Lack of development at corporate site prompts questions

• A representative from the county CIC recently attended a Pataskala Council meeting.
• Some council members questioned why the city’s corporate park is slow to develop.
• The privately owned park contains more than 500 acres, and it remains empty.
• Pataskala pays $10,000 annually to participate in the CIC.

PATASKALA – City officials recently quizzed a board member from the county’s economic development engine, asking what the group is doing to spur job growth in Pataskala.

Cheri Hottinger, president and CEO of the Licking County Chamber of Commerce, attended the Pataskala City Council’s most-recent meeting to discuss the Grow Licking County Community Improvement Corporation.

Hottinger is one of the CIC’s board members, and she has been visiting area communities to discuss the corporation’s ongoing work.

Formed nearly three years ago, the CIC promotes economic development in the county. Pataskala is a paying member, contributing $10,000 annually.

Hottinger told the council the CIC has helped generate more than $180 million in investment in Licking County and helped create more than 1,000 new jobs, in addition to retaining another 700 jobs.

“I think because now we have a one-stop shop and our tag line is ‘simplifying success,’ that’s what we do, we try to make it simple for people to do business in Licking County, whether that’s to our existing companies that want to expand or new companies coming in, we want to make it the simplest place for them to do business,” Hottinger said.

Pataskala and neighboring Etna Township, among other western Licking County entities, have talked about forming their own CIC, but the City Council has not taken any action on the issue, outside of informally discussing it in July.

The recent meeting marked the first time the council had an opportunity, as a body, to talk to someone from the county CIC about the services the corporation provides the city.

Councilman Mike Fox took the opportunity to quiz Hottinger on why the city’s privately-owned corporate park remains empty, despite the CIC’s work.

“I know some of the concerns I’ve expressed and a few other people in the community have expressed (are) we’re clear out here, out on the west side of Licking County and when we look at your literature Heath has got some interesting growth, (in addition) to Hebron and other areas of Licking County,” Fox said. “We have the premier manufacturing area in Licking County, as we’ve been told many times, yet we don’t seem to have any prospective businesses coming in, and I for one am concerned how it works. What does it take for us to be included in the development?”

Fox added the city makes annual financial contributions to the CIC, and he asked if the corporation’s leadership considers the city an afterthought.

Hottinger responded the CIC sends out leads to every partner, including Pataskala.

“We have some leads right now, some that are interested in Pataskala sites. ...” she said. “It may seem like some of the jobs are going (other places), but Hebron had a spec building. ...”

Pataskala’s site does not have an empty spec building awaiting a corporation, and Hottinger said that can be a detriment when a user wants to move into a site and start work quickly.

“I don’t have a preference on where (businesses) locate as long as it’s in Licking County,” Hottinger said.

Councilman Tim Hickin asked Hottinger where the CIC gets its leads.

Hottinger responded 80 percent of the leads used to come from JobsOhio, the state’s private job-creation engine, but now just one third of the leads come from there. As the county CIC has become more of a regional force, Hottinger said one third of its leads now come from direct contact with prospective businesses. The remaining one third come from the state.

Council President Dan Hayes asked what the city can do to lure industry to its still-vacant corporate park, which covers more than 500 acres on Mink Street.

“Look at your infrastructure needs,” Hottinger said. “If someone can’t pick up a shovel right now and come to a site and the infrastructure is not already there, (then) there are a lot of competing sites that have (infrastructure) right there,” she said. “Even if it’s across the road and you can see it, that’s still going to cost them money to bring it to the site.”

The city’s state-approved Job Ready Site, which stands inside the corporate park, has nearby utilities, but not 100 percent of those utilities stand inside the site, Hottinger added.

Administrator BJ King said the city is working with the CIC to better respond to leads in order to attract industry to the corporate park. It also is working with AEP, which is considering making the site an internationally certified site.

“We are doing what we can to make sure we get the info out (on the site) quickly,” King said.