Restoring Prosperity to Cleveland Policy Platform

Greater Ohio along with support from PolicyBridge are developing a policy platform for the City of Cleveland, building on input from participants at the June Restoring Prosperity to Cleveland Mini-Summit and additional feedback we have since received.  This “Cleveland Policy Platform” is still in its initial draft stage, and we are asking for your feedback and comments in order to make these recommendations as effective as possible.  Please take a moment to review our specific recommendations and share your comments.  We greatly appreciate your input and insight.  In addition to the Cleveland Policy Platform, Greater Ohio will be developing several other city-specific policy platforms.  However, the Cleveland platform will be the first unveiled and will serve as a model for other cities, which makes your early involvement essential to creating a more prosperous future for Ohio’s cities. This Policy Platform advances a series of state level recommendations to create a “competitive communities” strategy that places revitalization of Cleveland and other Ohio cities at the center of regional economic redevelopment strategies, and revitalization of the state as a whole.  Many of the Platform recommendations are illustrated by Cleveland practices and/or projects that align with these policies and that could be enhanced in Cleveland and/or replicated in other parts of the state with appropriate state action.  The Platform’s premise rests on the need to take stock of and build on the Cleveland metropolitan region’s -- and Ohio’s -- many existing assets to determine how they drive their broader regional and the rest of the state’s economy.

These assets are best promoted when they leverage the four drivers of prosperity: innovation, workforce, quality and sustainable places, and infrastructure.  This Platform, then, divides its recommendations into those four prosperity driver areas, and a fifth area, governance reform.  We urge state policy leaders to adopt an integrated approach to revitalization with policies and practices that simultaneously leverage all four prosperity drivers and advance regional collaboration.

Please read our specific recommendations in each of these five areas and share your comments:

1. Innovation
2. Workforce
3. Quality and Sustainable Places
4. Infrastructure
5. Governance Reform

I. Innovation

Innovation:  Boost Business Growth and Job Creation

This is the first section of the Cleveland Policy Platform

• Create Transformation Zones in areas surrounding anchor institutions (replacing the expiring Enterprise Zones) to act as catalysts for community and economic development that would stipulate targeting tax incentives and other state investments to support business and residential development, to leverage our scarce state resources.
  • The Cleveland Clinic already acts as an example of an anchor in Cleveland, and The Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation (FRDC), a local non-profit organization located in the Cleveland Clinic neighborhood, through Ohio’s Third Frontier Program, is partnering with the Cleveland Clinic to facilitate educational, economic and neighborhood development in close proximity to an important anchor institution.  FRDC’s work focuses on redeveloping the neighborhood and commercial district surrounding the Cleveland Clinic to create a thriving social and economic landscape.

• Support a proposed national network of regional, university-related, energy-oriented research Institutes that would generate energy research and development to transform breakthrough inventions into market-ready technology.  Align these Institutes with existing Ohio Third Frontier Programs while leveraging R&D and commercialization applications.
  • Both Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland State University are engaged in cutting edge energy-oriented research. Case Western created the Great Lakes Institute for Energy Innovation to facilitate the research, development and advancement of alternative energy, while Cleveland State has been involved in the development of wind turbines designed for use in urban areas. University-led research and development will help Ohio position itself as an alternative energy leader and create many high quality jobs.

• Enhance Ohio Department of Development programs to promote economic cluster growth and development by building on current industry strengths.
  • Cleveland has a strong presence in the healthcare industry as it is home to the world renowned Cleveland Clinic and the University Hospitals System. These facilities represent the top two largest employers in Cleveland and are a large revenue source for the city. State programs that encourage communities to build on their anchor institutions will increase the competitiveness of Ohio’s regions.

• Create a Cluster Development Fund, using existing resources, which would support industry-led partnerships to catalyze job creation and growth through workforce development, network-building, and marketing programs.
  • BioEnterprise is a business formation, recruitment, and acceleration initiative that is designed to grow Cleveland’s burgeoning healthcare industry to create jobs and strengthens the city’s standing as a leader in healthcare.
  • Wind is a part of the Cleveland region’s future and the state should support this industry by providing targeted incentives to encourage the manufacture of wind turbine parts and creation of jobs.  The Cleveland-based Great Lakes WIND Network™ is an industry-led organization of manufacturers and suppliers whose mission is to increase the domestic content of North America’s wind turbines.  With over 1,200 company members, Great Lakes WIND is helping position Northeast Ohio to compete in this growing industry.

