Development

Looking at economic development and decisions an economic development director may make I am going to look at the Town of Gilbert. Gilbert is a very unique “city” in the fact that its not a city at all, rather a town. It has only one major freeway and only one rail line running through it. Gilbert also faced a major hurdle in its economic development from 2001-2011 and that was its general plan. A general plan is required every 10 years from municipalities and it sets out land use guidelines. From 2001-2011 Gilbert's voter approved general plan had almost ninety percent of its land zoned to residential. During the time only ten percent of the land in gilbert could be used for a mix of commercial, industrial, offices and parks. As an economic development director it would be hard to get a business to relocate in a town that might not be able to support future development. This case is evident in Chandler with Intel. Intel has a few campuses in Chandler because they have more areas designated to light, medium and heavy industrial. Gilbert voters approved a more “business” friendly general plan in 2011. The new general plan shrunk residential land use to almost seventy percent which allowed for a nearly twenty percent increase in commercial and industrial. Now as an economic development director in Gilbert with a more business friendly land use map I would encourage the town council to consider reducing development rates in certain areas. I would look at a few places in town starting near the only freeway to create growth districts. Encouraging the council to consider rates less than local municipalities would help drive industry into the town. Also looking at the areas surrounding the train tracks to ensure that companies have easy access to good. Gilbert has a very strong core of residents. Its crime rate is very low and the median income is relatively high but people have to travel for work. Encouraging growth will mean people will live and work in the same community. To keep the median income up in Gilbert and still encouraging people to live and work in Gilbert I would work to entice higher skilled manufacturing and business jobs. 

Looking now to Hope VI funds and programs I would recommend to stay far away from those programs. Sure any community may need some areas that offer section 8 housing or areas that qualify for Hope VI funds but I would not recommend adding those areas. It would only serve to bring in crime and lower skilled workers which in a way would have tremendous effects on our towns attempts to bring in business. Instead I would focus on any areas the town currently has that are section 8 or Hope VI qualified and see what we could do to revitalize the area. Gilbert has many great civic groups such as the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce and the Gilbert Small Business Alliance. I would work in a partnership with these organizations in an attempt to help teach advanced skills to the lower wage earners in the town. Hopefully we would be able to create a larger more skilled work force that would help improve our town.