Arlington is a nice town, but it lacks an iconic emblem, landmark or institution to give it an identity. Its only notable place in history has long since been relegated to the role of a stepsister, to the nearby towns of Lexington and Concord. And while situated in an area that is littered with colleges and universities, like no other region in the U.S., Arlington is home to none of them.While thinking on the topic of economic development in Arlington two things came to mind, the need for an attractive and effective public transportation option and finding or creating a stimulus that will encourage development interest. This web site is about the latter of those two needs.
Economic development is about bringing money into the community, which is done by selling goods or services to those living outside of the community, thence reaping the benefits in the way of profits, for local business owners, jobs for local residents and an increased tax base for the whole community.A town government cannot itself generate a business entity, but it can take actions that will leverage the town's assets to create an economic incentive or opportunity which attracts the private business sector. This economic development proposal aims to leverage three of Arlington's prime assets to do that very thing.
Arlington's chief economic asset is its proximity to a fairly prosperous, or at least financially well to do, population in the surrounding region. Its two chief natural assets, arguably, are Spy Pond and the Mystic Lakes.Heretofore, the buying power surrounding Arlington has not been well tapped into by the city. Essentially, this proposal is suggesting that Arlington should develop the industry of merchandising. That may seem like a rather fancy way of saying that Arlington needs more retail stores, but it isn't. Merely encouraging the establishment of retail business to satisfy local demand within Arlington, while it has benefits, does not bring outside money into the city.
By referring to it as an industry, I'm liking it to other industries that produce goods which are 'exported' to markets outside of the local community. Those outside revenues buoy the economic wealth of the local community via salaries, wages, profits and the carry over to local suppliers. In this instance, merchandisers will be providing a service to shoppers coming from outside of Arlington.Arlington has neither the transportation infrastructure, that gives it drive-by convenience, nor a particular point of interest which serves as a magnet for regional merchandising; this is evidenced by the lack of any significant assemblage of retailing to sprout in the city during a long period of economic growth occurring all around it.
It will take a big step for this to change, one that will not happen without the city's lead. The city should realize, but hasn't yet, that it needs to create the ambiance that will keep locals eating and shopping in Arlington Centre, and begin to pull others from surrounding towns which is the only way to create the street (i.e. sidewalk) traffic, which retailers seek.
This website is proposing to the City of Arlington a project that will create a drawing card which is unique for the Boston area, and, in so doing, will generate a new era of economic development for the city.
