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After three town hall meetings, nearly 1,000 surveys, interviews, small group discussions, and extensive research, Advancing Grundy is almost ready for public.
Advancing Grundy is the initiative to build a more resilient and diversified economy with a clear strategic plan and nine community action items.
Business expansion and recruitment
Grundy County is fortunate to have a robust industrial community that contributes nearly $70 million to the local tax base. It is important to retain and grow the existing industrial tax base and attract business operations in Grundy County’s industry clusters. The focus will be on energy intensive businesses including transitional energy and fuels, data centers, chemicals, and EV related components.
Establishing a site readiness program for targeted industries is needed to make sure locations have water, sewer, and power to be competitive in the attraction efforts. Marketing, incentives, and site readiness will all be tailored to attract high-quality jobs and sustainable development.
Small Business and Entrepreneurial Support
The life blood of our communities is in the downtowns and small businesses around Grundy County. This action item will provide comprehensive support for small businesses and entrepreneurs, including resources, networking and guidance.
Expanding the partnership with the Entrepreneurial Business Center will be an important first step as will marketing support to retail business like shop local incentives. Also under consideration are mentorship programs and encouraging specialty businesses to support tourism.
Land Use Updates and Zoning
Grundy County is growing and changing every year and it’s crucial that local land use policies and zoning regulations are up to date and reflect the goals and priorities of the communities.
As plans are updated, it is important to also align zoning and regulations between the county and municipalities. This coordination is growing more important every day as communities’ borders are closer and impact to roads and other infrastructure cross many communities and governmental boundaries. Special focus will be given to downtown development and mixed-use projects like riverfront and recreational development.
The plan will include many more initiatives, some of which will be championed by the GEDC and Chamber, while others are the domain of other community leaders. More information will be coming out on the additional initiatives which include: quality of life & place, housing, Joliet Junior College expansion, Morris Airport development, childcare and broadband.
It’s an exciting time to be in Grundy County and Advancing Grundy will help provide a clear vision and path forward. Keep track of the progress at www.resilientgrundy.com.