• Enact a tax credit targeted at developers and homeowners to spur downtown residential construction and rehabilitation

• Prioritize downtowns for locating state-owned offices and facilities, as well as look for opportunities to expand centrally-located state-operated university and community college campuses

Please share your comments!

II. Workforce

Workforce: Enhance Skills and Earnings

This is the second section of the Cleveland Policy Platform

• Create within the Ohio Skills Bank an explicitly targeted strategy for connecting disadvantaged residents with career pathways that are relevant to job needs in the region.
  • The Regional Talent Network (RTN) strives to promote systemic change that strengthens employers’ ability to fill high-demand positions while building the employability of Northeast Ohio workers. RTN is a collaborative effort between the State of Ohio, the Fund for Our Economic Future, and the metropolitan chambers of commerce of Northeast Ohio.

• Adopt a competitive grant program modeled in part on the federal Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) program that focuses on preparing disadvantaged urban residents for jobs in growing regional sectors

• Link workforce development training to regional economic development needs.  The state should rethink its approach to workforce development (re)training for low skilled, entry level workers by creating a career ladder initiative that looks at strategic, long-term regional labor market needs.  Career ladders typically outline the progression from entry level positions to higher levels of pay, skill, responsibility, or authority.

• Although traditional manufacturing jobs have steadily declined over the last few decades, the advanced manufacturing industry has the potential to attract investments and create new job opportunities. To capitalize on this, skilled workers, especially those with a traditional manufacturing background, should be prepared to fully transition into identified advanced manufacturing sectors.
  • WIRE-Net focuses on strengthening Cleveland’s manufacturing sector by providing expertise to manufacturers in a number of different areas including the attraction, retention and development of top workforce talent to meet the demands of the advanced manufacturing sector.

• Provide financial and technical assistance to build capacity of local One Stop shops and community-based groups, such as Chambers of Commerce and local non-profits, in core commutes to serve as intermediaries between employers and disadvantaged workers.

• Give preference to state Workforce Investment Act (WIA) competitive grants and Request for Proposals (RFPs) for areas that demonstrate innovative strategies that foster meaningful collaborations and outreach to targeted populations. Unspent WIA funds should be quickly reallocated to other local providers who can assure that funds will be spent within required timelines and that local services are uninterrupted.

Please share your comments!

III. Quality and Sustainable Places

Quality and Sustainable Places: Stabilize & Strengthen Ohio’s Neighborhoods

This is the third section of the Cleveland Policy Platform

• Target existing state and federal resources to support local strategies for neighborhood stabilization and market recovery. As the state considers strategies for better targeting its resources and investments, it may also consider long-range strategies that anticipate future potential investments in “non-targeted” areas, once the targeted areas exhibit signs of progress.  
  • Cleveland’s 2020 Citywide Plan is piloting the Model Block Program, which targets investments to physically upgrade viable neighborhoods to aid in the development of “neighborhoods of choice.”  To support this investment strategy, Cleveland needs the state to consider funding allocation formulas that target investments to offer greater returns than sparse distribution.
  • Neighborhood Progress Inc. (NPI), the Cleveland Housing Network, the City of Cleveland and six local community development corporations partnered with the Ohio Housing Finance Agency to revitalize several neighborhoods through the Opportunity Homes initiative.  Over the next three years, this program targets 750 homes in six Cleveland neighborhoods for foreclosure prevention, demolition or redevelopment. This collaborative effort will help restore market confidence, eliminate blight, preserve existing property values and enable a significant number of homeowners to avoid foreclosure.

• Direct scarce state resources to encourage communities to tackle population shrinkage by prioritizing state economic development funding to jurisdictions with comprehensive plans based on creative and explicit strategies reflecting the realities of population loss.
  • The Re-Imagining a More Sustainable Cleveland plan takes into account Cleveland’s demographic trends, housing surplus and market conditions to design a city that is smaller in population but richer in quality. Comprehensive plans that are grounded in current social, demographic and economic reality are more likely to succeed than those that are not and should be encouraged through state funding.

• Modify Ohio’s existing land bank law to allow all counties to use the authority on a permissive basis.  Other modifications to consider include a wider range of options for local land bank board composition and liability protection.
  • Cuyahoga County has led the charge in expanding Ohio’s land bank law to allow the county to use land banks more effectively to address the growing number of tax delinquent properties.

