Pocomoke City officials have funded the construction of a restaurant and bar in their city with no tenant on the horizon - just hopes to attract a star chef and spur economic development downtown.
Brian Shane writes in USA Today that Pocomoke City is not alone in the "if you build it, they will come" approach:
"Creative public-private partnerships are a growing trend, she said, the result of towns thinking strategically about just what they can do to boost hyper-local economies on a tight municipal budget.
'It is cool to see particularly smaller places doing relatively innovative things, where the city and the local elected officials really are taking a leadership role,' McFarland said. "That's what we're seeing more often.'"
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