Civil Municipal Magazine - Dec 2023

103 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 12 Hard Rock Casino, which will bring 1,200 jobs to the area. This development has attracted new hotels to the region, including a Residence Inn by Marriot, in the city’s Falls area retail development. Chapman maintains that despite economic challenges such as inflation, Bristol is poised to continue its growth trajectory. “We’ve unfortunately had to raise the occupancy and meals taxes recently,” he acknowledges. “We are thinking things are still going to come along to fill those rooms, and to fill our restaurants, but to increase the actual base, we’ve got to continue to build housing.” Several townhome and apartment developments are underway in Bristol, and the city is looking forward to attracting more housing in the future. Manufacturing remains a key pillar of Bristol’s economy, with companies like Electro- Mechanical Corporation, Strongwell Corporation, and Shearer’s Foods providing thousands of jobs in the area. Chapman emphasizes that these manufacturing enterprises contribute BRISTOL , VI RGINIA