City and County Must Work Together for Economic Development

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Governor’s Conference on Economic Development in Nashville. It was a very exciting conference and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TN-ECD) unveiled a series of new programs in order to help Tennessee communities and counties. Some were simply technical assistance while others were lucrative grant programs.

There are three big programs I want to discuss. The first is the Drive to 55 program. This program is a part of TN-ECD and the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and is associated with programs such at Tennessee Promise, Tennessee Reconnect, and Tennessee LEAP. The overarching goal of this program is the large need for the Tennessee workforce to attain higher levels of education either in the form of college or job certifications. The point of this program is that by 2025 it is estimated 50 percent of the workforce must have some type of college or vocational training in order to be an attractive place for businesses to locate. For ages 25+ years, Carter County currently stands at 41 percent so over the next ten years we need to increase this number to 50 or preferably 55.

Another program is the Main Street program. This is a popular program used around the nation with the purpose of helping small businesses on “Main Street” in every community prosper. This program was originally started to help communities revitalize their downtowns and served as a model to help make downtowns a destination and attractive in a community. The model and techniques used have proven to be highly successful in a range of communities. This program also comes with additional grant funding opportunities. Elizabethton does not currently participate in the Main Street program, but city staff have encouraged Main Street program guidelines to various downtown organizations.

The last program for today is the Select Tennessee program. This program helps counties in Tennessee identify and prepare properties prime for industrial development. These properties must then be provided with utilities, have environmental studies completed, be provided with transportation options, and owned or optioned by a governmental entity. The state will then certify such a site and help market the site to potential industries. Grant funding can also be provided to counties wishing to help pay for these expensive process.

This is just a glimpse of the programs the state has to help and encourage cities and counties in the state. The key, though, is that we must work together to accomplish these things. Many are expensive or require a combined effort at the state level. The city cannot do it without the county, and the county cannot do it without the city, but together we can make our county economy better. Let’s talk about it!

High Density Residential Could Breath New Life into Downtown

The last few weeks I’ve talked about transportation options for Elizabethton’s future, but one major element of the conversation has been left out -- land use. Land use is a term used in the planning community which tells us how specific pieces of property are being used by our citizens and businesses. For example, I would categorize most of the Blackbottom neighborhood as a single-family residential land use or the West Elk Avenue area as a retail commercial land use.

Land use gives us an idea of what types of uses the property currently is and commonly a descriptor lets us know what the density or category it is being used as. Land use is critical to transportation. If there is a high density residential land-use, for example, cities need to create wider streets for more cars, wider sidewalks for more pedestrians, and bike lanes for people to bike.

As we look to the coming year, the Planning Commission has shown interest in moving forward with creating higher densities in and around the downtown area. This type of density would allow for small condo buildings, townhomes, and apartments. Unlike other parts of residential we’re encouraging in downtown, this area will be strictly residential. With higher densities of people come the need for more and better sidewalks, the installation of bike lanes, and the need to make our streets more user friendly for multiple people, not just cars. Even golf carts can have a role to play in helping create this higher density residential district.

This type of land use will impact the types of transportation infrastructure we, as a city, offer and could result in narrower roads with different parking arrangements for Elk Avenue and E Street, the addition of bike lanes to Sycamore Street and Main Street, one or two transit bus stops in downtown, and don’t forget the addition of golf carts.

Now, all of this will certainly not happen at once and it may even take a decade to put all of the infrastructure in place. But higher density residential areas can bring a lot of positives to our community. The more people who live here, the more ways the city taxes are split, the more ways utility infrastructure costs are split, and it can help bring life back to our downtown buildings and businesses. Let’s talk about it!

Is Public Transportation Viable in Elizabethton?

Last week I talked about a new alternative form of transportation -- golf carts. Continuing on the transportation theme, I want to pose another idea -- is public transportation a viable option in Elizabethton?

We are at a unique crossroad for our community. The addition of the Tweetsie Trail has made alternative forms of transportation, such as pedestrian and bicycle, a reality. Before the Tweetsie Trail, no one would have ever thought to ride a bike on West G Street, West Elk Avenue, Milligan Highway, or even the US 321 four-lane to Johnson City. Now any citizen or visitor can easily get from ETSU to Downtown Elizabethton on a bike safely.

But this new feature has brought about other questions in our community about transportation. If public transportation in the form of a bus route came to Elizabethton would it be used enough to make it a viable solution for transportation.

We talked before about the future of Elizabethton as it relates to age and the future of the Tri-Cities region points to a growing Baby Boomer presence. As we look to accommodate for this population, we must also look to how they will move about a community and get the services they may need.

