Growing Support for Franklin County Land Bank

On Sunday, The Columbus Dispatch ran an article on the potential formation of the Franklin County Reutilization Corporation. This morning, the Dispatch had an editorial supporting the establishment of the county-wide land bank.  We applaud the Dispatch for their coverage and support of this significant development, and Ed Leonard, Franklin County Treasurer for undertaking this vital program. Though Franklin County currently operates a land bank, they are barred from obtaining residential property. The Franklin County Reutilization Corporation could acquire foreclosed properties (including residential homes), rehabilitate them, or sell the properties qualified non-profit developers.  The City of Columbus currently has a land bank that holds almost 900 properties; the establishment of a county-wide land bank would work in conjunction with the city’s land bank to combat the vacant property crisis.    

Since the passage of both SB 535 and HB 313, in which Greater Ohio was instrumental, four counties have established land banks: Cuyahoga, Lucas, Montgomery and Trumbull.  Cuyahoga, Lucas and Trumbull counties have acquired an impressive 1900 properties.  There are an additional seven counties who are in the process of launching land banks, including Stark County and Butler County.

With the devastating problem of vacant and abandoned properties, and their negative impact on so many Ohio neighborhoods, it is imperative for the state to help cities and counties develop solutions.  Greater Ohio praises these leaders throughout the state who are implementing land banks and we are working to continue to advocate for additional state tools and solutions that will address the property challenges all our communities are facing.

Deliberating Sustainability in Ohio

Greater Ohio's many partners from across the state and nation host innovative and thought-provoking events throughout the year to discuss issues concerning the prosperity and future of Ohio.  The GreenCityBlueLake Institute is presenting a series of seminars on energy, and the environment, and how both issues impact Ohio.  The three events will take place at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. For more information on these events, and others visit the Institute’s website.     The Promise & Peril of Energy from Shale Formations in Pennsylvania & Ohio Wednesday, November 2; 7 pm Dr. Nels Johnson, director of conservation with The Nature Conservancy of Pennsylvania, leads the discussion. A panel of Ohio experts will follow. Free with Museum admission.   National Policy Forum with the Brookings Institution Climate Change and Our Energy Future: A Challenge for Cleveland, America and the Human Race Friday, November 4, 2011; 7:30 pm Climate change is a critical issue for cities, nations and the entire planet. How do we reach across boundaries of geography and politics to create policies that will actually reduce the threat? Strobe Talbott, president of the Brookings Institution, will discuss the state of domestic and international efforts to tackle the existential challenge of climate change. Bruce Katz, vice president of the Brookings Institution, will describe the vital role of cities in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Moderator is Ronald Richard, president of the Cleveland Foundation. Admission is $8.   Climate Change and Health: Large Scale Risks and Opportunities Wednesday, November 16, 7pm Dr. Jonathan Patz, MPH, professor and director of Global Environmental Health at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, will speak on his research into the effects of climate on heat waves, air pollution and water and vector-borne diseases.  Patz has chaired the health expert panel of the U.S. National Assessment on Climate Change and was convening lead author for the United Nations/World Bank Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.  In addition, Patz has been a lead author for the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change (IPCC).  This lecture is presented in partnership with the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine through the Center for Environmental Health and Human Ecology.  Free with Museum admission.

Forging a Regional Identity

By Lavea Brachman This is the second post on Executive Director Lavea Brachman's tour of European cities as part of the "Cities in Transition:Shrinking Cities Project", sponsored by the German Marshall Fund. Please visit our blog for past and future posts on this series.  

One remarkable observation from the Germany’s Ruhr region is their leaders’ purposeful focus on forging a regional identity out of “polycentric” area -- that is, a region with at least five significant cities and multiple other smaller cities.  This effort began as early as the 1960’s at the time that the coal and steel industry in the area first began to decline.  The Ruhr experience, with its multiple proximately located cites with similar industrial histories, potentially poses lessons for Northeast Ohio and its three significant cities, related historic industrial bases, and an existing strong set of universities, community colleges, and other educational institutions. 

