The purpose of the council is to attract what it deems the right kind of commercial development for the community. Whereas Boyd Gaming Corp. decided to set up camp in Limerick, the council would choose what types of companies it wants to lure to the township. In other words, the council decides who comes in, not the companies.

"Really, the council is to be proactive, to go out and look for uses, fits, partners from a business standpoint that we want to bring to Limerick," Supervisor Renee Chesler said. "From a supervisor’s standpoint, that’s opposed to being reactive: Here’s the plot of land. Here’s the permitted use. Here’s what (a developer) wants to put on it.

"The council of economic development sort of transcends that to ‘Gee, what would we like here? Would we like retail in this spot? Would we like to have recurring revenue from a corporate headquarters of some sort? Or would we like to have some other amenity and how would we go about bringing that to the township?’"

Supervisors’ Chairman David Kane said that going through the casino process has given the supervisors lots of feedback about what types of uses would be good for the community.

The council is composed of area business leaders who have offered their input. One of those business leaders, Chris Mancini, is the general manager of the newly-constructed Fred Beans Auto Park. His role is more or less an advisory one for new businesses coming to Limerick.

"The township has some holes as to what it services," he said. "For example, we have three exits off Route 422 but there is nowhere to stay. I always send people to the hotel in Oaks."

Carmen Italia, president of the Montgomery County Industrial Development Corp., has 33 years’ experience as a facilitator between municipalities and prospective businesses. He thought the council would be a good step for Limerick, and he gladly offered his assistance.

"One of the things we want to do is give the township more of a positive image for businesses that are looking to come in," Italia said. "We also want to create a more diversified base. You can’t keep building houses because then not everybody can afford the taxes."

Brandolini, the company building one of the shopping centers on Township Line Road and Ridge Pike, has donated $100,000. Those are the types of corporate neighbors the township is looking to attract.

"I think luring the right use to the right site is important," Chesler said. "A good corporate citizen, like a pharmaceutical company or, say, a corporate office for an insurance company would be a great fit in the right spot, and we have some of the right spots for that.

"We want to be able to go out and attract what’s best for Limerick. We want to let area businesses and national businesses know that the quality of life here is tremendous. That’s the first thing a corporate entity looks at when they move into a new area."

After rejecting Boyd’s casino proposal, Kane said the township has not looked at that as an opportunity lost but as "an opportunity that was not correct.

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