• Design measures to protect homeowners facing the possibility of foreclosure.  Allow borrowers access to better information about their options including counseling, emergency assistance and loan modification opportunities.
  • Cuyahoga County’s 211 system and Ohio’s Save the Dream initiative both address this issue but need state and federal support to remain viable.
  • Expand the reach of the Ohio Home Rescue Fund, an initiative through NeighborWorks ® America’s NHS Cleveland and funded by the Ohio Housing Trust Fund and the Ohio Housing Finance Agency. This program should be expanded to a broader network of agencies and will need to be recapitalized in the near future. A possible funding source could be the enactment of a statewide foreclosure filing fee.
  • Set civil and criminal penalties to regulate predatory and fraudulent mortgage and foreclosure “rescue” practices.

• Develop legislative and regulatory tools at the state and local level that discourage the emerging trend of “bank walk-aways” and hold financial institutions accountable for the physical condition of properties they take back after foreclosure.
  • Modify state law to hold foreclosing financial institutions accountable for property condition as soon as foreclosure is filed, similar to a recently enacted New Jersey statute.
  • Modify state law to require foreclosing financial institutions to proceed to Sheriff Sale after obtaining judgment, or forfeit their lien.
  • Clarify existing state law to provide municipalities with “super-priority” lien status for expenses incurred abating public nuisances at vacant and abandoned properties, so these properties can be foreclosed upon directly by the municipality or added to the tax duplicate.

• Identify intervention mechanisms at each point in the foreclosure, disinvestment, vacancy and abandonment process.
  • Exempt homes that have been vacant for an extended time period from property taxes when purchased by a buyer who intends to use the property as his/her main residence.
  • Allow municipalities to use urban renewal bonds for the demolition of buildings located on tax delinquent property that constitute a public nuisance due to blight
  • Require lenders to take title at Sheriff Sale rather than through a separate process to ensure that the proper paperwork is filed and a responsible party is noted
  • Establish a fast-track procedure to expedite foreclosure of properties that have become vacant subsequent to the initiation of foreclosure proceedings.

• Develop and implement a statewide integrated inventory system that would track information on vacant and abandoned properties.
  • Northeast Ohio Community and Neighborhood Data for Organizing (NEO CANDO), developed by Case Western University, offers information detailing vacant properties and other useful socio-economic data for Northeast Ohio. This data is a valuable resource for those working to mitigate the problem of vacant and abandoned properties and could act as a model for the creation of a statewide inventory system.

• Expand the Ohio Department of Development’s Urban Development Division to include community revitalization and collectively identify opportunity neighborhoods where state and local resources can be strategically concentrated.

• Partner with the private sector to create a housing program that will assist employers in helping their employees buy or rent homes close to work.

Please share your comments!

IV. Infrastructure

Infrastructure: Invest to Strengthen Economic Development Efforts

This is the fourth section of the Cleveland Policy Platform

• Create regional Transportation Innovation Authorities (TIAs) to encourage the investment of public and private resources in the planning and implementation of innovative transportation projects that would enhance the efficiency of Ohio’s transportation system.

• Direct development of a “Complete Streets” pilot program where roadways are designed to enable safe, attractive, and comfortable access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and public transit users.
  • The West Shoreway Plan is designed to reconnect Cleveland to its waterfront. It calls for traffic calming measures and better incorporation of multi-modal transportation access to Cleveland’s waterfront. This will increase Cleveland’s competitiveness and quality of place by reconnecting the city to one of its greatest and most underutilized assets.

• Require cost/benefit analysis for all transportation projects

• Provide state grants to integrate multi-modal transportation and land-use plans.

• Promote holistic transportation projects that are designed around transit, mixed use neighborhoods and economic development.
  • The Opportunity Corridor project aims to improve transportation access to University Circle and to also act as a catalyst to economic and community development in Cleveland’s “Forgotten Triangle.” Improving access to an area that contains a high number of anchor institutions (University Hospital, the Cleveland Clinic, and Case Western Reserve University) opens the area up for further investments and development projects.

• Link the Strickland Administration’s energy targets to transportation infrastructure by incentivizing the manufacturing of mass transit vehicles that leverage clean energy options, creating green jobs and reducing greenhouse gases.

Please share your comments!

