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Economic Development Survey
An assessment of Glenville resident’s goals for future business development has been performed. More than 300 residents, about 5% of the voters in the last election, completed a short survey conducted by the Glenville Local Development Corporation (GLDC) between July and October last year.
David Kramer, the GLDC coordinator of the survey, said there was a broad mix of town residents that had responded and that the strong response by town residents enhanced the value of the survey results. Brian Nissley, Chairman of the Business Development Committee, agreed and added “The results were beneficial in two ways:
- First, the results confirmed what we already believed, like the residents wanted new local restaurants.
- Plus, the results gave additional perspective of what other types of businesses were of interest and how the residents wanted the town to be developed.”
The survey provided a perspective on the types of services residents want, as well as the desired focus for housing and business services in future development. Four general areas of interest were addressed by the survey: 1) Services 2) Housing Development, 3) Business Development, and 4) Business Service usage:
- The greatest desire in all age groups for a local business clearly focused on Restaurants (primarily for dinner, and to a lesser amount breakfast or lunch). The desire for retail sales of clothing (especially women’s clothing) and gifts followed restaurants. Businesses in lower demand were Arts related, farming, and manufacturing.
- Expansion of Recreational services and Youth Services were desired by about 2/3 of the respondents. Community Services, Health services, and Transportation were of interest to 1/3 or more of the residents..
- Single Family Housing & Senior Housing was preferred by more than 90% of residents, while multi-family dwellings (Apartments & Duplex) and Developments were discouraged by nearly ½ of residents.
- Small Businesses related to active lifestyles (Riverfront developments, Recreational businesses, and Entertainment venues) were strongly supported, while residents were skeptical of increasing industrial development.
Richard Usas, Chairperson for the GLDC said, “This survey is a great tool for our organization to use in marketing Glenville. We are continuing our efforts to make the town business friendly through our loan programs and member outreach. Getting responses from 300 residents is a strong indicator that people are interested in what is happening and are willing to be a part of it.”
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