Barton Academy is considered the birthplace of public education in Alabama. As populations shifted from downtown, the building ceased operating as a school, and the future of one of the most historic buildings in the city was unclear. By May 2020, renovation of the national landmark was underway. Two hundred students were welcomed to campus on August 11, 2021. For the first time in 60 years, students walked the halls; for Black students, it was the first time ever.
Funding Mechanisms
Sub Categories: Funding Mechanisms
Advancing Places: HUD Financing Opportunities
HUD’s Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program provides Community Development Block Grant recipients with the ability to leverage their annual grant allocation to access low-cost, flexible financing for economic development, housing, public facility and infrastructure projects. Organizations can use these funds to support central business districts, retail/office manufacturing, small business financing, mixed-use properties and business retention as a few examples
Heather Hiles Master Talk
Heather Hiles is an expert in technology, learning and talent development, with a 30-year track record of creating and scaling nonprofit and for-profit organizations that have improved millions of lives. Hiles is the founder / co-founder of SFWorks, EARN, The Hiles Group, Pathbrite, Calbright College and Black Ops Ventures.
Advancing Places: Real Estate Tools and Incentives for Investment and Attraction
For professionals in urban place management and economic development, there is a need to understand the different types of real estate tools and incentives to attract investment and businesses to your district. This session will outline the basics of tax increment financing (TIF), rebates, historic tax credits, new market tax credits, opportunity zones and various type of grants.
Advancing Places: Economic Development Foundations
Successful economic development approaches can sustain a healthy, diverse and prosperous district economy. This session will explore major trends in economic development and see which approaches local leaders and officials are utilizing in their organizations. Panelists will explore the various stages of the economic development process and explore the myriad of practices associated with successful district economies. Regardless of your experience, walk away with an updated toolbox of financing tools and economic programs to strengthen your district through development agreements, tax credit programs, revolving loan programs and redevelopment initiatives.
Taking a Leadership Role in Affordable Housing
The affordable housing crisis is forcing downtown workers to live farther and farther away, reducing our competitiveness as a jobs center. Downtown organizations are in a unique position —due to our skills, partners, constituencies and clout— to take a leadership role in creating workforce housing. Come hear creative examples that you could implement in your community.
Public-Private Land Acquisition Strategies
Land acquisition costs often make or break residential development projects. Therefore, creative strategies that combine private and public funds to acquire targeted properties can help achieve a community’s redevelopment goals, while adding critical housing stock. Oftentimes, urban place management organizations have a unique position that can connect landowners, developers and agencies with access to funding to make these projects work.
Garment District Rezoning
| The Garment District Alliance, which represents Midtown Manhattan, recently played a leading role in a plan that culminated in a New York City Council vote in December 2018 to remove a neighborhood zoning overlay, releasing millions of square feet of space from outdated, use-restricting regulations. The Alliance’s budget will be increased by $2.5 million for ten years to fund programming that improves quality of life and economic vitality for all in the area. |
Kate Joncas Master Talk – Baltimore 2019
Kate is currently the Director of Urban Strategy and Development for MIG. She leads strategic efforts for complex urban projects in downtowns, neighborhoods and urbanizing places. As Seattle Deputy Mayor from 2014 – 2017 she directed 32 departments, led waterfront redevelopment and Convention Center expansion, and developed a nationally recognized government performance initiative.
David Dixon Master Talk
David Dixon leads Stantec’s Urban Places Group, an interdisciplinary practice committed to helping cities and suburbs alike manage the accelerating pace of social, economic, and environmental change for community benefit. During his master talk at the 62nd Annual Conference & Tradeshow in Atlanta, Georgia, Sept. 7-9, 2016, David explored the challenges in building an equitable city.
Simon O’Byrne Master Talk
Simon O’Byrne is an award-winning urban designer/planner with Stantec’s Urban Places who has been frequently quoted in European and North America media and spoken at many international conferences. Simon has led multi-disciplinary design teams in the planning and delivery of complex and politically charged projects. His experience ranges from intensive urban revitalization redevelopments, to the Ice District in Edmonton, to creating resiliency in Hull, UK, to the Alberta Legislature Grounds.
Finding Solutions to Parking & Access Challenges in Commercial Districts
Parking and access challenges rank as top concerns for BID stakeholders. Many districts lack parking, and also the ability to manage the inventory they do have. Plus, parking requirements can hamper development and leasing. This session will explore strategies to improve the parking experience by engaging with public and private entities. Learn about parking requirements and how different communities are amending them.
Leveraging Development to Invest in Infrastructure
Cities aim for a thriving and vibrant downtown one that attracts residents, companies, workers, tourists, and visitors alike. But what happens when that growth is on a fast track and infrastructure planning has a multi-decade-long runway? In this panel we’ll learn about California’s Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District legislation, how and when to use it, and what it can do to transform a district.
San Antonio 2017 Bond Process -Creating Places. Connecting Us.
Centro San Antonio convened a group of volunteers to look at a different approach to the traditional method the city used to identify and select bond projects. The mission of the group, the Catalytic Bond Committee, was to develop recommendations and then champion the compelling and catalytic projects with a potential to both transform downtown and materially impact the entire city.
Oswego, New York, DRI Strategic Investment Plan
The small city of Oswego parlayed a $10 million state grant into more than $50 million in new downtown investment. Even after years of decline, Oswego retains some important assets to build on: walkable scale, historic buildings, and a beautiful setting on the Oswego River. The city won state funding to create a plan that identified specific projects, explained how they would benefit downtown, and showed that they could attract other money.
Top Issues Council: How We Do Economic Development
Downtowns, as areas of rapid growth, have become key tools in the economic development arsenal. They have created the places where entrepreneurs and businesses want to work. This document chronicles and reports on the intersection of downtown management and economic development. Today, economic development has become a staple program of downtown organizations, and the variety of approaches to downtown economic development is immense, reflecting differences in downtowns and their communities.
How We Do Economic Development: Best Practices and Trends from IDA’s Ecnonomic Development Top Issue Council
IDA’s Economic Development Top Issues Council has been working throughout 2018 to compile research on how downtown organizations engage and practice economic development. See how your downtown stacks up. Learn about cutting edge programs and policies that downtown organizations are using to advance their economic development agendas. Find out about the top trends and issues facing downtowns in the area of economic development.