Governments head to economic development tool shed

Local leaders charged with the task of bringing jobs to their cities and counties are working to make use of every tool in the economic development shed.

For some, that means taking full advantage of state programs. Others are looking closer to home.

Springfield’s Partnership for Economic Development was able to secure certification for a 51-acre site in the Partnership Industrial Center West through the Missouri Department of Economic Development’s Certified Site Program. The certification sends a message to potential buyers: This site is shovel-ready.

“Having certification is extra insurance,” said Ryan Mooney, vice president of business development at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, which helped to get the site certified. “We’re seeing that time frames have been compressed in the last couple of years. When companies have the green light on expansion, they usually need to move fairly quickly.”

The Certified Site Program, which the DED introduced in fall 2008, reviews a number of property attributes, including infrastructure needs and environmental assessments.
“Ultimately, you’re trying to remove any potential barriers to the site, to show that a site is truly development-ready,” Mooney added.

The process of getting the Springfield certification took about a year, and involved everything from taking soil borings to having the site reviewed by the state historic preservation office, Mooney said. Expenses, he noted, were shared by the Partnership for Economic Development, which is made up of the city of Springfield, Greene County, City Utilities, the chamber and the Springfield Business Development Corp.

City and county officials are working to expand on another state DED program, adding three enhanced enterprise zones, which offer employers state and local tax incentives for creating jobs within a specified geographic area. Springfield planner Matt Schaefer said the application process should be complete within weeks, and then the state would need to approve the zones, which would cover all of Springfield and parts of the county.

“Economic development has always been a focus, but right now, because of the unemployment rate, I think it’s more important than ever,” Schaefer said.

The certification has others looking to the PIC West site as an example. Mooney said that area developers already have asked for assistance in getting their sites certified.

“Certifications will be developer-driven. We’ll be here to help,” he said.

The city of Republic is looking into its own certified site on 160 acres owned by Drury University off Highway MM, said Gail Noggle, the city’s director of economic development. The site is adjacent to where Texas-based supply chain McLane Co. Inc. is building a grocery distribution center, so some of the infrastructure already is in place.

“A certified site has to have water and utilities,” Noggle said. “We’ll be able to qualify for that. There’s a list of criteria that needs to be met, but I think we’re real close.”

For others, going through the process of ensuring a shovel-ready site without an occupant in mind can be hard to justify.

“Back when things were good, everyone knew that if you built it, they would come,” Webster County Presiding Commissioner Paul Ipock said. “Now, they might come, but it’s taking them longer to get here.”

Instead of directing energy toward the state’s Certified Site Program, Webster County is turning to the Enhanced Enterprise Zone Program. In January, Webster County submitted its application for an EEZ that would cover most of the county, said county clerk Stan Whitehurst. If approved, a Webster County EEZ board would work on marketing and recruiting businesses, Whitehurst said.

Ozark is considering economic development tactics, such as the EEZ, because they’re something the city hasn’t been able to offer, said City Administrator Steve Childers.

“Being able to provide all the necessary infrastructure a company would need, … those are major investments we don’t have,” Childers said, adding that he expects to plan some meetings to gauge the interest of city leaders. “A lot of small communities wish they could have shovel-ready sites.”[[In-content Ad]]