I don’t know why this hasn’t become a real thing. Why aren’t communities investing in office parks the way that they invest in industrial parks? Sure, it’s traditional to try and entice distribution or manufacturing or call centers to a community. But why not also try to attract the law firm back offices? What’s keeping you from putting up a Back Office Park?
It’s not that different from industrial except that the buildings cost more – which is part of what keeps some companies out of communities anyway. It’s almost as if there is an unwritten agreement that industrial can be helped by government or EDC funds but keep your hands off the office buildings.
In the past 12 months I have seen a lot of corporate interest in tertiary markets for certain functions but the perceived lack of infrastructure and capabilities is a huge negative. Why not try to change that on a community level?