Rockville Economic Development Strategic Plan

The City of Rockville is developing its first economic development strategy to strengthen the city's competitive position and guide future economic growth.

Building on the city's existing successes, the strategy will evaluate market opportunities, refine the city's target industries, and identify strategies tailored to different areas of the city that support business attraction, retention, and expansion.

The strategy will assess the city's competitive position within the Washington, D.C., region and provide recommendations for land use, zoning, site readiness, partnerships, marketing, and investment priorities. It will also include an implementation framework to guide future economic development decisions and maximize the impact of public investments.

Community Engagement

Community engagement is an essential part of developing Rockville's economic development strategy. Input from residents, businesses, institutions, property owners, investors, and other stakeholders will help ensure the strategy reflects community priorities and supports long-term economic growth.

Through inclusive and accessible engagement, the city will build a shared understanding of Rockville's economic opportunities and challenges, identify community priorities, and develop a shared vision to guide future economic development decisions. A variety of engagement opportunities will encourage meaningful dialogue and gather feedback from across the community.

Engagement Opportunities

• Key Stakeholder Interviews
  • Eight small-group, in-person interview sessions.
• Community Visioning Survey
  • Online survey to gather public input.
• External Working Group Meetings
  • Meeting 1 – Project kickoff; baseline analysis and real estate market findings.
  • Meeting 2 – Targeting and opportunity assessment.
  • Meeting 3 – Implementation framework workshop.
  • Meeting 4 – Implementation strategy refinement.
  • Meeting 5 – Final presentation.
• Community Meetings
  • Meeting 1 – Project kickoff.
  • Meeting 2 – Targeting and opportunity assessment.
• Implementation Framework

Key Terms

• Economic Development: A series of strategic actions and investments that leverage public assets to attract private investment, improving the financial, fiscal, and economic wellbeing of the community.
• Business Retention and Expansion (BRE): A strategy focused on identifying the needs of existing local businesses and helping them stay, grow, and add jobs, rather than focusing solely on recruiting new companies.
• Industry Cluster: A geographic concentration of interconnected companies, suppliers, and institutions in a particular field that drive regional competitiveness and innovation, such as a biotech or advanced manufacturing cluster.
• Site Selection: The process by which a company evaluates and chooses a location for a new facility or expansion, weighing factors like labor, incentives, infrastructure, real estate, and quality of life.
• Target Industry: An industry sector identified through research and strategic planning as a priority for a community's recruitment and development efforts, based on factors like existing assets, growth trends, and competitive advantage.
• Workforce Development: Programs and partnerships — often involving employers, educational institutions, and government — designed to train, upskill, or reskill workers to meet current and future labor market needs.