Fort Worth EDP’s Post

With all the commentary on the Downtown St. Louis death spiral and the importance of the downtown core, I am reminded of my time in Dallas in the early 2000’s. Hard as it is to believe, downtown Dallas in 2004 was deserted and facing similar existential questions as St. Louis is facing. I saw the tide turn when: 1: The city committed to a long term plan that focused on leveraging areas where growth was already happening and created trust in the business community that they cpuld invest in the long term 2: Construction od the Klyde Warren Bridge Park literally bridged the gap between uptown and downtown, creating a seamless transition. 3: Dallas become a desriable place to live for young people and recent graduates from across the state (no state income tax = disposable income = economic activity) because of its nightlife, youthful energy, and a tangible sense that the city was on a positive trajectory 4: The time cost of commuting into the 635 belt from north Plano, McKinney, and Frisco became so burdensome that families began pushing back into the North Dallas suburbs, creating pressure and demand for Downtown residence/commercial space. All of these factors had to be present for Downtown growth and development to occur. No amount of resources forced into marketing, re-branding, or incentives can overcome a lack of “buzz” and demand. #downtownstl https://lnkd.in/gAMyTAjY

St. Louis City leaders announced last week they were formulating a plan to help revitalize Downtown which was great to hear but let’s not get fooled again with false promises. The City has spent years and millions of $$$ on plans/studies. Still no concrete action. The two buildings prominently mentioned in the press conference (The Railway Exchange Building & Millennium Hotel) have sat vacant for 10 years incurring millions of dollars in damages. The Railway Exchange has $4M in liens. Who pays for those to magically go away? The owner of Millennium Hotel has a market capitalization of +$4B. Do you think they will let you condemn their building if they are making attempts to sell it? Good luck fighting them in court. We should have taken action years ago to rehabilitate our Downtown instead of waiting to be motivated by an election year, declining population and a gut-punching expose from The Wall Street Journal. That’s St. Louis’ problem in a nutshell: we are reactionary instead of being proactive. We don’t need fancy studies or plans to point out what needs to be done. We need leaders to lead! #leadership #community #action City of St. Louis St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) Greater St. Louis, Inc. Downtown St. Louis St. Louis Business Journal St. Louis Post-Dispatch Neal Richardson, MBA Jason Hall L. Jared Boyd Megan-Ellyia Green

As Paris 2024 draws to a close we have been reflecting on the work we have been doing in East London since London 2012. Since before the London games we have been advising boroughs and London Legacy Development Corporation, providing economic evidence and strategy advice on this generation defining project. We have supported planning policy, advised on economic impact, innovation, night time economy and workspace. We have delivered community engagement, social research and data analysis, driving a deeper understanding of change in London's fastest growing sub-region. A couple of years ago we were asked to support London Borough of Newham to develop a new vision for Stratford Town Centre. This was a different kind of approach, which went beyond a simple masterplan or economic strategy, aiming to put people, place, planet and purpose back into partners work. It considered the need to unite neighbourhoods under 'One Stratford', whilst also working with grain of grassroots sentiment and enthusiasm, to support new approaches. We think Stratford remains one of the most interesting and exciting place to work anywhere in the UK and a pleased with how the new strategy has already started to support new approaches to place and community. With this in mind, Chris Paddock and Carolina Eboli have taken time to reflect on this project here. See what you think - What can other places learn from this? Where might Stratford be by the time of LA '28? https://lnkd.in/e_DBFscV

What an honor! Old Town Lewisville has been named one of six Great Places in Texas for 2023 by the American Planning Association - Texas Chapter, the top state award for development. Great Places in Texas recognizes the Lone Star State’s Great Places – neighborhoods, streets, and public spaces – and celebrates how planning has played a vital role where residents live, work, and play. The program promotes and recognizes great places while celebrating stories of exemplary planning that have resulted in stronger and healthier communities. Old Town Lewisville is the heart of the city. Old Town Lewisville exemplifies the qualities of a great neighborhood. Anchored with an authentic and historic Main Street commercial district, Old Town Lewisville also offers multiple housing options, walkable streets, inviting parks and open spaces, unique dining options, a variety of arts and entertainment venues, and specialty retail and services surrounding this special area. The mix of uses in Old Town Lewisville supports neighborhood residents through a variety of housing types, civic amenities, parks, retail, and service uses. Residents and visitors can easily get to and explore Old Town Lewisville, on bicycle, by foot, or using affordable public transit. Old Town Lewisville residents have great access to tranquil green spaces and multiple urban connections to nature. The district’s rich heritage and exciting culture are celebrated through more than 30 public art pieces installed since 2018. The redevelopment of Old Town Lewisville is so important to the City and residents, it is one of the nine “Big Moves” of the Lewisville 2025 vision plan. Several components of this redevelopment are consistent with all the other eight Big Moves of the plan. The plan can be viewed at https://lnkd.in/ganEGVNj.

