In last week’s Reporter we told you about a possible 1500 jobs coming to town. In the hopes that it actually happens, what’s next for Rockdale when all the jobs arrive?
You’d think that there would be an immediate boom in housing but that is not the case. At least not right away.
The Rockdale MDD’s Jim Gibson hosted an economic development symposium on Friday, Sept. 10, which featured speakers Eric Davis and Bob Springer from Cobalt Real Estate Development and Commercial Industrial Properties based in Austin.
The housing question came up and we were told there would not be an immediate housing boom because there are enough people in Rockdale and surrounding cities to fill all the positions.
They also said to expect multi-housing projects to come in before new neighborhoods. So more apartment complexes would be built first, and that is something we already need in Rockdale.
Brand new neighborhoods are very expensive to build and that is one reason the apartments will come first. The apartments will provide housing to people who would prefer to live in Rockdale instead of, say, Caldwell or Taylor because that is where their job is located, instead of commuting to and from work.
Other than the subject of housing what can small towns do to attract new industries? Turns out we are already doing a lot of that here.
The Rockdale MDD’s main job is attracting business to Rockdale and they have certainly done a good job of that since its inception. For instance, Whinstone might not be here had it not been for the MDD.
And there is Bitdeer and several solar farms. People are starting to take note of Rockdale as a place to do business.
Our downtown will soon have its makeover, our water system is being fixed and even the recent murals create a certain feeling that we care about our town. We must never underestimate the importance of arts and things like museums in attracting both people and businesses.
Let’s all send happy thoughts to the American Glove Company in hopes they bring their business—and jobs!—to Rockdale. —K.W.C.
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