ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEEDS ASSESSMENT.

 

1.       General Economic Assessment:

 

Despite low unemployment, many Nelson County families are below the poverty level. With an adjusted gross income of $18,540 the County falls within the distress level of 80% or less than the 1997 state median. Fifty-one percent of the County’s workforce (2,782 people) commute to jobs primarily in Charlottesville/Albemarle. Of workers employed in Nelson County, 73% are Nelson County residents. The remaining workers commute in from Amherst, Albemarle and Augusta/Waynesboro. The large number of commuting workers indicates a gap between the skills of Nelson County’s workforce and the types of available jobs. An important project will be undertaken to rectify this situation by gaining a better understanding of the residents’ skills in order to target industries that require those skills.

 

Nelson County is a member or the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission along with the City of Charlottesville and the Counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene and Louisa. The Planning District will be conducting a labor market study in FY 2001. The study will primarily consist of a random survey of the workforce to determine their skill levels, commuting patterns, identifying preferred work locations, and incidence of underemployment. Both industry and occupation will be included as well as the basic demographics of the population. The survey will begin in January 2001. The actions of the Planning District represent regional cooperation among the localities to provide valuable information for marketing purposes in Nelson County and the surrounding areas.

 

 

2.       Statement of Need for Planning Assistance:

 

Nelson County recently invested $6.3 million on construction of water and sewer lines on a 4-mile segment along Hwy 29 from Lovingston to the business park at Colleen. The County has also built two new elementary schools and now must build a new middle school. The new elementary school projects were $7.5 million and $6.2 million while the estimated cost for the new middle school and renovations to the high school are expected to cost between $20 million to $26 million. These capital projects are depleting limited local resources to the maximum. In order to reap potential revenue from the water and sewer project, it is essential that new businesses locate within the county. But it is also important that new businesses bring the right kinds of jobs that require skills that County residents possess. Therefore, the dual project of workforce skill study and industrial site development go hand in hand.

 

3. Obstacles and Barriers to Economic Development:

 

In the past, a physical barrier to economic development was the lack of public water and sewer along Highway 29, and the lack of industrial facilities and land. Nelson County has overcome the water and sewer barriers with the Lovingston to Colleen project and now needs to take the next step to add the availability of property for industrial use. A non-physical barrier is the fact that a majority of the labor force commutes to other counties for employment. Those individuals purchase meals, fuel and personal items in the other counties rather than in Nelson County and thereby leave their home county short of revenue and dependent upon real estate tax to provide basic services. A comprehensive study of the skills these out-commuters possess is a critical ingredient to providing jobs that would employ them within the County.

 

4.       Planning Efforts:

 

In the past, the County building inspector’s responsibility included both planing and zoning. As the building inspector duties increased, the County decided to hire a director for planing and zoning purposes. The following actions have been taken by the County relative to planning:

 

·  In 1996 Nelson County hired a Planning and Zoning Director.

·  In 1997 Nelson County began the process of developing a water and sewer project to Colleen

·  In 1999 Nelson County conducted a survey of the citizens regarding their planning and economic “vision.”

·  In 1999 there were community meetings in each of the four districts of the County to gauge citizens’ opinions about zoning and economic development issues.

·  In 1999 the Nelson County Department of Economic Development was created.

·  In 1999 an Economic Development Summit was held in which the Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission, Chamber of Commerce, School Board, Tourism Association, and Industrial Development Authority came together to develop a strategic plan for economic development.

·  In 2000 Nelson County completed a preliminary engineering review for a water impoundment project.

·  In 2000 the Planning Commission has begun the process of re-developing the Comprehensive Plan.

 

TRACK II assistance will provide the necessary funding to complete site selection, preliminary engineering study, and necessary environmental audits that are required to produce a marketable industrial site for Nelson County and the Thomas Jefferson Planning District.

