Carbon County economic-development specialist outlines grants, trail and housing plans
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Summary
Chamber economic development specialist Jared So to briefed commissioners on municipal outreach, KIZ parcel identification, a Panther Valley business incubator pilot with $1,000 seed grants, trail feasibility work, and reallocation options for a $1 million RACP award including the Schwab Building for housing.
Jared So to, economic development specialist at the Carbon Chamber and Economic Development Corporation, gave a multi-part update on chamber and county economic initiatives ranging from municipal outreach to grant coordination and trail planning.
So to said the chamber will pursue targeted outreach to planning and zoning officials to encourage proactive zoning and to help municipalities prepare for data-center proposals and other development. "We don't want to be anti-development, but... how do we strike that balance between where development is best and what programs municipalities can access that will be better for long-term growth?" he said.
He described work with East Stroudsburg University and KIZ (Keystone Innovation Zone) partners to identify potentially eligible parcels, and the chamber's plan to coordinate with the new county grant coordinator to push federal and state grant opportunities out to municipalities and small businesses.
So to outlined local projects and programs: a Panther Valley small-business incubator pilot that would provide $1,000 in seed money to program graduates; a DCNR-supported feasibility study for a 33-mile Anthracite Connector trail linking boroughs; and a county effort to propose an alternate use for a $1,000,000 RACP award that previously targeted a warehouse project on Route 940, with the Schwab Building in Weatherly proposed as a potential housing re-use.
He also announced routine outreach events (a Feb. 10 lunch-and-learn and an East Stroudsburg University economic summit in May) and said he will return with quarterly reports.
Commissioners said they value the chamber's quarterly updates and asked staff to explore whether available RACP funds could be reallocated to housing projects such as the Schwab Building.