As they age, some may not desire driving a fast car which is where a golf cart or a bike may be an alternative form of transportation. Continue that trend and you end up with a portion of the population who may be unable to drive which is where public transportation enters as an alternative form of transportation.

More likely than not, as we age we tend to need more access to alternative modes of transportation in order to get to appointments and complete general household tasks. Public transportation provides this type of mobility so that an aging population can easily get to a doctor’s appointment, physical therapy appointment, or just go to the grocery store within their own ability.

And keep in mind, public transit is also highly beneficial for poorer citizens as well who may well work, but simply cannot afford a car. Public transit provides a highly affordable way to go about completing one’s daily tasks.

Public transit helps keep an older and poorer population mobile and self-reliant, which can also be good for their mental health. I would be extremely curious to know how many people would be interested in utilizing such a service should it be available in Elizabethton. The big question remains, if it were available would we use it? Let’s talk about it!

Alternative Forms of Transportation in...Golf Carts??

I’ve talked a lot about the importance and need for multiple forms of transportation in Elizabethton. We obviously have a vast network of streets for cars and trucks, miles of sidewalks for pedestrians, and two different trail systems for pedestrians and bikers. But what about other modes of transportation that you don’t typically see on streets? What about golf carts?

Now you may be thinking golf carts are only used by old people, why would we want to encourage this type of transportation here? Well, actually, there is a lot of positives to doing this. Many bigger cities such as Los Angeles, Atlanta, and even Greenville, South Carolina are creating neighborhoods where golf carts can be used as a mode of transportation.

Golf carts provide yet another form of transportation between bicycles and cars. With a typical maximum speed of 25 mph, they are attractive for older citizens who may not desire the higher speeds or bigger size of a car for a majority of their daily activities.

Limited speeds of golf carts also limit the range in which someone will travel for their daily activities. For example, if you live near downtown and drove a golf cart, you may be more inclined to shop and eat there rather than traveling to Walmart or Johnson City. This encourages more localized living which helps the Elizabethton economy.

Because of their size, golf carts also take up a little more than a third of the space cars do. This would allow for less space dedicated to parking spaces and more space for building and development, which means more people could park and shop within our existing parking infrastructure than currently can.

Ultimately, golf carts provide yet another form of transportation which makes Elizabethton more comfortable for all generations and all people to live in. We want people who will move to Elizabethton when they graduate from college, raise a family here, and grow old here. This creates what we in the planning world call a lifecycle community. And just like different housing is needed for each phase of life, different types of transportation can help move us closer to a lifecycle community. Let’s talk about it!

Positive Economies don’t just happen. They take work.

Since my time in Elizabethton I have heard many talk about the need for new industry and especially high paying industry. While I certainly can see the need and desire for new industry, we must first take a step back and evaluate our economy and determine the feasibility of recruiting new industry.


Recently, Site Selection Magazine (a premier professional magazine read by professional site selectors and economic developers) listed the top criteria that industries look for when determining a location. In order they are: (1) state and local tax schemes, (2) transportation infrastructure, (3) utility infrastructure, (4) land/building prices & supply, (5) ease of permitting & regulatory procedures, (6) existing workforce skills, (7) local economic development strategy, (8) legal climate, (9) availability of incentives, and (10) state economic development strategy.


We must reflect on these criteria and ask ourselves can we provide these criteria better than anyone else in the region can? For some, the answer is yes, but when we get to number land/building prices & supply we have a problem -- we have very little to offer.


On a scale of one consulting firm, many sites in our community rank as tier 1 on a scale of tiers 0 to 5. We have some land and some sellers who may be willing to sell the property, but neither Elizabethton, Carter County, Watauga, or Carter County Tomorrow have control of the property which is key to ensure the price of the property for an industry.


Industries typically will give priority to a site which is a tier 4 or tier 5. This requires the property to have environmental studies completed, all infrastructure including roads, water, sewer, gas, fiber optics, and electricity be brought directly to the site, any required permits acquired, and the site ready for immediate construction any day.


To get from where we are currently to a tier 4 or tier 5 site could take four or more years and, yes, it will take hundreds of thousands or even millions of public and private dollars, but the payoff new industries and hundreds of new jobs is well worth the expense. Positive economic growth very rarely happens by chance. It take time, money, endurance and a community with a vision to drive the local economy in the direction they desire.


