Small business support keeps Dublin’s economy humming

Brian Lee-Mounger Hendershot is the managing editor for Western City magazine; he can be reached at bhendershot@calcities.org.

If you’re looking for the best ways to support local businesses, travel east of San Francisco to Dublin (pop. 72,060). The city has been one of the fastest growing communities in the U.S. for several consecutive years.

Dublin was incorporated in 1982. Like many former unincorporated communities, this has created some longstanding challenges. A promised railroad stop skipped the city, so it never organically developed a walkable downtown. Dublin is also a long, lean community surrounded by other cities, Interstate 580, Interstate 680, and miles of parks.

Yet what some see as a challenge, others see as an opportunity. 

According to a former mayor, Tim Sbranti, the city used its parkland-adjacent location to encourage sports, outdoor events, and other physically active businesses. Notable examples include an aquatic center, two minor league sports teams — with hopefully more in the future — a large bowling center, and an ice rink.

But there’s more to Dublin than festivals and the great outdoors. The town has also seen a spike in new restaurant openings. For business leaders and city officials though, the best might be yet to come.

“There are many emerging and exciting trends in Dublin, with the redevelopment of its downtown core chief among them,” said Sbranti, who now serves on Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group as the director of strategic initiatives. The organization works across sectors to attract new businesses and workers, as well as expand existing businesses.

If you call, you’re going to get a warm body

Two ingredients are usually needed for strong and sustained economic growth at the local level: housing and partnerships. Dublin has both.

From 2010 to 2020, the city permitted nearly four times the number of housing permits than San Francisco, following through on ambitious plans from years prior. Two BART rail stations made those plans easier, which the city used to encourage transit-oriented development. Dublin also sits at the crossroads of two interstates, making it an ideal location for many businesses.

As for the partnerships, Dublin has those in spades too. Dublin works with other cities in the area to advocate for funding and policies at the state and federal levels. But just as importantly, the city prioritizes partnerships with business owners — especially smaller ones. 

City staff proactively helps people navigate different agencies’ permitting requirements and provides matching grants for upgrades, such as trash enclosures or fire sprinklers.

Dublin is a majority-minority city, so most staff speak multiple languages. Dublin contracts with a language consultant for additional services. This helps ensure that any member of the city’s diverse community understands the steps they need to take to open a business.

The city was also an early adopter of a texting-based outreach program. It’s a point of pride for Dublin that it’s never used an automated response system and that people can reach staff in a way that works best for them.

“If you call, you’re going to get a warm body,” said Hazel Wetherford, the deputy city manager. “You’re going to get a call back from an economic development team within 24 hours.”

Read the full story in the March issue of  Western City magazine.

The Cal Cities #LocalWorks initiative shines the spotlight on examples of local actions that are making a difference to their communities. Show how #LocalWorks in your community by contacting communications@calcities.org.