Groton Town Manager Mark Oefinger knows airports are generally viewed as a positive thing when it comes to economic standing, which is why the town is looking to enhance the space around theirs.
“We look at this as another tool in our tool belt,” said Oefinger.
The town is pursuing the possibility of an airport development zone, aimed at providing tax incentives for businesses to come build in the area.
According to Oefinger, such zones can already be seen across the state at Bradley International Airport and more recently Oxford-Waterbury. When they learned they received the same designation, Groton decide to push the plan further.
Oefinger says the town council was briefed on the idea last week and the response was extremely positive. He says they are now trying to better understand the request process and if it would truly make sense for the Groton-New London Airport.
According to Ofeinger, the potential airport development zone would start from the airport and stretch two miles in all directions, bringing the zone just north of Interstate 95.
“The benefits, the incentive we could offer to a business to locate into these areas would be enhanced,” he said.
While the next steps are still being worked out, tonight the town council is set to vote on bringing in an outside economic development consultant to assist in evaluating the zone and if and how it will boost business in Groton.
