Upcoming Economic Development Planning Webinars

Registration is now open for two, free, CM 1.0, upcoming APA Economic Development Division webinars:

Friday, April 27, 2012 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EDT
Preserving Affordable Housing in a Transit Corridor
Registration Link: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/603693154

In preparing for introduction of street car service along Columbia Pike, Arlington County is completing a new planning effort for existing multi-family communities. Increasing rents are already pricing out lower-income residents, and those pressures are expected to accelerate with the higher gas prices, highway congestion and that make living in transit communities so attractive. The plan’s goal is to preserve or replace all of the housing serving households with incomes up to 60 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) and one-half of the housing serving households at 80 percent of AMI. Market and financial analysis is helping to guide the plan so that the density provisions for new units will support financial feasibility, increasing the likelihood that development will occur. The implementation plan incorporates a wide variety of affordable housing tools.

Friday, July 20, 2012 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EDT
Town Centers: their conditions to success, economic opportunity, and preferences toward inviting, walkable places
Registration Link: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/335740826

The success of several town center developments during the late 1990’s/early 2000’s dispelled conventional wisdom regarding the superiority of enclosed suburban shopping malls, demonstrating in economically measurable ways a preference by many toward open-air, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented places with attractive public space. What followed was a frenzy of town center and lifestyle center development—including well-conceived projects and poorly-conceived ones—that thrived, met expectations, or failed. Dismissed by some as artificial urban replicas, successful town centers nevertheless serve as value-adding catalysts for other land uses, such as office and hotel, and provide a model for a better-integration of uses than is found at conventional shopping centers and office parks. While typically found at suburban interchange locations, town centers offer valuable lessons for existing retail districts; further, town centers have, in some instances, been successfully integrated into urban environments. This session highlights many of the conditions (with emphasis on market analysis and urban design) that lead to viable town centers, primarily through case study of town centers across the country. Case studies of public/private partnerships will also be provided. The success of the town center strategy, which focuses on the creation of great places to create value premiums, has broad implications for planning, since it has provided market validation of a number of planning and urban design principles. That these successes have occurred, often in the absence of regional policies that support placemaking, could point to a broader cultural shift and future support for place-friendly policies.

Planning for Prosperity Dinner Program @ the 2012 National Planning Conference

Shrinking Communities Division Initiative announces "Planning for Prosperity Dinner Program." Held at 6:00 -8:30 pm on Sunday night of the conference, we invite you to join us for an exploration of how shrinking cities can be regenerated with lessons learned from the U.S. Joe Schilling will present APA’s new PAS Report “Cities in Transition.” Join us for dinner, program and book-signing. Located at Border Grill. Check event #P008 for details.

About the Speaker: Joseph Schilling is the Associate Director of the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech. He leads the Institute’s Sustainable Communities Initiative that explores the intersection of design, planning and collaboration in the development of sustainable regions, communities and neighborhoods. His field work serves as a living laboratory for research, service learning, and policy change by extracting and disseminating model programs and practices. Through case studies, policy roundtables and planning studios Professor Schilling’s research and technical assistance activities cover diverse topics, such as sustainability planning, vacant property reclamation, urban regeneration, smart growth, active living and zoning code reform. He is also an accomplished public policy facilitator having organized dozens of research, policy, and community forums.

Economic Development Division Annual Conference Session and Events!

Nearly 200 members of the Economic Development Division (including you!) have plans to attend the 2011 APA National Conference in Boston. We're very pleased with the turnout of EDD members, and want to remind you about the various Economic Development Division activities that will take place during the conference.

SUNDAY EVENING: Special Dinner Event

Growing the Green Economy: Linking Environmental Sustainability and Economic Development

A dinner sponsored by the Economic Development Division and the Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy Division

Sunday, April 10 – 7:00 p.m.

Legal Seafoods, Boston

Join your APA colleagues over dinner to discuss the challenges and opportunities of connecting economic growth to environmental sustainability. Our speaker will be Joan Fitzgerald Ph.D, Director of the Law, Policy, and Society Program at Northeastern University and author of Emerald Cities: Urban Sustainability and Economic Development (Oxford University Press, 2010). This event is $50.00 and includes a three-course dinner (drinks not included). You can sign up for this event at the APA conference registration page or on-site. CM credit (1) has been requested for this event.

MONDAY AFTERNOON: EDD Session

Opportunities/Challenges in Rural Tourism Planning (S527)

Monday, April 11 – 2:30 p.m.-3:45 p.m.

