Prosper Goal
Grow our economic strength through developing and sustaining a skilled workforce, adaptable work areas, supportive infrastructure, a culture of innovation, and engaged communities.
Why it Matters
Economic opportunity is an essential element of healthy communities, supporting the quality of place across our landscapes. A strong and diverse economy provides economic opportunity through job and business growth, and provides the financial resources for preserving open space, delivering quality education, and maintaining and enhancing infrastructure for the benefit of the entire community.
Being responsive to changing markets is imperative to maintaining a healthy and resilient economy. Technology has profoundly impacted every aspect of business, from employee recruitment to consumer sales.
Business diversity contributes to a stable and robust economy, while redevelopment of underutilized properties, such as brownfields and greyfields, revitalizes communities.
Maximizing the value of the county's commercial areas for the greatest benefit to businesses and residents depends on innovative approaches that integrate community assets and economic activities. Locating economic opportunities close to population centers has multiple benefits for businesses and employees. Engaging with communities across age groups, income levels, and neighborhoods on economic policies and programs is critical to creating long-lasting prosperity for all community members.
VISTA 2025, Chester County's Economic Development Strategy, is a primary tool for implementing economic policies that allow for a continued balance of preservation and growth. VISTA 2025 focuses on enhancing quality of place, attracting and growing talent, attracting and retaining business, establishing an innovation culture, and supporting critical infrastructure. Implementation of economic development strategies that are supported by the community and informed by current market analysis are key to continuation of the county's strong economic health.
Objectives
- Promote a diverse industry base and flexible workplaces that can adapt to rapidly evolving market, demographic, and technological trends.
- Support communication and collaboration between the public and private sectors to further economic development initiatives and community health.
- Support redevelopment and strategic infrastructure investment to maximize community assets, capitalize on existing infrastructure, and provide areas for residential and commercial growth.
- Encourage the agricultural industry so that its diverse business models and workforce can adapt and thrive, continuing as a vital component of county industry and land use.
- Coordinate and support workforce development across age ranges, skill sets, and business sectors to create a workforce prepared for current and future opportunities.
- Support the redevelopment of traditional main streets while encouraging other commercial areas to incorporate the walkability, sense of place, and human-scale of these existing main streets.
Recommendations
- Expand workforce development.
- Create a redevelopment program.
- Support flexible zoning.
- Retain and expand existing businesses.
- Market the county's location and amenities.
- Create and grow businesses.
- Ensure economic development strategies remain responsive.
- Revitalize Urban Centers.
- Encourage Suburban Center investment.
- Support agricultural economic development.
Metrics to Measure Success
- Non-residential Development Activity — Amount of non-residential development
- Urban Center Prosperity — Taxable assessments in Urban Centers
- Workforce Development Progress — People assisted with employment training by the county
