HR&A conducted an analysis of the regional impacts of the Saratoga Racetrack and found that the track produced an economic impact on the surrounding nine counties of between $186 million and $213 million per year. HR&A’s findings were eagerly awaited by local interests, and received attention in the local Albany Times Union, and Bloomberg Business Week.

Read the Times Union article

HR&A Partner Carl Weisbrod was recognized by the Center for an Urban Future as “one of New York’s most innovative economic development leaders over the past three decades” at their 15th Annual Gala. Carl joined HR&A as a Partner in 2011, and currently leads efforts to transform the Hudson Square neighborhood into a mixed-use district focused on creative industries through an innovative rezoning proposal. In addition to his role at HR&A, Carl is a Clinical Professor at New York University’s Schack Institute of Real Estate where he also serves as Academic Chair of the Concentration in Global Real Estate.

On November 8th, the New York Times published an overview, entitled “Study Clarifies the Energy Savings in Retrofitted Buildings,” of a study commissioned by Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation and Living Cities, showing how lenders can use a simple model to predict savings from installing energy efficiency retrofits, and therefore underwrite larger loans. HR&A completed this study in partnership with Steven Winters Associates.

Read the full New York Times article

City Parks Alliance and HR&A surveyed 58 dedicated park stewardship organizations across North America to understand their role in park management and the opportunities they create for signature city parks. Among the findings were that these organizations augment public investment with substantial private funding to improve public spaces. The typical organization sponsors 60 programs each year and provides park maintenance, volunteer recruitment, and other key functions. These parks are resourceful in securing funding, spending an average of $160,000 per acre managed, but real estate value capture remains a substantial, often untapped opportunity to support signature city parks.

Read the full Signature Park Survey

Earlier this month, the Minneapolis City Council approved the re-design of Peavey Plaza, a one-acre public space on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis, that was completed by oslund and assoc landscape architects with support from HR&A. This City-owned civic space, which has been the front yard of Orchestra Hall since the 1970s, has suffered from a lack of routine maintenance and capital reinvestment, even as its position as the primary outdoor event venue in downtown Minneapolis has taken hold. The result of a several-months collaboration between oslund and assoc, HR&A, and a committed group of stakeholders is a compelling design, programming strategy, and preliminary business model. The redesign of the deteriorating plaza was profiled in the the Minneapolis Star Tribune, which praised the plan for promising to restore safety, provide economic benefits, and incorporate sustainable design.

Read about the Peavey Plaza redevelopment plans

On November 3rd, Austin City Council gave preliminary approval to the Downtown Austin Plan. HR&A was pleased to support McCann-Adams Studio in creating the Plan, which supports the City’s efforts to attract and retain workers and residents to the neighborhood and strengthen Downtown’s brand.

HR&A played numerous roles in the development of the Plan.

• HR&A developed the policy rationale for a permanent density bonus, which will tie higher density Downtown for housing development to affordable housing and other public benefits. The policy is currently under review by City Council as a replacement for a temporary density bonus created during the planning stages.
• HR&A developed a strategy to increase Austin’s supply of affordable housing, recommending that workforce housing be concentrated Downtown. Our recommendations were grounded in a rigorous assessment of Austin’s current policies, workforce needs, and the state of its residential market.
• HR&A developed a comprehensive strategy for transforming Austin’s Downtown parks system. The strategy focuses on maximizing public revenues through concessions, events, and fees, and leveraging supplemental funding and management resources through collaboration with public, private and non-profit entities.
• Most recently, HR&A developed an implementation strategy for the Plan, including recommendation of a Development Corporation model to undertake a range of strategic actions Downtown.

As a subcontractor to Atkins, one of the largest international engineering firms, HR&A is advising the Saudia Arabia General Investment Authority (SAGIA) and its affiliated Economic Cities Authority (ECA) on the development of four new cities in Saudi Arabia. These include King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), a new mixed-use development about 90 km north of the major Red Sea port city of Jeddah. The master plan includes a new deep-water port, a major central business district, and numerous residential, commercial and industrial components, to meet the Kingdom’s goals for creating jobs and catalyzing foreign investment, global trade, commerce and industry. When complete, the 168 million square meter development will be home to 2 million residents. The project is being developed by Emaar, one of the world’s largest international construction and development companies.

HR&A is assisting SAGIA and ECA to design and implement an orgnizational structure for efficiently managing governmental development review and permit process for KAEC and the other three Economic Cities, and advising on various KAEC master plan implementation issues, including coastal resource and coastal access protection strategies.

Duke Energy’s Smart Energy Now (SEN) initiative is a first-of-its-kind community behavioral change efficiency program that encourages commercial building owners, tenants, facilities staff, and employees in Uptown Charlotte to modify their current energy consumption while at work. SEN aims to ultimately cut energy use in Uptown Charlotte by 20 percent, the first 5 percent through behavior change. HR&A managed the program design on behalf of Duke Energy.

SEN has the personal commitment of local elected leadership and key Uptown Charlotte business community members, including Bank of America and Wells Fargo. It also includes partnerships with IFMA, ULI, and USGBC.