Economic Dev

El Paso County Commissioner Pct. 2
Veronica Escobar

Economic Development
This year marked some economic development ups and downs. Unfortunately, the Court rejected an opportunity to help redevelop the old Farah commercial site. While I was initially very concerned about offering incentives to bring this property back to developable condition, the more I came to understand the contract, the incentives, and the overall benefits (including expanding the commercial property tax base, the ultimate repayment of all the incentives, the removal of a blighted property that would at the same time offer great infill development, and other benefits), the greater a supporter I became. The economy has changed since then, but if it's proven it can still be a viable project, I will ask the Court to reconsider the Foster/Regency project in early 2009.

I will also work with Kathy Dodson at the City on added economic development incentives for the County, like a blight removal policy that will put large, under-performing commercial properties in already developed areas back to work for the taxpayer. Our residential property taxpayers are shouldering too much of the burden and we need to build up our commercial tax base. We are also close to finalizing an incentive policy for the Mission Trail (as part of a Neighborhood Empowerment Zone program) that will help us capitalize on this important historic asset. These two policy additions to our already strong guidelines will help us as we are try to continue to create jobs and add to our tax base.

An economic development project we've loved working on in Precinct 2 is our Ecotourism project. We worked with the great folks at the Convention and Visitor's Bureau to finalize a brochure that highlights all of our beautiful outdoor assets. In 2009 we will shift our focus to creating a fun website for locals and visitors alike. This effort, combined with an educational component, will help us market nationally our unique geography, great weather and gorgeous assets.