Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Redevelopment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Harford County economic development official outlines incentives and hurdles for commercial redevelopment
Summary
Rajiv Goel of Harford County’s Department of Economic Development told the Planning Advisory Board the county uses loans, Enterprise Zone benefits, tax incentives and grants to promote commercial and industrial redevelopment, but rising code and infrastructure costs often make reuse more expensive than greenfield projects.
Rajiv Goel, a representative of Harford County’s Department of Economic Development, told the Planning Advisory Board on Jan. 14 that the county conducts direct outreach to property and business owners to encourage redevelopment and explain available incentives.
Goel described a process that begins with conversations with property owners and prospective tenants or developers and said the department helps match owners to potential users. He listed available tools including loans, Enterprise Zone benefits, tax incentives and grants, and said the department’s primary focus is business, commercial and industrial redevelopment; residential projects, he said, are handled by other departments.
Goel emphasized that redevelopment is often more expensive than building on undeveloped land because of the cost of code compliance, necessary upgrades and infrastructure work. He said the department works with realtors, business leaders and community groups to rebrand properties and steer developers toward viable locations within Harford County when developers’ preferred sites are not available.
Board members discussed how community advisory boards, nonprofit partners and resident feedback can help identify priority uses and local concerns that influence redevelopment decisions. The board did not take any formal action on the presentation.
The presentation and discussion were recorded in the meeting transcript (SEG 001–SEG 002).