1.25 CM credit

Tourism-related activities are an increasingly important component of rural economies providing income and diversification to rural communities. This session will examine current trends in rural tourism, which are being shaped by a rapidly shifting economic landscape and ongoing demographic change. Session speakers include Anne Krieg, AICP, Planning and Development Director, Town of Bar Harbor, Maine; and Robert Billington, Founder and Director of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council in Rhode Island.

MONDAY EVENING:

Economic Development Division Business Meeting and Reception

Monday, April 11 – 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Sheraton Beacon B

Join your fellow Division members for our annual business meeting and reception. Refreshments will be served and we'll have a sponsored bar (i.e. free drinks!) Come network with fellow members in an intimate setting, celebrate our award winners, discuss the EDD work plan, and more! Please RSVP if you can join us!

TUESDAY: EDD-Sponsored Mobile Workshop

Sustainable Devens Eco-Industrial Park (WO56)

Tuesday, April 12 – 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

4.00 CM credits

Discover how sustainability served as the organizing principle for the redevelopment of the 4,400-acre Fort Devens. Explore this live-work-play community where a third of the land is slated for protection. Learn why Devens is considered a premier example of a light industrial park operating as an eco-industrial park. This event is $75.00 and includes lunch.

Please forward questions about any of these events to Adam Ploetz, AICP, EDD Conference Chair, at adam.c.ploetz@hud.gov.

Want to lend a hand? We are seeking volunteers to help out in small teams to "staff" the Divisions Council exhibit booth for a couple hours on Sunday and Monday. This is a chance to work with people from other divisions and talk to planners from around the country. Let us know (by way of a reply) if you're interested in participating!

Finally, if you haven't yet read the Winter 2011 edition of News & Views, download it on our division's newsletter page.

We look forward to seeing you in Boston!

CITY OF HAMPTON, VIRGINIA, WINS 2011 EXCELLENCE IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLANNING AWARD FOR PENINSULA TOWN CENTER PROJECT

March 25, 2011   For Immediate Release

CITY OF HAMPTON, VIRGINIA, WINS 2011 EXCELLENCE IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
AWARD FOR PENINSULA TOWN CENTER PROJECT

The City of Hampton, Virginia, is the 2011 recipient of the Donald E. Hunter Excellence in Economic Development
Planning Award from the Economic Development Division of the American Planning Association (APA).

The City of Hampton’s Peninsula Town Center is a successful redevelopment of an enclosed mall into a vibrant
town center providing approximately 2,400 new jobs and significantly increasing the taxable sales base in
Hampton. Prior to its redevelopment, the former Coliseum Mall was inwardly focused and obsolete with
increased vacancies and declining investment. The City of Hampton, through its community planning process,
developed the Coliseum Central Master Plan and design guidelines that recommended fundamental changes to
the property’s configuration into appropriately-scaled urban blocks supporting mixed-use pedestrian-oriented
development. The commitment by the City of Hampton to reinvigorate its aging business district motivated the
mall owners to partner with a development team to transform the site from a deteriorating enclosed shopping
mall into a vibrant mixed-use town center serving as a regional destination.

The panel was impressed with the project’s quality, contribution to the community, and successful
implementation and results as well as the role of planning to bring about the redevelopment. The panel was
unanimous in its selection of the City of Hampton as the 2011 Award recipient.

The Excellence in Economic Development Planning Award, which is accompanied by a $1,000 grant, will be
formally given to the City of Hampton at the 2011 National Conference of the American Planning Association in
Boston during the Economic Development Division’s annual meeting and reception on April 11.

The panel also awarded two Honorable Mentions to the City of Irvine, California, and the Town of Marana,
Arizona:

City of Irvine, CA: “Irvine Business Complex Mixed/Use Vision Plan”: The Irvine Business Complex (IBC)
Residential/Mixed-Use Vision Plan and Overlay Zoning Code development standards were developed to facilitate
the evolution of a primarily office and industrial center (the IBC) to a fully mixed-use business and residential
community. The IBC Vision Plan, adopted as a new element in the City’s General Plan, represents policy direction
to create both a neighborhood and economic growth framework for the IBC. The IBC Vision Plan project
encourages more housing units in the same area as one of the City of Irvine’s two major job centers in the 2,800-
acre IBC, the largest employment center in Orange County. The new mix of land uses will further facilitate infill of
underutilized properties in the area. The panel appreciated the “non-traditional” approach to economic
development and was impressed with the plan’s originality, comprehensiveness and to a certain degree,
transferability. As suburban areas, particularly inner-ring suburbs, experience increasing infill pressures, this
approach to developing a complete “economic ecosystem” is likely to become more desirable. The approach
taken by the City of Irvine could serve as a model for other areas of the country. (Contact: Bill Jacobs, AICP,
Principal Planner, City of Irvine Community Development Department, bjacobs@ci.irvine.ca.us, 949.724.6521.)

