Beginning in May of 2022, the Montrose Group began the development of economic development strategic plans for three central Ohio municipalities. Now, the city of Circleville, Union Township, and Morrow County have all received their completed strategic. Tailored to the strengths and weaknesses of each specific area, the economic development strategic plans will provide these municipalities with the tools and processes to continue growth into the future.
Montrose Group Completes Circleville, Ohio Comprehensive Economic Development Plan.
The city of Circleville and The Montrose Group spent the previous ten months working together on the development of their new strategic plan. The city of Circleville is positioned in the southern portion of central Ohio, roughly 25 miles south of the city of Columbus. Circleville’s equidistant location between Ohio’s capital and urban center of Columbus and the rural Appalachian region of Ohio can be seen in the economic, demographic, and industry clusters represented in the city of Circleville and Pickaway County. Pickaway County has experienced tremendous industrial and logistics growth on the northern end of the county around the Rickenbacker Intermodal Facility; however, the county is also home to a strong agricultural and small business base that creates business and employment diversity. The city of Circleville has benefited from this industrial growth. In order to achieve continued prosperity over the next five years, build on the successes around manufacturing and transportation and warehousing sector investments, capitalize on emerging industry sectors such as the semiconductor supply chain and electric vehicle industry sector, and diversify the Circleville economy, the Montrose Group has proposed that the city of Circleville should enact the following action plan tactics.
- Implement the city of Circleville Industrial Site Development Marketing Strategy around key greenfield sites and redevelopment sites along the U.S. 23 corridor in leading and emerging industry sectors which include Advanced Manufacturing, Automotive Electric Vehicle Component Manufacturing, Semiconductor Supply Chain, and Logistics and Distribution and develop an incentives policy to attract new investment to key sites.
- Implement a city of Circleville Residential Site Development Strategy around key greenfield sites adjacent to the city, expand tax incentives designations to these areas, and target regional and national residential developers to construct new residential housing at various price points to support existing and future housing needs in the city.
- Support downtown redevelopment strategies that aim to redevelop historic properties and vacant sites in the downtown business district, fill retail gaps in the Circleville market, and attract new businesses and visitors to Circleville.
Circleville will begin to develop these tactics over the coming years to further grow alongside the central Ohio region.
Montrose Group Completes Union Township, Licking County Ohio Comprehensive Economic Development Plan.
Union Township is a rural community situated within an area that is undergoing extensive growth. The location of Union Township within Licking County and the proximity to Columbus, Ohio provides numerous opportunities to create economic prosperity. Union Township is positioned to capitalize on the growth that is occurring within the surrounding region and corresponding new business attraction efforts that are likely to come as a result of several large investments in central Ohio, including Intel. The location of Union Township along the Interstate 70 corridor allows businesses and residents easy access to major highway infrastructure, easy access to major population and employment centers, as well as creating an industrial business locality along this highway. Union Township has the ability to remain a community where people want to live while also supporting business and economic activity. Conversely, with this growth Union Township will face issues surrounding land use planning, annexation, and infrastructure reliability. The increase in activity throughout the township will put a strain on the current infrastructure and layout of the township. The Union Township economic development strategic plan provides the goals, objectives, and tactics to position Union Township in an intentional growth mindset that drives a healthy and prosperous community.
- Implement Union Township Industrial Site Development Marketing Strategy around key sites along the Interstate 70 corridor in leading and emerging industry sectors which include Advanced Manufacturing, Semiconductor Supply Chain, and Logistics & Distribution, and capitalize on the strong concentration of a healthcare workforce to bring Healthcare facilities into the township and drive private investment to targeted areas.
- Develop a Union Township economic development incentives policy that supports the township’s goal of attracting high-value capital investment opportunities and generating wealth that takes into consideration surrounding jurisdiction’s competitive incentives programs.
- Utilize state and federal resources to support intentional development within Union Township and meet the goals and objectives of township leadership and its residents.
- Pursue state and federal resources to support needed public infrastructure improvements such as roads, water, and sewer.
- Engage in an update to Union Township’s comprehensive plan that establishes a long-range plan which captures the vision of what the community wants to be in the future and provides guidance on elements such as community growth and annexation; infrastructure capacity; housing; public facilities; parks, open space, recreation and trails; economic development; and sustainability and resilience.
The timing of this strategic plan will assist Union Township in preparing for the rapid growth that is set to occur within the surrounding areas. Due to the large number of new developments and investment occurring within Licking County, Union Township will be well equipped to manage this impending change.
Montrose Group Completes Morrow County, Ohio Comprehensive Economic Development Plan.
Positioned approximately 30 miles north of Columbus, Morrow County is the northern most county included in the Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area and is less than 90 miles south of downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Morrow County has a long history of agricultural trade with much of the county landmass still utilized as farmland, although other industries such as advanced manufacturing and distribution and fulfillment operations have been growing over the years. Morrow County residents are located between two of the largest population centers in Ohio, creating access to major employment hubs, world-class healthcare and the entrepreneurial activities that flourish within the two regions. Morrow County is ripe for attracting budding technology companies, advanced manufacturing facilities, distribution and fulfillment operations, and healthcare centers, and should promote industrial site development assets to attract the robust Intel supply chain poised to expand within central Ohio. A positive regulatory environment coupled with advantageous real estate costs in the central Ohio region make Morrow County a prime area for economic development and talent attraction.
In order to achieve continued prosperity over the next five years, build on the successes around manufacturing and transportation and warehousing sector investments, capitalize on emerging industry sectors such as the semiconductor supply chain, and diversify the Morrow County economy, The
Montrose Group has provided Morrow County’s economic development department with the following action plan tactics.
- Establish standalone Economic Development Organization via Public-Private Partnership model that brings together government and private sector stakeholders to prioritize, implement, and fund comprehensive economic development and site development priorities.
- Morrow County should develop economic development and site development priorities that support existing business needs, builds a strong network off Morrow County business leaders, and encourages investments that creates high-value jobs and enhances the wealth of Morrow County and its residents.
- Implement Morrow County Industrial Site Development Marketing Strategy around key sites along the Interstate 71 corridor in leading and emerging industry sectors which include Advanced Manufacturing, Semiconductor Supply Chain, and Logistics & Distribution and develop an incentives policy to attract new investment to key sites.
- Morrow County should support private, developer-led residential investments to increase the overall housing inventory in Morrow County which will support the attraction of a diverse cross-section of talent.
The central Ohio region is currently the fastest-growing region throughout the entire state of Ohio. With this growth, comes the need for planning and preparation for the central Ohio region. The development of new economic development strategic plans for these three central Ohio municipalities will pave the way for accelerated growth and development throughout their area.