5. Status of Existing Industrial Sites:

  NAME                                           LOCATION           TOTAL AC              AVAILABLE AC

Callohill Industrial Park                     Lovingston, Va                29                                 23

 Colleen Business Park                     Colleen, Va                    180                                28

 

Nelson County has two industrial/business parks. Callohill Industrial Park on Highway 29 in Lovingston is

owned by the local Industrial Development Authority and is zoned Light Industrial. The park is inhabited by a food packaging/warehouse facility and there are approximately 23 acres available for sale. The access road is only paved to the warehouse site, the remaining parcel is not presently served by a paved road. Water and sewer lines are available at the industrial park. The industrial park property is best suited for commercial development.

 

The Colleen Business Park off Highway 29, south of Lovingston, is owned by the Central Virginia Electric Cooperative (CVEC) and is zoned Light Industrial. The park is anchored by the electric cooperative’s headquarters office buildings. California Side Car, a new manufacturing operation, is located on one of the parcels. Only 28 acres (two parcels) remain available for sale or lease/purchase. The parcels are served by water and sewer lines and a paved access road runs the entire length of park ending at the CVEC Building.

 

The availability of significant marketable industrial property is limited in Nelson County. The plans are to develop a 200-900 acre parcel on the Highway 29 corridor where water and sewer utilities are available. Attraction of industry to this area would well serve Nelson County and the surrounding localities.

 

 

6. Assessment of Prospect Interest and Demand:

 

According to the regional economic development partnership, there are generally 3 to 4 prospect inquiries a year searching for sites larger than any available in the region. As the marketing funds for the regional partnership increase, we would expect an increase in the number of inquiries. Currently the region has no 200 acre sites available with the correct zoning and infrastructure to serve industrial purposes. When industries search for a suitable site to locate their operations, they are time driven and often can not wait for re-zoning or construction of water and sewer utilities. With this grant, Nelson County can begin to provide the much needed large industrial sites readily available for use.

 

 

7.       Other Plans and Studies:

 

The 1994 Comprehensive Plan designated Lovingston and Colleen as growth areas in Nelson County. Since then, infrastructure in the form of water and sewer has been constructed between these areas. The new Comprehensive Plan will develop the area between Lovingston and Colleen. In November of 1999, the Economic Development Summit established a committee that continued to meet every two weeks until April 2000. That group, the Strategic Plan Committee produced an analysis of trends and historical data related to economic development and will draft the economic development portion of the new Comprehensive Plan. A recommendation of that committee was to attract industries that will hire local residents who now must travel outside the County to find quality jobs. In order to attract such industries, a study needs to be conducted to identify the specific skills and experience available through that workforce. Other strategies are to attract industries that will pay higher wages than those currently offered and to develop a means of training County residents in fields that offer higher wages.

 

 

8.       Assessment and Identification of Inventory Gap:

 

An inventory gap exists in the region due to the lack of cost-effective sites that do not have the required infrastructure. In the region, there is an inadequate number of industrial sites that are 25-50 acres in size and usually there are no sites above 50 acres readily available. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership has stated that Virginia has an inadequate inventory of industrial sites above 200 acres. Nelson County’s plan to develop a park in the 200-900 acre range will fill that inventory gap.

 

 

IMPACT ON NEEDS.

 

1. How will the project, if constructed, address the inventory gap previously identified?

 

When the Nelson County project is constructed, it will add to the region’s inventory providing Nelson County, the Planning District, the Regional Economic Development Partnership, and the State of Virginia with much needed industrial site space over 200 acres. The level of interest from industry and business should increase when marketing efforts are directed to this project.

 

 

2. What would be the project’s projected impact on current economic conditions if constructed?

 

Current economic conditions are such that Nelson County residents must travel to other counties and cities in order to find employment at living wages. Long commutes contribute to stressful family life and rob Nelson County of the multiplier effect of wages earned in the community. Having a successful employment center in Nelson County would improve both situations.

 

Agriculture and tourism make up the majority of the Nelson County economy. Traditionally, these jobs generate lower wages than those of industrial workers. Attracting industry to the area and providing jobs with higher wages to Nelson County families will result in an increase in adjusted gross income and a rise above the current poverty level of many residents.

