The League of Women in Government’s Post

On Tuesday, Powell City Council approved a resolution that allows the City to move forward on phase 1 of the Village Green and Downtown Powell Master Plan project with Pizzuti Solutions. Located at 47 Hall Street, the 12-acre site just west of Olentangy and Liberty streets is home to Village Green Park and adjacent municipal facilities. The master plan proposal gives the City the opportunity to look into options for how the 12-acres can best serve residents while also serving as a nucleus to a revitalized Downtown Powell. "This is our green light to begin a conversation with the community about the most important exercise in Powell's history," said Powell City Manager Andy White ICMA-CM. The initial phase of the planning for revitalization of Downtown Powell includes working with Pizzuti Solutions to gather the appropriate information that will drive improvements to Downtown Powell while also engaging the various constituent groups that represent our community. Phase I will include: 🔸market analysis 🔸community surveys 🔸stakeholder engagement 🔸existing conditions analysis 🔸summary report Once complete, this 10-month-long phase will provide City Council and staff hard data and analytics that will aid in the decision-making process for public investment for traffic, infrastructure, facilities, and more. It can also serve as a tool to identify market deficiencies, economic opportunities, and business attraction strategies. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dE-RAExg

Check out my latest op-Ed in the The The Dallas Morning News where I highlight community, economic, and real estate development challenges and opportunities connected to I-345 as well as potential impacts to the City of Dallas. This vital link between Dallas area business and economic centers and residents is under threat for removal, but the businesses and people that would be the most impacted are not centered in the discourse. Many area employers and other stakeholders would bear impacts by such a decision: Oak Cliff Chamber Of Commerce, For Oak Cliff Dallas College, Dallas Love Field Airport, Downtown Dallas, Inc., Baylor University Medical Center, Deep Ellum Foundation, Dallas’ logistics industry, and job centers as far removed as City of Plano and City of Richardson Texas, as well as City of Mesquite, The City of Balch Springs, City of Lancaster, TX, City of DeSoto, CITY OF DUNCANVILLE, City of Cedar Hill, City of Hutchins, TX, City of Wilmer, and other cities and stakeholders. This is a much broader and deeper conversation that involves access to opportunity, economic development, infrastructure, and public policy ecosystems that deserve significant and thoughtful deliberation and leadership. #dallas #economicdevelopment #communitydevelopment #sustainabledevelopment #equitabledevelopment

Mayor Muriel Bowser recently unveiled DC’s Comeback Plan, outlining a five-year economic development strategy for the District of Columbia. At the core of this initiative is the Downtown Action Plan (DAP), which identifies strategies, programs, and initiatives to reimagine and reinvigorate Downtown DC. I encourage my industry friends (and those who live in The District) to take a moment to read through the plan and make a conscious commitment to drive this vision where we can.   Here is a quick summary of the Foundational Elements outlined:   1. Anchoring Downtown’s Comeback in Public Safety – Proactively and aggressively address safety concerns, developing both top-down and bottom-up approaches to public safety.   2. Creating a Place of Choice to Locate & Do Business – Enhance the attractiveness of Downtown D.C. as a place to start and grow businesses, and expand the toolkit with which the District can attract these businesses and enable them to thrive.   3. Building a Residential Base – Improve the ability for housing conversions and new developments to occur in Downtown D.C., and create appealing residential nodes that make the area more inclusive, multigenerational, and equitable.   4. Planning for Transportation as an Asset - Build on the District’s competitive advantage of having an accessible, multimodal, and pedestrian first central business district, and improve the ease with which all users can travel to, from, and within it.   5. Making it Happen - Lay the groundwork for the successful execution of the Downtown Action Plan, and develop a strategy for distressed and public assets.   What are your thoughts on the plan? As someone who works in Golden Triangle Business Improvement District and lives adjacent to DowntownDC BID, I take pride in continuously improving our city. I look forward to the impact we can make on the future of The District! #bedowntown #washingtondc #dcrealestate

New York City's "City of Yes" initiative comprises three distinct zoning reform packages spearheaded by Mayor Eric Adams to address housing, business, and environmental challenges. These reforms aim to update the city's outdated zoning code from 1961, making the city more accommodating to modern needs. Each package targets specific areas: 1. City of Yes for Economic Opportunity focuses on reducing business red tape, allowing diverse commercial activities such as clean manufacturing and life-science labs in non-industrial areas, and easing restrictions on commercial uses in residential zones. Despite support from various business groups, local community boards have largely opposed it, fearing the erosion of residential neighborhood characteristics. 2. City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposes to alleviate New York's housing crisis by encouraging higher-density constructions and introducing incentives for including affordable housing. It also suggests removing parking requirements for new developments and legalizing accessory dwelling units. While some policymakers and preservation groups support it, local opposition remains strong, particularly concerning changes to parking rules. 3. City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality, which has already been approved, aims to enhance the city's environmental resilience by facilitating building retrofits and expanding infrastructure for electric vehicles and renewable energy. This package received broad support from environmental and business groups, facing minimal opposition in the City Council. The successful implementation of these reforms could significantly impact Mayor Adams' legacy, providing comprehensive updates to New York City's zoning laws to better reflect contemporary urban needs and challenges. #CityOfYes #NYCZoningReform #EconomicOpportunity #HousingOpportunity #CarbonNeutrality #UrbanDevelopment #SustainableCities #NYCPolitics #CommunityEngagement #MayorAdamsInitiative

