The Ohio Land Bank Conference

By Nicholas J. Blaine, Project Coordinator Last week, on September 11, I attended the Thriving Communities Institute’s 4^th annual Ohio Land Bank Conference in Columbus, Ohio. The event brought together experts in the field to discuss best practices and share successes from Ohio’s 22 land banks. As a new staffer for GOPC, I saw the event as a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the role of land banks in building a sustainable Ohio.

The morning began with remarks from Jim Rokakis, Vice President of the Western Reserve Land Conservancy and Director of its Thriving Communities Institute. The conference covered a wide range of topics, from the basics of vacant property management to how hemp can be used to promote sustainable growth.

The first breakout session I attended focused on the decision between demolition and rehabilitation that land banks face with virtually every property acquisition. The panelists Paula Boggs Muething, Frank Ford, Terry Schwarz, and Jeff Marks provided some excellent insights on how to weigh options and make the best decision in a variety of circumstances.

The lunch keynote address was delivered by Matthew Lampke, Mortgage Foreclosure Counsel for the Ohio Attorney General, and Jim Rokakis. They explained that more than 13,500 vacant and blighted properties have been demolished statewide through the Moving Ohio Forward grant program.

Following lunch, I went to a talk by Mara Hada and Lisa Patt-McDaniel about tax credit financing. I also had the chance to learn about the success of the Metro West housing development near the Hollywood Casino in Columbus from John Rosenberger. Finally, I attended a session led by Carlie Boos about the Ohio Housing Finance Agency’s Neighborhood Initiative Program, which receives technical assistance support from GOPC.

The conference was attended by approximately 275 people over the course of two days. Attendees represented a mix of land bank staffers, private sector lawyers and financiers, non-profits, and government representatives. This diversity embraces comments made by Lisa Patt-McDaniel, Director of Community Development for the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing and GOPC Board Member, that housing solutions don’t happen in a vacuum, they happen in a community.

Economic Recovery in Southwest Ohio’s Clinton County

Clinton County RPC wins the APA Award

Guest post by Christian Schock, Executive Director of Clinton County Regional Planning Commission

Like much of Ohio and the nation, an economic recovery has been ongoing in Clinton County and Wilmington in southwest Ohio. This is especially poignant locally, following the dramatic economic disaster of DHL’s departure from the Wilmington Air Park in 2008. While there have been many successes locally in job creation, corporate attraction and expansion of businesses at the Air Park, another key story has also been the re-appreciation of local businesses and revaluing of local assets following the disaster, and has led to new community and economic development policies and programs in Clinton County.

Last year, the Clinton County Regional Planning Commission and our non-profit arm Energize Clinton County won a National Planning Achievement Award from the American Planning Association for these policies and programs rooted in a five-part strategy focused on: local business, local food, energy, young professionals, and community visioning. Each of these areas were highlighted as observed local leakages in the economic system at the time of disaster, and by developing pragmatic programs focused on these issues, we were able to address both short-term and long-term development needs of the community.

Last month we presented on our award-winning strategy and programs at the Arizona Rural Development Council’s annual meeting—also a statewide organization—whose mission is to advocate for economic development and issues in rural areas in that state. The conference highlighted the importance of understanding and supporting broad localism within community and economic development strategies—whether in locally made products or locally-owned businesses or through locally engaged community plans and programs. The theme of the conference tied closely to our story, which has been one of resiliency and recovery, and also highlighted our cautionary tale of the need for economic diversity and for communities to better understand and identify trending economic vulnerability, and the need for a greater focus on the value of local assets.

In an article in the International Economic Development Council’s journal earlier this year, we highlighted that a strong localism strategy—proactively addressing key leaks within the economic system as we have attempted to do in Clinton County—could be a key component to economic disaster preparedness planning. In the field of natural disaster response, there are many steps toward understanding vulnerability and there are well-accepted best practices for delineating risk such as the 100 year flood line. But within economic development there is dangerously little consensus about what constitutes vulnerability to an economic disaster and what factors should be risk benchmarked.

Greater Ohio has led on this topic, especially in legacy cities, and it is perhaps especially true in rural areas where the economy may be more reliant on only a few key areas of industry. Resilient communities must be ones that plan for potential disasters, understand and define risk vulnerability, and those that develop diverse, multifaceted programs to address that vulnerability from both a top-down and bottom-up approach.

In addition to the existing programs, the pipeline of program and idea innovation is important if we believe that economic risk is an evolving and changing vulnerability that brings new threats and opportunities regularly, so it is critical that communities continually look for new innovative and collaborative ways to tackle the observed leaks or highlighted risks. Just recently, with the current programs established, we unveiled a series of new programs including a young professional homesteading we call Wilmington Succeeds. A unique partnership with the Wilmington City Schools, Southern State Community College, Wilmington College and the City of Wilmington, focused on offering incentives for young people to go to school and stay in the community after graduation. We also recently collaborated with Treehouse, a nationally-recognized code training platform company, on an initiative called Reach Clinton County, which focuses on coding training for local residents. These programs have opened yet another front to address the strategy and attack challenges like brain drain and workforce development in ways our community had yet to attempt.

