Stronger, Not Bigger: Rethinking Economic Development in Warren County

There seems to be a misconception that when we talk about economic development, we’re simply talking about more.

More businesses. More buildings. More houses. More tourists. More traffic. More development.

That’s not what economic development means to me, and it certainly isn’t what I’ve been advocating for in this column.

I don’t want to see Warren County’s farmland covered with subdivisions. I don’t believe every empty storefront should be replaced by a national chain. I don’t believe we should attract more visitors without considering roads, parking, water, public services and the infrastructure necessary to support them. And I don’t believe every proposed development is automatically good simply because someone puts the words “economic development” in front of it.

In fact, I believe almost exactly the opposite.

The question shouldn’t be, “How much can we grow?”

It should be, “How can we make the community we already have stronger?”

Growth, Development and Economic Health

These terms sometimes get used interchangeably, but they aren’t the same thing.

Economic growth is an outcome. Economic development is a strategy. Economic health is the goal.

A community can grow without becoming economically healthier.

Build hundreds of houses, and you’ve created growth. But those houses also require roads, schools, emergency services, water, sewer, and other public infrastructure. If the long-term cost of providing those services exceeds the economic benefit created by that growth, we haven’t necessarily made the community economically stronger.

The same applies to commercial development.

Putting a new business in a building isn’t automatically economic development simply because a ribbon gets cut.

We should be asking deeper questions.

Does it create jobs? Does it bring new money into the community? Does it strengthen an existing commercial area? Does it increase the productivity of property that already exists? Does it generate enough tax revenue to justify the public infrastructure and services it requires?

And perhaps most importantly: does it make Warren County a stronger place twenty years from now, not just next year?

Those are economic development questions.

Sometimes Development Means Preserving What We Have

One of Warren County’s greatest economic assets is precisely what hasn’t been developed.

Our mountains. The Shenandoah River. Our agricultural land. Skyline Drive. Our history. Our small-town character.

Destroying those things in the name of economic development would be remarkably shortsighted because they are part of our economic advantage.

Preserving them doesn’t mean putting Warren County in a glass case and refusing to change.

It means recognizing their value.

Agricultural land, for example, doesn’t have to be subdivided to contribute more to the local economy. Agritourism can help farms generate additional revenue while keeping the land in agricultural use.

Historic buildings don’t necessarily need to be replaced with new construction. Finding productive new uses for existing buildings can create economic activity while preserving the character of the community.

And downtown Front Royal doesn’t need to become a collection of national chains to succeed.

Quite the opposite.

The independent businesses, restaurants, architecture, and experiences that people can’t find elsewhere are part of what gives downtown its economic value.

If Front Royal eventually looks exactly like every other town, we’ve eliminated one of the primary reasons someone would choose to visit us.

Tourism Isn’t About Cramming More People Into Town

I’ve written quite a bit about tourism, and there’s another misconception worth addressing.

Successful tourism isn’t necessarily measured by how many people we can get into Warren County.

I’d rather have 100 visitors who stay overnight, eat dinner, shop downtown, visit an attraction, and return the next morning than 500 visitors who drive through town, spend $10, and leave.

That’s why destination development matters just as much as destination marketing.

Before spending all of our energy convincing more people to come here, we should continually improve what happens after they arrive.

Can they find their way around?

Is parking understandable?

Are there enough things to do?

Can they easily discover our businesses and attractions?

Are there reasons to stay another few hours or another night?

Do our public spaces make people want to spend time here?

Those investments don’t just benefit visitors. Residents use the same parks, sidewalks, streets, restaurants, shops and public spaces.

Good tourism development should make Warren County better for the people who live here, too.

Existing Businesses Are Economic Development

Economic development also shouldn’t be limited to recruiting the next big employer or announcing the next new project.

Sometimes the best economic development opportunity is already here.

If a local manufacturer can expand and hire ten more people, that’s economic development.

If a farm can add a revenue stream that allows the next generation to keep farming the property, that’s economic development.

If an existing retailer begins selling products to customers across the country and brings those dollars back into Warren County, that’s economic development.

If a vacant downtown building becomes productive again, that’s economic development.

And if we help an existing business remain viable rather than watching another storefront become empty, that matters too.

Business retention isn’t as exciting as a ribbon cutting.

But economically, it can be every bit as important.

Not Every Dollar Is Equal

There is also an important distinction between circulating money and importing money.

When I spend $50 at a local restaurant instead of another local business, that money circulates within our local economy.

That’s valuable, particularly when more of it remains local, but it isn’t the same thing as someone arriving from Fairfax, Pennsylvania or Maryland and spending $50 here.

That money came from outside our economy.

The same thing happens when a Warren County company sells something to a customer in another state.

That’s why tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, e-commerce, and other industries that can bring outside dollars into Warren County are so important.

They expand the economic pie rather than simply changing who gets which slice.

Then the challenge becomes keeping as much of that money as possible circulating locally.

That’s where strong locally owned businesses become particularly important.

Sometimes the Right Answer Is No

Thoughtful economic development also requires something that doesn’t get discussed enough:

Sometimes we should say no.

If a proposed project creates greater long-term infrastructure costs than economic benefits, that’s worth considering.

If development threatens an irreplaceable natural or agricultural resource, that’s worth considering.

If something fundamentally changes the character that makes Warren County desirable in the first place, that’s worth considering.

Economic development shouldn’t mean approving everything.

It should mean understanding the consequences of our choices.

But saying no to the wrong development and saying yes to the right development aren’t contradictory positions.

They’re part of the same strategy.

What Are We Trying to Build?

Ultimately, I don’t want Warren County to simply be bigger.

I want it to be stronger.

I want a downtown filled with productive buildings and locally owned businesses.

I want farms that can remain financially viable enough that their owners aren’t forced to sell them for development.

I want visitors who appreciate what makes this place special and contribute to our economy while they’re here.

I want employers creating good jobs.

I want entrepreneurs starting businesses.

I want existing businesses to have opportunities to grow.

I want infrastructure that keeps pace with the demands we place on it.

I want a commercial tax base capable of helping fund the services residents expect.

And I want us to protect the mountains, river, agricultural land, history, and small-town character that make Warren County different from the places around us.

Those goals aren’t in conflict.

Connecting them is what good economic development is supposed to do.

Growth for the sake of growth isn’t the goal.

Economic health is the goal.

And thoughtful economic development is one of the most important tools we have to achieve it.