Northumberland County Economic Development Commission members agreed to ask the Board of Supervisors for direction on how to handle county-owned properties and to press for a strategic, multi‑criteria review that accounts for zoning, infrastructure and long‑term planning. The commission set a special session with the Board of Supervisors for July 23 at 4:30 p.m. to discuss potential economic development opportunities on county‑owned land.

Why it matters: Commission members said the county’s sewer and septic capacity and the need to be grant‑ready are central to whether properties should be held, repurposed or sold. Several members said short‑term sales could foreclose options for future sewer expansion, parks, tourism or workforce housing.

Bob, executive director of the commission, told members he had placed planning commission spreadsheets of candidate properties into the commission’s working files and planned to propose that “we consider all properties available rather than just ones that they’re looking for.” He said he expects the Board of Supervisors meeting to provide “guidance and direction” on whether the commission should narrow or broaden its review.

Maurice, a commission member, proposed creating a decision‑making template the commission could use to evaluate county parcels. “I’m trying to come up with a draft template…to review the property and identify what type of impact that you have,” he said, listing examples such as historic preservation, parks and recreation, boat launches and potential housing tracts. He suggested the commission could recommend selling part of a tract while retaining a strategic reserve of land for county use.

Commission members repeatedly tied property choices to sewer capacity. Dan, a commission member, said the county’s existing treatment and septic systems limit development: “If you say Calleo is currently operating at 50%, that’s operationally maxed out,” he said, and cautioned that reserve capacity must be preserved for safety and weather events. Members asked the county to check zoning and soil conditions — including where clay “scar” soil limits drain fields — before recommending any sale or redevelopment.

Commissioners noted past missed opportunities. One member said an owner once offered land adjacent to a sewage treatment plant at a reasonable price for future expansion and was turned down. Members urged that future decisions be made with 15‑ to 20‑year horizons, not short‑term revenue goals.

The group also discussed the need to be “grant‑ready.” Members said many federal and state infrastructure grants require an identified project or parcel and often favor projects that bring economic activity from outside the state; that means the commission should prepare site analyses, zoning checks and project concepts in advance. Bob and other commissioners said they have begun compiling material — the Main Street initiative draft and a comprehensive plan submission are in the commission’s shared folder and commissioners were asked to comment by July 31 on the Main Street draft.

The commission agreed it should prepare a concise presentation for the Board of Supervisors (a requested 10‑minute slot) to explain last fiscal year’s work and to ask clarifying questions of supervisors about objectives and timelines. Members said they will push for formal direction rather than a quick decision from supervisors.

Outcome and next steps: The commission set the July 23 special session with the Board of Supervisors to discuss county‑owned properties and agreed that the group should produce and vote on decision criteria at the next commission meeting. The commission also agreed that Bob would be the first point of contact for prospective developers or service providers, a motion that was seconded and approved on the record.

Context and constraints: Commissioners emphasized several limits to local authority discussed at the meeting: local soil conditions constrain septic reuse and leach‑field rehabilitation; zoning changes or conditional use permits may be necessary for some projects; and grant programs typically require a defined project, parcel or a demonstrated public purpose before awarding funds. Commissioners asked staff to verify zoning and infrastructure constraints for specific parcels prior to recommending sale or redevelopment.

What to watch: The commission will (1) present to the Board of Supervisors on July 23 at 4:30 p.m., (2) circulate and finalize a multi‑criteria decision template for property review, and (3) complete internal review comments on the Main Street initiative by July 31 so documents are grant‑ready and available to support any project applications.