Chicago-Columbus Passenger Rail Studied

The Northeast Indiana Passenger Rail Association released the feasibility study and business plan of a potential connection for passenger rail between Columbus and Chicago.

It is important to note that there is not currently a straight highway from Columbus to Chicago as this new train route would provide.  The rail service would dramatically decrease the travel time between Columbus and Chicago in all transportation modes except air.  According to All Aboard Ohio, Columbus is the largest city in America without access to passenger rail.  The report indicates that private companies may want to invest in the project that will be 80% funded by the federal government.  This could mean that the states will not have to put much money into the project.

Below are some of the benefits of the proposed rail line:

• 12,000 temporary jobs and 26,800 permanent jobs resulting from  this project;
• Generate $7.1 billion in increased output for the region’s businesses;
• Generate $6 billion worth of direct user benefits over the 30-year life of the project;
• Start-up costs estimated at $4 million per mile vs. 10 times that for Interstate highway construction;
• For every $1 invested in this project, an economic return of $1.70 is forecast.
• 2.1 million riders in 2020, rising to 3.3 million by 2040, with 79% of riders diverted from cars;
• Reduced emissions, traffic and dependence on expensive fuel; and
• Rail fares set at 2/3 that of air fares will generate annual farebox revenue of $116 million in 2020 rising to $190 million by 2040.

Columbus gave $15,000 in the budget to help pay for the feasibility study.  The next step in the process is to conduct an EIA, known as an Environmental Impact Assessment.  The EIA will most likely be commissioned to a private firm that the states agree upon and will take a year or two to accomplish when the appropriated funds get approved which could cost a couple million of dollars.

The Columbus Dispatch reported on the rail line 7/17/2013.

GOPC Presents to Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission

GOPC's Executive Director, Lavea Brachman, and Associate Director, Alison Goebel, presented to the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission yesterday, providing an overview of local government throughout the state.

Click here to view GOPC's presentation to the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission

Highlights from the presentation are included below, cited in the Hannah Report article, "Constitutional Modernization Commission Stops Recording Hearings after Questions Arise":

Brachman said, “Ohio’s current local government structure impacts sustainable growth: communities and taxpayers face the legacy costs of a 19^th century structure in a 21^st century economy.” She said, “Ohio’s population growth is stagnating … [while] fragmented and duplicative local governments prevent effective economic competition on [the] world market.”

Goebel said Ohio has 3,702 local government jurisdictions, including 88 counties, 940 municipalities, 1,308 townships and 614 traditional school districts. Ohio has the eighth highest number of local governments per square mile in the U.S. In addition, there are over 4,000 special district governments, including 75 metropolitan housing authorities, 90 park districts, 97 airports, 145 joint fire or ambulance districts, 165 municipal and county courts, 251 library districts, and 450 senior centers.

Ohio is the 34^th highest for state taxes, and has the 20^th highest local tax burden in the U.S., said Goebel. In 2011, monthly payroll expenditures for local government in Ohio were $1.82 billion, while state government payroll was $0.65 billion. While the $157.49 per capita cost of local government in Ohio was slightly below the national average of $160.58 per capita, it was 29 percent above the peer state average for Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Illinois.

Responsibilities and powers of local governments vary by type, said Goebel. Municipalities have home rule powers. Townships are a “creature of statute” but can have limited home rule powers. Most counties are governed by general rules of the state, while there are two charter counties (Summit County in 1976, and Cuyahoga County in 2010) with home rule powers. In one pair of graphics, she showed that there are more townships than municipalities with populations between 500 and 10,000.

Goebel said GOPC studies have found that successful collaborations and efforts to become more efficient often require a leader or steward (such as a metropolitan planning organization, education service center, county engineer, county executive, county commissioners or major city); such efforts are often prompted by economic changes; and comparing local governments and measuring efficiency can be difficult due to the lack of a set standard reporting instrument for a detailed breakdown of local government expenditures.

Brachman said that intergovernmental collaboration can result in economies of scale, improved government accountability, equalization of service quantity and quality, coordinated economic competitiveness, and the ability to retain local community character and flavor.

Brachman said loss of population, an aging population and failure to attract Gen-Y are demographics of concern for Ohio.

The invitation to present to the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission further confirms GOPC’s expertise in Ohio’s local government structures as well as the value of our data-driven, impartial analyses of the current state of affairs.

