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100 Resilient Cities Challenge

February 8, 2016 / Comments Off on 100 Resilient Cities Challenge

HR&A is supporting urban leaders in 100 cities across the United States as they develop comprehensive, actionable plans to become more resilient to social, economic, and physical risks and challenges.

HR&A supports the 100 Resilient Cities program, a global initiative pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation, and Chief Resilience Officers across the United States as they develop comprehensive resilience strategies and implementation plans that respond to their cities’ unique set of risks and long-term vision and goals. Each strategy and implementation plan is designed to build the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses, and systems within a city to not only survive a major disruption event such as an earthquake or flood, but also to adapt and grow in the face of chronic stresses such as poverty or housing availability.

HR&A works with each Chief Resilience Officer and other senior officials to develop comprehensive resilience strategies.

At the forefront of Resilience Strategy Development, HR&A has supported the comprehensive strategic plans for Norfolk, New York City and New Orleans – the first to be delivered as a part of the 100RC program.  In Norfolk, HR&A worked with the Chief Resilience Officer (CRO) to design initiatives that will make the coastal city more prepared for climate change, create economic opportunity in new and growing sectors, and strengthen communities and neighborhoods while deconcentrating poverty. New York City’s strategy, developed with support from HR&A, envisions a more resilient city embracing balanced growth, a more inclusive economy, sustainability in the face of climate change, and more resilient infrastructure and services. In New Orleans, HR&A supported the CRO in prioritizing initiatives advancing coastal protection and restoration, creating equity through opportunity, and redesigning regional transit systems. Future strategies may include the development of high priority implementable projects and initiatives that strengthen infrastructure, generate economic opportunity, improve governance structures, and build social capital.

 

Through the Resilience Strategy Development process, HR&A supports cities and CROs to:

  • Identify and prioritize potential acute shocks and chronic stresses that their cities face;
  • Provide thought leadership by guiding use of best practices and delivering data-driven analyses;
  • Coordinate and facilitate stakeholder workshops; and
  • Design a Phase-1 Resilience Strategy

 

HR&A led agenda-setting workshops for six of the ten selected North American cities: Los Angeles, California; Norfolk, Virginia; Boston, Massachusetts; Boulder, Colorado; Tulsa, Oklahoma; St. Louis, Missouri; and El Paso, Texas. Prior to each workshop, HR&A analyzed the city context, including demographic, economic, social, and physical metrics, to define a city-specific strategic plan. Learn more about the program at 100resilientcities.org

Martha Jefferson Hospital

Martha Jefferson Hospital

December 18, 2015 / Comments Off on Martha Jefferson Hospital

HR&A Partner Shuprotim Bhaumik guided the comprehensive relocation and redevelopment process for the historic Martha Jefferson Hospital.

When Martha Jefferson Hospital  was facing the challenges of aging facilities and limited opportunities for expansion, they engaged an Shuprotim Bhaumik  as an advisor to assist them in redeveloping its historic facility in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia. The hospital planned to relocate to newly constructed facilities and wanted to plan for the disposition of the hospital’s historic main building and eight acres of surrounding land. The Hospital engaged Shuprotim to evaluate economic conditions; develop a market-feasible program for the redevelopment of the parcel by a single developer; and lead the developer selection and negotiation process. The hospital later engaged him to create a phased disposition strategy in order to get the strongest private market response.

Under Shuprotim’s leadership, the Hospital created a phased disposition strategy and received several proposals from the development community and ultimately selected a Charlottesville-based developer Octagon Partners to redevelop the historic main building and hospital campus.

Image Courtesy: Kahler Slater

Research Triangle Park

December 18, 2015 / Comments Off on Research Triangle Park

For the Research Triangle Foundation in North Carolina, HR&A worked with a multidisciplinary team to create a master plan for the next 50 years of Research Triangle Park’s growth, advising the team on a real estate strategy and on the economic impact of the Park on the region.

Research Triangle Park was the first and most prestigious of its brand of science and technology research parks. Created in 1959 with the support of state and local economic development agencies and the three major universities nearby, the Park catalyzed high-tech employment growth in the region and set the standard for research parks comprised of corporate campuses in a park-like setting.

As part of its work, HR&A:

  • Assessed the sectoral growth opportunities at the Park and in the region, and the physical needs and priorities of companies and workers in those sectors;
  • Based on those physical criteria, informed creation of a master plan for the next generation of park development, including the introduction of a vibrant and sustainable mixed-use district;
  • Evaluated the local real estate market to determine the financial feasibility of new construction and supporting infrastructure; and
  • Recommended a development strategy and business plan for the Foundation to advance the introduction of new uses and infrastructure that will help the Park continue to act as an engine of regional economic growth.