In meetings in the Ruhr with managers of several of the regional networks, we noted how the cities have managed to effectively restructure separate but related economies within a polycentric region, and leveraged a tradition of competition among the cities to do so (such as holding an “Innovative City” competition).  We observed how the Ruhr forged a regional identity, labor market and business sector, on the one hand, prevailing over the traditional economic loyalty to individual cities that can lead to poaching and hinder development of a common regional identity and strategy, on the other hand.  Our Ohio cities can and should take a page out of these efforts. 

One of the first actions taken to bolster the Ruhr’s flagging economy was the founding of a network of universities in the late 1960’s with the specific objective of creating engines of innovation, and more recently these universities have formed a regional alliance. Unlike in Ohio, the Ruhr area previously had no institutions of higher education, so we should more actively and deliberately leverage the advantage of existing institutions. Other regional efforts have followed suit, such as in the land use planning and corporate social investment areas.  Finally, in 2010, the whole region was selected as the European Capital of Culture (an award that usually goes to a single city), and policymakers seized on the opportunity to promote further the collection of cities as a single place, the Ruhr.

On the Go: First Convening of Ohio Land Banks

Last week Greater Ohio was on the road to Cleveland to attend the First Convening of Ohio Land Banks, hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and the Thriving Communities Institute.  The purpose of the day-long gathering was to educate interested elected officials and civil servants on the possible ways a county in Ohio might establish their land bank.  The day heavily featured Cuyahoga County’s Land Bank (i.e. Cleveland area) as it is the oldest land bank in Ohio—since 2009—and is paving the way for many of the other lank banks around the state in terms of working out logistical kinks, as well as demonstrating the success of land bank property acquisition.

Two other land banks—Lucas County (i.e. Toledo area) and Trumbull County (i.e. Warren/Youngstown area)—were also featured.  These land banks were established under legislation Greater Ohio was heavily involved in writing and passing in 2010.  (Here is the actual the legislative language of Sub HB 313 and a layman’s explanation of the bill.)

The convening was extremely useful and for the 50 or so attendees and included practical advice for future land bank staffers (ex. this is how to interface with the EPA for asbestos removal), basic education (ex. what kinds of financial abilities HB 313 grants land banks), and presentations from established Land Bank officials from around the state.

Although Trumbull, Lucas and Cuyahoga Counties have all developed significantly different programs and aims within their land banks, the biggest concern raised consistently throughout the day was that land banks could be most effective if there was adequate funding for demolitions.  At this time, there are very few funding sources for demolition—the little money that land banks receive is often paid out to staffing and overhead, and title acquisition.

Greater Ohio is very heartened by the ongoing interest and development of county land banks as we believe land banks are a critical tool in helping cities stop decline and rebuild their urban cores.  We congratulate the land banks currently in existence and are excited for the creation of more.  In the two years since SB 353 passed (which allowed Cuyahoga County to create a land bank) and HB 313 passed (which allows an additional 43 counties in Ohio to create land banks), the land banks have achieved with great success.

Some impressive statistics shared at the convening:

• There are four land banks operating currently: Cuyahoga, Lucas, Trumbull, Montgomery.
• Another eight or so are in the process, including: Mahoning, Hamilton, Erie, Lake, Franklin, and Stark.
• Additional counties interested in forming a land bank but are still in the early stages: Portage, Allen, Ashtubula (by way of comparison, Michigan has 37 established county land banks.)
• Since 2009, Cuyahoga Co. has acquired 1196 properties and transferred 408 properties to developers or cities.  The county’s current inventory is about 788.
• Since 2010, Trumbull Co. has acquired about 450 properties.  Four hundred properties are now owned by individual homeowners and are being repurposed as residential sidelots.  Forty remain on Trumbull’s rolls.
• Since 2010, Lucas Co. has acquired 250-300 properties.  All but one have been moved onto end-users. 

