Forest Theater Impact Analysis

November 18, 2025 / Comments Off on Forest Theater Impact Analysis

HR&A worked with Forest Forward, a Dallas-based non-profit, to quantify the economic and community impacts of redeveloping the historic Forest Theater in South Dallas. Our analysis demonstrated how this landmark project would generate measurable economic benefits while expanding equitable access to cultural arts facilities and strengthening community health and safety outcomes across South Dallas.

The Forest Theater redevelopment serves as the centerpiece of Forest Forward’s comprehensive community development vision, encompassing education, arts, and housing initiatives in an area historically underserved by cultural amenities. HR&A developed detailed projections of both one-time construction impacts and ongoing operational benefits, showing how the project would create jobs, generate tax revenue, and catalyze broader neighborhood investment. Beyond economic modeling, our team assessed how the restored theater and accompanying programming would address disparities in cultural arts access, examining everything from transportation connectivity to programming accessibility to ensure the facility would truly serve existing residents.

 

Recognizing that cultural investments can sometimes accelerate displacement, HR&A created a comprehensive equitable development toolkit specifically tailored to Forest Forward’s goals and community context. This strategic framework provided concrete strategies to maximize community benefits while proactively addressing risks of cultural, residential, and commercial displacement. The toolkit equipped Forest Forward with data-driven insights and actionable recommendations to support their fundraising efforts while ensuring their transformative vision would strengthen rather than displace the South Dallas community they aim to serve.

 

Press:

Reviving History, Building Futures: Forest Forward’s Restoration of the Historic Forest Theater

Historic Forest Theater in South Dallas To Begin Renovations — Dallas Observer

Forest Forward Breaks Ground on Historic Forest Theater in Sunny South Dallas — Arlington BubbleLife

New chapter opened — Dallas Business Journals

Manhattan Chinatown Small Business Recovery and Cultural Preservation Strategy

November 17, 2025 / Comments Off on Manhattan Chinatown Small Business Recovery and Cultural Preservation Strategy

Since 2022, HR&A has worked with leaders in Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood to support recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, address systemic challenges facing the small business community, and foster a new generation of AAPI entrepreneurs seeking to preserve the cultural identity of Chinatown.

Working closely with the nonprofit Welcome to Chinatown, HR&A has provided ongoing economic research, strategic planning, and implementation support services, from documenting COVID-19’s devastating economic impacts to creating operational frameworks for business support initiatives. This work has equipped Welcome to Chinatown with evidence-based strategies and actionable roadmaps, transforming local leaders’ ability to advocate for neighborhood investment and cultural preservation. In parallel, HR&A led a seven-month community planning process funded by a New York State grant that resulted in more than $60 million of public investment in the core of Chinatown to address pedestrian safety and public realm issues.

 

Manhattan’s Chinatown has endured repeated economic disruption over the past 25 years, including following 9/11, SARS, the Great Recession, and Superstorm Sandy, all exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which triggered both severe business losses and rising anti-Asian violence. These acute challenges compounded long-term pressures from gentrification, changing demographics, and succession difficulties for legacy businesses. HR&A initially quantified these impacts through our 2022 Chinatown Impact Study, conducting multilingual focus groups, detailed visitation analyses, and assessments of federal aid accessibility. This foundational research, which received coverage in Curbed and The Village Sun, revealed unique cultural, language, and socioeconomic barriers hampering recovery efforts. Building on these insights, we subsequently developed operational and programming strategies for Welcome to Chinatown’s Small Business Innovation Hub, a centralized physical hub that provides meeting, coworking, and incubation space for AAPI entrepreneurs and community organizations. We also created a roadmap for Welcome to Chinatown to support legacy small business owners with succession planning to ensure they are able to monetize their life’s work while passing on traditions and spaces that help define Chinatown. Most recently, we provided program management support for the annual Chinatown Solidarity Summit, hosted at the Small Business Innovation Hub, further strengthening ties among North American Chinatown leaders.

 

Also starting in 2022, HR&A was the planning lead for the Chinatown Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), a State-funded program that brought together more than 15 neighborhood leaders with City and State agencies to define a vision for the future of Chinatown and prioritize capital projects to address longstanding challenges and set up the next decade of community-led growth and investment. As a result of the DRI effort—for which HR&A led all economic analysis, community facilitation, and project evaluation—the State’s $20 million grant was leveraged to attract nearly $45 million in funding from the City of New York to advance a transformative redesign of Chinatown’s southern gateway at Chatham Square.

