STRATEGIC INCREMENTALISM & RESOURCE TARGETING

FOR THE REVITALIZATION OF LEGACY CITY NEIGHBORHOODS

ABOUT GREATER OHIO POLICY CENTER

An outcome-oriented statewide non-profit organization that develops and implements policies and practices to:

Revitalize Ohio’s urban cores and metropolitan regions

Achieve sustainable land use and economic growth

INTRODUCTION

In legacy cities, many neighborhoods hit hardest by abandonment and blight still have the “bones” to be quality places to live and work.

Ohio and other legacy states are well-positioned to leverage these assets to attract and build markets.

VACANT PROPERTY STRATEGIES

Legacy cities will need both demolition and preservation to return vacant properties to productive reuse. The questions become,

How do non-profits and local governments determine the right mix of these strategies?

How do development officials determine which strategies are most appropriate given the unique situations they are confronting?

STRATEGIC INCREMENTALISM & RESOURCE TARGETING

To answer these questions, this panel will discuss how strategic incrementalism & data-driven resource targeting can be combined to create effective strategies to catalyze redevelopment in legacy city neighborhoods and maximize their historic attributes.

RESOURCE TARGETINGFOR THE REVITALIZATION OF LEGACY CITY NEIGHBORHOODS

WHY RESOURCE TARGETING IS CRITICAL TO SUCCESSFUL REVITALIZATION

Not all properties can or should be redeveloped

Strategic and targeted activities maximize the impact of available resources

Targeting key properties can have transformative effects for their surrounding areas

STRATEGIC INCREMENTALISM

The key to successful revitalization strategies is to begin at a scale that is targeted and doable, but that can lead to longer-term transformations.

DATA-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING

This presentation goes over how to build the underlying framework for resource targeting, such as:

What metrics or indicators can development officials use to assess markets and select target areas for investment?

What metrics or indicators can development officials use to guide decision making on the demolition or preservation of particular buildings?

IDENTIFICATION OF TARGET AREAS

BEST PRACTICES FOR RESOURCE TARGETING

WHY HAVE TARGET AREAS?

Targeting limited resources in areas that can make a comeback

Greater impact when the rehabilitation of a building is in coordination with a broader district or neighborhood revitalization strategy

Size of target area depends on available resources

IDENTIFICATION OF TARGET AREAS

The criteria in these sections of the chart can assist in the identification of target areas:

Chart from “Laying the Groundwork for Change: Demolition, urban strategy, and policy reform” by Alan Mallach, Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, Sept 2012

TARGET AREA PLANS

Strategies for resource targeting should align with an appropriate neighborhood type.

TIPPING POINT NEIGHBORHOODS

In many cases, a community’s redevelopment resources should not be invested in heavily abandoned areas, but in areas where demo or rehab of buildings is likely to help stabilize neighborhood conditions and property values and create potential reuse opportunities.

Tipping point neighborhoods are often the most responsive to targeted and coordinated resources.

WHAT FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN ASSESSING NEIGHBORHOOD CONDITIONS & TYPES

To assess neighborhood condition, it can help to analyze the location and density of:

Foreclosure activity

Owner-occupied buildings

Vacant properties

Property values (such as clusters of high or low property values)

Historic districts and properties

Crime rates

Building code complaints

WHAT FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN ASSESSING NEIGHBORHOOD CONDITIONS & TYPES

Equally important, it helps to analyze the location and density of neighborhood assets, such as:

Recent or proposed public or private investments

Employment centers (e.g. local companies)

Major institutions (e.g. local universities or hospitals)

Community amenities (e.g. public parks and spaces)

FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN THE IDENTIFICATION OF TARGET AREAS

Neighborhoods that have the following features or ongoing activities are likely to benefit the most from strategic resource targeting:

A strong social fabric, reflected in strong neighborhood or civic associations or neighborhood-level institutions.

Active CDC-led stabilization or revitalization activities, preferably but not necessarily grounded in a neighborhood or target area plan.

Features that suggest greater market potential, such as distinctive housing stock or location in close proximity to a strong anchor institution.

A significant planned public investment in an area, such as a new school or public transportation route.

