But Prince William County, which has given financial incentives to 10 of the 170 companies that moved to the county in the past five years, said it's hard to lure desirable companies without such inducements. "If you want to be on the dance floor, you need incentives," said Martin J. Briley, executive director of Prince William County's Economic Development Department. "If I could pull a switch and everybody would get rid of them, I'd pull it. But until then, you go first."
Local Rules
Companies not interested in clusters are generally more concerned about traditional issues, such as restrictions on how they can operate or the speed of the permit process.
The lanes at Bowl America in Gaithersburg are off limits to smokers. The company said Montgomery County's smoking rules hurt business. Virginia is less strict.
(Susan Biddle -- The Washington Post)
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At Bowl America in Gaithersburg, customers can nosh on a hamburger or sip a martini from the bar. They just can't light up a cigarette, at least not anywhere near a lane.
That is bad for business, said Bowl America Inc.'s president and chief executive, Leslie H. Goldberg. With no ashtrays at the bar, liquor sales tumbled. So have overall bowling sales, compared with those at Bowl America's Virginia alleys, where smoking rules are more lenient.
Under Maryland law passed in the mid-1990s, Bowl America must relegate smokers to separate, ventilated spaces. Over the past decade, Bowl America has closed five alleys in Maryland, because of slipping sales. Goldberg thinks part of the problem is that people who like to smoke while they bowl quit coming. The company now operates just two alleys in Maryland, in Gaithersburg and Glen Burnie.
In Virginia, Bowl America operates 12 alleys. There, it is required only to offer comparable nonsmoking areas for bowling and eating. "It's a lot easier for us," Goldberg said.
Bowl America could soon face more smoking troubles. Gaithersburg's smoking ban for restaurants and bars went into effect in March. Bowl America's general manager, Irv Clark, said the Gaithersburg alley would be exempt until early 2005.
Joseph Shapiro, a spokesman for Montgomery County's economic development office, downplayed the impact of the smoking ban. "We have found it's not as devastating and draconian as people feared," he said. "If you are a business that can attract customers, this will not break you."
Counties say they are conscious of the impact of restrictions and requirements on businesses. Many counties, including Frederick, Charles, Prince George's, Montgomery, Howard and Stafford, offer programs designed to streamline the permit process. Some counties also offer loans, subsidies and workforce training grants to attract companies.
The city of Manassas, which is the Prince William County seat, bought land for an office park, which it offers to businesses at a discount. TML Copiers & Digital Solutions, the first company to open there, praised the program. Chief executive Thomas M. Lensis said he got a 10 percent discount from the city on the three acres he bought for $421,000.