 

Our work has enabled Welcome to Chinatown’s evolution from an emergency relief organization to a sustainable community nonprofit while advancing critical neighborhood investments. The Small Business Innovation Hub, which opened in 2024, now provides targeted resources to both established businesses and entrepreneurs. Our succession planning roadmap is guiding new programs that facilitate responsible transitions for legacy business owners. Planned capital improvements—known as Chinatown Connections—include long-desired upgrades to Park Row designed to increase foot traffic between Lower Manhattan and Chinatown to support small business recovery. This integrated, multi-year engagement demonstrates HR&A’s ability to combine rigorous economic analysis with practical implementation strategies that preserve neighborhood character while building economic resilience—creating meaningful impact that extends beyond individual businesses to sustain the cultural fabric of an iconic New York City neighborhood.

 

Explore: 

Impact Study 

 

Press:  

Saving Chinatown, While Also Making It Their Own — NY Times

Welcome to Chinatown breaks ground on Manhattan’s inaugural Small Business Innovation Hub in Chinatown — AMNY

Now it’s bare’: NYC’s Chinatown small businesses battle to keep doors open — ABC News 

Downtown San Francisco Office-to-Residential Conversion Study

November 17, 2025 / Comments Off on Downtown San Francisco Office-to-Residential Conversion Study

On behalf of SPUR and ULI San Francisco, HR&A Advisors partnered with Gensler to analyze the economic feasibility of converting vacant downtown office buildings into residential units. This first-of-its-kind study in San Francisco — ultimately incorporated into SPUR’s October 2023 “From Workspace to Homebase” report — provided stakeholders with actionable insights into the financial challenges and policy interventions necessary for successful conversions that could address both downtown vacancy and the city’s housing shortage.

Through detailed financial modeling across multiple building prototypes and market scenarios, HR&A quantified the precise economic thresholds needed to make conversions viable. The analysis went beyond physical suitability assessments to determine specific construction costs, financing requirements, potential housing yield under various scenarios, and identified the types of policies and incentives that would be needed to enable conversion projects at scale.

 

The widely circulated study directly informed policy discussions about San Francisco’s downtown recovery, as well as focused efforts by the City to increase the feasibility of office-to-residential conversions. Since 2023, the City of San Francisco has advanced fee reductions and transfer tax waivers; adopted Downtown Adaptive Reuse code relief; and formed the Downtown Revitalization Financing District to enable incentives for conversions. HR&A’s analysis served as a central framework for reimagining downtown San Francisco’s future as a more economically diverse and resilient urban center that balances commercial activity with increased residential presence.

 

Explore:

“From Workspace to Homebase: Exploring the Viability of Office-to-Residential Conversion in San Francisco’s Changing Real Estate Market”

“Office-to-Residential Conversion in San Francisco’s Changing Real Estate Market” Research for SPUR and ULI San Francisco

 

Press:

Rekindling San Francisco’s Downtown by Reviving Its Streets — Urban Land

San Francisco’s AI Growth Brings New Opportunities for City Development — Modern Construction News

SF’s Empty Office Space Could Hold 11,000 New Homes – But Only With City Hall’s Help, Report Says — San Francisco Chronicle

More Than 10K Residences Could Replace San Francisco’s Empty Office Towers — The Real Deal

Blue Line Corridor Vision and Implementation Strategy

April 11, 2025 / Comments Off on Blue Line Corridor Vision and Implementation Strategy

HR&A led an interdisciplinary team to develop a transformative vision and implementation strategy for Prince George’s County’s Blue Line Corridor, a 6-mile stretch along Central Avenue in Maryland. This comprehensive plan has already secured over $450M in state funding and bonding capacity for priority capital projects including a youth sports fieldhouse, amphitheater, central library and cultural center, market hall, and multimodal infrastructure while establishing a replicable model for place-based economic development countywide. 

Working with Design Collective and Toole Design Group, HR&A crafted a 30-year development roadmap for this transit-rich corridor, served by four Blue and Silver Line Metro stations. The vision identified capital improvements and new anchor institutions and facilities to catalyze private investment in dense, transit-oriented development stations. The team coordinated across County and State agencies and WMATA to align objectives, leverage resources, identify obstacles, and recommend new legislative and financial tools to maximize economic potential. 

 

The vision became the centerpiece of the County Executive’s 2021 State of the County address and continues to guide implementation. HR&A remains actively involved, facilitating an interagency working group, conducting feasibility studies, and advancing capital improvement projects. These efforts ensure the ambitious vision moves from concept to reality with strategic oversight. 

