10 April 2019
Moon Township Board of Supervisors and its boards · 39 subject tags
The Moon Township Board of Supervisors held a special meeting on April 10, 2019, devoted entirely to a presentation by Garner Economics, LLC on the final Economic Development Action Plan. The chairman called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. with two supervisors present; a third supervisor arrived at 6:03 p.m., and one supervisor was absent. No public comments were offered on agenda items. Two consultants presented the plan, which was developed through three phases: discovery and evaluation, strategy, and recommendations. They reported that stakeholder engagement included three focus groups, surveys of large employers, small businesses, and entrepreneurs, and 339 electronic survey responses. Key findings included a need for placemaking, addressing growth, and improving the business climate. The presentation identified positive assets such as population growth, high graduation rates, and a strong labor force, but noted a jobs-talent mismatch: 91% of workers employed in Moon Township commute in from outside, while 80% of resident workers commute out. The plan recommended creating a live-work-play environment with walkable urbanism, developing a sports destination complex, enhancing the entrepreneurial ecosystem with an incubator or accelerator, and creating a Keystone Innovation Zone. It also called for establishing a Department of Economic and Community Development with a dedicated practitioner and renaming the existing Community Development Department to Planning. The consultants advised focused external outreach to real estate brokers and the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, plus a dedicated economic development website and sector-specific promotional materials. During discussion, a supervisor noted challenges from remote work and online retail, and a consultant acknowledged Moon Township’s 23% Class A office vacancy rate versus a 3.3% benchmark. A supervisor asked about positive talent metrics. Public comment came from a representative of the Chamber of Commerce, who offered to connect the board with Mt. Lebanon’s economic director, and from a resident, who asked about financing a sports complex. The township manager and planning director also participated. The meeting adjourned at 7:34 p.m.The Moon Township Board of Supervisors held a special meeting on April 10, 2019, devoted entirely to a presentation by Garner Economics, LLC on the final Economic Development Action Plan. The chairman called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. with two supervisors present; a third supervisor arrived at 6:03 p.m., and one supervisor was absent. No public comments were offered on agenda items.
Two consultants presented the plan, which was developed through three phases: discovery and evaluation, strategy, and recommendations. They reported that stakeholder engagement included three focus groups, surveys of large employers, small businesses, and entrepreneurs, and 339 electronic survey responses. Key findings included a need for placemaking, addressing growth, and improving the business climate. The presentation identified positive assets such as population growth, high graduation rates, and a strong labor force, but noted a jobs-talent mismatch: 91% of workers employed in Moon Township commute in from outside, while 80% of resident workers commute out. The plan recommended creating a live-work-play environment with walkable urbanism, developing a sports destination complex, enhancing the entrepreneurial ecosystem with an incubator or accelerator, and creating a Keystone Innovation Zone. It also called for establishing a Department of Economic and Community Development with a dedicated practitioner and renaming the existing Community Development Department to Planning. The consultants advised focused external outreach to real estate brokers and the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, plus a dedicated economic development website and sector-specific promotional materials.
During discussion, a supervisor noted challenges from remote work and online retail, and a consultant acknowledged Moon Township’s 23% Class A office vacancy rate versus a 3.3% benchmark. A supervisor asked about positive talent metrics. Public comment came from a representative of the Chamber of Commerce, who offered to connect the board with Mt. Lebanon’s economic director, and from a resident, who asked about financing a sports complex. The township manager and planning director also participated. The meeting adjourned at 7:34 p.m.
Summarised by AI from the linked minutes, with some details withheld for privacy. The document is the record — check anything that matters against it.