New Legislation Shaped by GOPC Introduced on Senate Floor

Yesterday was an exciting day for the Greater Ohio Policy Center.  GOPC—in partnership with Ohio CDC Association, Heritage Ohio, Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing and Habitat for Humanity-Ohio—has been working with legislators for almost a year to develop a state program that will provide tax credits to for-profit corporations that invest in place-based catalytic neighborhood projects.

That proposed program, the Neighborhood Infrastructure Assistance Program (NIAP), was introduced on the Ohio Senate floor yesterday as Senate Bill 149 (SB 149).  Sponsored by Senator Bill Beagle, and co-sponsored by Sen. Cliff Hite and Sen. Gayle Manning, this bill help leverage private dollars for community projects critical for the attractiveness and economic competitiveness of the state.

If passed, the NIAP tax credits could be used for corporate and business donations to project such as:

• Renovating an historic theater
• Streetscaping a central business district
• Developing affordable housing for families
• Building a community center

For more information about this program and to add your name to the growing list of private, public and nonprofit supporters list, please visit this link.

City-County Agreement Could Spark Downtown Cleveland

Above is a design concept by James Corner Field Operations for Cleveland's potentially new Public Square.

Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald and Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson have made a historic agreement to reinvest in downtown’s infrastructure.  The Plain Dealer is reporting that the total money available is  $93 million because the new Medical Mart is expected to finish under budget and ahead of schedule.

As reported by Steven Litt, “FitzGerald wants to avoid spreading that sum around the county like peanut butter on a thin layer of small efforts”.  Instead he wants to focus the money on the downtown that will expand the region's reach for tourism, job growth, and infrastructure.

He will leverage the money to get a total amount of $300-350 million to spend on the new area created by the bus-rapid transit HealthLine on Euclid Avenue to the downtown casino and convention center.

Proposals include:

• 650 room convention hotel
• Envision a downtown mall/Public Square
• Pedestrian bridge over the lakefront railroad lines
• 740 space parking garage
• Trigger residential/office/retail development
• Better bike/pedestrian connections

“The partnership signals a new civic awareness that in addition to building excellent attractions, Cleveland needs to acquire a beautiful public realm that encourages visitors and residents alike to enjoy the city on foot or on a bike,” according to Steven Litt.

Cleveland and Cuyahoga County are taking significant steps toward realizing smarter growth throughout the region.  New development along a growing corridor could lead to job creation for the region's unemployed as well as boost the overall economy of Cleveland.

June 18: GOPC and Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland Host Third Small Communities Workshop

The Three C's: Comprehensive Community Code Enforcement On June 18, “The three c’s: comprehensive community code enforcement” will discuss how to develop and implement code enforcement strategies based on strategic community development and neighborhood priorities; the importance of collecting liens; using nuisance abatement powers more aggressively; engaging residents and nonprofits as the eyes and the ears of the community; and evaluating changes to state and local law/modernizing codes to better fit the community’s current condition.

Please click here to register.

http://greaterohio.org/outreach/small-community-workshops

Smart Growth America Releases Report on Economic Benefits of Smart Growth

Smart Growth America recently released a new report titled “Building Better Budgets: A National Examination of the Fiscal Benefits of Smart Growth Development,” which discusses the economic benefits of smart growth as opposed to traditional development patterns.  According to SGA, it is the first to determine a national average for how much communities can expect to save through the use of smart growth strategies.

The report analyzes 17 case study areas, comparing development scenarios within each. The first scenario, “smart growth development,” is characterized by more efficient use of land; a mixture of homes, businesses and services located close together; and better connections between streets and neighborhoods. The second scenario, “conventional suburban development,” is characterized by less efficient use of land with homes, schools and businesses separated and areas designed primarily for driving.

Their findings include the following:

1. Smart growth development costs one-third less for upfront infrastructure.
2. Smart growth development saves an average of 10 percent of the costs for ongoing delivery of services.
3. Smart growth development generates 10 times more tax revenue per acre than conventional suburban development

Ohio has seen an increase in the adoption of smart growth policies, including most recently in Piqua. GOPC continues to address the need for more smart growth policies throughout the state.

Google Earth Timelapse Shows Sprawl Since 1984

From 1984 to 2012, the Central Ohio region has changed in population and in land development, as shown in the satellite images above. To view land use changes in any part of the world from 1984 to 2012, click here and scroll down to the embedded Google Earth map, in which you can zoom and scroll to find your area of interest.

The City of Columbus has grown from 564,866 in 1980 to 809,798 persons in 2012. Land development has expanded out from the city center over that period as well, as can be seen in the satellite image timelapse. In the last decade, however, it appears as though more development has occurred within the inner city ring, which is a promising trend for smart growth.

Google is working with its public and private partners to continue releasing these images to the public in the future.  According to Google, this is the most comprehensive photography ever created of the planet.  Timelapse videos of this sort could be used as a tool to see the outcomes of sprawl, climate change, and natural disasters over time--hopefully contributing to public awareness about the need for smart land use decisions.

"A Terrifying, Fascinating Timelapse of 30 Years of Human Impact on Earth" - The Atlantic Cities