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Economic
Development
The principle economic development goal of
the City of Hagerstown is to ensure the economic well-being of City residents
by expanding the employment base and strengthening the business climate.
In order to achieve that goal, the Plan identifies the following policies.
- Work to retain and expand existing
businesses and industries.
The area has a strong industrial base and the community needs to identify
ways of improving its competitiveness.
- Identify new small and medium scale industries
and commercial activities for which Hagerstown has an advantage and
attract them to the City.
Important industries for Hagerstown are printing and publishing, communications,
trucking and distribution, wholesale trade (including warehousing),
data entry and processing, financial services, health services, and
education services.
- Reuse or redevelop underutilized industrial
sites and buildings where economically feasible.
The City will maintain an inventory of available industrial and business
sites and market those sites to area enterprises needing expansion space.
Available State and local revitalization programs should be promoted
as incentives for the re-use of Hagerstown's industrial properties.
- Revitalize downtown by increasing the demand
for office, housing, retail, and cultural space
The City should support efforts to implement the Downtown Enhancement
Plan's infrastructure improvements recommendations. The City should
require new downtown businesses and new construction projects to establish
a storefront entrance on the street and other major pedestrian ways.
The City should continue to support the Downtown Marketing Committee's
television, print ad, and internet marketing programs. The Downtown
Assessment District Board should be used more aggressively for business
recruitment and retention in the downtown. New parking facilities should
be developed in the center of the city blocks, to eliminate interference
with the street facades.
- Promote tourism by making Hagerstown a vacation
and leisure time destination.
The City should support efforts to develop a Maryland Heritage Area
in Hagerstown. The City should continue to support "The Civil War
Crossroads" tourism marketing campaign. A museum should be developed
to illustrate the impact of the railroad and the Industrial Revolution
on small-town America. A downtown hotel for middle income visitors and
a conference center should be developed.
- Encourage the retention, expansion, and attraction
of new educational facilities in downtown Hagerstown
The City should lobby for the proposed expansion plans of Frostburg
State University and the University of Maryland.
- Cooperate with Washington County to develop
appropriate land use controls and incentives.
The City should make special efforts to work with Washington County
to control sprawl and define and enforce the urban service and urban
growth boundaries.
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