Hayward Strategic Roadmap

The Roadmap starts with a shared Hayward vision for Fiscal Years 2024, 2025 and beyond. From that shared vision, we identified six core priorities required to achieve the vision. To advance each priority, we developed key projects, named responsible departments, and created a timeline. The priorities also inform budgetary and staffing decisions.
Strategic Roadmap

About the Roadmap:

Why do we have a Strategic Roadmap? 

This Strategic Roadmap outlines where we see our highest priorities in the next few years and a roadmap of specific actions to get us there. We designed this Roadmap to be bold in its vision for the future but also grounded in a realistic assessment of existing staff capacity and resource constraints.

Vision:

What are we trying to achieve with this and future Roadmaps?

The City of Hayward is a place where people want to be. It has a growing economy, good housing options, cradle-to-career educational opportunities, and an inviting downtown. Its diverse and inclusive community is well supported with robust city services, and is kept healthy and safe through innovative programs. It continues to be a leader in climate resilience and environmental justice to prepare residents to face the impacts of climate change. City staff have what they need to thrive in their work and take pride in helping Hayward continually improve. 

Expanded Vision Statement:

In the future, Hayward continues to grow in population and stature, becoming a destination city in the East Bay. Existing residents are proud to call Hayward home, and it is becoming a community of choice for new families and employers. 

Hayward attracts new, higher-paying jobs, allowing existing and new residents to live and work in the same community. Hayward’s attractive downtown and neighborhood business corridors draw people from across the region, featuring unique and locally-owned restaurants, music and art, attractive retail, outdoor dining, and inviting public spaces. 

Diverse families live in healthy, inclusive ‘complete communities’ with stable housing, safe streets, excellent schools, cultural attractions, and community services. The city celebrates its diversity openly with cultural events, and protects that diversity with its commitment to equitable development. Hayward leads by developing important service partnerships between local and regional agencies. 

Families are proud to live in an ‘education city,’ where the city actively supports them in taking advantage of the many local educational opportunities available. All residents know they will have a pathway from ‘cradle to career’ in Hayward. 

Hayward has started construction of thousands of new housing units at all income levels. To reduce displacement of existing residents, the City is especially focused on making housing accessible and affordable to all, with new high density developments located near transit. The few who are unhoused are able to access the services necessary to thrive. Because demand is high, blighted properties throughout the city are re-developed and occupied. 

Hayward continues to be a leader in climate resilience and environmental justice, reducing its carbon footprint, improving its sustainable practices, increasing green spaces, and preparing residents to face the impacts of climate change. Clean, leafy and landscaped corridors are more walkable and bikeable. Hayward and its neighboring cities have prioritized active transportation and multi-modal corridors over a reliance on cars and roads. As a result, the City sees less traffic, less pollution, and less speeding. 

Through innovative programs, Hayward has also aligned public safety with community expectations for effectiveness, response times, and engagement, leading to an overall reduction in harm, improved mental health, and better relationships within Hayward’s diverse community. 

Internally, employees feel city-wide priorities are aligned to their work and are able to grow and thrive in their roles. Employees from diverse backgrounds are recruited, retained and celebrated, and staff provide culturally informed services to our community. The City continues to develop innovative revenue sources and maintains a well-staffed and well-resourced workforce. The City is streamlining processes, using technology more effectively, and improving cross-department collaboration to provide better customer service. 

Overall, there is a rising sense of pride among employees and residents alike. While there is much more to do, the City of Hayward is a place where people want to be. 

Racial Equity Lens

We strive to build a culture of equity to ensure that we are meeting the needs of all residents. 

The City is committed to providing equitable services that improve the lives of all residents and take into consideration past inequities and injustices. We know achieving this vision requires tackling tough issues like institutional racism and implicit bias. We also know it takes continuous listening, learning, and improvement.

star icon

Throughout this plan, we have identified projects with theis icon that have a racial equity focus or services/projects that we are reviewing through a racial equity lens. 

 

Questions we ask when we apply a racial equity lens to a service or project

  • What problem is this service/project seeking to address? 
  • Who benefits from this service/project? Are some community members impacted by the problem more than others? Do we have demographic information about this group(s)? 
  • Who does this service/project not benefit? Do we have demographic information about this group(s)? 
  • Who is currently accessing this service? 
  • Who is not accessing this service? Do we know why? Are there barriers that makes it more difficult for some community members to use or access this service? 
  • How are we communicating about this service/project? What barriers are there for people to find up-to-date information? 
  • What racial, cultural, and/or ethnic groups experience disparities related to this program? How does this program benefit them or further exacerbate their disparities? 