Ohio Leaders Learn Lessons from Europe

Greater Ohio’s Executive Director, Lavea Brachman, will be joining 20 leaders from Cleveland, Youngstown, Flint, Detroit, Pittsburgh, the federal government, and select philanthropic foundations on a 8 day learning tour through Barcelona and the Ruhr Valley of Germany.  Sponsored by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the tour is part of a 3-year “Cities in Transition: Shrinking Cities” Project that is exploring successful policies and practices Europeans have used to rebuild their cities and economies.   Lavea Brachman is a senior fellow at GMF and has played a leadership role in shaping the Cities in Transition project for the last 18 months.  While in the metro regions of Essen and Barcelona, this year’s study tour participants will learn about innovative regional economic development agencies that coordinate business site selection, industry clustering, and external promotion of the region; the transformation of heavy manufacturing facilities into multiuse R&D labs, business incubators and recreation spaces; remediation of coal mining sites for new uses; and the incentives and investments used to develop a knowledge economy.  These cities and their surrounding industrial regions have successfully addressed many of the economic development challenges Ohio’s cities still face. 

This tour offers unparalleled opportunities to talk to the architects and officials who envisioned and implemented the rebirth of Europe’s struggling cities and regions.  Viewing the results, talking about strategies that have and haven’t worked, and learning how a metro’s vision became a reality enables participants to quickly gain a deep understand of best practices that might be replicated in Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

In the coming weeks, we will discuss lessons learned on our blog and website.

To learn more about the key takeaways and observations from last year’s German Marshall Fund study tour to Manchester, England and Leipzig, Germany, you can read past posts on: the use of public money as investments not subsidies; the role of leadership in these cities’ revitalization; neighborhood revitalization successes; comprehensive urban, economic, and community planning and development.

Parking Smartly and Alternative Uses for Metered Parking Spaces

Car parking and specifically, parking spaces, have been getting a fair bit of attention lately in Ohio and beyond.  San Francisco recently launched “SFPark” a web-based system that enables smartphone users to find available parking in real time.  The sensors that provide information on open and filled spots are also helping the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to determine high-use and underused areas.  With this information, SFMTA can adjust meter pricing to incentive drivers to utilize (cheaper) spots away from the high-use streets.  Although the initial investments for this pilot project have been expensive (a $19.8 million grant from US Department of Transportation), the long term savings of improved traffic flow will result in reduced gas consumption and emissions from circling cars, and a likely increased use in public transit to high-use, high priced, areas.  Most importantly, this system allows San Francisco to more effectively use the resources they have already, and reduces the need to build more parking in the urban core—an aggregated cost that likely would be much higher than the price of the pilot. Closer to home, cities throughout Ohio will be participating in PARK(ing) Day on Friday September 16^th.  PARK(ing) Day is a worldwide event where artists and citizens use metered parking spaces for temporary public art spaces.  The event uses DIY art installations to “call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat.”  Whereas SFPark works to make the existing parking infrastructure more efficient, PARK(ing) Day raises questions about the infrastructure itself and suggests that public space can be used for more than just car parking.  Here in Greater Ohio’s homebase, Columbus, high school and college art students can register their PARK(ing) Day spot for a public art competition.

Revitalizing our cities and using land in intelligent and economically competitive ways means that parking will always be part of the conversation. 

The original PARK, a public art installation set up for two hours at a San Francisco parking meter in 2005.  Photo courtesy of Rebar Art and Design Studio.

Setting the Stage for Brownfield Redevelopment

Greater Ohio's partners continue to create innovative programs that are building prosperity throughout the state.  This month's guest post is from Diane Alecusan, an Urban Revitalization Specialist for the Department of Development.  The US EPA defines a brownfield as property “complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant”. The impacts of brownfields however are often not limited to the potentially contaminated property alone. These negative impacts may move beyond the property and have an economically devastating effect on the larger area including homes, businesses, schools, and recreational areas that are not brownfields. Impacts can range from vacancy to a decrease in property values to public health concerns. Planning for this larger brownfields-impacted area at one time can ensure that remediation and reuse occur in a coordinated, efficient way and in turn, result in greater success.

