Malissa MacKay
Guest Columnist
As Liberty County continues to grow, one question is becoming increasingly important: How do we ensure that commercial development keeps pace with residential and industrial growth?
To help answer that question, the Liberty County Development Authority, Liberty County government, the City of Hinesville, and the Liberty County Chamber of Commerce have partnered to bring Retail Strategies, a nationally recognized retail recruitment and consulting firm, to Liberty County through a new three-year initiative. Beginning this September, Retail Strategies will assist with market analysis, demographic research, site evaluation, retail recruitment planning, and direct outreach to retailers, restaurants, brokers, and developers. This initiative is about far more than attracting new stores and restaurants. It is about strengthening the long-term financial health of our community.
Commercial development plays a critical role in diversifying the tax base. When communities become overly dependent on residential property taxes, the cost of public services often falls disproportionately on homeowners. A healthy balance of residential, commercial, and industrial development helps distribute those costs more evenly.
Commercial properties generate tax revenue, jobs, consumer spending, and investment. In most cases, commercial development contributes more to local revenues than it requires in public services. That positive fiscal impact helps maintain roads, public safety, parks, and other essential services while reducing the tax burden on residents.
More retail and commercial services mean more shopping, dining, and entertainment options. Dollars spent locally support local jobs, strengthen existing businesses, and help keep sales tax revenues within the community.
The Retail Strategies partnership was designed to help communities better understand and capitalize on these opportunities. Their work will identify retail gaps in the market, evaluate commercial sites, analyze consumer spending patterns, and develop strategies to attract businesses that fit Liberty County.
It is important, however, to understand how retail recruitment really works.
Many people have favorite retailers they would like to see in Liberty County. Whether it’s Trader Joe’s, Bass Pro Shops, or Costco, etc, retailers make location decisions based on data, not wish lists. They evaluate population density, household income, traffic counts, growth trends, workforce characteristics, tourism activity, competition, and consumer spending patterns before deciding where to invest.
In other words, communities do not choose retailers. Retailers choose communities. That reality should not discourage us. Instead, it highlights the value of this partnership. Retail Strategies is not simply a company that recruits retailers. Their expertise lies in helping communities understand what the market can support today and what is needed to attract commercial investment.
Their analysis may reveal that some desired retailers are not currently realistic prospects. It may also identify opportunities that local leaders had not considered. Perhaps most importantly, it can help communities understand what steps are needed to attract future investment.
The answer may involve additional residential growth, improved infrastructure, larger development- ready sites, better transportation access, or increased customer density in targeted growth areas. Understanding these factors gives local leaders a roadmap instead of simply a wish list.
The goal is not just to recruit the next retailer. The goal is to create the conditions that make retailers want to invest here.
Every municipality in Liberty County is invited to participate in this process. Beginning this fall, local leaders will meet with Retail Strategies to share their vision for commercial development. Communities will have the opportunity to discuss priorities, identify development sites, highlight redevelopment opportunities, and communicate the types of businesses they hope to attract.
Each municipality will be asked to designate a single point of contact to serve as its liaison for this initiative. This individual will help coordinate information, communicate local priorities, and ensure that opportunities identified through Retail Strategies are directed to the appropriate local leaders and stakeholders.
At its core, this initiative reflects the power of partnership. By working together, the Liberty County Development Authority, Liberty County government, the City of Hinesville, the Liberty County Chamber of Commerce, and our municipal partners are creating a more coordinated approach to commercial development while respecting the unique goals of each community.
Liberty County’s future growth will not happen by accident. It will be shaped by informed decisions, strategic investments, and collaboration. This initiative provides an opportunity to better understand our market, strengthen our commercial corridors, diversify local tax revenues, and create the types of places where businesses want to invest and the community feels proud to support what is growing around them That’s a win for every municipality, every business, and every resident of Liberty County.
Malissa MacKay is vice president of the Liberty County Development Authority.