City Business Parks: Neil Everson

Neil Everson: Neil Everson, the city's director of economic development, said the shortage of available land for new office buildings and factories isn't a crisis yet but it will reach that point soon if action isn't taken. , according to Hamilton Spectator. By the numbers, Hamilton's inventory of land for new employers consists of 9,831 acres of ground in nine business parks as well as 600 acres controlled by the Hamilton Port Authority. The problem is that only about 5 per cent of the port authority's land remains available and the inventory is expected to be exhausted in two to three years. In addition, the city business parks are almost full. Even the newest the 400 acre Red Hill South Business Park, home to the Canada Bread and Maple Leaf Foods plants is about 25 per cent occupied. Hamilton is heading toward a land crunch that will cost it jobs in the future. "We get paid to attract and retain business in the area, but we also get paid to look five and 10 years down the road and this is what we see," he said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.