The Ohio Department of Development, Urban Development Division has developed the Brownfield Action Plan Pilot Program in an effort to engage with communities on improved, more focused brownfield and area-wide planning techniques. The pilot program will use existing funds to assist communities in the development and implementation of an area-wide brownfield action plan. The development of the plan will set the stage for a quicker, clearer path to redevelopment of the area, resulting in successful revitalization of the community, returning entire corridors to productive use, and restoring neighborhood health.

The pilot program, loosely modeled after the US EPA’s Brownfield Area-Wide Planning Pilots, will involve two parts: 1) technical assistance from the Division for development of the plan, and 2) completion of a grant-funded activity that will provide more detailed research or jump-start implementation of their recently-completed plan. The two-phase process is designed to quickly but thoughtfully develop an actionable plan and maintain momentum to ensure the plan’s next steps are implemented, increasing the likelihood and speed with which properties will transform into economically beneficial use.

The Division’s goal is to use the area-wide planning approach to help communities leverage and prioritize limited local, state, and federal resources to create the greatest economic impact in areas containing brownfields.  In addition, the Division has partnered with the Community Development Division to maximize funding availability and flexibility and to provide an additional level of expertise.

The Urban Development Division will release the Request for Letters of Interest and application form on Thursday, September 1, 2011 with a due date of Friday, October 14, 2011. The Division anticipates awarding up to four pilot projects, which would be notified by the end of November. Additional information can be found on the program webpage: www.development.ohio.gov/urban/brownfieldawp.htm.

The Future of Ohio Lies in Regional Government

Today The Columbus Dispatch ran Greater Ohio's Letter to the Editor, which congratulated Central Ohioans on the governance reforms underway in the region and discussed the goals of our new Regional Governance Initiative.  As we note in the Letter, governance reform can help a region realize its shared identity.  We believe this recognition encourages regions to grow smartly as the individual cost of new infrastructure or government is assessed in light of the cost or benefit to the entire region, not just the individual community. You can find the full text of the article here.  Let us know what you think by leaving a comment on our blog or Facebook page.  And be sure to keep an eye on our blog as the Regional Governance Initiative gets underway this fall.

Columbus Dispatch Discusses Governmental Collaboration

By Lavea Brachman

An editorial in The Columbus Dispatch last week highlighted cost-saving initiatives underway in Franklin County, which we applaud as exciting initial steps toward greater operating efficiencies. Collaborative efforts, such as combining paper supply orders, foregoing separate postage meters, and setting up a multi-agency county employee health insurance pool, serve as important governance reform models for other local governments to follow throughout the state. Ultimately, we hope to see other local governments following Franklin County’s lead.

However, we believe that these measures set the stage for more dramatic reforms involving greater governmental integration down the road – such as regional governance, which might include city-county mergers or other joint governing, and regional revenue-sharing. We hope promotion of such reforms will be a priority for the Governor, his administration and the General Assembly. As Ohio continues to face severe budget cuts, incremental cost-saving measures such as those taken by Franklin County leaders, while necessary are not sufficient.  True governance reform of this type allows counties to get ahead of future budget cuts and leverage the state’s rich multiplicity of urban and metropolitan regions, thus transforming Ohio into a 21st century economy.  With seven of the nation’s top 100 major metros – and metro regions being critical economic drivers -- Ohio can reap the benefits of being a “metro” state with the necessary policy tools to act regionally and promote vital land use and infrastructure redevelopment. Greater Ohio is launching a “regional governance initiative” to press these policies forward, in partnership with local and regional leaders.  Over the next several months, the Regional Governance Initiative will utilize research, outreach, legislative advocacy and education, to undertake an unprecedented statewide effort to promote and institutionalize regionalism, regional economic development and related new governance structures in Ohio.

Guest Post: Abogo Looks at Cleveland Gas Prices

Greater Ohio's partners are doing interesting things, and here is a recent write up from one of them.  Guest Post by Sahana Rao, Abogo Team, Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT). Abogo is a tool that helps you see how transportation affects the affordability and sustainability of places you live, might want to live, or are just curious about. Named using a combination of the words “abode” and “go,” Abogo is powered by the Center for Neighborhood Technology’s Housing + Transportation Affordability Index, which uses census information to show how housing and transportation costs change by area. Our Gas Slider helps you see how gas prices influence those transportation costs, so that you can get an even clearer picture of the cost of getting around a certain area right now and what that cost may be in the future. We’ve been using the Gas Slider to analyze transportation costs in various cities across the nation; for more on how you can use Abogo resources in your own hometown, visit our How it Works section or read our Do-It-Yourself blog post.

