The City of Firebaugh Business Development Department provides businesses with a central point to obtain relevant information on developing, redeveloping, expanding or relocating commercial or industrial business within the City of Firebaugh.
Along with providing assistance with respect to physical site selection, the department acts as a liaison to assist business through the various municipal approval processes.
The city has a Redevelopment Agency that is providing funding for public infrastructure, housing development and assisting in economic development.
Often referred to as the Hub of the Great West Side, Firebaugh is probably best known as an important agricultural area. Major crops grown in the area include fruits, vegetables, nuts and fiber crops including tomato, garlic, cantaloupes, and cotton. Along with agriculture, diversity has been developing Firebaugh; new growth in manufacturing, packing and processing plants has enhanced Firebaugh’s economic outlook.
The Westside Economic Development Action Plan
The Westside Economic Development Action Plan is a task-oriented document focused on improving economic conditions on the West Side Region of Fresno County. The Action Plan is a customized approach that takes into consideration the unique economic, physical and social conditions of the West Side Region as recently documented in the Fresno County Westside Economic Development Project-Final Report prepared by Jack Faucett Associates. Both documents were developed with the input and participation of stakeholders from the region including residents, business owners, representatives from cities and unincorporated communities, special districts, school districts, educational institutions and other economic development partners.
The overall goals and objectives of the Economic Development Element of the County’s General Plan continue to be the foundation of the Westside Action Plan. The specific initiatives included in this Action Plan take into consideration the unique opportunities and challenges emerging in the West Side Region.
Rural Development Initiative
The City of Firebaugh has been actively involved in addressing change in the West Side on a regional level. As a testament to this, Firebaugh city and community leaders joined counterparts from other Western Fresno and Kings Counties cities at the Rural Development Initiative’s (RDI) kickoff held September 23 & 24 at Harris Ranch in Coalinga.
The intent of the kickoff event was to create a community conversation about the future of Western Fresno and Kings Counties. To that end, the event was exceedingly successful as 93 representatives from the communities of Avenal, Huron, Riverdale, Coalinga, Mendota, San Joaquin, Firebaugh and Tranquillity, from various sectors including agriculture, education, banking, local elected officials, public and private non-profits exchanged perspectives, ideas, concerns and innovative thoughts on the steps the region should take in proactively addressing change for the resultant transformation of rural communities into thriving centers of art, culture, education, community and economic prosperity. Participants at the RDI heard from various private and public sector leaders. Each spoke optimistically about the future of the region and the need for focused planning, coordinated effort and collaboration. Please click the following links to view highlights of the RDI event, the RDI Schedule of Events and the Press Release.
The origin of the Rural Development Initiative dates back to November 2004, when the Rural Communities Collaborative general membership meeting hosted a Western Fresno Rural City Manager Round Table. This Round Table was well received and concluded with a format for eliciting feedback from the City Managers on means by which the Rural Collaborative could assist the cities with building capacity. A follow up meeting with Western Fresno County City Managers and EOC’s Office of Rural Assistance resulted in the conceptualization of this initiative.
This Initiative is supported locally by West Hills Community College District and the Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission. State support is provided by USDA Rural Development and RuralCAN.
