Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Franklin County development group outlines housing, childcare and workforce priorities as data‑center interest continues
Summary
FCDC told the Franklin County Commission it has identified housing, childcare, workforce and support for existing industries as priority areas and said data‑center interest in the region continues, though projects are moving slower than anticipated.
A representative for FCDC reported to the Franklin County Commission on May 28 that the organization completed a strategic‑planning session and identified four priority areas: housing, childcare, workforce and support of existing industries.
The FCDC speaker said leadership teams are forming to address each priority. The speaker described ongoing meetings on childcare and recent activity on housing and workforce; two housing meetings were scheduled for the week following the commission meeting and one developer had returned for a second meeting.
On industry recruitment, the FCDC representative said several data‑center inquiries have been received and that the industry is expanding in the Midwest because of access to fuel lines and relatively cheaper land. "Everything I'm hearing about the industry, data center and proximity parks, it's still moving forward. Its not going as fast as all of us had thought it might and hoped it might, but it's still moving forward and no red lights that I'm aware of," the FCDC speaker said.
The representative said FCDC has reached out to adjacent landowners about possible land sales and is pursuing housing workstreams including an analysis on senior housing that could be used to attract developers.
The presentation was informational; no formal action or votes were taken by the commission on the FCDC update during the meeting.
