Gloucester staff will be on hand next Wednesday to discuss with business owners and the public recommendations compiled by the county’s Business Development Focus Group in recent months. The open format-style meeting will be held from 4-7 p.m. at the Main Street Center conference room, located near the Gloucester Post Office.

The focus group, made up of several members of the board of supervisors, along with county staff and local business representatives, began meeting last summer in hopes of making the county more business-friendly.

People may stop by between 4-7 p.m. to visit informational exhibits and talk to staff and focus group members about the areas that are included as preliminary recommendations—the highway corridor overlay district ordinance, site plan approval process, public utilities, modification of zoning ordinance, General Assembly lobby efforts, Chesapeake Bay preservation ordinance, and other broad, long-range efforts.

"This is coming from the development community," County Administrator Brenda Garton said, "so it’s a perspective. It will be helpful to the board (of supervisors) for people with different perspectives to give their input." This way, once the recommendations reach their final stages, there will be a general consensus among residents and the business/development community.

Garton said that Wednesday night’s meeting will not include a large-group presentation, but that staff will be divided into clusters to help explain to the community each individual recommendation and give them opportunity for input.

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