D.C. is doing the hard re-imagining work -- and is better positioned for this transition than most cities. "The future of downtown Washington ... involves some 15,000 new residents, lured in part by a reshaping of public property and commercial space so they can offer things residents want, like neighborhood parks, grocery stores and walkable boulevards connecting to the rest of the city." https://lnkd.in/gH-C_Jzs POLITICO And without vital downtowns, regions aren't ... super-regions. https://lnkd.in/g4dYnT2E Alan Berube Tracy Hadden Loh POLITICO

Good perspective here on the Central Social Districts evolution from Central Business Districts. The successful cities of the future...

In the ever-changing landscape of New York City, the success of a mayoral administration is often judged by its ability to introduce bold, transformative projects. Reflecting on Mayor Eric Adams' first two and a half years, Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer is confident that history will judge their administration favorably. Every administration faces unique challenges. For Mayor Bloomberg, it was rebuilding after 9/11. For the Adams administration, the task is steering the city through the post-COVID era, addressing an exacerbated affordability crisis, and ensuring that low- and middle-income New Yorkers can stay in the city they call home. Instead of focusing on headline-grabbing projects in select neighborhoods, the Adams administration has taken a citywide approach, prioritizing long-term affordability and opportunity across all five boroughs. This approach includes "rewiring" the city’s infrastructure to overcome restrictive regulations and fostering new economic engines, like climate innovation centers on Staten Island. These initiatives are designed to create jobs and provide pathways for underserved communities to enter emerging industries. The administration's commitment to inclusivity is further evidenced by record-breaking support for minority- and women-owned businesses (MWBEs), with billions awarded to nearly 2,000 certified firms—the most in the city's history. The administration is also on pace to break records in job creation and housing development, with projected numbers exceeding those of previous administrations. Their vision isn’t just about building upwards, but building outwards—embedding opportunities into the city’s fabric and ensuring every New Yorker has the chance to thrive. This comprehensive approach reflects the boldness needed to address today’s challenges and secure New York City's future prosperity. #NYCLeadership #UrbanDevelopment #HousingForAll #EconomicInclusion #ClimateInnovation #MWBESupport #BuildingTheFuture #BoldLeadership #EricAdams #MariaTorresSpringer https://lnkd.in/exR342HC

Shaping San Antonio's Future: How Strategic Choices Today are Crafting Tomorrow's City Over the past three years, the City of San Antonio, along with public entities like SAWS, VIA Metropolitan Transit, and CPS Energy, made critical decisions that shaped the community's direction. Each entity faced unique challenges, from water conservation to public transportation modernization and energy management. These decisions were made with a focus on long-term sustainability, balancing immediate needs with future resource availability. The decision-making processes of SAWS, VIA Metropolitan Transit, and CPS Energy were founded on key considerations. These included community engagement, economic and environmental balance, transparency and accountability, innovative solutions, and a long-term vision. These considerations reflect the complexities of governing a growing city and emphasize the importance of balancing immediate needs with the long-term well-being of the community. The strategic decisions made by San Antonio's key public entities are not just shaping the city today, but are also crafting a blueprint for our future. As residents, your voice and participation are crucial in this ongoing process. Whether it's attending city council meetings, participating in community surveys, or simply staying informed about local initiatives, your involvement can make a significant difference. By engaging, you contribute to the collective vision of a thriving, sustainable, and inclusive San Antonio. Remember, the future of our city lies not just in the hands of its current leaders, but also in the active participation of its community members like you. Why care? Because it's about the city we love, the home we share, and the future we build together.

It's just a 3-page article, but it makes so many important points -- * Building up your downtown requires you to look a range of issues that downtown planners didn't always have to look at - child care, the changing nature of in-person work, changes in transportation preferences, and the list goes on. * Splitting responsibilities across governmental layers increasingly gets in the way of progress - for example, counties need to understand their stake in the success of municipalities. * Governments that give out grants underestimate the compliance burden https://lnkd.in/eqWxYp-j

In the New York Times opinion section today, this piece by Cara Eckholm highlights the imperative to update our zoning rules for a modern economy. City of Yes for Economic Opportunity is an initiative of the NYC Department of City Planning to do just that, making our zoning more simple, adaptable, and modern so we can catalyze the next generation of entrepreneurs, combat storefront and office vacancies, and support small businesses and neighborhood commercial corridors all across our city. https://lnkd.in/eBaSrA6s To learn more about the plan and to get involved: https://lnkd.in/eM2GaHFT #CityOfYes