Our goal is to create a sustainable, equitable and dynamic economy that elevates well-being throughout the county.
Together, the City of York, the Downtown York Business Improvement District, the York County Planning Commission, and the York County Economic Alliance have partnered with nationally known Fourth Economy Consultants to help align stakeholders around a common vision and develop a countywide strategic action plan.
This is an opportunity to drive future economic growth that will position York as a highly desirable location to live, learn, work, and play. This initiative is possible through funding support by the York County Community Foundation’s Non-Profit Management Assistance fund, Powder Mill Foundation and the Warehime Foundation.
Updates & Progress
The York County Economic Action Plan received final approval at the December 16 Commissioners Meeting.
View the full plan here.
View the executive summary here.
Here’s the what the process looks like:
- October 22: York County Economic Alliance unanimously approved the EAP
- October 28: York County Planning Commission advertised the EAP public hearing and the 45-day public comment began
- November 17, 1-2 PM: EAP public hearing in front of York County Planning Commission
- December 15: York County Planning Commission formally recommends approval of EAP
- December 16: County Commissioners public hearing and approval as part of the county’s comprehensive plan
- Early Spring: City of York Comprehensive Plan is on track for early spring approval
Stay Connected:
Follow YCEA
Use #YorkCountyEAP to join the conversation through social media.
The Process
Fourth Economy’s Process
01.
Research & Benchmarking
January – March
Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of our future economy, understanding and evaluating the challenges and opportunities that exist, and providing a benchmark for measuring future change.
02.
Focusing on Priority Issues
March – May
Setting “shared tables” of stakeholders who understand targeted focus areas around which to build a comprehensive plan.
03.
Engagement
May – June
Engaging the community to drive broad public input through interviews, focus groups, social media, surveys, and human-centered design.
04.
Goal Setting
July – August
Developing a Strategic Economic Action Plan for the county, the city, and the downtown, along with goals and metrics to track progress for each.
05.
Action Planning & Funding
September – October
Creating an Implementation Plan to ensure ownership of the identified strategies and a portfolio of investible projects to create a sustainable funding scenario for the work.
Projected Outcomes
A more resilient county economy
Investment in entrepreneurs and community businesses
Equitable access to opportunity and increased inclusion
A shared plan for action
Benchmarking and Metric Tracking
Steering Committees
The planning process for the York County Economic Plan is being guided by a Steering Committee of leaders from the business, nonprofit, government, education, and workforce communities.
Working Group Co-Chairs
Several working groups will be formed to develop strategies around key topic areas. These working groups are co-chaired by the following community leaders.
The Future of Industry
Taylor Groff,
CEO, Groff International
Oliver Hoar,
former CEO, RH Sheppard
Workforce & Talent Development
Jesse Mc Cree,
South Central PA Works
Entrepreneurship
Jeff Vermeulen,
JD Brown Center for Entrepreneurship, York College
Tim Warfield,
Community Initiatives Development Corporation
Equity & Economic Mobility
Councilwoman Judy Ritter-Dickson,
York City Council
Robin Rohrbaugh,
CEO, Community Progress Council
Quality of Place
Kelley Gibson,
Cultural Alliance of York County
Sean Kenny,
Farm and Natural Lands Trust
Infrastructure
Tom Englerth,
Board Chair, York County Redevelopment Authority
Dave Bode and Heather Kreiger,
Rock Real Estate
The Rural Economy
Bruce Miller,
AgChoice Farm Credit
Dave and Anne Loeffler,
Jefferson Borough
