Freight Facility Location Selection: A Guide for Public Officials (2001) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 17-28
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From page 17... ...
will have developed a vision, economic development strategy,landuseplan,transportationplan,andzoning regulations that explicitly permit and support these facilities in a variety of ways. This also means that such plans will have been developed in such a way that areas designated for freight uses are either not in conflict with other community uses and residential neighborhoodsorthatacertainamountofconflicthas been recognized, identified,andmitigationproposed. Thistypeofpreparationmaybereferredtoas"laying the groundwork." Freight facility developers generally prefer to work with communities that understand the competitive landscape of the freight industry. Ideally, a community positioning itself for freight uses...
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From page 18... ...
Freight Facility Location Selection: A Guide for Public Officials18 Communitiesandregionscanalsohelpsignificantlyintheindustrial or freight facility development process by proactively managing the interaction with both stakeholders at all levels and with the broader public. These activities can result in "collaboration." Governmentandappointedofficialscanworkwithlocalintereststo keepeveryoneinformed,involved,andcoordinated.Forexample, they can ameliorate community concerns by ensuring that the communityhasavisionthatisbroadlybased,hasbeendeveloped inacollaborativeway,andthatcallsforlandusedevelopmentthat supports thenecessarytaxbase.Suchavisionandplanswillalso transparentlyacknowledgepotential impactsandsuggestways to avoidormitigatethoseimpacts.Proactiveplanningwillalsoserve toeducatethepubliconthebenefitsthatsuchdevelopmentcanbring tothecommunityatlarge,anddemonstratehowthecommunitycan workwiththenewdevelopmenttoreducetheimpactonresidentsto thegreatestextentpossible. The concepts of proactivity (planning, being proactive)
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From page 19... ...
Preparation for successful freight facility development begins with an understanding on the part of the community and local government of community vision and goals, and the logical steps that need to be taken to move the community in that direction. While clearly not all communities have written visions, even an unwritten vision makes itself clear in the ways that the community plans, or fails to do so, for its own development.
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From page 20... ...
A good comprehensive plan will also have been developed collaboratively so that a broad range of stakeholders will have had meaningful input to the process. Preparationforsuccessfulfreightfacilitydevelopmentbeginswithan understandingonthepartofthecommunityandlocalgovernment ofcommunityvisionandgoalsandthelogicalstepsthatneedtobe takentomovethecommunity towardthatdevelopment.Avision is not justwordsonpaper,but clear understanding,developed ina collaborativeprocess,ofhowthecommunityseesitselfinthefuture. Thiscanrelatetoalltypesofcharacteristics,includingqualityoflife, economicviability,sustainability,andinfrastructure.Whileclearlynot allcommunitieshavewrittenvisions,evenanunwritten(orno)
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From page 21... ...
Freight Facility Location Selection: A Guide for Public Officials 21 alsohavebeendevelopedcollaborativelysothatabroadrangeof stakeholderswillhavehadmeaningfulinputtotheprocess. Whenacommunityisactivelyseekingorspeakingwithapotential freightfacilityorindustrialdeveloper,thegreatestopportunityfor successwillcomefromextensivecollaborationandcommunicationat that stage. Planners, local electedofficials, economicdevelopment agencies, regulatoryagencies, transportationplanners, andothers needtobebrought intotheprocesssothat theycanexpress their concernsandhavethoseconcernsaddressed.Thesamegoesforthe generalpublic,mostspecificallythoseliving,working,orcommuting inproximitytotheproposedfacility.
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From page 22... ...
Public sector assistance and incentives Public sector assistance in the forms of tax credits, grants, lowcost loans, training programs, utility discounts, and infrastructure development can address specific location shortcomings and is oftenusedtoclosethegapbetweenalocationanditscompetition. Broadly speaking, incentivesdo notdrive locationdecisions in the early stages of facility planning. Incentives do not substantially impact the overall feasibility of a site, nor can they ameliorate seriousshortcomings.Inshort,theycannotmakea"bad"locationinto a"good"one.Therefore,incentivesarenotanearlydecisionfactor, butmaybea significant factoronce the list is reduced to several candidatesites. Companiesandlocationconsultantshaveawiderangeofperspectives regarding the roleanduseofpublic incentives. Some companies viewtheincentivesprocessasaskingthecommunityforhandoutsand Public sector assistance in the forms of tax credits, grants, low-cost loans, training programs, utility discounts, and infrastructure development can address specific location shortcomings and is often used to close the gap between a location and its competition.
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From page 23... ...
Freight Facility Location Selection: A Guide for Public Officials 23 arenotwillingtoaskforanyassistancebeyondthatavailableas-ofright(e.g.,benefitsdefinedbylegislationifcompaniesachievepresethiringor investment targets) . Somemayevenforego incentive offersduetoconcernsoverpublicperceptionorfuture"claw-back" provisionsthatrequirethecompanytoreturnanybenefitsifagreeduponbenchmarksarenotmet.
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From page 24... ...
Freight location decisions rarely respond to a "build it and they will come" approach on the part of the public sector unless the public sector has been diligent in doing its homework. But having needed infrastructure in place can be a strong incentive.
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Costs and benefits should be understood and shared among the parties. Best practices for the public sector So,whatcancommunityleadersandofficialsdointermsoflaying thegroundworkandbuildingacollaborativeprocesstobringgood freightfacilitydevelopmenttotheircommunityinawin-winprocess?
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From page 26... ...
Freight Facility Location Selection: A Guide for Public Officials26 Examining: ; Thecommunity'slocationonvarioustransportationnetworks andfreightflowswillimpactthekindsofbusinesseswhichwill wanttolocateinthecommunity.Ifthecommunityisnotalong the key flow, it will not be a candidate for activity, while communitiesalongkeyfreightflowswillexperienceincreased pressuresforfreightfacilitydevelopment. ; Other key inputs such as labor force and overall cost environmentwillalso impactthespecificactivitiesdrawnto anarea.Thiswilldifferbycompany,activity,andindustry. Communities need to understand which facility types and functionsmatchtheirowncommunitystrengthsandprovidea competitiveadvantage.Landuseplannersneedtoemploy theseinsightsinthewaystheysituatedevelopmentandlink thatdevelopmenttotheirlocality'snetworksandresourcesas wellastotheircommunity'svisionandgoals.
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From page 27... ...
andenable community growth, yet these benefits are generally not Our public sector organizations need to collaborate in order for the big picture to be understood and for all stakeholders to be "on-board"... Better outcomes result from collaboration...
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From page 28... ...
Freight and logistics activities sustain community life and enable community growth, yet these benefits are generally not recognized by citizens. Conversely, all citizens can relate to the hazards they attribute to truck traffic.
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