From The President / CEO Steve Paterson
It is all around us and we do not see it.
May 22nd through 25th, I attended the ICSC ReCon trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada with our Mayor Pat Hallisey. This show is the mother of all shows, when it comes to economic development in the United States. Hundreds of companies were represented filling the Las Vegas Convention Center. This was an eye opening experience and how this world of high finance, site selection and development takes place and drives the commerce of every community in the country. No market is untouched. League City is one of those communities that everyone has an eye on currently. As one of the major real estate development companies shared, it has the two big ones we look for, high income and an educated workforce. Then there is the other factor location, location, location. Twenty miles from downtown Houston and twenty miles from Galveston Island, it has all the components for retail development, housing, corporate relocation and small business development in a highly desirable location.
We all get up every morning and head to school or work without the realization that there is an invisible force at work right around us each day. Unfortunately, we do not see it until a new sign goes up announcing a new store, a new company or a new business or shopping center that will be built. I used to wonder how that happened and now I know. Our exposure to that process, as I said earlier, was eye opening and enlightening to say the least. It also alarmed me. The fear I felt was one of lack of control. Decisions on what will be built and who will come are done in booths at a trade show more so than in our market or community. Once deals are finalized and financed, then they come to town for the approval process through planning and zoning. In short, our economic development future is pretty much out of our hands. The city sets up the zoning for development and decides whether a plot of land will be zoned commercial, residential or mixed use and then it is approved, which is fine. However, what gets built on it is not. Who comes to town and what gets developed and where is determined by folks in Dallas, Houston, Los Angles and other major developers’ offices around the country, who represent hundreds of companies, franchises and manufactures looking to expand their presence in growing and desirable markets.
So what have we learned? We need to be extremely proactive going forward in economic development, period, end of statement, take control of our destiny. Currently, we are in a reactive situation letting the invisible force around us determine our needs and benefitting greatly from it. What does this mean? Highly profitable ventures like fast food restaurants and strip centers will be the name of the game for commercial development. That is unless, we change our approach and do so quickly. We need to choose who and what we want to be built and / or developed. If not, in ten years you will not be able to tell the difference between League City and Houston sprawl. We will be just be an extension of it. Tighter more definitive zoning must take place. The existing fifty percent of our town to be developed must have a calculated and well thought out plan, which will bring high paying jobs, wonderful community amenities and grow our commercial tax base to alleviate the burden which now is placed on residents. This in turn will create a brand for our city that will be a magnet for growth, which will propel us now and well into the future with an infrastructure that will create the most desirable place within the Houston market to live, work and play.
We will shortly welcome a new economic development director for our city and with the appointment of a county economic director late last year, these will both be positive steps in this direction. However, only if we take a proactive approach. Targeting who and what we desire must be a clear first step, with zoning in place to support it. A seamless and well thought out planning and zoning fast track program for developers and builders, which clearly defines how projects will be built with no ambiguity will be a second major step in this process. The third and most important step will be the need for economic incentives to be available to have a seat at the table to tell our story and define our own future. This will mean we will need to adopt as soon as we can, as a city united, a quarter percent sales tax to fund our efforts to be proactive. As the only city now in the Houston Metro market not to have this economic development tool, it puts us at a severe disadvantage in attracting and targeting the development we will need and desire going forward.
The downtown historical district redevelopment is a wonderful start in this process. Funding the engineering study is just the first step. Which businesses will take residence in the area will need to be determined, so the right mix of stores, residential and amenities are achieved, so the intended goal is reached. The City staff, County, elected officials and the Chamber of Commerce must and need to work together to provide the workforce, volunteers and support to make this a reality. More so now than ever, if we hope to take back the reins from the invisible force and chart our own future.