Tarrant County cities are focused on bringing new businesses to their booming areas even as available land becomes scarce.
At a recent economic development forum, officials with Arlington, Mansfield, Haltom City and Keller discussed how they are recruiting and retaining companies in that situation. They appeared at a Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County forum on July 30 at the Bob Duncan Center in Arlington.
Arlington, with a population of more than 400,000, is about 95% built out, making recruitment of large companies seeking multi-acre campuses challenging, said Christie Goodman Duke, director of targeted attractions and state affairs for the nonprofit Arlington Economic Development Corp.
Land redevelopment is Arlington’s focus as officials seek the next “big, shiny thing,” Duke said.
Arlington is concentrating on growing its tax base through the recruitment of energy, bioscience, aerospace, and film and TV production companies, she said.
Arlington’s southern neighbor, Mansfield, is working to retain its small-town charm for more than 85,000 residents, as it booms with new housing, sports facilities and companies, said Rachel Bagley, the city’s assistant director of economic development.
Mansfield is planning about 30 major projects, including road improvements and office development, but remains strategic about land development, Bagley said.
Economic development for Mansfield means focusing on attracting high-paying jobs to the city through manufacturing, healthcare and life sciences to create opportunities for residents to work there, she said.
Haltom City, with a population of about 50,000, only has about 250 acres of available land for development, said Robert Briggs, the city’s economic development director.
Briggs said the city is focused on recruiting advanced manufacturing facilities to build out the remaining acreage, which is scattered across the city. Each property has its own challenges, he added.
Public infrastructure investments make available sites more attractive, Briggs said.
Keller, with a population of more than 46,000, is about 98% built out, meaning that developmental efforts must work to fit the community, said Ana Erwin, the city’s assistant director of economic development.
The Northeast Tarrant city is seeking to increase its daytime population with more jobs based there, Erwin said.
Training programs with Keller ISD are underway, since many high school graduates leave the city for higher-paying jobs elsewhere, Erwin said. Top areas of concentration include engineering, architecture and medicine, she added.
As fewer students seek a college education, job training programs become more important for finding high-paying jobs, Duke said.
Officials said each of the four cities continues to help small businesses grow.
“We’re here to help,” Duke said.
Bagley said small businesses remain the lifeblood of communities, especially in Mansfield. She said the city is developing a permanent cottage market of small offices for businesses to use.
Erwin said Keller officials always want to talk to small businesses interested in moving to the city.
Briggs cited Star Industries, a 40-year-old machine and tool rental company in Haltom City, that is growing.
“They’re expanding, tripling in size,” he said. “We partnered with them along the way. I think the fruits of that labor will pay off.”
Robert Sturns, executive director of Workforce Solutions, said the economic development forum, the agency’s second, helps people understand how cities are bolstering their job attraction efforts, taking into consideration the continuing impact of artificial intelligence on jobs as well as lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Editor's note: This story was updated Aug. 4 to clarify Erwin's statements.
Eric E. Garcia is senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org.
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