When courting new businesses to establish themselves in Jacksonville, the city’s economic development consultant said Thursday the city’s weakness is lack of easily developable land.

 The consultant, Ricky Hayes, is the principal in Retail Attractions of Owasso, Okla., a company that creates economic development strategies for cities.

Economic recession has caused companies to reduce the number of new stores and restaurants they build each year and also has caused them to become choosier about where they place their few new locations, Hayes said.

“It’s very competitive,” Mayor Gary Fletcher said.

Hayes, whose existing one-year contract with Jacksonville will expire in December, told city officials before he was hired to market Jacksonville and attract new stores and restaurants to the city that his strategy should take about three years to produce obvious fruit.

Studying, marketing, planning and building take time, but in the third year, Jacksonville should see some new buildings going up, Hayes said.

However, Hayes said that although Jacksonville is a city with qualities attractive to people looking to build new stores and restaurants, undeveloped highway frontage within a city’s limits is much more appealing to developers than properties that need to be cleared or renovated.

“Starting from scratch is always easier,” Hayes said, who said it also comes with fewer ownership and environmental problems.

Jacksonville is attempting to annex about 4 miles of Pulaski County land outside the city limits not only to increase Jacksonville’s sales tax base with existing businesses in that area but also to add undeveloped property to the city. Jacksonville residents and the people living in the areas that could be annexed will vote on the issue in the Nov. 2 general election.

Hayes said he emphasizes to developers the value of Little Rock Air Force Base being in Jacksonville’s city limit, city officials’ pro-business approach and the fact that about 72,000 commuting cars drive through the city daily on U.S. Highway 67/167.

The Air Force base in particular strengthens the local economy.

“People in the military are young, mobile and they spend money,” Hayes said.

He also said Jacksonville is a place where many people live and shop, so it makes sense to expand the shopping and restaurant opportunities there, rather than try to reproduce the more industrial businesses in Little Rock.

About a dozen restaurants and several box stores are considering development in Jacksonville, but it is too early to release the companies’ names, Hayes said.

Annexation would help Jacksonville be more competitive when companies consider where to build next because of the added undeveloped highway frontage it would provide, Hayes said.

Jacksonville officials currently plan to renew Hayes’ contract with the city and continue trying to attract new business development.

“We’re trying to build and rebuild a city,” City Administrator Jim Durham said.