 

HR&A also developed County-specific enabling legislation (Maryland House Bill 1109) to establish business improvement districts in Prince George’s County, adopted in April 2023. The Blue Line Corridor BID is being specifically designed to ensure inclusive development that benefits existing communities while attracting new investment. This innovative approach ensures that economic growth along the corridor supports both existing residents and businesses while creating vibrant, accessible places for all county residents. 

 

Press:  

Prince George’s County Breaks Ground on Civic Plaza, The First Signature Project of The Blue Line Corridor Initiative – Prince George’s Country MD 

 

 

Photo: Jackie Hicks and Prince George’s County

Supporting SEIU State Public Banking Legislation

June 8, 2023 / Comments Off on Supporting SEIU State Public Banking Legislation

HR&A Advisors worked with a coalition of racial and economic justice organizations, financial access advocates, and labor unions, including the California Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the California Public Banking Alliance, to provide analysis of the financial and social impacts of unfair banking access to support advocacy for the California Public Banking Option Act (AB-1177). Our findings showed how inadequate and disparate access to free and safe banking accounts results in billions of dollars lost to the California economy annually, contributes to people remaining in poverty, and increases the use of taxpayer dollars towards providing social services.  

In October 2021, the California Assembly and Senate passed the California Public Banking Option Act and Governor Gavin Newsom signed it into law in a move that sets the foundation for providing universal access to banking that will benefit households, local economies, and taxpayers. This is the first bill in the nation guaranteeing universal banking access, paving the way towards giving all Californians access to high-quality, low-cost financial services. 80.7% of unbanked Californians earn less than $15 per hour, and nearly half of Black and 41.1% of Hispanic households in California are unbanked or underbanked. Unbanked communities lack access to basic financial services — like checking and savings accounts — that are critical to financial stability.  

 

HR&A Advisors novel analysis examined who is not being served by the formal banking system, where they live, what the financial costs are to individuals and to the economy of un- and under-banking, and the economic benefits of the legislation to California. AB-1177 established a framework to study the feasibility and implement the CalAccount public banking option program, an alternative to the high fees that many Californians face from existing predatory banking options that stand as a barrier to wealth accumulation. 

 

Our analysis delineated how the CalAccount program could offer critical services to Californians and become self-sufficient within the next five years. CalAccount could draw on existing state programs to reach a customer base of millions of Californians resulting in an estimated $3.3 billion in savings for low-income households, potentially creating 22,000 jobs, and boosting the California economy by an estimated $4.2 billion by redirecting spending away from costly interest and fees.   

 

 

Photo: Louis Velazquez

Richmond Business Recovery Action Plan

October 5, 2022 / Comments Off on Richmond Business Recovery Action Plan

HR&A collaborated with the City of Richmond to develop inclusive recovery principles and a comprehensive Business Recovery Action Plan targeting small and locally-owned businesses. Our approach identified critical recovery needs, streamlined access to resources, and established actionable strategies that the City continues to implement, including expanded grant programs and improved service delivery for underserved business owners.

Richmond’s small businesses needed targeted support during economic recovery, particularly businesses owned by people of color who were reluctant to take on additional debt in an uncertain environment after the pandemic. HR&A conducted comprehensive analysis of recovery needs and available resources, developing actionable recommendations that expanded grant programs and removed barriers to accessing City services. We identified opportunities to leverage federal recovery dollars for workforce development while emphasizing solutions that could advance meaningfully within six months and align with principles of equitable recovery.

 

The resulting Business Recovery Action Plan prioritized achievable six-month milestones aligned with equity principles, leading to tangible outcomes including the establishment of a new Economic Development Working Group and development of buy-local initiatives. HR&A supported the City with implementing the plan through multi-stakeholder facilitation and then developed a long-term business investment and attraction strategy. The City’s ongoing commitment to underserved residents led to HR&A’s subsequent retention for community-centered allocation of American Rescue Plan Act funds, demonstrating the sustained impact of our collaborative approach to inclusive economic recovery.

 

Explore:

Business Recovery Action Plan

SDSU Mission Valley Innovation District Development

September 30, 2022 / Comments Off on SDSU Mission Valley Innovation District Development

Universities across the country are taking on new roles to increase opportunity for their students, faculty, and surrounding communities by creating inclusive spaces for innovation.

San Diego State University (SDSU) made the bold move to purchase a 135-acre site from the City of San Diego to create SDSU Mission Valley, a mixed-use, transit-oriented community that will help expand SDSU’s educational, research, and entrepreneurial missions. This site will include a 1.6 million square foot Innovation District, up to 4,600 residential units, a multi-use stadium, and over 80 acres of parks and open space. The entire project will increase career opportunities for SDSU’s 35,000 students, 54% of whom are students of color, and grow SDSU’s $5.7 billion annual impact on the San Diego region.

