Economic Development Plan York County, Pennsylvania
The opportunity to create the York County Economic Development Plan came as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decision of 2005 that would shift thousands of jobs from Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, to Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) in Hartford County, Maryland. Because of York County’s close proximity to APG, the York County Economic Development Corporation (YCEDC) and York County Planning Commission (YCPC) joined forces to develop a ten-year Economic Development Plan to serve as an element to the York County Comprehensive Plan. To complete the plan, YCPC and YCEDC engaged Basile Baumann Prost Cole and Associates, Inc. in association with Whitman Requardt & Associates, LLP.
A combination of technical analyses and public outreach were used to understand the County’s visions for, critical issues related to, and strategies toward economic development. As a result, the plan identifies a countywide vision for economic development. Overarching goals for York County’s economic development include management of growth and development, conserve rural and scenic areas, and protect agriculture. Individual vision statements for each of the five planning regions were also developed:
Industry, market and land, competitive position, and economic impact assessments were conducted to examine the current and potential future of York County’s economy. The plan also identifies critical issues that need to be addressed in order to further economic development in the County. In order to address those critical issues, a set of strategies were developed in five topic areas: 1) workforce development; 2) growth area strategies; 3) rural area strategies; 4) downtown revitalization; and 5) incentives and economic development.
