County initiative would enforce group effort

A Lancaster organization wants to bring business and community groups together to devise a common economic development strategy for the county,

The Economic Development Company, of Lancaster County unveiled its initiative Jan. 10. The EDC plans to hire a consultant this month who will assist in the effort, said David Nikoloff, the organization's executive director.

The EDC expects to use such tools as surveys, personal interviews and focus groups to gather comments from other organizations during the next several months. Nikoloff said this research would reveal what common goals the organizations have and whether there are certain common themes that can guide the future of economic development in Lancaster County.

List year, when it considered how to update its own strategic plan. the EDC surveyed business and community leaders about economic development issues. Nikoloff said the organization found that many leaders thought Lancaster County's economic development efforts are too fragmented.

The issue isn't one of duplication of services but one of isolation, he added.

"We have a lot of good organizations. We do not have turf battles," Nikoloff said. "But we tend to work together in isolation."

Nikoloff said the goal of the EDC's coordination effort is not to take power from other organizations or impose its will on other organizations. Instead, the EDC hopes to foster more communication between organizations.

In fact, he added, the EDC itself might change as a result of the process. For example, if the initiative found that redeveloping vacant buildings and properties is a common concern among groups, then the EDC might refocus some of its attention to that issue.

The EDC plans to develop draft documents in the fall and have a final strategic plan ready by the end of the year. The organization plans to finance the initiative itself. However, Nikoloff said he would not reveal how much the EDC plans to spend because the organization is still accepting proposals from potential consultants.

Nikoloff said he is confident the effort will attract the participation of many Lancaster County organizations, including government entities, private groups and businesses.

"You can't please everybody, but do I think the community can come to a consensus this year?" Nikoloff said. "Yes, I have no question."

The EDC's initiative will make organizations more aware of what others are doing throughout the county, said Janis Beitzer, executive director of the Lancaster Downtown Investment District Authority. The program also might help the organizations discover gaps in the county's economic development efforts, she said.

The need for coordination between groups is more apparent now because of Lancaster County's many ongoing and proposed revitalization projects, said Daniel Betancourt, executive director of the Community First Fund. The Lancaster-based organization provides financial and technical assistance to small businesses throughout Central Pennsylvania. "We can work better if we have more communication with one another," Betancourt said.