 

Quidel Corporation, a provider of rapid diagnostic testing solutions, cellular-based virology assays and molecular diagnostic systems, was announced in July of 2022 as the first partner in the Innovation District and a Founding Partner at SDSU’s Snapdragon Stadium. SDSU expects more private, public and non-profit-sector partners to be announced in the coming months, who will contribute to interdisciplinary hubs of research and innovation.

 

We collaborated with SDSU to refine a vision and business plan for the Innovation District and to guide refinement of a master plan for the district. We are currently supporting the procurement of a developer to construct as much as 500,000 square feet of space within the Innovation District, where SDSU will expand its research presence to anchor the new development.

 

SDSU Innovation District Quad and Public Realm, Image courtesy of SDSU.

Greater Corktown Neighborhood Framework & Choice Neighborhood Implementation

August 31, 2021 / Comments Off on Greater Corktown Neighborhood Framework & Choice Neighborhood Implementation

In May 2021, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the award of a $30M Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant to the City of Detroit that will make the Corktown Framework Plan a reality. The grant and Framework Plan were both a direct result of work HR&A has done over the last 2 years in Detroit to identify strategies that deliver equitable economic development.
 
The Greater Corktown Neighborhood Framework, shaped by the community and released in November 2020, focuses on reinforcing this vibrant and diverse neighborhood as a place of opportunity for all residents, leveraging transformative investment under way by the Ford Motor Company in a new mobility innovation district anchored by the revitalized Michigan Central Train Station. HR&A’s team, led by Kate Collignon, worked with Perkins & Will and the Detroit Planning Department to set the stage for neighborhood infrastructure and policies that preserve affordability while fueling neighborhood and citywide economic growth. The plan dovetails with the creation of the 27.5-mile Joe Louis Greenway — plans for which HR&A also supported as part of a team led by Smithgroup – which will increase mobility and recreational opportunities, and connect neighborhoods throughout Detroit to employment centers like that emerging in Corktown.
 
This plan became the basis for the Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant application. Under the agency’s Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, five communities received a combined $150M to invest in neighborhoods to spur comprehensive revitalization. Working alongside the Detroit City Housing Department, an HR&A team led by Phillip Kash developed an approach and helped to prepare the application that led to a $30M award for Corktown. This is HR&A’s second successful Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant application. The first was for the redevelopment of the Saint Paul’s Quadrant in Norfolk, VA.
 
Now awarded, the Choice Grant will serve as the foundation of making The Corktown Plan a reality. It will preserve the existing public housing in the neighborhood and create more than 700 new affordable and mixed-income homes. In addition, the grant will leverage over $800M in additional public and private investment in public space, community facilities and commercial development.
 
The redevelopment approach sets a new gold standard for public housing redevelopment:

  • It will follow the Build First principal. New affordable housing will be built for current public housing residents before any units are demolished, ensuring that no one is forced out.
  • It will exceed 1:1 replacement for deeply affordable units. When completed there will be 152 units that are deeply affordable units as opposed to the 87 that existed before.
  • The supply of affordable housing in the neighborhood will increase, even as the market strengthens. In addition to the 152 deeply affordable units (30% AMI), there will be another 500+ units of affordable housing.
  • There will be affordable homeownership, and the opportunity to build wealth. The project includes 150 units of affordable homeownership and $5M in down payment assistance to make those homes affordable for households who would otherwise lack the wealth to purchase them.
  • Nonprofit ownership and control will increase. The Community Builders, a well-respected national nonprofit, will own and operate the majority of the housing developed. The current ownership is entirely by for-profit organizations.

 
 
Read more on the project:

 

See more from our project partners:

NYC Internet Master Plan

March 19, 2020 / Comments Off on NYC Internet Master Plan

NYC’s groundbreaking Internet Master Plan lays the foundation for more equitable internet infrastructure, unlocking private sector innovation to connect all New Yorkers to expanded economic opportunity.

Challenge

High-speed internet access is the seminal infrastructure of the 21st Century and will shape the future of New York City. If made affordable and accessible to everyone, broadband can be a lever for increasing opportunity for residents, expanding the City’s position as a global economic leader, and supporting NYC as the fairest big city in America. Failure to connect all New Yorkers all but guarantees that some portion of the population will be left behind.

 

Broadband connectivity is a prerequisite to economic inclusion, yet nearly one third of NYC households (29%) currently do not have broadband in their homes. A striking 18% of city residents—more than 1.5 million New Yorkers—have neither a mobile connection nor a home broadband connection, yet both are required for full connectivity. Choice among residential broadband providers—a key driver of affordability, performance, and privacy—is limited relatively wealthy and dense neighborhoods. Today, commercial fiber is concentrated in Manhattan, starkly disadvantaging the economic viability of the City’s outer boroughs.

