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Little Growth, Big Plans
Fed funds seen as key to jump-starting region s economy
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Business New Haven
9/30/2002
By: BNH
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Economic growth in the New Haven area has lagged behind Connecticut s and the nation s in recent years, but regional leaders hope to change that with an economic-development strategy currently being drafted. Officials of the Regional Growth Partnership shared a draft of the plan with the South Central Regional Council of Governments (COG) at a September 25 meeting in North Haven.
The plan is part of a strategy to help access federal economic development funds that the New Haven region, with the exception of the center city itself, currently doesn t have access to, according to RGP President Robert W. Santy. The overarching goal, RGP officials say, is to stimulate economic growth that consistently outpaces the state average.
Between 1990 and 2000 economic activity in the region grew by 1.9 percent, compared with a statewide average of 3.9 percent and 13.2 percent for the nation as a whole, said RGP staff member Roger Harrison, former first selectman of Woodbridge. The region has about 548,000 people and 268,000 jobs.
During the same period, the region saw an increase in poverty and a decline in the number of workers between the ages of 18 and 34, while the number of workers between 54 and 65 grew, Harrison said.
According to Santy, the RGP, in concert with federal officials, has designated an initiative to reclaim and develop the River Street industrial area in New Haven s Fair Haven neighborhood as the first recipient of federal public-works funds.
The plan, underwritten by the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and the Fusco Corp., is being put together using a number of past area studies and development plans as building blocks. According to Santy, the plan outlines five strategic goals:
¤ Strengthening the region s economic base by focusing on economic clusters, or industry groups, including bioscience, information technology, distribution and logistics, creative industries and manufacturing.
Despite its long-term decline in Connecticut, Harrison said manufacturing continues to be responsible for some 30,000 jobs in the New Haven area.
¤ Developing employment opportunities through continued worker training, removing barriers to employment for poorer workers and working to retain college students, many of whom now leave Connecticut in search of opportunity elsewhere, to ensure a highly skilled work force.
¤ Ensuring that the region has the physical infrastructure necessary to compete with other regions, including improved access to air transportation and innovative transportation solutions such as enhanced rail use.
¤ Building an effective civic infrastructure that works effectively and cooperatively and is driven by a common vision.
¤ Continuing to enhance the quality of life in the region, including projects to strengthen urban centers such as New Haven and Meriden and promote and preserve the region s natural resources.
Quality of life and amenity development are critical to our economic development, said Santy. It s no longer about recruiting companies. It s about recruiting workers.
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