Albemarle County’s proposed economic development plan might well succeed in bringing in more businesses, residents said Wednesday, with some hailing the prospect and others deeming it a potential cause for alarm.
The first several speakers at Wednesday’s public hearing on the plan largely supported the proposal, saying it could bring in more tax revenue and help businesses succeed.
Resident Dennis Mockler said he believes the plan puts the county on the right path toward supporting businesses and bringing in additional revenue. Mockler argued that business-friendly changes in county policies could provide more funding to the county’s education system during a harsh economy.
The proposal aims, in part, to streamline business application procedures and loosen restrictions placed on businesses.
Resident Greg Quinn said “insane” government regulations have been counterproductive. But not everyone agrees.
Jack Marshall, president of Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population, says that he doesn’t believe the county can support a large influx of new residents, which he believes would come along with a surge in new businesses. He urged supervisors to vote the plan down.
The proposal would grant business leaders opportunities to make presentations to county staff about how county policies and land-use regulations affect businesses. It also calls for an examination of ways to simplify the review process for small businesses that are not familiar with development review processes, among a slew of other recommendations.
In January, the Board of Supervisors decided by a 4-2 vote to create an economic development plan. Republican Supervisors Kenneth C. Boyd, Duane Snow and Rodney S. Thomas voted for the resolution, as did Democrat Lindsay G. Dorrier Jr.
Democrat Ann H. Mallek, the board’s chairwoman, and independent Dennis S. Rooker voted against the resolution.
Rooker objected to the proposal being lumped into a resolution with several other initiatives. Rooker requested that each item be discussed individually.
Michael Harvey, president of the Thomas Jefferson Partnership for Economic Development, said in an interview last month that the plan, in part, aims to simplify business application procedures.
“Over the years, I think you’ve had … a lot of uncertainty and muddiness thrown into the mix when it comes to companies trying to get started here,” Harvey said, adding that the county has had a reputation for making it difficult for businesses to set up shop. “What you want to do is basically just put that to bed by saying: ‘For this process, you follow these steps and work with this person; you’ll have it done in this amount of time.’”
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