Town of Marana, AZ: “Marana Economic Roadmap”: The Marana Economic Roadmap is the Town’s first
strategic plan for economic development in its 34-year history. The Roadmap process was inclusive and focused
on the Town’s existing industry base, seeking to build supply chains and facilitate sustainable growth of major
employers. The Roadmap has been instrumental in the development and adoption of two incentive programs for
high-wage job creation in the town. The Roadmap process and programs directly led to the retention and
expansion of the Town’s largest manufacturer after potentially losing the company due to consolidation and
expansion of its worldwide facilities. The panel recognized the quality planning of this applicant as well as the
Roadmap’s comprehensiveness, transferability, and initial results. (Contact: Joshua H. Wright, Director of
Strategic Initiatives, Town of Marana, jwright@marana.com, 520. 382.1938.)

The awards committee consisted of members of the Economic Development Division of the APA:  Julie Herlands,
Principal, TischlerBise (www.tischlerbise.com); Chair-Elect, EDD of the APA; Courtney Anderson Mailey, AICP,
Adjunct Faculty, Virginia Commonwealth University; Apprentice, Albemarle CiderWorks; former Regional
Community Development Manager, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond; Della Rucker, AICP, CEcD, Principal, The
Wise Economy Workshop (www.wiseeconomy.com); and James Stevens, Senior Associate, ConsultEcon
Management & Economic Insight (www.consultecon.com)


The Hunter Economic Development Division of the APA provides an opportunity for APA members to join others
who share an interest in and responsibility on matters related to economic development. The mission of the
Economic Development Division is to advance the practice and state of the art of economic development by:

• Increasing the understanding of economic development as a key element of public policy formulation at all levels of government;
• Promoting economic development as a critical element of neighborhood community, regional, and national planning processes;
• Disseminating materials and information about current economic development practice and theory to members of the division;
• Assisting APA in positively influencing economic development policy; and
• Promoting professional communication among members of the division through a variety of member services, including, but not limited to newsletters, web page, conference sessions, workshops, and other publications.
  

The Excellence in Economic Development Award is named for Donald E. Hunter, who passed away in late 2009.
He was a long time and very active member of the American Planning Association, always urging greater attention
for economic development planning.  He was President of Hunter Interests Inc., an award-winning real estate
development and consulting firm based in Annapolis, Maryland.  Don also served as a board member of the
International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and the International Downtown Association (IDA).  He was a
frequent speaker on real estate trends and development and financing techniques, and received recognitions and
many other national awards during his long career.



       
  
   
                          Awards Committee Chair                            Redevelopment Manager
  
  
   
                          Economic Development Division                     City of Hampton
  
  
   
                          American Planning Association                     Economic Development Dept.
  
  
   
                          c/o TischlerBise                                  One Franklin Street, Suite 600
  
  
   
                          4701 Sangamore Road, Suite S240                   Hampton, Virginia  23669
  
  
   
                          Bethesda, Maryland 20816                          800.555.3930
  
  
   
                          301.320.6900 x15                                  www.hamptonva.biz
  
  
   
                          www.tischlerbise.com                              ajordan@hampton.gov 
  
  
   
                          www.planning.org/divisions/economic
   
   
  
  
   
                          julie@tischlerbise.com 
   
   
   
  
  
  

Job Posting: VT Office of Economic Development

Virginia Tech's Office of Economic Development is seeking a senior specialist with an interest in both technology-based economic development and community economic development. The office provides leadership for the university and the Commonwealth in these areas. Recently this has included leading a $1.7 million effort to support new product development and process improvements in transportation equipment manufacturing funded by the US Economic Development Administration. The office is also spearheading partnerships managing almost $9 million from the US Department of Labor to develop and implement advanced training programs in green building and health information technology. For more information on the office see this link: http://www.econdev.vt.edu/

The senior specialist will develop and conduct applied research and technical assistance projects and provide leadership for the unit on collaborative design and implementation of projects. This position, reporting to the director of the office, is a restricted calendar year, administrative and professional faculty appointment. More information and online faculty application at www.jobs.vt.edu Posting #0110268. Review for this position http://tinyurl.com/48f68kv begins April 25.

