Bob Schrock of DJ Construction stands at the entrance to Beck Industrial Park, the first location in Elkhart County designated as “shovel ready.”
bouncing back, and seeing the need
for industrial property in our county,
it definitely was a great choice.”
Since developers are still learning the
process, the true value of the real estate
designation isn’t easy to determine. It may
be that shovel ready is just an advertising
tool. It certainly clears the deck in important
categories, including a Phase I environmental
report and confirmation of utilities, but
companies still need to go through local
government to obtain necessary permits.
“Shovel ready shows our commitment
on behalf of the community to proactively
engage in economic growth and development
here in Elkhart County,” says Dorinda
Heiden-Guss, president of the Economic
Development Corp. “These sites are the first
listed on the state’s website for information
– and many site selectors have told us that
is where prospective clients
visit first when they want to
is administered by the Indiana
learn about a community
Economic Development Corp. and the Office of Community
and what is available. …
and Rural Affairs. The program’s goals are: to certify sites
“We’re blessed to possibly
and existing buildings to expedite location for development;
have four sites in Elkhart
to help communities identify and prepare sites; and to fast
County on this list. Really,
track necessary permits. For more information, visit in.gov/
this happened because of
ocra/2622.htm. Elkhart County sites are:
· Beck Industrial Park, Elkhart – 48 acres certified “Shovel the commitment by the
Chamber and the Economic
Ready” in January 2013
Development Council – it
· Earthway Rail Park, Bristol – 67 acres, awaiting state’s
was the hard work by people
final approval on application
like Bob (Thatcher) and Kyle
· Waterford Commons Business Park, south Goshen –
(Hannon) that drove this
229 acres, awaiting approval of revisions
· Syracuse Technology Park, U.S. 6 at S.R. 13 – 62 acres, forward. They heard IEDC
make this a priority, and
initial study under way
“Shovel ready”
they made sure our county responded.”
Not every state has a shovel-ready
program, and Indiana has fewer than 100
that have met the criteria. Ginger Lyons,
development associate with the EDC of
Elkhart County, says the process requires
support at all levels of government, including
sewer department superintendents and fire
chiefs.
“From our standpoint, we’re appreciative of
the developers going to the extra extent to get
this status,” says Mike Yoder, one of the three
Elkhart County commissioners. “It raises the
level of interest for Elkhart County and puts
us on the IEDC map.”
The effort takes both time and cash, and
the outcome is not certain. Even Schrock
acknowledges his firm had a couple of
moments when pulling the plug was
considered, but seeing the outcome has
caused him no regrets.
“The process went very well. It took us
a little while to work through a couple of
issues, but we’re glad we fought through
those,” he says. “Getting the shovel-ready
stamp on it has been a benefit to us.”
Wish list: Promoting our livable community
Elkhart County is No. 1 in job creation and lays claim to be “the capital of the world” in at least a couple important industries. Entrepreneurship is alive
and well, and corporations are making substantial investments to establish headquarters here.
We focus on a lot of topics – education, transportation, economic development and government relations, to name a few. But one consistent theme has
developed: promotion of our community’s assets. Our students and educators are outstanding and have good stories to tell. People have located here to
establish their creative talents and raise families. Our businesses tout the value and competence of our workforce.
We see livability as a wide-ranging topic deserving our full and immediate attention. The more we do as a community to talk about the good of
Elkhart, the better we will be. We’ll have more skilled jobs with higher wages, second-to-none educational opportunities, and improving neighborhoods
with higher property values.