Brighter Future for Mass Transit

Greater Ohio Policy Center was pleased with the recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Transportation that as part of its new proposed guidelines for funding mass transit projects, the DOT will place a higher priority on livability issues, such as how mass transit can promote economic development and make a community a better place to live.  In the past, the main criteria has focused mainly on the project’s overall cost and commute time saved. This announcement fits into the federal Sustainable Communities initiative, which has worked to better coordinate federal transportation and housing investments and identify strategies to give American families more choices for affordable housing near employment opportunities and more transportation options, to lower transportation costs, shorten travel times, and improve the environment.

Greater Ohio is pleased by this new direction at the federal level and is optimistic that it is a start to looking at funding decisions in a more holistic matter.

Read the Compact with Cities Recommendations

If you're interested in reading the recommendations from from the Compact with Ohio Cities Task Force Report, click here. The Ohio Cities Task Force, a 29-member group representing Ohio leaders from a variety of sectors, announced a blueprint for redevelopment and smart growth in Ohio yesterday. Included in the task force’s recommendations were a number of policy and legislative initiatives that focus on strengthening Ohio’s urban centers. Specific recommendations were split among the following categories: land use; development; transportation; workforce and quality of life; and regionalism.  Led by State Rep. Mike Foley and vice chair State Rep. Sandra Williams, the committee also included Lavea Brachman, co-director of Greater Ohio and a non-resident senior fellow with the Brookings Institution.

The Recommendations for Redevelopment and Smart Growth in Ohio have been posted online, for those of you interested in the details.  Please share you opinions and comments here on our blog.

Greater Ohio Participates in Ohio Cities Task Force

Redevelopment and smart growth recommendations made

COLUMBUS – The Ohio Cities Task Force, a 29-member group representing Ohio leaders from a variety of sectors, today announced a blueprint for redevelopment and smart growth in Ohio. Included in the task force’s recommendations were a number of policy and legislative initiatives that focus on strengthening Ohio’s urban centers. Specific recommendations were split among the following categories: land use; development; transportation; workforce and quality of life; and regionalism.

Led by State Rep. Mike Foley and vice chair State Rep. Sandra Williams, the committee also included Lavea Brachman, co-director of Greater Ohio and a non-resident senior fellow with the Brookings Institution. “Greater Ohio was excited to be part of the task force, because its mission is consistent with our organization’s goal of finding innovative ways to restore prosperity in Ohio through smart growth. We strongly endorse the task force’s foremost conclusion about the importance of regionalism to achieving a ‘new economy’ in Ohio.” Brachman said.

Ohio Speaker of the House Armond Budish called for creation of the task force last spring. Entrusted with 10 specific responsibilities, including providing innovative strategies to address housing, mass transportation, infrastructure, environmental, and labor force challenges facing Ohio’s cities; and identifying and classifying incentives and disincentives to urban economic development, the committee developed 20 specific recommendations. Those include passage of House Bill 313, which would allow for the creation of 28 additional county land banks in the state; House Bill 3, the Ohio Foreclosure Prevention Act; and House Bill 323, legislation to address toxic titles and nuisance properties and to empower local land banks.

The report also calls for public hearings regarding a Greater Ohio proposal that recognizes the importance of anchor institutions in the health of Ohio’s urban cores and metropolitan regions. Anchor institutions are place-based entities, such as universities and hospitals, which are permanently rooted in specific locations. These community anchors generate jobs, create local business opportunities, and contribute in significant ways to the development of human, social and cultural capital.

Greater Ohio is enthusiastic about the potential the recommendations represent for Ohio in the future. “These recommendations symbolize the thoughtful and innovative outcomes that can be achieved when a broad cross-section of individuals come together,” Brachman stated.

Greater Ohio (www.greaterohio.org) is the state’s “smart growth” organization. We promote – through research, public education and grassroots advocacy – public policy to grow Ohio’s economy and improve the state’s quality of life through intelligent land use. Toward this end, Greater Ohio works to advance policies and programs that revitalize urban and metropolitan areas, strengthen regional cooperation, and protect Ohio’s open space, natural resources and farmland. We are non-partisan, non-profit, and foundation–funded. Greater Ohio’s office is located in Columbus, Ohio.

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Greater Ohio Policy Center Re-Launches ReBuild Ohio

ReBuild Ohio was formed several years ago to address vacant property redevelopment issues.  For the last year and a half, Greater Ohio Policy Center has advanced much of the ReBuild Ohio agenda, through our efforts with the Restoring Prosperity to Ohio Initiative.  However, as Ohio continues to respond to the fallout of the economic recession and foreclosure crisis, we have decided to once again formalize our efforts with ReBuild Ohio.   Over the coming months, Greater Ohio will work to refocus ReBuild Ohio’s efforts to address Ohio’s growing vacant and abandoned property problem through state-level reforms by reconnecting with our existing partners, working to build relationships with new constituencies, developing directions for a new policy and practice manual, and considering how land reuse policies relate to urban and metropolitan sustainability strategies in Ohio. Specifically ReBuild Ohio, as a major project of Greater Ohio, will:

• Promote revitalization and reuse of vacant and abandoned properties to enhance the quality of life for all Ohioans through research, advocacy and education
• Advance new policies and tools designed to prevent and reverse the cycle of deterioration, and to reclaim and reinvest in all types of properties, including residential, commercial and industrial
• Seek to improve existing code enforcement, land use, data information and other preventative tools, and to help develop new state laws and local policies for vacant and abandoned properties

If you are interested in being a part of these efforts please join the ReBuild Ohio Network (http://rbovpforum.lefora.com/).  Currently network members have posted and commented on dozens of articles and white papers on topics ranging from foreclosure, housing and neighborhood stabilization to vacant property reclamation and greening.  The forum also provides an opportunity to view upcoming events dealing with these issues.