Source: “Laying the Groundwork for Change: Demolition, urban strategy, and policy reform” by Alan Mallach, Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, Sept 2012

FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN THE IDENTIFICATION OF TARGET AREAS

What are the set of priorities identified by the county and participating communities?

Does the preservation or demolition strategy fit into the local government’s comprehensive plan of redevelopment for the overall community?

IDENTIFICATION OF TARGET AREAS

It is important to seek information and input from the community, as well as representatives of CDCs and other entities engaged in neighborhood revitalization to help evaluate specific target areas and buildings.

TARGETING BUILDINGS FOR PRESERVATION OR

DEMOLITIONBEST PRACTICES FOR RESOURCE TARGETING

TARGETING BUILDINGS

A property can be strategic due to a combination of factors, such as:

Location, market demand, structure, and historic value.

Presence within an area targeted for revitalization activities (such as in historic districts or neighborhood gateways) or for their adjacency to redevelopment or reuse projects.

Disproportionate impact on the properties around them, whether positive or negative.

CRITERIA FOR DEMO & REHAB

The criteria in this chart can assist in the selection of buildings for rehab or demo:

Chart from “Laying the Groundwork for Change: Demolition, urban strategy, and policy reform” by Alan Mallach, Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, Sept 2012

WHY USE CRITERIA?

The use of criteria will not only legitimize rehab & demo decisions, but will also help to maximize resources.

Quantifying metrics for criteria can help with decision-making.

Metrics for criteria can also be used to describe how activities impact and aid target areas and their surrounding communities.

QUALITY & CHARACTER OF BUILDING

Does the building have architectural or historical value, either in itself or as part of a coherent ensemble?

Preserve

•  Building is attractive, of high quality, or of architectural or historic value.

Demolish

•  Building is physically obsolete.

EXAMPLE DECISION GUIDELINES:

BUILDING CONDITION

What is the condition of the building and what is the likely cost to rehabilitate it for productive use?

Preserve

•  Building is in decent condition.

•  The value of the building outweighs the cost of rehab.

Demolish

•  Building is physically obsolete.

•  The cost to rehab the building significantly outweighs its value.

EXAMPLE DECISION GUIDELINES:

NUISANCE & BLIGHTING EFFECT

Does the building have a blighting effect on the surrounding area, or does it constitute a present or potential nuisance—a threat to public health or safety?

Preserve

•  The reuse potential of the building outweighs the current harm that it presents in its current condition

•  Enhanced efforts are made to secure or stabilize the property

•  Political and/or public support for preserving the building

Demolish

•  The building’s nuisance impact and the harm that it does in its present condition (in the absence of immediate reuse potential) outweighs the benefits of saving it for possible future use

EXAMPLE DECISION GUIDELINES:

CONTRIBUTION TO NEIGHBORHOOD TEXTURE

Does the presence of the building contribute meaningfully to the existing neighborhood texture, and would it be compromised by the building’s removal?

Preserve

•  Building is located in an area where the neighborhood fabric is still strong.

•  The building’s presence contributes to the neighborhood fabric.

Demolish

•  The building is located in an area where the neighborhood fabric has largely been lost through incompatible land uses and demolitions.

EXAMPLE DECISION GUIDELINES:

REUSE POTENTIAL

What potential redevelopment or revitalization opportunities, if any, are there for the building?

Preserve

•  Demolition would result in an unused vacant lot rather than an opportunity for redevelopment or revitalization.

•  There is interest in reuse of the building.

Demolish

•  Demolition will facilitate a comprehensive rebuilding or revitalization strategy in the area.

•  There is no immediate interest in reuse of the building.

EXAMPLE DECISION GUIDELINES:

EXAMPLES OF BUILDINGS TARGETED FOR PRESERVATION

The Cleveland Arcade Erie Terminal in Youngstown

Capitol Theatre in Cleveland’s Detroit Shoreway

STRATEGIC INCREMENTALISM

BEST PRACTICES FOR RESOURCE TARGETING

TARGETING RESOURCES IN LEGACY CITIES

Focusing on the redevelopment of a single property can catalyze further development.

Legacy cities have significant assets, including beautiful old buildings and affordable property, which should be leveraged to ignite and respond to market demand.

Strategic and targeted activities maximize the impact of available resources and can lead to longer-term transformations.

QUESTIONS?

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