V. Governance Reform

Governance Reform:  Streamline and reduce costs so core communities marshal their resources to compete on a national and global scale. This is the fifth section of the Cleveland Policy Platform

Administrative Reforms

• Align administrative districts, as among ODOT, ODOD, OBOR, and ODJFS, and ensure inter-departmental coordination for overlapping areas

Regional Collaboration and Governance Reform

• Encourage permissive regional governance or collaborative structures and revenue-sharing models

• Provide seed dollars to catalyze the creation of new regional organizations with diverse public and private representation
  • Northeast Ohio’s Fund for Our Economic Future, a regional collaboration of individuals and philanthropic organizations that have united to strengthen the area’s competitiveness, focuses on: economic growth and attraction; workforce development; inclusionary growth structures; and government collaboration and efficiency.

• Reward counties and regions that adopt innovative reforms, such as multi-jurisdictional planning, or undertake strategies aimed at improving government efficiency and regional competitiveness, such as regional municipal revenue sharing or marketing strategy.
  • Northeast Mayors and City Managers Association’s Regional Prosperity Initiative is examining various approaches to regional collaboration, planning and governance that would result in cost savings and efficiencies.

Please share your comments!

Regionalism is working in Ohio!

Recently, mayors from Akron, Canton, Cleveland and Youngstown gathered at the annual Team Northeast Ohio's State of the Region meeting to share their efforts on economic development, shared resources and multicounty initiatives.  While this collaboration is not something you would have seen 10 years ago, it is becoming more common as cities are struggling to keep jobs and spur growth.

Greater Ohio, through the Restoring Prosperity to Ohio framework, supports regional collaboration and views it as one way to help pull struggling cities out of economic misfortune. Regionalism encourage cities to stop competing against one another and start working together to become more competitive as a region to attract new businesses, create new jobs and encourage innovation.

For the complete story, go to http://www.ohio.com/business/61674437.html

Ohio Commission on Local Government Reform and Collaboration Will Hold Southwest Ohio Public Hearing

The Ohio Commission on Local Government Reform and Collaboration will hold a public hearing on Friday, September 25, 2009 at 10:30 am at the Sycamore Township (Hamilton County) Meeting Room located at 11560 Deerfield Road in Sycamore Township, Ohio, 45242. This is the third of five hearings that will be held throughout Ohio seeking public input. Testimony and input is being requested in three main areas:

1.) Recommendations that will encourage and incentivize local governments to collaborate;

2.) Identification of local and state tax structure changes which would encourage collaboration or improve service effectiveness; and

3.) Identification of current/alternative service delivery models.

If you are in the Southwest Ohio region and are concerned with the issue of local government efficiency we strongly encourage you to make the short drive to ensure that your voice is heard. If you cannot attend this meeting you might also consider preparing written testimony.

Greater Ohio, and its partner the Brooking Institution, have identified governance reform as an important issue to be considered as we work to restore prosperity back to Ohio. Governance reform falls within our larger agenda that is charged with increasing Ohio’s economic competitiveness and quality of life by focusing on the four drivers of prosperity in the 21st century economy: innovation; human capital; infrastructure; and quality of place. Again, we ask you to voice your opinion if you feel, as we at Greater Ohio do, that regional collaboration and efficient governance are critical to building a more competitive and prosperous Ohio.

The Local Government Reform Commission is legislatively created and consists of 15 members ranging from local officials to business people. It is charged with researching and writing a report that recommends reform and collaboration measures in order to improve local government operations and service delivery to create cost savings for taxpayers

For more information about the Commission visit its website at www.ohioreformandcollaboration.org. 

Co-Director’s featured on The State of Ohio

Recently, Co-Director’s Lavea Brachman and Gene Krebes were featured on The State of Ohio, a weekly news program spotlighting the latest happenings at the Statehouse, in the Governor’s office, at the Ohio Supreme Court and throughout the Buckeye State. They spoke about the Restoring Prosperity to Ohio Initiative and the important role it plays in revitalizing Ohio’s core cities.

To view the entire interview, click on the link below. Their interview starts approximately 16 minutes and 8 seconds into the program.

http://www.wviz.org/WVIZ/state_of_ohio/27798

Lavea Brachman Speaks to Dayton Rotary

Today, Greater Ohio Co-Director Lavea Brachman spoke to more than 100 Dayton Rotary Club members at the Sinclair Community College Earley Auditorium about the Restoring Prosperity to Ohio Initiative, a joint effort between Greater Ohio and the Brookings Institution.  This initiative represents Greater Ohio’s top policy issue.

Ms. Brachman spoke about the Dayton community’s role in engaging in several local economic development practices that align with the Restoring Prosperity Initiative, including leveraging anchor institutions, like Tech Town; building on assets, like Dayton’s strong aerospace and technological assets; and targeting financial resources into neighborhoods with market potential.