Alston's and Arnold's notion of economic development unimaginative

Construction is not economic development. Making construction the centerpiece of an economic development plan is an upside down approach to economic development. It is the kind of "build it and they will come" thinking that is delightful for real estate and construction businesses, but which will fail Guilford county in two ways: One, by lessening the risk of building useless crap more prone to vacancy than productive use it will encourage it; and, two, in opportunity costs, directing our economic development energies away from the true economic engines of the future which, trust me, are not more strip malls and burger joints.

The proposal by Guilford County Commissioners Steve Arnold and Skip Alston to provide monetary "grants" equal to three years of property taxes to property owners who build, renovate or remodel property is a nice little gift to a narrow group of industries, but it is laughable to call it an economic incentive. It is a development incentive.

Arnold and Austin are relics who have turned to the only thing they know -- an antiquated notion of economic development. A real plan would have as its measure the creation of good paying jobs. This plan isn't it. It will pass because it will line the pockets of enough people to make it popular. It will also mark the continuation of Guilford County leadership as unimaginative.

[added] If you are opposed to incentives in general, this plan is a bad idea because its largess could otherwise be spread to all businesses in the form of an across the board tax reduction. If you find incentives acceptable, the plan is unimaginative because it encourages only construction. It does not extend grants for the purchase of a new x-ray machine, computer or other business expanding equipment or even for what should be the real bottom line, the addition of a new employee.