NORTHFIELD, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Towns near the Jersey Shore have seen benefits from creating economic development groups with a goal of attracting more businesses and customers. Now officials in Northfield are looking to get in on the action.
Northfield has begun the process of creating an economic development group, similar to other towns like Ocean City and Galloway.
Councilwoman Carolyn Bucci said it's important to get businesses at the same table to identify areas for collective improvement.
"Tilton Road in Northfield used to be the 'Golden Mile' back in the day. That's where everybody went that had a shore home to shop, for everything, on that one mile," Bucci said. "We want to rebrand that, we want to bring that back."
Related
Bucci said she reached out to officials in Galloway to learn about what's working there. Galloway deputy mayor Tony DiPietro said not everything they're doing will work in Northfield. One thing, though, is certain: better communication leads to better results.
"If you don't have an open ear and an open mind, a lot is going to be overlooked," said Galloway. He added that tax incentives for new and existing businesses worked well for them, and should be considered.
"[We] got some ideas from local business owners and took a look at our boards, our zoning board, our planning board and said 'What do we need to do to be more helpful for businesses to responsibly develop here?'"
Related
Bucci said there are still some administrative steps to take and more meetings to have before the economic development group is up and running. She also believes it's important to plant the roots for this now as casinos are expected to open soon in North Jersey.
"When the casinos opened in Philadelphia, it had a big impact on Atlantic City," she recalled, "so a number of those casinos closed, which meant a lot of jobs went away and our economy suffered from it, as did local businesses."
For now, Bucci said any Northfield businesses interested in being part of the conversation should reach out to City Council.
Related Podcast