Cleveland

Cleveland, bounded to the north by Lake Erie (and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), is hailed as the “Comeback City” for its adaptability in the face of adversity. With an EIA-estimated average gas price of $3.62/gallon, how industriously do Clevelanders have to work to control their transportation costs?

Our first neighborhood is Conneaut, OH, just over an hour’s journey from Cleveland. Conneaut also lies adjacent to Lake Erie and, accordingly, boasts entertainments such as beaches, boating, and steelhead fishing.

Conneaut House

How much do Conneaut residents have to shell out for transportation?

Conneaut Abogo Pic 1

The average family living in Conneaut would pay $976 a month for transportation, which is 19% more than they would have paid in 2000. It looks like Conneaut has been more shielded from the effects of rising gas prices than most suburbs we’ve encountered, which could be due to the area’s walkable nature and the county transit system. However, since Conneaut is still relatively car-dependent, the monthly cost remains fairly high.

Does the same hold true for our next neighborhood? Buckeye-Shaker is a neighborhood on Cleveland’s East Side, a marriage between historic Buckeye and lively Shaker Square.

Buckeye Shaker

Let’s take a look at transportation costs for Buckeye-Shaker residents:

Shaker Square Abogo Pic 1

The average Buckeye-Shaker family would have to allot only $698 per month for transportation; however, that’s still 19% more than what they would have set aside for the same purpose in 2000. This just goes to show that, as much as walkability and transit connectivity help to alleviate the strain, no place is immune to gas price shock.

Fear not! You can lessen the blow of escalating gas prices by practicing alternative solutions and cost-saving tips for transportation. We’ve listed some helpful guidelines here:

Turn to transit: The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA, for short) provides bus, rail, and trolley service for (you guessed it!) the greater Cleveland area. The RTA also oversees the HealthLine, which offers rapid bus service on Euclid Avenue from Downtown to East Cleveland. Prove to yourself that transit makes a difference by calculating how much money you can save with RTA at Join The Ride. For those traveling out of Cuyahoga County, connections are available to several adjoining county transit systems.

Don’t bypass discounts: RTA runs a Commuter Advantage programs that assists employers in taking advantage of the Mass Transit Tax Benefit. If your employer is signed up, you will be able to pay for transit with pre-tax dollars, so make sure your employer is aware of the benefit! For more on the employer and employee savings afforded by this benefit, click here. There is also a universal U-pass for students; check if your school is a participating member of the program. Cleveland RTA may also offer discounts to those who are attending certain major events within the city.

Trade steering wheels for handlebars or sneakers when possible: According to NOACA, the number of Cuyahoga County bikers in 2010 was 50% greater than it had been four years earlier. It’s no wonder that biking is fast rising in popularity; after all, a bike gets infinity miles to the gallon! Clevelanders might even have access to a bike-share program in the near future. Get more information on biking in Cleveland at Cleveland Bikes and Ohio City Bicycle Co-op. You don’t consume gasoline (we hope), so we won’t assign an MPG value to your feet. We will, however, tell you that walking is just as efficient as biking in several parts of Cleveland. If you can’t bike or walk, consider using a car-share service like CityWheels.

If you are interested in learning more about how alternative transit options can help Cleveland become more economical and environmentally sustainable, we recommend CNT’s Broadening Urban Investment to Leverage Transit (BUILT) in Cleveland report.

Are gas prices affecting how you get around Cleveland? Let us know!

Founded in 1978, CNT is a Chicago-based think-and-do tank that works nationally to advance urban sustainability by researching, inventing and testing strategies that use resources more efficiently and equitably. Its programs focus on climate, energy, natural resources, transportation, and community development. Visit www.cnt.org for more information.