Stafford seeking shift to south

BY BILL FREEHLING

Stafford County is increasingly aiming its economic development efforts squarely at attracting Northern Virginia businesses.

Stafford Economic Development Director Tim Baroody said marketing efforts have included placing ads in Washington publications and with radio stations. The ads have touted Stafford's proximity to the nation's capital, availability of Class-A office space, lower-priced leases and an educated work force seeking to work closer to home.

Baroody is quick to point out that just because Stafford is focusing its economic development efforts on Washington, that doesn't mean it's trying to separate from the Fredericksburg region. He notes that the county spends a third of its tourism budget on Fredericksburg regional efforts and said Stafford is historically tied to the region by history, transportation routes and the Rappahannock River.

"There's a lot that binds us," Baroody said. "You can have it both ways."

Stafford isn't the only Fredericksburg-area locality trying to attract Northern Virginia business (see sidebar). But because of its proximity to the capital region, Stafford is perhaps more focused on Washington, with an emphasis on the high-tech defense contractors performing work for the Quantico Marine Corps Base and other federal government entities.

Here are some recent policies showing Stafford's emphasis on aligning itself with the capital region.

Stafford is now in a Workforce Investment Board based in the Northern Neck but has formally asked to join the Northern Virginia WIB. Baroody said that WIB recently got part of a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. He wants Stafford's work force to have access to training that the grant could provide. He's hopeful that Germanna Community College, which is looking to start a Stafford campus and recently got a $300,000 grant from Stafford's EDA over three years, could play a large role in providing the training.

Stafford's Economic Development Authority last month voted to lower the county's personal property tax rate on aircraft to 1 cent per $100 of assessed value. The rate is now $3. Officials at Stafford's Regional Airport think the lowered rate would help them compete with airports in Manassas and Leesburg, which have the 1-cent rate. They hope that equalizing the rate would attract corporate hangars. Stafford's Board of Supervisors has the final say on the tax and could vote this fall.

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STAFFORD NOT ALONE

Stafford isn't the only area locality trying to attract Northern Virginia businesses. The Fredericksburg Regional Alliance--which includes the city of Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford--actively markets the region as a whole. In addition, here are some of the efforts being taken in individual localities:

FREDERICKSBURG

Fredericksburg Economic Development Director Kevin Gullette expects that jobs traditionally located in Northern Virginia will gradually trickle down into the city. He said his office is making contacts with Washington-area developers and taking advantage of the marketing efforts of the regional alliance. Gullette said the city's small size precludes the massive office parks that are possible in the counties, but he said there are some opportunities for development on corridors such as U.S. 1 and State Route 3. Gullette noted that the increasing presence of big commercial realty firms locally shows that there is growing interest in the region.

CAROLINE

Caroline Economic Development Director Gary Wilson said his office is also focused on attracting businesses that have typically been in Northern Virginia. Caroline is lumped in with Richmond's Metropolitan Statistical Area, but Wilson believes it should be in the Washington MSA. Wilson points out that Caroline has the largest industrial project in the region from Northern Virginia--M.C. Dean Inc., a Dulles-based systems engineering and integration firm. The company has 360,000 square feet of space in Caroline and provides 140 jobs focused on fabrication, office and warehousing.

SPOTSYLVANIA

Spotsylvania uses many of the same marketing tactics as Stafford--touting its relative proximity to Washington and area military bases, educated work force, and availability of land and affordable office space. Economic Development Director Russell Seymour said the county has attracted numerous small defense contractors that have later grown. He said the county is seeing more homeland security-related business of late, and he expects to see more defense contractors move to Spotsylvania. The county has also been working with a Washington-area tourism group to attract people visiting the national capital region.

KING GEORGE

Home to the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Dahlgren, King George is also attractive to many defense contractors. Economic Development Director Theresa O'Quinn said the county is actively seeking businesses in all parts of the country and world. That includes Northern Virginia. But she said the county isn't as focused on that region as are other area localities. She said the King George Board of Supervisors has made it clear that it wishes to retain a rural character.

--Bill Freehling

Date published: 8/2/2008

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