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Committee debates ED fund priorities — land acquisition, small business support and a county master plan
Summary
Members discussed priorities for the county’s Economic Development (ED) fund, including buying and prepping land for industrial parks, targeted small-business support, parks and agriculture investments, workforce development, and hiring a master-planning consultant for unincorporated town centers and business parks.
The York County Economic Development Committee spent substantial time on March 6 discussing how to invest the ED fund and whether to pursue land acquisition, small-business support, parks and agricultural development, and a county master plan for unincorporated growth areas.
Committee members laid out competing priorities. Councilman Tom said land purchase for a prepped industrial site would be a long-term strategic investment: “Land is always an investment,” he told the committee, urging purchase and pad-ready site preparation to attract targeted companies. Several members emphasized the potential value of a centrally located, shovel-ready industrial park à la neighboring Gastonia.
Staff and other members stressed the need for workforce and municipal coordination. Economic development staff described collaboration with municipal partners as a way to share acquisition and infrastructure costs. County administrators and the CFO briefed members on fund size and debt capacity: staff reported roughly $3–4 million currently in the ED fund, with an annual inflow of about $1.2 million and baseline expenditures of about $1.0 million per year — producing a modest net annual increase under current budgeting. County financial staff estimated debt capacity tied to the fund and projected that realistic borrowing would likely support roughly $10–15 million of land purchase and related investment under conservative assumptions.
Several members argued for a focused, measurable strategy. Committee members asked that any ED-fund program include measurable economic-impact criteria, caps on per-project commitments and sunset terms so investments are not open-ended liabilities. Multiple members proposed that a portion of the fund be reserved for small-business and downtown Main Street investments, workforce support and marketing for ag and existing local businesses.
A recurring recommendation was a county master plan for town centers and business parks in unincorporated areas. One committee member proposed budgeting for a consultant to create a master plan that would guide infrastructure sequencing, target industry siting and reduce ad-hoc development in corridors like Carowinds Boulevard and Cherry Road.
Why it matters: Committee members framed the conversation around balancing short-term needs for small businesses and quality-of-life investments with long-term strategic land purchases and infrastructure planning that could shape growth for decades.
Next steps: Staff will compile a priority list from committee input, circulate a draft survey to collect council-wide priorities, and present a recommendation at an upcoming workshop. Members asked staff to explore state matching or partnership opportunities for land/site projects and to return with more precise financial scenarios for different debt and acquisition options.
Ending: The committee asked staff to prepare a short list of prioritized uses for the ED fund and to present the list to the full council for guidance at the next available meeting cycle.
