There’s an old saying many use to describe economic development in West Orange County: A rising tide lifts all boats.
As the growth in the area continues, local municipalities are following that trend — particularly the city of Ocoee. In recent years, the city has experienced the largest growth period in its history. Much of that can be attributed to changes in the city’s development review process.
“You have to set yourself up for the good (economic) times, so when the economy was down a bit eight to 10 years ago, we took a lot of time and put a lot of good plans in place,” Assistant City Manager Craig Shadrix said. “I had been tasked with trying to change our development practices. We were rated very poorly 10 to 12 years ago in terms of being difficult to work with, somewhat onerous as far as the (development) process goes and those kinds of things.