You may have heard something about the Monroe County Link Plan and wondered, what is that? The Plan, as we like to call it, is the result of the work we did with the I-75 Corridor Study. The Plan represents the 30+ Action Steps that have been identified through the study and the organization being created to move those steps to completion.
The Plan was highlighted at Monroe County Chamber of Commerce's Koffee Klub last week. This event was very well attended and was actually the first time the Plan was presented to the business community.
Tim Lake from Monroe County BDC, Doug Chaffin from Monroe Bank & Trust and BDC Chairman, and Michael Bosanac, County Administrator and CFO, presented an overview of the I-75 Corridor Study and then laid out the detailed highlights of the 5-year Plan.
The Plan, which was based on stakeholder input, a detailed market analysis and best practices will help us highlight Monroe County's competitive advantages for economic investment to grow commerce, employment opportunities and secure the highest and best use of available land, and to promote our geography, infrastructure, cost competitiveness and workforce as the backbone of our strengths.
The Plan consist of the 6 Pillars:
- Plan for Investment
- Enhance Local Image and Brand
- Improve Workforce Development and Education
- Grow Monroe as a Logistics Gateway
- Improve the Local Quality of Life and Strengthen Tourism
- Grow Strategically
Each Pillar has been assigned a Captain that will organize a team to implement the Actions. These teams will be meeting in early January for their first organizational meeting. They will be reviewing Action Steps and setting metrics for the goals.
A key part of the Plan are the Priority Development Areas (PDA) that have been identified along the corridor. In each of the PDA's, sites have been identified that are suitable for development with some may needing remediation and/or infrastructure improvements.
It should be noted that the Plan was not crafted in a vacuum. After reviewing a myriad of recent plans and studies, MDB Insights conducted a detailed market analysis to determine which industry sectors would be attracted to the corridor. The study showed that the highest and best use would be those companies in the logistics/supply chain sectors.
The Plan implementation is expected to cost over $540,000 spread over the 5-year period. "That does not include the in-kind services that will be put into the project," added Tim Lake. Those interested in contributing financially or assisting on one of the Action Pillar Teams may contact Tim at the BDC.
Please visit the
Monroe County Link
website to learn more and keep abreast of the progress.