Courting Business With Websites And Zoning Overlays

"Some cities are rolling out the red carpet for small businesses, trying new approaches to attracting entrepreneurs.

'Those cities that get it realize that businesses are not an enemy -- they're the future,' said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. "You need to find ways to generate jobs and tax revenue, or you can end up in decline -- that's the curse of older metro areas like Detroit and St. Louis.'

Along with the option of quicker building plan checks, Santa Clarita is courting businesses with an interactive website featuring demographic information and market research on prospective locations. In Anaheim, creative zoning is luring new projects to the so-called Platinum Triangle area surrounding the city's baseball stadium. And in Oxnard, the city's private economic development corporation is seeing the permit process through for industrial and office projects, so entrepreneurs need not hassle with City Hall."

Thanks to Caitlin Morais