The Metropolitan Revolution

Bruce Katz and Jennifer Bradley co-authored a new book, The Metropolitan Revolution, published by Brookings Institution Press on June 17th.  The book is about Northeast Ohio's revolution to become a network that sustains economic prosperity.  Since the release, Katz and Bradley have been traveling across the nation on a tour, talking with reporters and stakeholders about the process underway around Cleveland.  Below are some excerpts from their book.

"Metropolitan areas are so big, complicated and diverse that they don't need heroes.  They need networks."

"Enter Voices and Choices, a two-year effort to develop a regional economic competitiveness agenda for Northeast Ohio.  Throughout 2005 and 2006, the Fund connected with more than 20,000 residents of the region in one-on-one interviews, town meetings and workshops about the region's assets, challenges and priorities.  With these insights gathered, Fund collaborators were able to distill four goals to guide regional action: business growth, talent development, racial and economic inclusion, and government collaboration and efficiency."

"Stakeholders in the region started BioEnterprise, a non-profit that helps inventors connect with experienced managers, venture capitalists, production facilities, other inventors, state and federal grants and whatever else they need to build their company."

"The Fund estimates that, during its first nine years, the work of its grantees helped add 10,500 jobs, $333 million in payrolls and $1.9 billion in investments to the region."

"Too many metros are still looking for the next Bill Gates, Michael Dell or Mark Zukerberg.  But there is a growing appreciation for the power of networks, and we need look no further than Northeast Ohio to see why.  These efforts to use networks to bring about a new economy - built on the foundations of the old economy - are aligned with powerful social, economic and cultural forces."

To listen to a podcast of Bruce Katz talk about the book and its findings on NPR's "All Things Considered," click here.

Revitalize Legacy Cities by Building on Assets

GOPC Executive Director co-authors Regenerating America’s Legacy Cities a Policy Brief for Lincoln Institute for Land Policy Lavea Brachman, executive director of GOPC and Alan Mallach, senior fellow at the Center for Community Progress and nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, argue for “strategic incrementalism” to revitalize cities like Youngstown, Cleveland, Baltimore and Flint in Regenerating America’s Legacy Cities.  This report has been released by the Lincoln Institute for Land Policy, a leading educational and research resource for key issues concerning land policy, including the use, regulation, and taxation of land.

In an analysis of 18 cities facing manufacturing decline and population loss, Mallach and Brachman advocate for step-by-step “strategic incrementalism” to promote economic development, rather than the silver-bullet approach of signature architecture, sports facilities, or other megaprojects.  Their analysis suggests that these legacy cities can build new economic engines and draw new populations by leveraging longstanding assets such as downtown employment bases, stable neighborhoods, multimodal transportation networks, colleges and universities, local businesses, medical centers, historic buildings and areas, and arts, cultural, and entertainment facilities.

Brachman and Mallach considered eighteen cities, including six in Ohio: Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton and Youngstown.  The Brief also analyzed Baltimore, Camden, N.J., Newark, Philadelphia, Birmingham, Buffalo, Detroit, Flint, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Syracuse.

They identify the key elements of revitalization as:

• Rebuilding the central core
• Sustaining viable neighborhoods
• Repurposing vacant land for new activities
• Re-establishing the central economic role of the city
• Using economic growth to increase community and resident well-being
• Building stronger local governance and partnerships
• Building stronger ties between legacy cities and their regions

In addition to urging a rethinking of state and federal policy as it relates to legacy cities, the authors recommend that cities seeking to rebuild and reinvent themselves should not think in terms of one large, high-impact solution – such as a sport stadium or convention center – but rather foster change through smaller steps in a variety of areas.

To read the report or for more information, please visit the Lincoln Institute for Land Policy.

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

Lavea Brachman Contributes to Infrastructure Discussion

Today at 10am, Executive Director Lavea Brachman was featured on WOSU's All Sides with Ann Fisher in a discussion about the state of Ohio's infrastructure. Lavea was joined by Patrick Natale, Executive Director of American Society of Civil Engineers, Robert Lawler, Director of Transportation of the  Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, and Barry LePatner, construction lawyer and author of Too Big to Fall: America’s Failing Infrastructure and the Way Forward.

Click here to listen to the podcast:

Infrastructure: Are we making the grade?

"The recent collapse of the I-5 bridge in northwest Washington State shined a spotlight on the country’s aging infrastructure. Since the recession, funding for bridges and tunnels has dropped steeply, and fixing them would cost an estimated $20 billion. This hour, we’ll discuss the balance of safety and spending, and how long our functionally obsolete structures will stand."