 

Solution

HR&A worked with the Mayor’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer (MOCTO) to identify challenges, opportunities, and ambitions to deliver broadband infrastructure in New York City. We led an interdisciplinary team to craft an expansive outlook including:

  • A future-proof approach to infrastructure design and delivery
  • Strategies to leverage City assets for broadband use, creating value for public and private partners
  • A preferred business model and recommended public-private financing strategy for implementation
  • A governance strategy that consolidates oversight and reflects broadband’s status as core infrastructure
  • A benefits case for ubiquitous, affordable broadband, quantifying the economic and fiscal impacts associated with greater access for households, businesses, and improved municipal services
  • Potential initial implementation approaches that quickly make a difference in the lives of New Yorkers and serve as meaningful steppingstones to a longer-term implementation roadmap

 

Impact

The HR&A team’s research, findings, and recommendations have shaped the City’s first ever Internet Master Plan, released in January 2020.

 

The plan charts a path to expand the City’s role in broadband infrastructure and service delivery by facilitating public partnerships to fill gaps in the market, close the digital divide, and deliver universal, affordable broadband to all New Yorkers. The plan has been lauded by experts in the telecommunications and public policy. In a Brookings article titled “New York City and the FCC have two very different plans for expanding broadband access”, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Blair Levin praised the Internet Master Plan’s novel approach to combating broadband challenges through multi-stakeholder partnerships and prioritized problem-solving.

 

Reliable high-speed internet is a prerequisite for full participation in our society; when COVID-19 hit, home broadband became undeniably essential. In May 2020, the City established the Universal Solicitation for Broadband (USB), a new procurement strategy outlined in the Internet Master Plan, with a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) for ready-to-deploy ideas for free and low-cost internet service to New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) residents.

 

In July 2020, the City doubled down on universal broadband to advance racial inclusion and equity through COVID-19 response and recovery. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the acceleration of the Internet Master Plan, committing $157 million to expand affordable broadband access to 600,000 New Yorkers, including 200,000 NYCHA residents. New York City’s commitment and strategy is among the boldest plays of any city in the country to achieving universal broadband.

 

Check out the full Internet Master Plan here and read coverage from national and local news sources including, Gothamist, City & State, Next City, State Scoop, Ars Technica and CNET.

 

For questions and inquiries, please contact Danny Fuchs at danny@hraadvisors.com or (212) 977-6171.

Equitable Economic Development and Mobility Strategy for Grand Rapids

February 26, 2020 / Comments Off on Equitable Economic Development and Mobility Strategy for Grand Rapids

HR&A led development of a strategic roadmap to achieve equitable economic development and mobility in the City of Grand Rapids.

Challenge

Driven by expansions in the healthcare and manufacturing industries, the Grand Rapids economy grew significantly following the recession, with unemployment hitting a low of 3.4% in 2018. However, this prosperity has not reached everyone in the city. The challenges facing Grand Rapids — chief among them racial and neighborhood-level disparities in access to economic opportunity and reliable and safe transportation to good jobs — are deep-seated issues that have frustrated the best efforts of many American cities. A strategy that is successful in addressing these issues must capitalize on the city’s advantages to continue to drive economic growth, while broadening opportunity and targeting initiatives to communities that have so far been left out.

Solution

HR&A led an interdisciplinary team that worked closely with the City of Grand Rapids and a steering committee of civic, business and resident stakeholders to develop strategies to advance the city’s economic development and mobility objectives. As part of this effort, HR&A conducted in-depth interviews and analysis to identify the city’s strengths and challenges, and gathered input from community members about the intersection of equity and economic development in their daily lives. HR&A then worked alongside the City and committee members to develop viable strategies that address the existing gaps in Grand Rapids’ economic development toolkit.
 
Recognizing that mobility also plays an integral role in economic opportunity and access, HR&A also supported Nelson\Nygaard’s work to develop relevant strategies to improve transportation safety and accessibility. HR&A subsequently developed a strategic plan designed to achieve the goal of a more equitable, just city. The final plan, Equitable Economic Development & Mobility Strategy was released in January 2020; it provides detailed guidance on actions the City and its partners will take to promote inclusive economic growth and equitable transportation access.
 
Implementation of the plan is currently underway, beginning with 11 near-term strategies including employing an equitable development scorecard to evaluate and award incentives, expanding resources provided to Corridor Improvement Authorities, and creating a transparent and visible centralized information hub for economic development services.