Planning to make a pitch
Local business owners, developers and elected officials gathered at One Riverfront Plaza a couple of weeks ago to discuss how Westbrook could attract more economic development.
The site was appropriate because Riverfront Plaza – a large building on the river reminiscent of the mills that were once at the core of this community – has been the city’s greatest achievement so far in its effort to restore its commercial base.
City leaders would do well to take the advice of some of those in attendance at the summit: Do a little more self-promotion. As a part of that, the city also needs to have a clear direction. That will not only make the sales pitch easier, it will make the city more inviting to business owners and investors who will be more inclined to come to a community that knows where it wants to go.
The city needs to continue to build its commercial base for several reasons. First, the abundance of jobs and tax revenue once provided by Mother Warren are long gone and need to be replaced by something. Second, ever since the smell of the pulp mill left Westbrook, the city has become an attractive and relatively affordable place for people to move. Third, the city has already borrowed money against anticipated commercial growth.
The people moving here will continue to place an increasing demand for services on the city. The city will have to continue to pay back the money it borrowed to build the parking garage and install redundant power and Internet. In short, tax bills will rise here faster than the consumer price index if the city does not continue to attract businesses and look at more efficient ways to deliver services.
The question then becomes how to draw business. One answer given by participants at a recent economic development summit was to do more promotion of the city.
Disability RMS President John Roberts said many people don’t know what Westbrook has to offer. When his company brings people in from out of state, he said they usually have a great experience.
“A little PR goes a long way,” said Roberts.
The city could definitely benefit from a campaign similar to the one Lewiston and Auburn have undertaken. Readers have probably seen the commercials on television and heard the slogan – “L-A, it’s happening here!”
However, the city should be wary of spending too much money on such a campaign. Although it does take money to make money, the city has already spent quite a bit. That’s why it’s facing a growing deficit on its downtown tax increment financing district.
City Councilor Ed Symbol’s suggestion that an impact fee on residential development pay for such a campaign is an interesting one that the city should investigate. It’s unclear whether an impact fee directed at such a cost would be legal.
Short of paid advertisements, the city has plenty of opportunities to promote its interest in economic development. Every time a city councilor, mayor or city administrator speaks at a public meeting or to a reporter they have an opportunity to let others know what the city has to offer and what the city is trying to do.
That’s where the plan comes in. To let others know what the city plans to do, the city has to know what it wants to do. The city has done a lot of planning in the last decade – the master plan for the downtown is probably one of the biggest pieces of that – and the city has entertained a lot of ideas.
Over time, many of those ideas have been lost and plans have changed. The city was at one time going to build kiosks along the Riverwalk. That turned into developing Saccarappa Park, which is, well, still a park. It’s time for the city to take stock of all of these plans and ideas and decide where it wants to go from here.
The city is already working on a piece of this – parking. The city is planning to hold an all-day presentation to gather ideas on how to deal with parking problems downtown. City officials are looking for help from the public in the form of ideas.
The event will take place from 11:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14, at the Westbrook-Warren Congregational Church. We urge readers to get involved and help shape the future of the city.
Brendan Moran, editor
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