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Retailers happy in Cedar Hill

February 12, 2005

By LOYD BRUMFIELD, News Editor
Today Newspapers

A recently completed database indicated that some 595 businesses call Cedar Hill home.

According to feedback received by the Economic Development Corporation, the city is a good place for companies to call home.

“They all enjoy being here,” EDC Director David Miracle said. “They don’t have any serious concerns, and whatever concerns they have are issues that affect every business everywhere — labor issues, wage issues, things like that.”

The key to keeping businesses happy is two-fold, Miracle said.

“You have to listen to them, and the second thing is performance,” he said. “You have to be able to have solutions to some of their issues, but there are some things you can’t fix overnight.”

Most of the things that can’t be fixed fall outside the city’s jurisdiction, such as Texas Department of Transportation regulation and some signage ordinances, he said.

Most of Cedar Hill’s business hub lies in retail services, Miracle said.

“The largest contributor to our commercial tax base comes from retail,” he said. “That’s somewhat unique in Texas, where most of the tax base comes from industrial.

“We need more industrial and more retail, and more skilled and abundant labor. We could also use some telecommunications expansion, but that’s every community’s problem now.”

Most business owners are extremely happy with Cedar Hill, EDC Marketing Director Sherie Ellington said.

“We hear a lot of good things from them about the police department here,” she said. “They’ve developed a lot of good things cities like Cedar Hill need, and they’re really stepping up security and patrolling some of our industrial areas more.”

City officials also tell EDC that more high-paying jobs — office jobs, manufacturing and warehousing — are needed, Miracle said.

“Manufacturing jobs generally pay the best because more businesses will move here to support them,” Miracle said. “But manufacturing is also very difficult because those jobs have been going off-shore.”

Ellington said the city wants to attract enough jobs so that most residents of Cedar Hill don’t have to commute to out-of-town jobs.

“One of the positives about all the retail here is that it provides people with a reason to come here and shop,” she said.

Cedar Hill has a population of about 40,000, but the shopping base is made up of about 170,000 people who drive in from elsewhere.

The end result of that is an easing of the tax burden on local residents, Miracle said.

“We’re getting about a 3-to-1 return on that dollar,” he said. “The majority of our improvements have been funded by out-of-town residents.”

The next big development scheduled to open is Cedar Hill Pointe, anchored by Best Buy, at Pleasant Run Road and Highway 67.

Best Buy is scheduled to open sometime in March.

Ellington said current businesses and prospective businesses should visit EDC’s website at www.cedarhilledc.com for answers to many of their questions.

“The site has recently been revamped and has a lot of information on existing businesses,” she said, adding that business owners can fill out the city’s business retention survey there or fax it in to EDC at 972-291-5134.

Loyd Brumfield can be reached at cedarhill@todaynewspapers.net .

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