HR&A Advisors

Urban Land Institute New York’s latest TAP report is out with recommendations on how to leverage a new Metro-North station in the Bronx’s Morris Park neighborhood to drive inclusive economic growth. HR&A Partner Bret Collazzi, who grew up less than a mile away from the station, served on the TAP last December and contributed to the report’s recommendations. The report highlights how the new transit link, set for completion in 2027, can support the future growth of Montefiore Health System’s Morris Park campus, one of the Bronx’s largest employers and a regional center of health science education and research.    The report emphasizes the need for improved campus connections, branding, and activation of existing and new spaces to benefit both the health system and the surrounding neighborhood. We’re excited to see Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and local partners seize this incredible opportunity in the years ahead.    #Infrastructure #Healthcare #UrbanPlanning #MorrisPark #Bronx #Montefiore

HR&A Advisors is excited to support the Town of Woodstock in raising awareness about local housing needs and opportunities. The housing market in Woodstock has become increasingly challenging, with home values soaring by 84% from 2019 to 2023 and rents skyrocketing by 250% since 2018. Creating more homes is essential to ensuring that America’s Colony of the Arts can remain an affordable place to live, work and play. In late June, HR&A and the Woodstock Housing Committee hosted a housing workshop that brought together over 60 community members. We presented our findings on housing needs, featured insights from a panel of local experts, and explored strategies to increase affordable housing in Woodstock. The invaluable feedback we received is shaping the Town’s ongoing outreach efforts to improve housing access. Moving forward, HR&A will develop a Housing Messaging Playbook and a feasibility model to identify suitable housing types. This initiative is part of Ulster County's Smart Housing Communities Initiative, where HR&A serves as a designated consultant. We look forward to working together to build a better future for Woodstock! #CommunityDevelopment #AffordableHousing #HousingSolutions #WoodstockNY #SmartHousing #HRAAdvisors 

After working with the City of Boston to launch their Office to Residential Conversion Program, we were excited to see that Mayor Michelle Wu and Office of Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey announced an extension to the program along with $15 million in funding to incentivize converting large-scale office buildings into housing. According to the City of Boston’s announcement last month, the program, “has so far received nine applications to create a total of 412 units of housing across 13 buildings and convert 403,000 square feet of office space to residential space, exceeding initial city goals. Two of those projects that applied to the program last fall have been formally approved by the BPDA Board and will begin construction later this summer.” We look forward to seeing how the program will continue to serve Bostonians by helping move the needle on the housing crisis and breathe new life into existing underutilized buildings across the city! #boston #housingcrisis #officetoresidental #housing

Over the last few months, many of our staff have enjoyed opportunities to come together in Minneapolis, Houston, New York, and other cities around the country. These outings offer a chance to cross-pollinate ideas, reconnect with our mission, and deepen relationships — all critical pieces of the puzzle when building a mission-driven culture. During one of our recent outings in Texas, we toured HR&A projects with our clients, exploring Buffalo Bayou Park and the Houston Ion. We also toured New Hope Housing, Inc. and Project Row Houses. As we head into a long weekend to celebrate the 4th of July, we're reminded of just how important it is to spend in-person time reflecting, connecting, and learning together. We hope your holiday offers ample opportunities to do just that with family and friends! #TeamBuilding #InnovationTour #LearningDevelopment  #houstonion #CommunityImpact  #BuffaloBayouPark #July4th

Congratulations on a great convention and we were honored to have Senior Analyst Ethan Paik participate in a panel and co-present our work with our client Welcome To Chinatown from New York, along with Chinatown Community Development Center from San Francisco, and the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community (CBCAC) from Chicago. Our joint presentation with Welcome to Chinatown focused on our partnership to develop the organization’s Chinatown Impact Study and roadmap for their Small Business Innovation Hub. Thank you to National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD) for having us! #BuildingCAPACD #ourplacesourstories