Upcoming Event: NLC Leadership Academy

The National League of Cities (NLC) will be hosting a Leadership Academy on Local Economic Competitiveness in a Global Era in Seattle, April 20-21. Those interested are invited to participate in a brief audioconference, on Monday, February 21 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time, to preview the academy agenda and ask questions about the event. Register for the audio conference here.

The Leadership Academy will bring together teams of local elected officials, staff and key stakeholders with experts from all levels of government, academic and business sectors to discuss critical opportunities and challenges of foreign direct investment and trade promotion and to showcase promising practices from cities and regions across the country.

As part of the academy, NLC is partnering with the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Treasury to host a delegation of Chinese mayors, senior business executives and economic officials to allow U.S. and Chinese local officials to have a policy dialogue on core issues of local economic growth and development. U.S. local officials will also have the opportunity, in a session facilitated by the Department of Commerce, to directly engage foreign businesses seeking job-creating U.S. investment opportunities.

NLC’s Leadership Academy will provide participants with:

• New knowledge and skills to understand the global economy in the context of local realities
• A venue to put these new leadership skills into practice
• Practical steps and strategies to translate new skills into action at home
• NLC’s Leadership Training Institute credits

Application Information

The academy application deadline has been extended until Friday, March 4, to accommodate those participating in the audioconference. Competitively selected academy attendees will receive complimentary registration for this event. Attendees are responsible for covering travel and boarding costs. For application and more information about the Leadership Academy visit, www.nlc.org or contact Christiana McFarland, Program Director, Finance and Economic Development at mcfarland@nlc.org or (202) 626-3036.

Adapting Old Cities to Emerald Cities

Today's Emerald Cities Book Review Series blog post comes from Economic Development Division Chair and Principal of Development Strategies, Bob Lewis, AICP.

The City of St. Louis is just now embarking on a formal study to effectively determine how it can adapt to the themes raised by Joan Fitzgerald in her 2010 book, Emerald Cities: Urban Sustainability and Economic Development. My company is delighted to be part of this rather innovative and experimental venture by St. Louis, and I’m thankful that I read Ms. Fitzgerald’s book before the City called me! You should read it too—just in case.

Our role in what has a working title of a St. Louis Climate Sustainability Plan is to identify metrics that economically justify going green. Yes, we all know that going green is the right thing to do. My urban planning degree is from the Earth Sciences, Geography, and Planning department of Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. While the planning component was budgeted out a couple of decades ago, I was immersed in the importance of environmental sensitivity when planning for and undertaking urban redevelopment. This is a movement with immense momentum around the globe today. But it is a movement that still has to prove its economic value.

Thus the need for economic metrics. Mayor Slay of St. Louis is insisting on it. He is a green believer, but he also needs to sell the concept to skeptics, like the city’s residents and businesses, who are asked to pay for going green. The questions become, “Does this save money?” and “How?”

Ms. Fitzgerald’s book contains a quote from Douglas Foy that addresses our economic challenge—but also the opportunity. The quote is, “Cities are the Saudi Arabia of energy efficiency.” My interpretation is that “thar’s gold in them thar cities.” All we have to do is find ways to mine it. What savings do we get from greener approaches to managing and operating our cities? Savings equals found money. What added economic development do we attract by going green, or at least greener? Jobs and businesses equate to found money and more tax base. Tax base adds to sustainability, and even growth, in the ability to support quality of life services in our old cities.

Thankfully, Joan Fitzgerald defines a slew of potential metrics that the Mayor can convincingly use as he manages the politics of a 200-year old city that has transformed from a commerce center to a manufacturing capital back to leadership in commerce, health care, and finance. My company’s job will be to translate Ms. Fitzgerald’s fine research into pragmatic measures directly applicable to St. Louis that demonstrate sounder economics in the urban setting. What a wonderful and fulfilling challenge for an economics guy with a background in earth sciences, geography, and planning.

Now, plan to join us to hear Joan Fitzgerald speak at our first annual Economic Development Division “open dinner” that we are co-hosting at the Boston APA National Conference with the Environment, Natural Resources and Energy Division on Sunday, April 10 at 7:00 pm at Legal Seafoods. Sign up when you register for the conference whether you are a division member or not. The networking will be fun and we’re going to learn a lot about adapting our old cities to emerald cities. See you there!