 

 

3.       What will be the value of the planning product to current economic development plans and strategies?

 

The current economic strategic plan, and the 1994 Comprehensive Plan that is being updated, identif~r growth areas in Lovingston and Colleen along the Highway 29 Corridor. Highway 29 is a 4-lane major arterial that is being studied as a possible limited access highway or part of the interstate system. Having a mixed-use commercial and light industrial park on this corridor would be in keeping with the plans. By providing guidelines on industrial growth, the County will retain its rural nature and at the same time provide industrial sites that could lead to higher paying jobs in the area. The skills survey will determine the curriculum needed at the training center that will be located in the park. This will improve the ability to train and educate the workforce that currently relies on the technical curriculum of the school system and the community colleges in the area.

 

 

4.       Describe the immediate and future value of ISDF planning assistance.

 

The immediate value of ISDF planning assistance is to conduct a site selection study, preliminary engineering study, and the necessary environmental audits, all of which are necessary before construction of the industrial park. Without the ISDF planning assistance, the process to develop industrial property will not move forward. The future value of assistance includes a highly trained workforce, better paying jobs, and marketable industrial sites for Nelson County, the Planning District, and the State.

 

5. Identify and describe the existing or planned marketing organizational structure and its role in the project.

 

Marketing efforts for the County relative to economic development are provided in conjunction with the Thomas Jefferson Partnership for Economic Development (TJPED). The TJPED is currently undergoing a major fundraising campaign and is expected to raise approximately $2 million for marketing. After completion of the skills survey, the partnership will be able to target particular types of industry that meet the needs and skills of the region.

 

Additional marketing efforts will be made by the Nelson County Department of Economic Development through it’s web site that is linked to the TJPED web site and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership.

 

 

6.       Describe the project (and site if applicable) selection process.

 

Project selection will primarily be with Nelson County and its citizens. The Thomas Jefferson Partnership will also play an important role in the project. The site selection will be based on an analysis involving access to highways and railroads, costs of development, available infrastructure, and other important site development factors. A weighted analysis will be performed among possible sites to produce the most feasible option.

 

 

7.  PER projects ONLY: Describe the physical characteristics and location of the proposed site.

Not applicable.

8.  Describe any special efforts among regional participants to promote regional cooperation.

 

Nelson County is involved in many different efforts to promote regional cooperation with its neighbors and the surrounding area. The following is a list of cooperative participation in the region:

 

·    Thomas Jefferson Planning District

·    Thomas Jefferson Partnership for Economic Development

·    Charlottesville Regional Tourism Council

·    Sunrise Side of the Blue Ridge — tourism efforts

·    Thomas Jefferson Venture (Regional Competitiveness Act)

 

 

PROJECT SCOPE:

Identify, describe and provide cost estimates for each activity as it will appear in the Budget Summary.

Provide a target completion date for each phase of each activity.

 

                                                                                                                    ESTIMATED

ACTIVITY                                              ESTIMATED COST            COMPLETION

                                                                                                          DATE

·  Site Selection Study                                       $ 12,000                               December 2000

 

·  Preliminary Engineering Study                       $26,000                               May 2000

                                                                       

·  Environmental Audit                                         $3,000                               July 2000       

 

·  Phase I Archeological Study                              $5,000                               July 2000

 

 

Site Selection Study: The site selection study will determine the most feasible location of the industrial site. The study will compare different locations by performing a weighted average analysis. The factors incorporated into the analysis includes, but not limited to, availability to water and sewer, location in respect to highways and railroads, and land characteristics.

 

Preliminary Engineering Study: After site selection has been completed, the preliminary engineering study can begin. This study is performed to give a preliminary design of the utilities serving the industrial site. Also, roadways, parcel boundaries, and storm water management systems can be designed. A preliminary engineering study can also incorporate underground exploration of the site to determine soil types and depth to bedrock.

 

Environmental Audit: The environmental audit is performed to study the ecological nature of the proposed site. This study identifies any endangered species or wetlands that may be negatively impacted by developing on the proposed site.

 

Archaeological Study: This study is performed to determine any historical aspects of the proposed site and any possible artifacts of cultural and historical significance that remain on the site.