Urban Redevelopment: Building Stronger Communities
CCLR convened over 175 land-reuse and community development practitioners from the non-profit, public, and private sectors for “Urban Redevelopment: Building Stronger Communities” this November in Brooklyn. Attendee turnout and participation exceeded expectations for CCLR’s first ever conference in New York City. Speakers came from every corner of the redevelopment world to address waterfront development, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and redevelopment planning and financing. Individual panels (see panels and presentations below) were distinct in content, but patched together provided attendees with a well-rounded understanding of the leadership, vision, and resources needed to promote community-led, sustainable redevelopment
Three major themes stood out over the course of the day:
- managing the effects of climate change through resilient redevelopment and equitable climate change mitigation policy;
- Involving community groups in land reuse decisions and processes; and
- the critical importance of considering end use when financing and planning redevelopment.
Steven Grillo from the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation (SIEDC), NYS Senator Todd Kaminsky, environmental justice leader Eddie Bautista, and each of the panelists on the “Promoting Leadership in Coastal Design through WEDG” and “Navigating Urban Waterway Development” panels discussed the myriad of ways that climate change will affect the NYC community. Senator Todd Kaminsky and Eddie Bautista outlined how the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) will influence urban land reuse and emphasized how continued grassroots engagement and protections for at risk communities are central to CLCPA’s success. Furthermore, speakers from our waterfront panels relayed that best practices in waterfront development include, not only, careful planning and outfitting projects with resilient design, but also involving community members in the development process.
Expanding on this topic of engagement, speakers on the “Community-led Redevelopment” and “Programs to Advance Economic and Environmental Empowerment” panels explored how land reuse is intimately tied to community revitalization. Panelists discussed development initiatives across NYC that are promoting equity, environmental justice, economic revitalization, and community engagement. Community integrated projects such as the Gowanus Canal development, SIEDC’s Industrial Business Improvement District, and NYS’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative and Brownfield Opportunity Area program were central topics of discussion throughout the day.
The final theme of the conference that coursed through every panel was the need for meticulous planning in all elements of the redevelopment process including research, due diligence, stakeholder and community engagement, and funding. This came through notably in the “Funding the End Use Vision” panel where panelists outlined a number of redevelopment financing strategies and funding sources. Panelists throughout the day echoed that a clearly conceived end use influences everything. From the seemingly specific, like bulkhead research and design, to the overarching, like community and stakeholder engagement. Each piece has its part to play in supporting more equitable and resilient redevelopment initiatives.
Send us your feedback and let us know what other topics you’d like to hear about and which speakers you’d like to hear from. Email [email protected] with suggestions.
Thank you to our sonsors:
Langan, GEI Consultants, Knauf Shaw, EKI, GZA, Clean Earth, Harris Beach, Bousquet Holstein, WXY Studio, AKRF, Tenen Environmental, Actio Corporate, Wood, ERM, Laurel Environmental, HCI
Speaker Presentations and Resources:
Welcome
Claire Weston | Program Associate, CCLR
Jean Hamerman | Deputy Director, CCLR
Walter Mugdan | Deputy Regional Administrator, EPA Region 2
Donald Chahbazpour | Director of Gas Utility of the Future, National Grid
Community-led Redevelopment for Jobs, Housing and Quality of Life
Adam Lubinsky | Managing Principal, WXY Studio
Michelle de la Uz | Executive Director, Fifth Avenue Committee
Jim Diego | Senior Project Manager – Real Estate & Economic Development, Greater Jamaica Development Corp
Steven Grillo | First Vice-President, Staten Island Economic Development Corp
Climate and Communities: Understanding New Opportunities
Jeff Jones | Jeff Jones Strategies
Eddie Bautista | Executive Director, NYC Environmental Justice Alliance
Todd Kaminsky | New York State Senate, 9th District
Promoting Leadership in Coastal Design through WEDG
Barry Hersh | Clinical Associate Professor and Chair, New York University
Sarah Dougherty | Program Manager, Waterfront Alliance
Felix Ciampa | Executive Director, ULI New York
Navigating Urban Waterway Development
Mimi Raygorodetsky | Senior Associate, Langan
Michael Marrella | Director of Waterfront and Open Space Planning, NYC Department of Planning
Michael Bogin | Principal, Sive Paget Riesel
Josue Sanchez | Senior Director, L+M Development Partners
Introduction of Lunch Sponsor
Gary Rozmus, GEI Consultants
Report Out: What’s new from the NYC Mayor’s Office of Environmental Remediation
Ernie Rossano | Partner, ERM/NYC Brownfield Partnership
Mark McIntyre | Director and General Council, Mayor’s Office of Environmental Remediation (OER)
Programs to Advance Economic and Environmental Empowerment
Sarah Stern Crowell | Director, Office of Planning, Development & Community Infrastructure, NYS Department of State
Lee Ilan | Chief of Planning, NYC Mayor’s Office of Environmental Remediation
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation: Program and Regulatory Updates
Jack Martins | Member, Harris Beach
Jane O’Connell | Chief, Superfund and Brownfield Cleanup Section, Division of Environmental Remediation
Stephen Kline | Associate Principal, GZA
Funding the End Use Vision
Richard Conley | Senior Vice President and Agency Production Director, Community Preservation Corporation
Julia Martin | Member, Bousquet Holstein PLLC
Thomas Mitchell | Community Development Officer, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, NYC
Charles Krieger | Director of Operations, Rabsky Group
Resources:
NYS DOS BOA Designation Guidance Fact Sheet
NYS DOS BOA Fact Sheet
NYS DOS Geographic Information Gateway Info Sheet
NYS DOS Geographic Information Gateway Info Sheet 2
NYS DOS Coastal Hazards and Resilience Fact Sheet
NYS DOS Shoreline Management Options Info Sheet
NYC OER Community Grants Flyer 2019
