Hancock County Looking at Economic Development
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA group of leaders from Hancock County has tapped a Washington D.C.-based firm to assess potential economic development opportunities along the Mt. Comfort Corridor. The Urban Land Institute will form an advisory panel that will present its initial findings to county leaders later this month.
The advisory panel will include experts in business development, mixed-use development, and land-use policy. Officials say the goal of the effort is to attain a well-developed Mt. Comfort corridor that will achieve several goals:
- Generate consistent quality job growth over the next several decades
- Grow an agbioscience industry cluster that leverages Hancock County’s farming legacy
- Provide a growing tax base that will diversify local government revenue streams and help to control tax rates for residents and small businesses
- Connect residents with jobs and businesses to enhance the quality of life for all Hancock County households
- Reduce the development pressures elsewhere in Hancock County by creating planned growth districts along and adjacent to the Mt. Comfort Corridor
"It is inevitable that development in the Mt. Comfort Corridor will take place, so our challenge is to ensure that development is thoughtful and plans for the future," said Tom Miller, chief executive officer of workforce and economic development firm Thomas P. Miller & Associates. "A robust economy, local development pressures, and land speculation all make this a good time to influence the direction of the Corridor’s development."
The group that contracted the ULI for the effort includes Hancock County Commissioners, the towns of McCordsville, Cumberland and New Palestine, NineStar Connect, Hancock Health Greenfield Banking Co., Hancock County Redevelopment Commission, Mt Vernon Community School Corp., Hancock County Economic Development Corp., Hancock County Community Foundation, Indy Partnership, BAGI Hancock County Builder’s Council, and Aqua Indiana.