Education City Lens:

We strive to build a city where all residents have access to quality educational opportunities and cradle-to-career support so they can achieve their life goals. 

The City is committed to working alongside our educational and community partners to support the academic success and future employment of Hayward’s students. The City does this by actively participating in collaborations like the Hayward Promise Neighborhoods, growing the economy, facilitating pathways for both private and public sector careers, partnering to provide education and employment services, and communicating about educational opportunities and successes. 

book icon

Throughout this plan, we have identified projects with this icon that have an "Education City" focus or services/projects that we are reviewing through an "Education City" Lens.

Questions we ask when we apply an ‘Education City’ lens to a service or project

  • Have we communicated with our educational and community partners to align service offerings and create a more seamless service experience for Hayward families? 
  • How will this service, project, or policy support or expand educational and/or economic opportunities for people in Hayward? How are we collaborating with partners to facilitate and develop educational and/or employment pathways accessible to all Hayward youth and residents? 
  • How are we communicating education and economic opportunities in and around Hayward to Hayward families? What barriers do we need to remove for people to access this information or educational opportunities? 
  • How will we know this service, project, or policy is improving educational and/or economic opportunities for Hayward youth and residents? 
  • Transportation specific: Does this project make it easier for families and students to get to their campuses and other educational resources? 

Projects:

Creating the Roadmap Projects 

The initial project list for this Roadmap was created by surveying each City Council Member and key staff whose work tasks closely align with the six Strategic Priorities. Council then prioritized the projects through a dot voting exercise. The following pages detail the projects by priority area. Below is a key to the organization of information. 

Key to the organization of information

Departments legend

CM

City Manager

ITInformation Technology

DS

Development ServicesMSMaintenance Services

FR

Fire

LBLibrary

FN

Finance

PDPolice

HR

Human Resources

PWPublic Works

Strategic Priorities:

Creating the Six Priorities 

In order to achieve the vision, what must the City prioritize? In answer to this question, we arrived at the six overarching focus areas, or Strategic Priorities, that structure this Roadmap. The Strategic Priorities provide a framework to focus on the most pressing special projects and process improvements, as well as a structure for the work that happens in the Council subcommittees.

  1. Enhance Community Safety & Quality of Life 

  • Invest in community-based crime response and enforcement models
  • Strengthen emergency preparedness
  • Invest in cleanliness and blight reduction
  • Implement community enrichment 
  • Active public spaces
  • Invest in community-wide internet access
  • Strengthen justice and belonging

View the Project List

  1. Preserve, Protect & Produce Housing for All

  • House and support people experiencing homelessness
  • Incentivize housing production for all
  • Protect the affordability of existing housing

View  the Project List

  1. Confront Climate Crisis & Champion Environmental Justice

  • Reduce greenhouse gases and dependency on fossil fuels
  • Promote a circular economy
  • Mitigate climate crisis impacts through resilient design, emphasizing frontline communities

View the  Project List

  1. Invest in Infrastructure

  • Invest in multi-modal transportation
  • Invest in City-Owned facilities & property
  • Invest in water supplies, sanitation & sewers

View the Project List

  1.  Grow the Economy

  • Invest in business support services
  • Create thriving commercial corridors
  • Grow workforce development pipelines
  • Strategically dispose of City property

View the Project List

  1. Strengthen Organizational Health

  • Strengthen fiscal sustainability
  • Streamline customer service & access
  • Strengthen retention & recruitment

View the Project Listx

April 26, 2022 - City Council Meeting

Strategic Roadmap Update: Adopt a Resolution Approving the Updated Strategic Roadmap for the FY2023 Budget

 

Jan. 29, 2022 - City Council Meeting

Strategic Roadmap Update

 

June 01, 2021 - City Council Meeting

Strategic Roadmap: Adoption of Updated FY21-23 Strategic Roadmap

 

April 20, 2021 - City Council Meeting

Strategic Roadmap Update: Review Updates to the FY21-23 Strategic Roadmap

 

Feb. 13, 2021 - City Council Meeting

Strategic Roadmap Update

 

Jan. 28, 2020 - City Council Meeting

Adopt a Resolution Approving the City of Hayward Three-Year Strategic Roadmap (Fiscal Year 2021 - Fiscal Year 2023)

 

Jan. 14, 2020 - City Council Meeting

Work Session on City of Hayward Three-Year Strategic Roadmap (Fiscal Year 2021 - Fiscal Year 2023)

 

Dec. 17, 2019 - City Council Meeting

Work Session on City of Hayward Three-Year Strategic Roadmap (Fiscal Year 2021 - Fiscal Year 2023)