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2005 Workshop Reports -
Economic Base Discussion Forum
This report chronicles the response of Yellow Springs residents to
questions related to the area’s economic base. The task centered on
reviewing the list of challenges regarding the village’s economic
base identified in 2004, modifying the list, and validating any
modifications made, characterizing and prioritizing the challenges,
and identifying action steps for the challenge of highest priority.
Challenges from 2004:
- Retention and Expansion of McGregor
- Lack of Employer Support
- Professional, Commercial, Industrial and Educational
QUESTION: What are your views of challenges? Should we
modify/delete? Why?
Participants recognized that much of what was identified as
challenges to the economic base of Yellow Springs in 2004 had been
addressed, or was in the process of being addressed. This was
particularly true with the regards to challenge 1: The retention and
expansion of McGregor. This accomplished, the general sentiment was a
focus on challenges associated with Phases II and III.
While participants seemed to favor economic growth and development,
an overarching concern was the challenges that would arise as a result
thereof. Participants wanted to give careful consideration to the
nature of economic growth and development in the area. Consequently, a
number of the new challenges identified focused on the impact of
development and the type of development desired. There were
suggestions to look at existing plans, (e.g. McGregor’s Strategic
Plan for ideas on alternative health), and to consider developing the
area in ways consistent with creating a "Creative Class".
Other key challenges identified were developing parking solutions,
developing a public transit that helped to make connections between
businesses, setting a strategic agenda for future development,
addressing the need for increased services associated with growth, and
developing a climate of collaboration. A number of challenges were
viewed as opportunities to shape development in the area.
There was strong agreement on the importance of supporting Antioch
College. The College was considered an important educational
institution in the area for reasons beyond its economic potential.
Primary among these reasons was the service the College provides to
the Village.
A number of other challenges related to the need for additional
information.
Responses to Challenge 1: Retention and Expansion of McGregor
- Land (limited challenges)
- Building (limited challenges)
- Hospitality - Plan for study to better understand
- There is no catering problem
- Changed – Yellow Springs has become a place for quick food
- Branding - Perceptions (Images) – Need to market purposefully
- Image has improved since last year
- Still need to market purposefully
- Regarding McGregor the process moved from one of no support and
invisibility, to one of exemplary support
New Challenges Identified
- Expand focus to Center for Business and Education - Phase II and
III
- Need to identify and attract businesses and people who fit with
Center for Business and Education. Examples include:
- Light Industry
- Office space, medical imaging, and new types of medical
services
- Overseas business wants Yellow Springs type environment
- High tech/ Information/ Knowledge based Business
- Wright-Patt Base (a good fit - IT)
- Management based businesses
- Education Based Businesses that could
- help with retention of existing business
- serve as an incubator type business
- Look at McGregor’s strategic plan for ideas (Alternative
Health)
- develop Creative and Science, Art, Creative class
- Market space opportunities for expansion of existing businesses
- Develop Yellow Springs as a place that attracts young people
- Need for baseline infrastructure
- Identify and pursue funding for park infrastructure since there
are limited resources in Yellow Springs (In Progress but it takes
a long to secure such resources)
- Shared parking [among businesses]
- Bring people in – [idea of having "visitors"
parking in one place and transporting visitors around the
village]
- Public transportation
- Transit – helps to make connections between businesses
- Seek federal grants to support connections to downtown
(Opportunity)
- Explore creative ways to secure funds
- Concern about public transportation because grants don’t
provide operating support
- Take ideas from village survey- e.g. support employers
- Identify and understand linkages between the supporting
employers and developing infrastructure
- Need for strategic plan for future development – Developing a
set of goals for the work of 2005-2006 was considered both a need
and an opportunity. The following were suggested:
- Focus on smart growth
- Extend the focus of the visioning process beyond the park
- Focus on young families (driver of vitality & Yellow Springs
not hospitable to young families at present time)
- Focus on economic and spiritual growth
- The process will help identify areas where lack of support is
a problem since lack of support can vary by type of businesses.
For example, does Yellow Springs want to support Industry?
