Greater Napanee council has endorsed a new Growth and Infrastructure Investment Attraction Strategy aimed at drawing more industrial development to the community.
Michael Nobes, the town’s general manager of growth and infrastructure, says the strategy builds on existing work and is designed to signal to developers that the town is open for business and ready to compete with other Ontario, national, and U.S. jurisdictions.
The plan focuses on creating a more investment-friendly process, including a single point of contact for developers, published service standards, expedited timelines for major projects, and concurrent planning and building permit reviews. It also promotes the use of tax increment equivalent grants and flexible development charge payment timing.
He went on to say staff’s recommendation is to make the town as attractive as they reasonably can, and not put any undue financial strain on the town, but signal to the development community and the province and abroad “that we are ultimately business-ready and business-friendly here.”
Council and Mayor Terry Richardson praised the approach.
Written by Emily Chatwood
