Romulus mayor working to promote new city development

As officials in the City of Romulus look forward to another year, they find themselves in an enviable position: a lot of land to work from
The city, which was recognized by the Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) as the largest area of growth in Wayne County during the past two years, is looking at ways to bring development to the vacant land near Metro Airport to capitalize on the nearby freeways and other transportation hubs.

“We've got a canvass to paint,” said Romulus Mayor Leroy Burcroff. “We want to make sure we bring in development that fits, because it's got to go through planning, through the city council and we want to make sure that process is smooth.”
He and his team have made strides in bringing in development large and small, and with building bridges with existing businesses, he said. He and his staff go out on weekly meetings where they talk with business owners to get a sense of what they're worried about as well as to uncover any issues they may have so they can help solve them.
“It's important to have a relationship before there's a problem. It works to get out and talk to people-then they know who to call,” he said. “It's better to have the relationship up front, and then they're comfortable reaching out.”
Often, the prospect that worries business owners is talent. That's why Burcroff encourages them to work with the Romulus School District to help build that talent pool through education as well as training in skilled trades.
“It helps the schools, it helps us and it helps the businesses, because they're looking for people,” Burcroff said.
City officials are also working on ways to bring more brick-and-mortar shops into the downtown area, notably the former Romulus Market, a small grocer that has been closed for years.
Burcroff, who will host his annual State of the City address next month, said he will touch on the many successes in the community over the past year. They all originated in the visioning sessions he opened up to residents following his election as mayor.
“We've been building a ton of momentum. We got people back to work,” he said. “Our number one objective that we heard from the residents was jobs, jobs, jobs. That's how we've been delivering. Jobs have been our focus and we're delivering on that.”