PATTERSON, La. — David Plummer of Retail Specialists Inc. presented his findings to entice more retailers to come to the City of Patterson, enhance the vitality of the community and increase the city’s tax base to the Patterson City Council at its monthly meeting Tuesday.

The city hired Plummer of the Birmingham, Ala., company, in a joint venture with Decision Data Resources, also based in Birmingham, to conduct a study to find “gaps” in the economy that could be filled by retailers. Plummer identified a $17.8 million gap due to a lack of grocery stores, a $15 million gap due to lack of limited service restaurants and a $10 million gap from area residents buying their clothing outside the city.

“Gaps are just money that could be spent here, that’s going somewhere else,” Plummer said, citing that the City of Patterson should promote itself to residents of nearby cities to come spend money in Patterson.

Plummer compared the City of Patterson to 37 other similar-size cities in six different states and examined more than 2,600 businesses to determine what businesses the city should try to bring in.

“We will create a prospect list of retailers to fill these gaps. Then we’re going to mass market to all these different (potential) tenants,” he said.

Filling the current Place Norman Shopping Center in Patterson with more retailers and using more than 10 acres of open land that sits on U.S. 90 between Catherine and Church streets are areas for potential economic growth, Plummer said.

The council voted 5-0 to approve an intergovernmental agreement between the City of Patterson and the St. Mary Parish School Board to construct a sidewalk outside of Hattie Watts Elementary. The school board would reimburse the city $5,900 for the construction of a sidewalk along Taft Street between Third and Fifth streets that would tentatively be 530 feet long and four feet wide but could change, said City Attorney Russell Cremaldi.

The council voted 3-2 to approve a previously tabled variance request by Jim Costa to re-subdivide two 99.98-foot-wide lots he plans to sell on Tiffany Street into four 49.99-foot-wide lots. A city ordinance had required lots to be at least 50 feet wide, but the council granted Costa’s request under the stipulation that he pay for sewer hookups for the lots before selling them.

Mayor Rodney Grogan announced that he applied for and received a $2,500 grant from “Keep Louisiana Beautiful” to have police officers patrol the city issuing tickets for littering for four hours each Saturday, Grogan said.

The council voted 5-0 to approve the sale of five properties to Crescent Land Company Inc.

The city’s Christmas parade will begin at 2 p.m. Dec. 9 at Place Norman Shopping Center and will end at Patterson High School, Grogan announced.