- Focus on services
- Current trend - high tech services
- Achieve Consensus on development goals
- Explore outside partnerships
- Involve the Chamber and develop a focus for the Chamber
- Loss of director of Chamber of Commerce is a challenge and an
opportunity to develop a new scope of
"services/functions." Membership in the Chamber is an
opportunity to
- Expand the scope of services to promote commerce and improve
the image of Yellow Springs as a "good fit" for
businesses
- Facilitate sharing information
- Secure funding support
- Identify mechanisms to encourage and support home grown
businesses (Better off with home grown businesses than outside
businesses)
- Collaborate to achieve tax abatements (opportunity)
- Loss of volunteers (challenge)
Responses to Challenge 2: Lack of Employer Support
The response to the challenge of a lack of Employer Support
identified in 2004 was rephrased as "a lack of support for
employers". Participants felt that this challenge persisted.
Below are participants’ responses to the question on their views of
this challenge.
- The Village is not responsive to the needs of businesses/employers
- There is a sense of a lack of support for businesses
- As an employer in Yellow Springs it is best to be invisible
[limits retaliation from the Village]
- It hurts [my business] to have inventory in Yellow Springs
- Communicate need for growth to Village government to help it
appreciate business
- Promote Downtown [as a vibrant place]
- Promote retail to outside visitors
In addition to participants’ responses to the challenges
identified in 2004 and modifications related to these challenges,
there was consensus on the need to support Antioch College.
Participants’ responses are listed below.
- Support Antioch College
- Develop better coordination between the Village and the College
(sit at each other’s tables to ensure "clear" flow
between the College and the Village
- Revisit precedents for collaborating with the College
- College is redesigning its service delivery system
- New space, creativity, capacity
- Example: shift from 12 to 9 month curriculum means the College
will have more time to contribute to Village
- Communicate college plans to the public
- Educating public on concepts is important
- Articulate how park works with other industries?
- What controls are in place
- What are existing land use plans
- What new rules are being developed
- Covenants (Obtain guidance and support in articulating
covenants)
- Zoning code information
QUESTION: While our group’s job is to focus on the
economic base of Yellow Springs, we recognize that challenges
in one area impact other areas. What do these challenges mean
in terms of?
Response: Not directly addressed since
this was the purpose of this group conversation.
- Employment here:
Response: Not directly addressed given
the purpose of this group conversation.
- Cost and scope of government and services
Response: There is concern about the
expansion of government services to support an
expanded population and economic base.
- Property values/investment
Response: Challenges will have a positive
impact on the tax burden; property values could
go up or stabilize [need information about the
impact of economic growth on the property
values].
- Participatory democracy, quality of life, arts and culture
Response: A Young Vibrant population will improve
vitality; Yellow Springs could become an exemplary
creative class commercial district if we build on
existing resources and sell ourselves
Question: Can we group like comments together to
consolidate our list of challenges?
- Support for Antioch
- Support for Vibrant Downtown
- Consensus on development (goals)
- Attracting Young families
- Growing home grown businesses
- Communicate value (of area) and values (akin to marketing but
group didn’t like the term marketing)
- Phase II and III
Voting Results to Determine Priority Challenge
Consensus on development
(Red: 8, Yellow: 2, Green: 2)
Phase II and III
(Red: 6, Yellow: 1,
Green: 1)
Incubate home grown businesses
(Red: 4, Yellow: 2, Green: 4)
Support for Antioch College
(Red: 3, Yellow: 6, Green: 8)
Support Vibrant downtown
(Red: 1, Yellow: 4, Green: 2)
Communicating Value and values
(Red: 0, Yellow: 6, Green: 1)
Attracting Young families
(Red: 0, Yellow: 2, Green:
4)
Priority Challenge: Consensus on development
Action Steps
The action steps identified to achieve the priority challenge are
listed below. Given time constraints the group outlined a combination
of action steps and process "goals". It is necessary to
review the action steps listed below and distinguish between the two.
Where necessary the action steps might be reviewed to provide
additional detail to the items listed.
- Achieve consensus on development goals
- Smart growth weekend
- Inside-outside facilitators/educators
- Secure broad community support
- Find ways for organizations to collaborate
- Develop civil/civic dialogue
- Shift away from polarization to creative alignment
- Get broad consensus to move forward
- Involve widest number of people
- Engage conflicts productively
- Set achievable goals
- Communicate existing processes (e.g., zoning, planning)
- Understand the constraints
- Come together rather than add groups/splinter
- Educate on the cost of no development
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