Lease,
Ending an Era” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2018.
www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-snap-leaving-venice-20180228-
story.html. 23 May 2018.

Rose Institute of State and Local Goverment. 2016-2017 Kosmont - Rose Institute Cost
of Doing Business Survey Report. Los Angeles: Rose Institute of State and Local
Government, 19 Dec. 2017. 10294-presscdn-0-68.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-
content/uploads/2017/12/2016-2017_CDBS_Press_Release_NewsWire.pdf. 24
May 2018.

Abstract (if available)

Abstract The Chatsworth-Northridge industrial core - innov818 is a geographic overlay zone created by Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitchell Englander to protect and grow the light industrial zoning in this area, one of the last contiguous zones in the city. Since the creation of the innov818 corridor little progress has been made to brand it as a dynamic, viable place to site and grow a business. If businesses that need to locate within a light industrial zone are unaware of the innov818 corridor, the protection of the zoning no longer functions as an asset to the area. This strategic planning model outlines a communications plan to fully brand the innov818, including what research should be done, which stakeholders need to be engaged and when, and different tactics to raise awareness in different audiences about the innov818 corridor.

Linked assets

University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Conceptually similar

PDF

Conglomerate branding within the luxury goods sector

PDF

The Digital Revolution and its impact on the beauty industry

PDF

Digital discourse in the fashion industry

PDF

Crisis communication & natural disasters: communication plan for Rome, Italy in the case of an earthquake

PDF

Strategic planning model: how KFC China can attract Gen Z and Millennials through appreciating Chinese values

PDF

Experiential public relations: the importance of strategic messaging, understanding target audiences, and analysis of successfully curated brand-consumer interactions

PDF

Black in fashion: how PR is the thread of lasting racial diversity in the fashion industry

PDF

Communication plan for City King

PDF

Simple communication solutions for complex health issues: needed changes to improve health communications targeting Los Angeles County Hispanics

PDF

Collegiate athletics in crisis: a new practical model for crisis communication/management

PDF

Generation Z: social media, influencers and brand loyalty in entertainment

PDF

Crisis communication for tourism destinations in the new media environment

PDF

How Brand USA will reach its fastest-growing international market - China: Brand USA Chinese strategic public relations plan

PDF

Time for a change: a critical analysis of the fundraising industry

PDF

Let the Rose City shine: a blog series exploring why Portland, Oregon, should be Major League Baseball's next expansion city

PDF

Voter engagement in the 2020 presidential election: what we can learn from the voter engagement initiatives in California-based and national nonpartisan organizations to increase voter participation

PDF

Ethical fashion: the fabric for a sustainable planet

PDF

Social innovation: Crowdsourcing and the new face of corporate social responsibility

PDF

The importance of cultural sensitivity for luxury brands

PDF

The happiest place on Earth and finally in mainland China: a white paper to explain what Dalian Wanda Group chairman forgot when he thought he could beat Disney in China

Asset Metadata

Creator Strobel, Jessica (author)

Core Title Strategic planning model for the Chatsworth-Northridge Industrial Core - Innov818

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Strategic Public Relations

Publication Date 08/14/2018

Defense Date 08/14/2018

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag innov818,OAI-PMH Harvest,San Fernando Valley,strategic planning

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Floto, Jennifer (committee chair), Leveque, Matthew (committee member), Schnur, Dan (committee member)

Creator Email heyjessiestrobel@gmail.com,jstrobel@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-68006

Unique identifier UC11671461

Identifier etd-StrobelJes-6748.pdf (filename),usctheses-c89-68006 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-StrobelJes-6748.pdf

Dmrecord 68006

Document Type Thesis

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Strobel, Jessica

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA