Confirmation that Electrovaya will be opening a plant in the former Acu-Rite building in West Ellicott comes with some benefit to the city of Jamestown.

Jamestown residents are likely to be employed in the new plant if it reaches its employment projections and Jamestown Board of Public Utilities’ power will be used to power the plant.

But something Mayor Eddie Sundquist said during Monday’s City Council meeting should be kept in mind as city officials discuss how to spend the rest of the city’s $28 million federal stimulus package.

“That’s certainly a big thing and one of the many things we as a city have been doing to attract green companies here to Jamestown. It’s right outside the city,” Sundquist said. “That’s unfortunately the amount of space they needed. That was the area that they had found.”

The Jamestown BPU is a tremendous selling point for green companies. Its allotment of cheap hydropower and inexpensive electric rates are something any company is looking for when looking for a new home. But the utility is a selling point in a city with too little of the space companies opening large manufacturing operations need.

If Jamestown wants to be in play for the next Electrovaya, it needs to have modernized industrial space available to attract such companies.

Sundquist is right to be targeting companies focused on environmentally friendly technologies. That’s where the world is going. But until the city does something to create buildable sites for these companies, Jamestown will lose out to its neighbors, which can sell both space, BPU electric service and lower taxes.