But there is always more to be done. The lesson from the Arizona Rural Development Council and from organizations leading the way like Greater Ohio is that continued collaboration is needed. Whether it is small towns and rural areas, or legacy cities and metropolitan issues, resiliency is rightfully a hot topic of discussion. For economic development to be meaningful and effective there must be a better understanding of vulnerability to economic disaster and a greater appreciation of the value of localism and local strategies.

About The Clinton County Regional Planning Commission:

The Clinton County Regional Planning Commission was created in 1970 and represents Clinton County, City of Wilmington and the Villages of Blanchester, Clarksville, Port William, Midland, Martinsville, New Vienna and Sabina. More information is at www.clintoncountyrpc.org and our Energize Clinton County nonprofit at www.energizecc.com.

YNDC’s New Small Business Loans

By Octavious Singleton, GOPC Intern

The Youngstown Neighborhood and Development Corporation (YNDC) is promoting growth in Youngstown, Ohio by supporting local businesses. The non-profit will grant equipment loans ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to companies whose applications are approved. While any type of business can apply, the criteria they must meet include: 1) the company must be located in the city, 2) the owner must be a resident, and 3) the company must have five or fewer employees. To further narrow the selection of businesses, YNDC will consider whether the owners are low-income individuals, if they are hiring, and the likelihood that the business will prosper in the future.

The loan allows the companies the opportunity to obtain needed equipment for business expansion, which should ultimately generate economic benefits in the city. YNDC is only attaching a 2% interest rate to the loans. The YNDC will also be flexible on the amount of years repayment will take. This approach is set up to ensure small companies benefit from the aid.

Selected companies will be awarded loans in November. The loans will be a pilot program to determine whether YNDC expands its mission into micro-business support. Loan applications are available in YNDC office, at 820 Canfield Road, and by emailing Liberty Merrill at lmerrill@yndc.org.

For more information on this program, visit YNDC’s website.

See also: “YNDC Taking Applications for Small Business Loans” by Josh Medore for The Business Journal

Lessons of a GOPC Intern

A farewell blog post by Raquel Jones, a fantastic GOPC Intern

As a lifetime resident of the capital of Ohio, I have come to learn and appreciate the unique experiences and amenities offered through Ohio’s cities. Over the years, I have witnessed the many transformations that Columbus and many other cities in the state have gone through as they have fought to create new identities while retaining their historic presence.

Although I was young when it first hit, the Great Recession had a severe impact on my neighborhood and the community that I lived in, as it did in many parts of the state. I remember noticing a rise in foreclosures in the houses surrounding mine. Looking around the core of central Ohio’s metropolitan area, I could see the harsher effects of the downturn in the economy in the high number of boarded-up homes. I found this to be extremely disheartening, as I knew that many of these homes had the potential to be beautiful and once again serve a useful purpose, if only they were given the chance.

When I enrolled in the John Glenn High School Internship program through OSU, I knew that I wanted to work with a nonprofit that was working hard in the community to make a difference. When I was given the chance to intern at the Greater Ohio Policy Center, I knew little about land banks and government-sponsored programs, such as Moving Ohio Forward and the Neighborhood Initiative Program. I am now happy to report that I am knowledgeable in both programs, as well as others. Working at the GOPC has not only taught me about the daily functions of an office, but has also informed me on the process of policy formation, and the role that nonprofits play in engaging and interacting with local, regional, and statewide governments in producing outcomes that are favorable to both parties, as well as the constituents to which these policies affect. I have also become educated in a number of nationwide movements including the call for a multi-modal city, a more sustainably secure system of infrastructure, and public spaces that transcend the mundane.

As I noted earlier, I have learned a great deal about the issues surrounding blighted and vacant properties, and the role that city and county land banks perform in revitalizing distressed neighborhoods. Many localities have implemented programs that demolish or remodel affected properties, so that either the land or building may be given a second-life. This may mean that the land is transformed into a community garden or a side-lot for a neighboring property, or redeveloped for some other purpose. Overall, I have learned from my experiences at GOPC the necessities for creating an economically viable and environmentally tenable community for all those involved.

I believe that it is organizations such as Greater Ohio, with the support and leadership of governmental officials and community members that are responsible for the positive changes taking place in the state. I am confident in the work currently being done, and I am happy to have gotten the chance to work alongside GOPC’s staff in their ongoing push for a brighter future for Ohio.

Raquel Jones was a summer intern for GOPC and she has moved to D.C. to attend George Washington University.