In parallel, HR&A undertook a comprehensive assessment of the economic and fiscal impact of the Park, using longitudinal employment data to determine the Park’s role in generating high-technology employment throughout the Research Triangle region. The study estimated the economic and fiscal impact of this employment, including direct, indirect and induced impacts. HR&A also calculated additional economic benefits including private industry investment, entrepreneurship and the creation of an innovation economy. As the master plan evolved, HR&A expanded its economic assessment to estimate the impact of the regulatory changes and additional development envisioned in the Plan.

 

HR&A served as an advisor to the Foundation as it worked to implement the Plan. HR&A assisted the Foundation in working with tenants and land owners to facilitate land assemblage for mixed-use development clusters within the Park. HR&A also worked with the Foundation to identify development partners for plan implementation, and to negotiate and structure associated agreements. In September 2014, the Foundation entered into an agreement with Hines to advance the first phase of development.

Economic-Impact-of-Film-Production-Tax-Credits

Assessing the Economic Impacts of Film Production Tax Credits

November 12, 2015 / Comments Off on Assessing the Economic Impacts of Film Production Tax Credits

HR&A has analyzed the economic impacts of film production tax credit programs in New York, Massachusetts, and Louisiana to support key policy goals on behalf of the Motion Picture Association of America.

New York

New York has a long and illustrious history as a center of film and television production. To remain an attractive place for filming and production, New York State enacted the Empire State Film Production Tax Credit, which has supported over 700 film and television projects since its 2004 inception.  In 2012, our study of the New York State Film Production Tax Credit demonstrated the credit’s essential role in bolstering the state’s thriving film and television production industry, generating 28,900 jobs and $6.9 billion in spending. Following the study’s release, Governor Andrew Cuomo released a proposed budget containing a five-year extension of the credit. The extension and enhancement of the state’s film and television tax credit will provide the stability necessary to attract more long-term investments and create more jobs for New Yorkers all across the state. The extension expanded the scope of projects eligible for the credit, accommodates the rise of visual effects spending as a portion of overall budgets, and included provisions to drive more film production and post-production in upstate New York.

 

Massachusetts

In 2013, HR&A assessed the economic and fiscal impacts of the Massachusetts Film Production Tax Credit Program. Our analysis estimated  jobs, wages and economic output generated from filming and post-production activities, and considered the economic impact of production as well as the spending associated with film tourism,  infrastructure investments for production facilities, and value from media exposure. We found, that the tax-credit program generated 2,200 jobs in 2011 and $375 million in state spending, and also significant infrastructure investment. Following the release of our study, the state legislature rejected a budget amendment that would have capped the Commonwealth’s investment in the incentive program.

 

Louisiana

HR&A examined the dramatic growth of the Louisiana motion picture and television industry, in our economic and fiscal impact analysis of the Louisiana Motion Picture Investor Tax Credit  on behalf of the Motion Picture Association of America and the Louisiana Film and Entertainment Association. The analysis considered three major sources of economic impact – direct production spending, visitor spending attributable to film-induced tourism, and construction of studio and other production infrastructure. The Louisiana State Legislature enacted the credit in 2002, and adjusted it to a 30% tax credit on all qualified Louisiana production spending and a 5%  tax credit on Louisiana resident payroll in 2009.

 

From 2002 to 2013, film and television production employment increased by over 5,000 jobs, with estimated production spending of over $1 billion in 2013. In 2013 – considering both production spending and visitor spending attributable to motion picture and television tourism – the credit supported up to 33,520 jobs in Louisiana across all industries, generating up to $1.2 billion in personal income and up to $4 billion in economic output in Louisiana. In particular, visitor spending attributable to motion picture and television induced tourism in the state supported up to 22,720 jobs in Louisiana, generating up to $767 million in personal income and up to $2.4 billion in economic output. The tourism impacts are based on a survey of 1,381 recent visitors to Louisiana conducted by HR&A and Federated Sample, which found that 14.5% of domestic, out-of-state, leisure visitors can be considered motion picture- and/or television- induced tourists.

 

In all of these studies, HR&A used IMPLAN modeling to estimate the full economic benefits of the film credits, capturing the results in terms of jobs, wages, and economic output generated. HR&A also examined the fiscal impacts of the credits, in terms of state and local tax revenues. In all cases, HR&A’s final reports helped demonstrate the value of these types of tax credits for each state.

Daniel Island

November 12, 2015 / Comments Off on Daniel Island

HR&A led the efforts to plan, entitle, then develop the award winning plan for Daniel Island. We also managed the initial phase of development, including financing, infrastructure construction, and creation of the initial residential program, in addition to attracting a vital educational partner. The result is one of the most successful developments in the Southeast.

