Today’s N&R has an interview (unposted) with new Piedmont Triad Partnership CEO David Powell.
I’ve been critical of PTP in the past because I see it as just another quasi-governmental entity that sucks taxpayers money. Still, Powell has some interesting insight into economic development in the Triad. Here’s what jumped out at me:
The Triad’s prospects for luring an auto manufacturer:
It’s only realistic if we can get the land assembled…..And one thing that surprised me moving back to the area was the lack of industrial product (or land) we have here.
The last itme I worked in economic development, it was in the city and county of Durham. And it didn’t know how easy I had it. We had a 7,000-acre research park and a 9,000-10,000 industrial park called Treyburn—-and many other industrial parks in the community. So land was never an issue.
Here, it’s a big issue. Especially if you need a hundred acres or more.
Remember that Greensboro officials leaned on Roy Carroll because he wanted to build an apartment complex out by the airport, and High Point wasn’t playing ball with Guilford County Schools because they want to hang onto every acre of developable land.
So land—- or shortage thereof —- is indeed an issue here in the Triad, and Powell’s assessment of ‘industrial product’ doesn’t appear to bode well for landing a large employer, at least short term.
