A county-wide study to determine the needs for industrial land in Huron over the next twenty years produced some interesting figures. Planning Director Scott Tousaw explains some municipalities are ready for whatever opportunities come their way but others are clearly not. Tousaw says throughout the county 18-hundred acres of land are designated industrial. About 800 acres are vacant but about half of those again are not really develop-able because of environmental or access constraints That leaves about 160 acres of serviceable, shovel-ready land that's zoned for industry, serviced and ready to go. Tousaw suggests that's a reasonable number but some municipalities also have work to do and they can do that in a couple of ways. They can acquire land that is ready or they can provide pre-screening studies as Morris-Turnberry and North Huron have done. That would mean completing the archaeological study requirements, the environmental and noise study requirements that all industries need to have done. That means the land is ready to go if a developer comes looking for land.
Tousaw also points out even though the population is not growing there is a need for development. Tousaw points out existing businesses expand and circumstances change. He says one of the noticeable changes in western industry since the 2008 recession is that the rebound has been a jobless rebound because of the increase in productivity improvements in manufacturing. Tousaw says there is still a need for land to build on but that doesn't necessarily translate into more jobs.