1-31-20

M id A tlantic Real Estate Journal — Economic Development — January 31 - February 13, 2020 — 13A

www.marej.com

K ent C ounty , M aryland

Kent County Economic Development Kent County provides incentives and workforce development tools to help businesses grow K ent County is a scenic peninsula on Mary- land’s Upper Eastern building and is expected to be completed in the Spring of 2020. A Gigabit County

Business & Professional Park, and the I-301 Industrial Area. The region has access to a work- force close to 300,000 within a 30-minute drive and the un- employment rate continues to be below the national average. County businesses benefit from county corporate income tax exemption, low personal income tax, and a variety of tax credits making it a profitable place to do business. Chestertown Business Campus The Chestertown Business Campus is one of the largest economic development projects in the county’s history. The 80- acre site will be home to Dixon Valve & Coupling’s new distri- bution facility, new corporate headquarters, a newmanufac- turing facility, and a new facil- ity for the growing YMCA. The site has also been approved for six apartment buildings and commercial speculative space for other businesses to locate in Chestertown. Phase I of the project includes the recently completed 188,000 s/f distribu- tion facility. Phase II includes a 60,0000 s/f headquarters

Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, ideally situated less than a two- hour drive from Philadelphia, Washington DC, Annapolis, Dover and Northern Virginia. It is home to two designated Main Streets, an Arts & En- tertainment District, several worldwide manufacturers, historic Washington College, and one of the largest marina communities in Maryland. Kent County is Open for Business Kent County is actively pro- viding incentives and work- force development tools to help businesses grow. The County is developing broadband infra- structure and has implemented a 110-mile fiber optic broad- band network for high-speed gigabit connectivity. Portions of the County are located within Commerce Zones, an Opportu- nity Zone, an Enterprise Zone, and a HUBZone. The office of Economic Development works with businesses to identify the tax credits they are entitled to for locating to, and growing

Kent County has completed the backbone implementation of a 110-mile fiber optic back- bone throughout the county. The county has entered into a public-private partnership with Kent Fiber Optic Systems to provide public institutions with high-speed reliable internet ac- cess. KentFOS’ open access net- work allows Internet Services Providers the ability to offer 1G service to businesses and residences. The primary goal was to enhance the infrastruc- ture needed to support new and existing businesses and organizations in Kent County, particularly affordable, robust, and high capacity internet access. By taking this action, the county is expanding the competitive capability of local businesses and organizations, and providing more jobs and opportunities for residents. Ad- ditionally, this infrastructure improves the ability to attract new residents and businesses to the County. 

The new KRM/Dixon development as part of the Chestertown Business Campus.

within, those designated zones. In addition, the County offers access to programs including the Maryland Commercial Property Assessed Clean En- ergy (MD-PACE) Program, the Maryland Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MD MEP), and the ExportMD Program. Business Overview Kent County is home to a

wide variety of businesses in in- dustries including manufactur- ing, aquaculture, agriculture, health services, education, maritime, culinary and profes- sional services. Several of the major employers are world- wide manufacturers and the county is home to several large business parks including the Kent County Business Park at Worton, the Radcliffe Creek

Live ● Learn ● Work ● Connect OPEN for Business • Tax Incentives • Fiber Gigabit Connectivity • Business Associations • Interstate Access • Loan/Capital Assistance

• Access to Higher Education • Designated Growth Areas • 17 Million People Within 100 Miles

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

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