By admin 
Lincoln has grown rapidly for decades, becoming one of the Sacramento region’s fastest-growing cities, but the city’s job base hasn’t kept pace. Thousands of residents still leave the city each day for work, taking spending and economic activity with them. City leaders want to change that.
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On Tuesday, the Lincoln City Council is expected to adopt the Economic Development Action Plan 2030, a strategy aimed at attracting employers, creating more local jobs and expanding the city’s tax base while preserving the small-town character that residents say they value.
Unlike previous economic development plans, officials describe this one as an implementation roadmap rather than a vision statement. It outlines measurable priorities, assigns responsibilities and includes a framework for tracking progress. The plan also aligns with the City Council’s 2025-27 Strategic Plan and is designed to adapt as economic conditions change.
The strategy was developed through months of economic analysis and interviews with city officials, business leaders, downtown representatives, tourism officials and other stakeholders. One conclusion surfaced repeatedly: Lincoln’s residential growth has outpaced its local economy.
Nearly 20,000 residents commute outside the city for work each day, according to the plan. While Lincoln continues to see strong population growth, rising household incomes and an expanding workforce, it still has relatively few major employers. As a result, jobs, daytime activity and consumer spending continue to flow to neighboring communities.
The plan is built around three priorities.
The first focuses on attracting new business investment. City leaders want to recruit commercial and retail development, expand opportunities around Lincoln Regional Airport and nearby industrial land, strengthen downtown businesses and increase tourism.
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The airport’s roughly 84-acre development area is identified as one of Lincoln’s biggest long-term opportunities to diversify the local economy.
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The second priority is helping existing businesses grow. The plan calls for stronger partnerships with organizations to encourage entrepreneurship, regular outreach to major employers and continued support for small businesses through technical assistance, financing resources and help navigating the permitting process.
Workforce development is also a major focus. City leaders want schools, employers and workforce agencies to work more closely together to prepare residents for careers available locally.
The third priority is making it easier to do business in Lincoln. Recommendations include streamlining permitting, improving communication with developers, investing in infrastructure and launching a coordinated marketing campaign highlighting the city’s business advantages and quality of life. The goal, officials say, is not simply faster approvals but a process that is more predictable, transparent and customer-focused.
Consultants said the plan is about more than growth. Expanding local employment, attracting investment and reducing retail leakage could strengthen Lincoln’s long-term financial health while generating revenue to support city services without sacrificing the community’s identity.
To keep the plan from becoming another document that collects dust, the city has paired it with an implementation workbook assigning responsibilities, timelines and measurable actions. City staff, the Economic Development Committee and the City Council will regularly review progress and update the strategy as projects move forward.
According to the staff report, adopting the Economic Development Action Plan 2030 will have no immediate fiscal impact. Individual projects and funding requests will return to the City Council for consideration through future budget discussions as funding becomes available.
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