Working on behalf of the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, HR&A led Daniel Island, a tract of land spanning 4,500 acres in the center of Charleston’s busy waterways, through a comprehensive, award winning planning process, and into construction. Daniel Island became one of the largest real estate development projects ever undertaken in South Carolina. The island is currently home to almost 15,000 residents living in a mix of neighborhoods and some of the region’s top employers, both who enjoy the island’s unique coastal setting in the middle of a thriving metropolitan region. The keys to its success has been an innovative partnership with the City, a commitment to quality design, high standards of development management, and a long term approach to value creation.

HR&A led the creation of a master plan and the first phase of development of Daniel Island.

The master plan for Daniel Island aimed to strengthen connections with Charleston in the East and the suburb of Mount Pleasant in the West. Eschewing the traditional gated community, or suburban subdivisions, the plan included several interconnected residential communities, a large light industrial park, a new port facility, major new parks, and a town center, skillfully balancing environmental stewardship with private development. The plan also included a financing strategy to develop housing options for a diversity of incomes.

 

Under HR&A leadership, the successful template of a new town was developed.

  • Led the process of obtaining all land use approvals, including public outreach that was strongly supported by the community and environmental advocates;
  • Created and led the Daniel Island Development Corporation;
  • Arranged financing for the first phase of development;
  • Developed the design of the residential and commercial products;
  • Managed construction of the initial infrastructure; and
  • Managed the development of the first phase of residential construction, a new school, and the first office building.

 

To date, the Daniel Island Plan has catalyzed over $1 billion in real estate transactions.

Awards
  • The Urban Land Institute Award for Excellence in 2007 (cited internationally as the real estate and land planning industry’s most prestigious recognition); and
  • America’s Best Suburban Smart Growth Community award from the National Association of Home Builders.

CityCenterDC

November 12, 2015 / Comments Off on CityCenterDC

HR&A supported the development of the District’s Master Plan and the developer selection process for the former Washington Convention Center site.

CityCenterDC is a new mixed-used project in the heart of downtown Washington, D.C. consisting of 2.5 million square feet of office, residential, and retail space on the 10-acre site of the former Washington Convention Center.  Former District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray lauds CityCenterDC as “one of the most important projects … in the history of the District of Columbia.” On behalf of the District of Columbia, HR&A led the initial concept planning for the site, solicited private development partners, and assisted with negotiations resulting in selection of the current development team.

HR&A supported the District of Columbia from master planning through developer designation.

Working in partnership with Skidmore Owings & Merrill, HR&A developed a reuse plan and program to illustrate the development potential for the site, encourage widespread private interest and ensure long-term economic benefits for the public. We created a development program for the site that balanced ambitious goals for downtown revitalization with market realities and development constraints.

After successfully preparing the conceptual reuse plan, HR&A managed the District’s RFQ/RFP process to designate a Master Developer.

We drafted the solicitation on behalf of the District, setting forth development guidelines and key designation criteria. HR&A evaluated the submissions and advised the District regarding each proposal’s policy and economic implications, identified urban design and financial implications, and ranked the proposals according to a decision-making framework that was established in collaboration with the District.

 

Ultimately, HR&A supported the negotiations that resulted in a Letter of Intent with two finalists, and advised the District on its designation of the Master Developer. CityCenterDC opened in 2015.

Image Courtesy of: SOM

Arlington County Community Energy Plan Development

November 12, 2015 / Comments Off on Arlington County Community Energy Plan Development

HR&A advised Arlington County, Virginia on the development and implementation of the County’s Community Energy Plan.

The Community Energy Plan for Arlington provides a comprehensive approach to reducing the County’s greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent between now and the year 2040. The plan advocates for improving energy generation, use, and distribution to create substantial economic, environmental, and quality of life benefits for the businesses and residents of the County.

The Plan promotes a number of goals which address residential and commercial building energy efficiency, implementation of renewable and district energy systems, transportation-related carbon reduction strategies, general County activities, and outreach and education. HR&A reviewed best practices throughout the United States and internationally to provide context in which to frame these goals and to recommend pathways to success. HR&A recommended implementation actions and public outreach approaches to advance the Plan and its goals, which included incentive and regulatory approaches, improvements to securing approvals, and social media.

 

On Saturday, June 15, 2013, the Arlington County Board unanimously adopted the Community Energy Plan as part of the County’s Comprehensive Plan, approved the Implementation Framework Plan, and directed the establishment of a Community Energy Plan Implementation Review Committee.