HR&A congratulates Senior Advisor Derek Fleming for receiving the 2024 Jason Jenkins Corporate Community Pillar award from Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, the Miami-Dade County Commissioners, the Black Affairs Board, and the Miami Dolphins Foundation.      Derek was honored for his work in Overtown, a historic African American community in South Florida, where he led a team advising the City of Miami on Master Planning and Redevelopment Strategy for Overtown’s Cultural & Entertainment District. The work involved a mixed-use project encompassing 300,000 square-feet of commercial/retail, 600-unit mix of market rate, workforce, and affordable-income housing, open space, and environmentally sustainable initiatives. Derek was the developer on the first phase of the Plan. His award-winning adaptive re-use of the historic Clyde Killens Pool Hall, where Muhammad Ali, Aretha Franklin, Nat Kjng Cole and others spent time socializing, is a centerpiece to the area's rebuilding.    Dr. Enid Pinkney, an educator, community developer, and activist who has been a vital mentor to Derek (pictured below) nominated him for the award. Dr. Pinkney's legacy, including the restoration of the Historic Hampton House, has inspired much of Derek’s work in South Florida and beyond. This recognition reflects HR&A’s growing presence in South Florida and Derek’s work across the country leveraging cultural districts to drive equitable revitalization in all areas of need, in particular BIPOC communities. #Award #Overtown #SouthFlorida #RealEstateDevelopment #Equity #BIPOCcommunities

Join HR&A and Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. (MHM) on July 19, 12pm CT for a conversation on bridging the gap between digital equity and opportunity grant-makers and grant-seekers.     With billions from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act starting to flow, states, local and tribal governments, nonprofits, and private sector partners play crucial roles in fund allocation and pursuit.     We'll share best practices from MHM’s $21 million digital equity grant program, emphasizing capacity building and ecosystem development. Discover how to design programs that enhance health access and workforce development, expanding impact beyond just getting people online.    Register today at the link below. You can also learn more about the webinar here: https://lnkd.in/gwpyXAhH   #DigitalEquity #GrantMaking #CapacityBuilding #WorkforceDevelopment 

Households in disadvantaged and low-income communities across the United States are disproportionately affected by the impacts of unaffordable housing and energy bills, unsafe or unhealthy housing conditions, and climate change.  HR&A Advisors proudly served as the lead contributor to the “Considerations for Low-and-Moderate-Income Housing” section in the new Comprehensive Guide for Equitable Energy Retrofits in Affordable Housing. This playbook outlines the basics of affordable housing in the US and the challenges faced by low- and moderate-income households. The playbook highlights dozens of strategies and examples to help program administrators establish residential energy retrofit initiatives that are community-led, easy-to-use, and able to achieve benefits like healthier and more affordable housing, reduced energy burdens, new economic opportunities for workers and small business owners, and reduced pollution. Check out the Comprehensive Guide for Equitable Energy Retrofits in Affordable Housing below. HR&A Advisors is a member of the Residential Retrofits for Energy Equity Team, and proud to partner with The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), Emerald Cities Collaborative, and Elevate . #sustainability #energyefficiency #climatechange #affordablehousing #equity #energyretrofits #R2E2

SEIU released a report prepared by HR&A Advisors yesterday, which reveals that 1 in 5 California households – more than 7.5 million people – cannot access basic financial services such as checking and savings accounts and debit cards. This gap underscores the ongoing crisis of underbanking that restricts financial opportunities for many California families, particularly in communities of color. The report finds that the proposed CalAccount program, a free, public checking account option for Californians that the State of California is considering, would save un- and underbanked Californians a total of over $3 billion a year and generate $5 billion in economic activity. HR&A’s report concludes that a program like CalAccount is necessary and feasible to address Californians’ enduring financial access needs. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gui2FuBu #publicbanking #banking #California #publicoptions #FinancialAccess

The Michigan Housing Data Portal has now been live for six months! HR&A Advisors created this interactive data resource in collaboration with the Michigan Municipal League, Michigan State Housing Development Authority, and Michigan Economic Development Corporation to provide users from across the state, from policymakers to implementers to tenants, with an understanding of housing conditions in their local market. This tool will ultimately help to address housing challenges and opportunities to foster vibrant, inclusive communities across Michigan!     Explore the Michigan Housing Data Portal today! #MichiganHousing #DataPortal #CommunityDevelopment #MichiganMunicipalLeague #HousingPolicy