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Economic Development

Kilmarnock, Virginia

Broadway of The Northern Neck

Opening a business can be thrilling and frightening all at the same time!  Kilmarnock, is a small town with a pedestrian friendly, walkable downtown with wide sidewalks and small independent merchants. The northern portion of Main Street is the location for chain retailers. Kilmarnock welcomes you and hopes to put some of your fears to rest.  Please explore this section to find out useful information about Kilmarnock that can help in your economic decision making.

Our Mission

The Town of Kilmarnock Economic Development Coordinator works proactively and collaboratively to grow the business base of Kilmarnock. The coordinator promotes encourages and facilitates the development of responsible and properly planned residential and commercial growth. The goal of this growth is to strengthen the local economy and diversify the Town’s tax base in order to give residents more opportunities to live, work and thrive in an economically focused and financially stable Town.

We are dedicated to creating a more vibrant and thriving community by:
  • Encouraging the economic well-being and expansion of existing commercial businesses located within the Town
  • Leading a collaborative effort by serving as a conduit between organizations with interests improving the economic strength of Kilmarnock and the Northern Neck. Some of these organizations will be: Kilmarnock Town Council, Kilmarnock Planning Commission,  Lancaster County, the Northern Neck Planning Commission, Lancaster by the Bay Chamber of Commerce
  • Responsibly assisting in developing properties within Kilmarnock in an effort to improve the aesthetics of the Town and providing additional sources of revenue
  • Developing and implementing a plan to proactively recruit new businesses and developers to invest in Kilmarnock, thus expanding the tax base
  • Reviewing Town ordinances, policies and practices related to economic growth and making recommendations that will preserve Kilmarnock’s commercial hub of the Northern Neck.
  • Evaluate opportunities to enlarge the town’s footprint to enhance economic growth
  • Coordinate our efforts with the Comprehensive Plan for the Town
  • Coordinate with Lancaster County Economic Development Authority to encourage a diverse business and tax base
 
Our initial focus will be:
  • Help recruit new businesses to Kilmarnock to complement the development activities
  • Investigate Town/County/State/National incentives to assist new businesses
  • Preserve Kilmarnock’s status as a HUB Zone
  • Coordinate with the Town Government, Community Foundation, Virginia’s River Realm to insure strategic alignment…all working towards the same goals with the same messaging
  • Identify and target new needed businesses such as Medical, light industrial, manufacturing, entertainment, hospitality, food and beverage etc.
  • Provide education and support for new businesses
  • Put the elements in place to make Kilmarnock a “Business Friendly Town”!

Why Choose Kilmarnock For your New Business

Known historically as the “Broadway of the Northern Neck”, Kilmarnock is the commercial hub of the region with a combination of owner run boutique shops to big box stores. Steptoe’s District is a pedestrian friendly, walkable downtown with wide sidewalks and small independent merchants. The northern portion of Main Street is the location for chain retailers. Kilmarnock also has an industrial park just off Harris Drive that is home to several mid-sized light manufacturing businesses. There is additional acreage for development with access to water and sewer utilities. Learn more about choosing Kilmarnock as the home of your business.

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Starting Your Business

Kilmarnock is committed to providing our current & future business owners with all of the necessary information needed to start, run, and grow your business. Check out our comprehensive FAQs for Starting Your Own Business.
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