Related to our ReBuild Ohio efforts, we are actively working on the National Vacant Property Conference which is coming to Cleveland October 13 - 15, 2010.  The National Vacant Property Campaign is now accepting Request for Session Proposals through January 22^nd.  If you are interested in submitting a panel suggestion or looking for further information please visit http://www.vacantproperties.org/.

We are looking forward to continuing to keep you updated on these vacant property redevelopment efforts.  If you have any questions please contact our ReBuild Ohio Coordinator, Millie Davis at MDavis@greaterohio.org or call 330.324.7460.

Columbus Dispatch Land Bank Article

Check out Saturday’s article in the Columbus Dispatch on Land Bank Legislation.  Greater Ohio’s Associate Director, Dawn Larzelere is quoted. Now is the time to start telling your state senator all the reasons you support this legislation!

Gene Krebs talking about Land Bank Legislation

Check out a recent report done by Channel 7’s Jim Otte in Dayton about the importance of passing land bank legislation.  Gene Krebs, Greater Ohio Co-Director, was interviewed in this video. http://www.whiotv.com/video/22038360/index.html

"Shrinking Cities" Roundtable in Dayton

Last week Greater Ohio Policy Center hosted a “Shrinking Cities” Roundtable in Dayton, Ohio.  The goal of the meeting was to rethink the roles of federal, state and local governments to collectively address “shrinking cities” challenges, and in particular to inform formulation of emerging federal policies and programs and align them with state policies and local innovations.  Participants included a cross section of perspectives from multiple states as well as national experts. During the meeting, participants discussed what constitutes a shrinking city, the central needs and strength of those places, and ideal federal, state, and local policies to address the needs of those distressed cities.  More in depth discussion focused on the topics of unique interest to shrinking cities including revitalizing neighborhoods, building on economic assets, addressing land management issues, fostering regional collaboration, and promoting environmental sustainability.

Ken McCall from the Dayton Daily News wrote an interesting article about the meeting entitled, “What can cities like Dayton do to stop shrinking?  Organizers look for ideas on how to form federal, state policy to help these cities.” Check it out for his take on the day.  And please share your comments here on our blog about the kinds of policies that are needed in order to tackle the challenging issues that Shrinking Cities face.  We will integrate your feedback into our resulting policy brief to encourage officials to ensure that as new policies and programs are formulated that they are aligned at the national, state and local level.

Land Bank Bill Passes in the House

Along with stakeholders throughout Ohio, Greater Ohio Policy Center was pleased to see House Bill 313, the bill that would extend county land bank tools to an additional 28 counties in Ohio, pass the Ohio House this week with overwhelming bipartisan support. Co-sponsored by Representatives Peter Ujvagi (D-Toledo) and Roland Winburn (D-Dayton), this bill will allow local governments another powerful tool to use in addressing the aftermath of the foreclosure pandemic that has swept the state along with the growing number of vacant and abandoned properties. The Bill will next got the Ohio Senate, which has already held two hearings on the companion bill Senate Bill 188 cosponsored by Senators Mark Wagoner (R-Toledo) and Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo). Greater Ohio urges you to contact your state senator to encourage for the speedy passage of the county land bank bill in the Senate. It is critical that they hear from you over the coming weeks. With the wide array of issues facing the state, if they do not hear directly from you at the local level, they will assume there is not a pressing need and they will move onto other legislative items. Your calls are needed now.

Land Bank Movement

Yesterday, the House Local Government Committee passed the county land bank bill (HB 313) out of committee on a 10-1 vote. The bill will expand the current county land bank authority to an additional 28 counties and will next go before the full House for a vote. This movement is very positive but we need your help to keep momentum going. If you have influence or know someone that has influence with members of the General Assembly, please contact them about the potential merits of a countywide land bank and how this could help in your community. Telling the local story is something we at Greater Ohio cannot do!

Land Bank Progress

A Land Bank is a useful tool to tackle Ohio’s problem with vacant and abandoned properties. A land bank is set up to hold vacant, abandoned, or tax delinquent properties with the goal of returning these properties back into productive use. House Bill 313 (Sponsored by Representative Ujvagi of Toledo) would take the existing land bank structure and lower the population threshold to allow more counties the option to form a land bank. HB 313 is making progress in the General Assembly. Last week witnesses testified in favor of the land bank legislation in the House and Senate.

Greater Ohio’s Co-Director Lavea Brachman testified in support of the bill in both House and Senate Committees. Brachman said that Ohio “can no longer afford to operate under a series of systems that were designed to address an entirely different reality in the issues of foreclosure, vacancy and abandonment.” She called HB313 the “right fix” for the problem.

Other proponents include Frank Alexander, professor of law at Emory University School of Law; Eric Schertzing, Ingham County treasurer; Aaron Sorrell, housing and neighborhood development manager of Dayton; and Chris Eilerman, special projects coordinator for the city manager’s office in Cincinnati.

Frank Alexander praised the bill as “a model for the country” in terms of land banks and focus on surplus public property, “below water” properties, abandoned properties and tax delinquent properties. He said the goals of the bill are to eliminate blight, maximize short- and long-term revenue, create affordable housing and stabilize neighborhoods.

If you support the Land Bank legislation, please contact your Representative and Senator and let them know!