Employment Land Readiness Web App
The purpose of this project was to develop a web-enabled employment land investment readiness tool that was practical and could be easily used by business owners, developers and real estate brokers/agents. These users commonly requested a tool of this nature, and since implementing it, our customer service resource efficiencies have improved.
Previously, economic development team members would send a static document that was dated and required manually sending the information via email to real estate brokers/agents. A follow-up conversation with recipients was required to provide clarity about parcel investment readiness. This web-enabled readiness tool provides immediate information for end-users.
Real estate brokers and agents use this data resource when they have a business lead who is investigating suitable location options. Business owners also request this type of information when they are investigating suitable location options, but have not yet engaged the services of real estate brokers and agents. It is common for independent landowners to sell their properties to developers who have the business acumen to extend services such as water, sanitary sewer, power, and natural gas utilities.
The economic development officer revised the employment land investment readiness data for the Town of Whitby by:
- Directly contacting property owners and determining if the property owners were open to selling the property and if they were open to sharing their contact information.
- Collecting data that contained employment land address, size (acres, hectares), zoning, vacant status.
- Preparing a web-enabled story map that featured employment land parcel data information.
The app can be viewed online here: https://geohub-whitby.hub.arcgis.com/apps/employment-land-investment-readiness-2022/explore
The data will be updated twice a year and account for development applications submitted to the Town, as well as changes in land ownership. The update will be then uploaded to the web app.
An outcome of this project is improved customer service for businesses. The Town demonstrates that economic development team members understand the existing employment land assets, their various states of investment readiness, and have future long-term plans to accommodate investment. Economic development team members are also better able to present the case to service future employment areas for the Region of Durham and enable the Province of Ontario to declare properties surplus.
