GREEN COVE SPRINGS —  In what Chair Kristen Burke called a Clay County milestone, elected officials, community leaders and guests came together to officially cut the ribbon on the new Development Services Building on July 28.

"This moment represents more than the opening of a new facility; it reflects our commitment to serving our community," Burke said. "This shared vision became a reality through years of thoughtful planning and collaboration."

Located at 435 Walburg St., the two-story facility is now the place where the county's economic growth begins. Guests toured 30,000 square feet of space, which included a lobby, conference rooms, storage and dedicated office spaces. Each will house employees of multiple departments including fire prevention, planning, engineering, code enforcement, zoning and the Department of Health.

The building is designed to improve efficiency, strengthen service delivery and support development. Assistant County Manager Chereese Stewart said all the departments in the building have brought in approximately $2 billion worth of economic impact into the community over the last several years.