Coweta County No Longer Offering Incentives to Warehouses, Shifting Focus to Corporate HQs & High-Paying Jobs (Atlanta: good schools)

[citidata18]

Joining other Southside communities such as College Park and Henry County, Coweta County is now saying "enough!!!" to the deluge of low wage job-creating and infrastructure-straining distribution centers and is actively working to court high quality economic investment, boasting its good schools, burgeoning health cate ecosystem, I-85 connectivity and low cost of living (not too dissimilar to many communities North of Atlanta).

https://times-herald.com/news/2019/0...ters-in-coweta

Development Authority will not provide incentives to distribution centers

The Coweta County Development Authority said it wanted Coweta County to become a location for business’ headquarters at the State of the Community Lunch on Wednesday.

Trae Westmoreland, president of the CCDA, said the development authority will no longer provide job incentives to distribution centers—which currently have approximately 30 million square feet in Coweta—but instead will “provide job incentives to the jobs we want.”

Because the CCDA does not own the property occupied by the distribution centers, they have little control over the area, said Westmoreland.

The CCDA instead wants to encourage companies to locate their headquarters in the Coweta-area to encourage growth within the community.

Citing the desire to recruit advanced manufacturing and higher wages, Westmoreland said it’s “the only way we’re going to take a leap forward as a community.

Westmoreland said the CCDA has formed a small committee aimed at bringing corporate offices, back offices and headquarters to Coweta.

“We need to start going after those types of projects,” he said. “They need to stop locating at the perimeter, Alpharetta and Cobb and start locating in Coweta County...”

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https://times-herald.com/news/2019/0...ters-in-coweta

[bu2]

Originally Posted by citidata18

Joining other Southside communities such as College Park and Henry County, Coweta County is now saying "enough!!!" to the deluge of low wage job-creating and infrastructure-straining distribution centers and is actively working to court high quality economic investment, boasting its good schools, burgeoning health cate ecosystem, I-85 connectivity and low cost of living (not too dissimilar to many communities North of Atlanta).

https://times-herald.com/news/2019/0...ters-in-coweta



Continue at link below:

https://times-herald.com/news/2019/0...ters-in-coweta

Distribution centers can provide good jobs. Most people don't have a college degree.

Coweta is just an unlikely place for corporate HQs with the bulk of the college educated population in the northern half of the metro. They may get small entrepreneurial companies.

Doesn't mean they have to keep doing incentives for distribution centers. Flying over last week, there were massive warehouses all over the SW of Atlanta (don't know if any of it was Coweta). But they shouldn't diss those jobs.

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by bu2

Distribution centers can provide good jobs. Most people don't have a college degree.

Coweta is just an unlikely place for corporate HQs with the bulk of the college educated population in the northern half of the metro. They may get small entrepreneurial companies.

Doesn't mean they have to keep doing incentives for distribution centers. Flying over last week, there were massive warehouses all over the SW of Atlanta (don't know if any of it was Coweta). But they shouldn't diss those jobs.

Sounds like they have tech envy for the 400 Corridor and Perimeter. Maybe it's a strategy that will work as OTP North gets more congested.

[Atlanta Scientist]

The lack of high paying jobs and amenities is why I have never looked at living on the Southside.Good for them for trying to change. Also the lack of transit. They need to get on that as well.

[citidata18]

Originally Posted by bu2

Coweta is just an unlikely place for corporate HQs with the bulk of the college educated population in the northern half of the metro. They may get small entrepreneurial companies.

Being smack dab between Porsche's HQ, Delta / Pratt & Whitney (in Columbus) and Kia, Coweta County would be perfect for Automotive/Aerospace OEM or supplier HQs. In fact, the Bridgeport Industrial site right outside of Newnan at Exit 41 is perfect for a massive advanced manufacturing complex (similar in Volkswagen in Chattanooga or Kia in West Point).

Healthcare-related corporate jobs is another avenue with the talent CTCA attracts and the research that takes place there.

And of course there's also Data Centers, which only seek a ton of cheap/undeveloped land (which Coweta has plenty of), like Facebook in Covington.

[citidata18]

Originally Posted by Atlanta Scientist

The lack of high paying jobs and amenities is why I have never looked at living on the Southside.Good for them for trying to change. Also the lack of transit. They need to get on that as well.

Commuter rail from Newnan to Atlanta will happen eventually, regardless of the type of jobs that are created (it's in the ARC's long term plans).

But yes, the amenities vs. high-paying jobs thing is a catch-22. You can't get better amenities if the workers with the income aren't there. Yet, employers are relunctant to locate to a place that doesn't have the amenities their employees would desire.

You have to start somewhere.

[Otakumaster]

Originally Posted by citidata18

Commuter rail from Newnan to Atlanta will happen eventually, regardless of the type of jobs that are created (it's in the ARC's long term plans).

What plans are these? There are actual plans for commuter rail in the metro?

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by citidata18

Being smack dab between Porsche's HQ, Delta / Pratt & Whitney (in Columbus) and Kia, Coweta County would be perfect for Automotive/Aerospace OEM or supplier HQs. In fact, the Bridgeport Industrial site right outside of Newnan at Exit 41 is perfect for a massive advanced manufacturing complex (similar in Volkswagen in Chattanooga or Kia in West Point).

Healthcare-related corporate jobs is another avenue with the talent CTCA attracts and the research that takes place there.

And of course there's also Data Centers, which only seek a ton of cheap/undeveloped land (which Coweta has plenty of), like Facebook in Covington.

Very true! Coweta is making a wise move to pivot toward more technology.

[Mutiny77]

Good for them. There's nothing wrong with county leaders wanting to create a more well-rounded local economy by trying to attract more high-paying jobs.

[Need4Camaro]

Will be interesting. I believe at first they will capture overflow from N.Fulton until desirability rises to a point where demand is self-sustaining.