This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
07/25/2017 12:00 AMWith the concern over rising taxes never far away, Madison officials are continuing to look at economic development opportunities to diversify offerings in town and hopefully grow the town’s tax base. At a Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting on July 17, selectmen reviewed ideas and information at a recent economic development workshop and discussed plans for moving forward.
First Selectman Tom Banisch said he has made economic development the cornerstone of his administration and was pleased to take part, along with 40 other Madison town employees, board members, and local businesses, in a recent workshop with the Connecticut Economic Resource Council (CERC).
CERC “offered quite a bit of advice about steps to take, some of which we are already doing, and some great ideas for where we go from here,” he said. “The community leaders and volunteers that were present at the workshop were excited and energized and I look forward to following this up with ideas that will help the community further identify economic development priorities.”
Madison Director of Planning & Economic Development Dave Anderson, who attended the meeting, reviewed some of the information to take away from the workshop with the board and the public and brought people up to date on some economic development initiatives already in the works.
Anderson said CERC representatives spoke at the workshop about Madison’s low population density and the chance that the population may decrease slightly by 2020. Looking at the town’s demographics, Anderson said it was no surprise to anyone that there is a noticeable hole concerning individuals in the age range of 20 to 34.
“In response to that hole, the Economic Development Commission (EDC) has been doing a marketing campaign about making the move to Madison,” he said. “We are trying to target Madison as a place for your professionals and young families to come to.”
To do so, Anderson said packets of information have been sent to large realtors, businesses, and relocation service companies in New London and New Haven. Anderson said it is important to understand that New Haven is the hub for employment in the area, so it is strategic to try to pitch Madison as a nice place to live with an easy commute to the city.
“When you get people who are looking at Madison, they are also looking at Branford and they are looking at Guilford,” he said. “We are working with our realtor partners to say, ‘OK, who is serious about buying a house and do they need a little push? Let’s provide them with this material’...My idea is let them be a resident for the day so we get a package where they get a pass to the Surf Club, maybe a coupon for Ashley’s ice cream, or movie tickets, or we work with some of our local vendors and allow these people who are kind of on the fence of ‘Do I want to move to Madison or Guilford?’ to experience what it is like to be here for a day or an afternoon. If we can do that I think it would just be an act of good faith to say we do want people to move to town.”
To try to increase the population slightly, specifically younger people and younger families, Anderson said the Planning & Zoning Commission has been slowly changing some regulations to allow higher-density housing projects in the downtown area. While Anderson said the town does not want to change the character of Route 1, there are some opportunities on Bradley Road and the ends of town for higher density housing that could also be for rent.
“We think, especially at the lower end of the age spectrum of 20 to 30 year-olds, renting is a really good way to get into Madison and kind of become a part of the community and then take the next step and try and buy a small house here,” he said.
Looking at the residents who already live and work in town, Anderson said CERC pointed out that 15 percent of the workforce in town identifies as self-employed. Anderson said the EDC is looking for ways to reach out to those people, identify some of their needs, and see what sort of services the town could provide.
“I think libraries are very well positioned to do this in terms of being a hub for people who are self-employed, get them out of their house and into the library,” he said. “Maybe the library provides a little more robust business services program and they find themselves with a really good customer base going forward.”
With a couple of initiatives already in the works, selectmen asked about the need for an overall strategic plan for economic development moving forward.
“The EDC strategy is an important plank...but the global strategy that we develop for the town as selectmen I think has to be much bigger,” said Selectman Bruce Wilson. “It has to take on the wellbeing of the community, it has to take on the historic preservation of the community, the preservation of the land, it has to be everything. All of these different subsets feed into that bigger strategy.”
Anderson said that he and the EDC, the Chamber of Commerce, and first selectman already have a strong communication channel established, but said any initiatives should probably come through the EDC to avoid continuity lapses that can occur when boards like the BOS change.
However, Anderson said the BOS should play a larger role in using the town’s formal Plan of Conservation and Development (which is updated every 10 years) to help guide the global vision for the town. Selectmen are expected to review the plan at an upcoming meeting.