Business View Civil and Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 6

172 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 6 Unlimited Data | Reliable Service | HD Video Streaming with No Buffering www.allpointsbroadband.com | 888.217.7827 YOU DESERVE BETTER BROADBAND market-rate residential apartments through private developers. The Economic Development Authority is also working on rezoning an area of the County for future residential development. Sweet reports, “A developer has an option on the EDA’s 65 acres that’s currently zoned light industrial. The EDA is poised to rezone that to residential in order to put in one of the largest residential planned unit developments in the County.” Pulaski County is working with Stateson Homes, a major developer, to shift this industrial area into a mixed-use residential community. SHAH Development, LLC, another major developer, is also investing millions into new home construction throughout the county. While many communities stayed still, trying to survive the impacts of COVID-19, Pulaski County did the opposite. Instead, taking the opportunity to move forward with the growth of the community. A tourism department and a small business department were launched, along with the hiring of a Small Business Solutions Manager to support the needs and opportunities of the local business community. With over $1 million in direct grants provided to local small businesses, the County was able to respond to their immediate needs and help them stabilize and survive during the early days of the pandemic. “We have been putting human capacity in place to really capitalize on new opportunities,” says Sweet. “We are really trying to think strategically, think short- and long-term about how we help our small business community survive and thrive. How do we, as a local government reliant on a healthy local economy, foster an environment that is conducive for stabilization and growth? It was the Wild West for a while, a new frontier, this COVID world we lived through. We had to take some risks; revaluating every day, being in touch with our industry, in touch with our citizens, in touch with our small businesses