E-REP BLAMES COUNTY COMMISSION FOR LACK OF BUILDING SITES
BY JAY YOUNG-CCO
NOVEMBER 4, 2024
No large-scale industrial businesses relocated to Vanderburgh County in the past year because the county lacks necessary building sites, the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership told county officials in a letter sent Friday.
The letter from E-REP’s Patrick Hickey stems from the County Commissioners meeting Aug. 13. When E-REP staff struggled with questions while E-REP management watched from the audience.
E-REP sent the letter Friday in response to correspondence from the county also sent last week. Vanderburgh County pays $300,000 annually to E-REP for services related to economic development activities.
Hickey was questioned on Aug. 13 about the number of businesses that relocated to Vanderburgh County in the last year. He responded, “None.”
This is his complete statement in the letter about that answer: He wrote “The question regarding new businesses was misunderstood, leading to the response that no new large-scale industrial businesses have relocated to the county in the past 12 months. This lack of activity is mainly due to a shortage of available sites over 50 acres with utility services available or nearby. For example, while the University Parkway Corridor has water, wastewater, broadband, and power utilities, the lack of appropriately scaled, relatively level sites near the Parkway but not abutting residential parcels has limited demand by the industrial development community.
“That said, the County and regional economy continues to grow. In 2023, Vanderburgh County saw a continued rise in Employer Identification Number (EIN) applications meaning a growth in new businesses domiciled within the County. According to the Business Formation Statistics via Census.gov, the county registered 2,090 EINs, marking a 9.7% increase from 2022. This marked continued growth as there has been an 85.8% rise from 2019 to 2023, indicative of a growing and healthy business environment, which E-REP and its predecessor organizations have worked for decades to enhance. In terms of job growth
(70% of new jobs are in ongoing entities), our efforts at creating a strong regional economic environment are showing dividends: during E-REP’s 2023-24 Business Retention & Expansion visits, 32 out of 35 surveyed companies in the county reported growth, two remained stable, and only one is experiencing decline. There are currently numerous expansion projects occurring in unincorporated parts of the County. Despite the lack of site inventory, E-REP proactively engages with site selectors by responding to RFPs with appropriate Vanderburgh County sites whenever possible. Additionally, we connect with site selectors and brokers – providing information and marketing material to keep our region top-of-mind when looking for sites. Lastly, E-REP is working on-site development through the I-69 Corridor Study and having advanced conversations on funding opportunities with federal partners to enhance the appeal of available inventory to potential new businesses.”