Some people are for a county-wide economic development agency, some are for a regional, Tri-Cities-wide economic development agency, and still others are for doing little or no economic development. Whatever side you take, we must understand that we compete for capital, jobs, and businesses with every other city, every other county not only in the State of Tennessee, but in the nation and even the world. Regardless of which choice we make for the future of economic development in this county, our local economy will continue to develop in some direction with or without government assistance. The question is, will it develop into the economy we desire to have? The choice is ours. Let’s talk about it!

Lessons in Urban Planning from Europe

As some of you may know, I recently went on a two-week vacation and during my vacation I visited Europe. In a job like mine, it’s hard to ever stop working. This vacation was no exception. Everywhere I went I was looking at how the buildings meshed with the urban landscape, paced off street and sidewalk widths, and observed how the people interacted in highly urbanized spaces. I learned some interesting lessons about how Europeans function in highly dense cities.

Public space is essential and revered. Public space is a defining part of European cities. Although it varies based on the density of the city, within bigger cities you can find some type of public open space within 700 feet of walking from almost any point. Public space defines neighborhoods, businesses, and allows high densities of people to happen. Public space is highly revered to the people of the neighborhood. It serves as the living room of the entire neighborhood. A place for people to meet before heading to another destination, a place for neighbors to talk and catch up on the latest news, or simply a place to sit while you finish eating your lunch. At anytime of the day or night, you will find people utilizing these public spaces.

Public art is key to uniqueness. Something else you will find in public space if art. It may be an ancient statue, it may be a beautiful fountain, or it may be a detailed mural or mosaic on the side of a building, but it’s still public art. In some of the cities we visited remnants of the Roman Empire were featured as the public art, but in others it was more modern styles that matched the neighborhood architecture which were the featured public art. Regardless of the specific style or type, each public square featured something new and different unique to that public space.

Architecture is art. Speaking of public art, in many of the cities we traveled the architecture of the buildings also served as public. Well over a majority of the buildings were over 100 years old and consisted of highly detailed facades including around the cornice, window castings, window portals, and the main portal (the entry doors). The buildings in-and-of themselves were beautiful art for the public to consume and enjoy. Each building was different and unique, but they all had a similar style and one design element to pull them all together. Many would even have statues carved into the facade of the building or standing atop the facade. Imagine if all of the buildings in our downtown had the same attention to detail and decoration as does the upper part of the Kress Building. This gives you a glimpse of what every building looked like.

As I was talking with a local guide about the detail and heaviness of the buildings he made a comment that struck me. He said, “Why would you put so much time, money, and energy into constructing a building that is plain and lifeless and is only usable for the next 100 years? The original builder gave this building it’s own character and made it big and strong enough so that it could be used by future generations over the next 500 years.” In today’s world, I think we are too focused on function of the building and how the immediate generation intends to use the building rather than ensuring that a building is not only beautiful, but constructed to last for decades or even centuries.

Streets are designed to accommodate everything, but especially people. Because many of the cities we visited were founded during the Roman Empire or during the Middle Ages, they were designed in a way which was most convenient for pedestrians since motor vehicles did not exist and even horses would have been expensive for traveling at the time. Many of the narrow 15 to 25 foot buildings had entrances that sat directly on the edge of the road. The road also had to accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists, mopeds, cars, and small delivery trucks all in a width of an average of 15 feet (that is a little wider than one lane on the Interstate)! These cities also had larger, busier roads, but the concept was the same, pedestrians ALWAYS have the right-of-way, followed by bicycles, followed by mopeds, then cars and trucks. Bicyclist rode among mopeds, cars, and trucks. The lanes were narrow and many time the road shoulder was the sidewalk, but the relationship among all users was clearly understood. Everyday certain streets would even close after 5:00pm and restricted to only pedestrians or bicycles.

Mixed-uses is a standard not an exception. Lastly, in America it is common to separate our land-uses -- shopping and restaurants in this part of the city, houses and apartments in that part, and warehouses and factories over here. In every city we visited, however, this concept was upside down. Most buildings were 3 or 4+ stories tall (and built to last for decades or even centuries) and had offices, shops, and restaurants in the first story of every building while living spaces in the form of (from what I could tell) condos or apartments. Large industrial uses were separated typically on the outskirts of the city, but smaller light manufacturing did happen within the city so long as they could operate in a very small space and there was little to no impact on other neighbors.

During the trip I realized how highly organized and new American really is. At the same time, it made me proud to think how amazing our country is that we have the resources and wealth to be able to accomplish what we have in our short time as a nation. America truly is a great nation. Our greatness, however, comes from being open to new concepts and ideas and from this trip, I’ve learned that our friends across the pond have some great ideas on building cities. Let’s take some of these ideas and build on them. Let’s talk about it!