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CITY OF MORAINE

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Moraine officials and residents viewed economic development as critical to their existing and long-term success. Income tax is a crucial revenue source for Moraine. Local economic development partners have continued to excel at bringing in job creators and ensuring that Moraine has a robust economy. Jobs located within the municipality mean continued financial success. A large portion of the City’s Corporate Limits are zoned and developed for these uses, which is another asset for Moraine’s continued vibrancy. 


Moraine faced significant headwinds in 2008 with the General Motors assembly facility’s closure and a substantial revenue loss. Still, it has since rebounded through deliberate business attraction efforts. This comprehensive planning process acknowledged that multiple local and regional partners are responsible for this continued success. Moraine’s job creation and success are just as important to Montgomery County and the Dayton region. 


While known by economic development professionals, developers, and businesses as a destination for business development, the fact that many of these companies are located in Moraine is not as visible to visitors and regional residents unfamiliar with the City’s corporate limits.

RELEVANT GOALS

  • Promote a balanced development pattern to meet the community’s needs. 

  • Maintain infrastructure and support job creation.

  • Engage and retain youth. 

Objectives 

  • Continue to focus on business attraction efforts to attract the identified target industries (refer to Appendix A for the established list of Target Industries). 

    • STRATEGY: Start a quarterly meeting series to meet with regional partners to ensure that all opportunities and RFPs that make sense for Moraine are actively pursued.

    • STRATEGY: Create an opportunity and environment for enhanced dining options near large employers.

    • STRATEGY: Incentivize more hotel and meeting room space to provide convenient nearby accommodations for out-of-town company executives.

    • STRATEGY: Design a site inventory database and online map, as part of the economic development website, that identifies permitted uses, utility capacities, site constraints, etc.

    • STRATEGY: Continue to utilize incentive options, such as the CRAs and TIF, to attract new businesses to Moraine and craft benchmarks, such as increased income tax, new square feet of retail space added, and new jobs created to help gauge the successful use of those incentives.

    • STRATEGY: Update the City’s development regulations to ensure that new business models are accounted for to reduce new business time to construct a new or occupy an existing building. 

    • STRATEGY: Participate in regional workforce development initiatives to help retain young residents who would prefer a career in the trade industries and benefit local businesses.

    • STRATEGY: Develop a “pre-inspection” program to help potential businesses assess the code deficiencies and potential costs of locating into a Moraine building before signing a lease or purchasing.

    • STRATEGY: Create programs supporting local entrepreneurs and startups, fostering a diverse range of small businesses that contribute to economic vitality. 

  • Develop a place-based branding and marketing strategy to help raise awareness about Moraine’s successes and location.

    • STRATEGY: Strengthen City-wide branding efforts, promote the City on social media platforms, and share these efforts with local partners.

    • STRATEGY: Implement a Wayfinding Signage Plan to direct residents and visitors to businesses.

  • Create a formal business retention and expansion program. 

    • STRATEGY: Host regular quarterly or semi-annual meetings with local business owners to gauge their satisfaction with Moraine or to discover potential unmet needs.

    • STRATEGY: Have regular onsite visits with Moraine business leaders at their location to ensure they have a known go-to person to speak with about upcoming needs, expansions, or issues. 

    • STRATEGY: Work with utility providers to create an “early warning” system to alert staff to potential issues with existing businesses, such as decreases in power or water usage, lower electric bills, etc.

  • Institute retail recruitment strategies to attract full-service restaurants, hotels, and retailers.

    • STRATEGY: Attending and networking at regional and national retailer conventions hosted by the ICSC, such as the DEAL Making event in Chicago and RECON in Las Vegas.

    • STRATEGY: Reinforce relationships with regional commercial brokers and local developers specializing in retail by inviting them to regular meetings with staff.

    • STRATEGY: Host national, regional, and local commercial brokers and developers for specific marketing events, such as City bus tours and developers’ breakfasts.           

What Did We Hear?

 Key Trends from community input on infrastructure:

  • Residents, employers, and regional partners all recognize the importance of the employment base in Moraine. 

  • Partner organizations, such as the Montgomery County, the Dayton Development Coalition, and Centerpoint, stated that Moraine is desirable for locating a large employer due to the existing infrastructure and site inventory. 

  • Large employers feel that the City officials are receptive and easy to work with. They would like more lunch, hotel, and meeting space options near their facilities. Often, their employees only have a half hour for lunch and cannot travel far for a meal. They also stated that their employees like to eat lunch outside on lovely days in park or park-like settings.

  • Businesses rely on several county and regional providers for water, sewer, and electriCity services, which are vital for economic development efforts.

  • Local developers said they would like more activity after 5:00 PM and signage to notify visitors that they are in Moraine.

  • Residents and employers would like to see more sit-down dining options. 

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