Economic Development Department
About Us
The Economic Development Department is responsible for the City’s efforts to attract, retain, expand, and assist businesses in Antioch, generating wealth through which community benefits are realized.
Our Department is guided by the Economic Development Strategic Plan (2022) and the Economic Development Element of the General Plan (2003).
Activities and programming include:
- Promoting a positive business environment
- Expansion of the local tax base
- Creating opportunities for new jobs, local investment, employment centers, and reduced commutes
We use an “ecosystem building” approach. This allows flexibility and fiscal responsibility. Our end goal is a business community known for its complexity and diversity. We support a wide range of initiatives and investments, rather than picking only certain types.
Economic Development Strategic Plan
Our Department achieves our goals through several initiatives. Some of them are:
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Business Engagement: We engage a wide variety of businesses through attraction, retention, and expansion initiatives.
- Attraction — We tell the stories and lay the groundwork to bring new businesses and industries to Antioch.
- Retention — We design and run programs that help keep Antioch businesses open and thriving.
- Expansion — We offer tools to assist businesses in growing and creating jobs for Antioch residents.
- Antioch Business Collaborative: This network of small business resource providers offers free advisory services, workshops and trainings, and capital for Antioch-based businesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs. Learn more here.
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Marketing: We promote Antioch in the media. Check out some examples:
- Why Antioch? Feature in Business Facilities Magazine
- Beauty and the Best Location Feature in Site Selection Magazine
- Economic Recovery Corps Fellowship: In 2024, Antioch was awarded a full-time fellow through the Economic Recovery Corps program. This fellow liaises between the City of Antioch, Contra Costa County, and the federal government to implement a project designed to revitalize Antioch’s local economy. Learn more here.
- Regional Collaboration: We partner with our neighboring cities and Contra Costa County to make this region better for all. Some examples of collaboration include the Green Empowerment Zone, the Priority Production Areas technical assistance project, the Northern Waterfront Economic Development Initiative, and the Resilient East Bay initiative.
Opportunity Zones in California
Antioch has census tracts that include areas around the Somersville Town Center, the BART station, and Wilbur Avenue. The federal tax bill passed at the end of December 2017 allows the Governor to designate certain census tracts as Opportunity Zones. Investments made by individuals through special funds in these zones would be allowed to defer or eliminate federal taxes on capital gains.