More exciting redevelopment for Greater Manchester! There are six previously neglected areas of our city region soon to be unrecognisable if developments go to plan. Key projects include the transformation of former industrial sites into mixed-use developments featuring residential, commercial, and public spaces including: 1. Atom Valley (Rochdale, Bury & Oldham): A new technology and innovation hub across three sites on the M62 corridor, along with 20,000 new jobs and 7,000 new homes. 2. Holt Town - East Manchester: 4,500 new homes, some of which will be affordable, as well as greenspace and opportunities for around 1,500 new jobs. 3. Victoria North - Collyhurst: 15,000 new homes and seven new neighbourhoods, with potential to grow the population by 40,000 people. 4. Ashton-under-Lyne: Development of an “innovation park” and Ashton town centre's market square and Town Hall are also set for a facelift thanks to £20m awarded to the area. 5. Wythenshawe: 1,750 new homes are set to be built, including supported accommodation and genuinely affordable houses, along with a brand new cultural hub and a new public square. 6. Oldham: Developer Muse is working with the council to transform the town, improving its centre and building 2,000 new homes. These projects aim to revitalise the local economy, provide new housing options, and enhance community facilities. The plans are also expected to bring significant investment to the region, improve infrastructure, and create jobs. Further evidence that it's a great time to be a Greater Mancunian! #manchester #development #propertydevelopment

Planning is a good thing, right? We'd like to think so. Planning for the future is critical when progressing towards goals, and relatively speaking, essential for the District's comeback. Lately, everyone's been thinking and talking about the return of D.C.'s downtown core in a post-pandemic world. Residents, workers, and visitors alike all want to see change towards a better D.C., and understandably so. This takes planning and today — after a year of promoting surveys, hearing from various stakeholder groups, meeting, and strategizing — #MayorMurielBowser and other city leaders convened at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company to unveil the details of two transformational plans that work towards creating that future for our city and specifically our downtown. The #DowntownActionPlan is a once-in-a-century project lead by the #DowntownDC BID, Golden Triangle Business Improvement District, and Federal City Council. Launched in May of 2023, the goal of the Action Plan is to ensure downtown's recovery and reimagination into a vibrant, economically sustainable, diverse, and equitable area. This plan will impact key nodes across both BIDs with a recommended five-year investment of $401M — including $39M in FY25 — in various initiatives including #publicsafety, #transportation, and residential conversion. A critical part of revitalizing downtown is evaluating its #publicspaces. In July of 2023, the DC Office of Planning launched its #DowntownPublicRealmPlan to complement the Downtown Action Plan and as a part of the Mayor's comeback strategy. The Downtown Public Realm Plan works to create one-of-a-kind public spaces in downtown D.C. by providing recommendations that will transform valuable outdoors spaces into attractive, safe, and active areas. This plan envisions four dynamic locations that will take advantage of the economic strategies outlined in the Downtown Action Plan: Gallery Place Festival Plaza, Connecticut Capital Promenade, I Street Greenway, and the Vermont Avenue Connector. Last but certainly not least is the #DCComebackPlan, which was the impetus for the Downtown Action and Public Realm Plans. Launched in January of 2023 by Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, this tool is the framework for the city's #economicdevelopment strategy for the next five years. Downtown is a critical component of D.C.'s comeback and requires filling and changing the space, and also bringing the people. Both plans aim to achieve that. Now let's get to work! The implementation of these plans requires the interest of us all. If you'd like to learn more about any of these respective projects, visit the links below for more information. 🏙️ Downtown Action Plan: https://lnkd.in/eDY7ez7r 🛣️ Downtown Public Realm Plan: https://lnkd.in/eGpFtfmG 📊 DC's Comeback Plan: https://lnkd.in/egxzV8nz #wedobidthings #bedowntown #washingtondc #dcstrong

Alright Chicagoans. I have been talking about Chicago with many recently and a theme has come to mind -  We are like the team you love - all the right players, the right facilities and what should be a championship team, but that same team is playing not to lose instead of to win. NYC is playing to win - win the future of urban living - taking congestion (large costs - productivity mainly) and turning it into an opportunity to invest in the future (funds go to public transit). Even places like ....wait...HOUSTON is having a vision! WTF. Where are the engaged Chicagoans who want to speak up about pedestrian streets, bike lanes, and quality of life measures? While this is a business forum more than politics (should stay that way), we really need the Chicago business community to start having some imagination on what this city can be. We have the infrastructure in place, we have the density, the cultural institutions, the lakefront and the food. Can't we start leveraging that foundation and look ahead? Shit, even a car centric place like Houston is starting to understand quality of life issues matter. https://lnkd.in/gyDFuyyU

Georgia World Congress Center Authority is planning to develop $1B in commercial and residential projects near the convention center.🏗️🌆🏘️ The development master plan shows the potential for new hotels and townhomes on the Blue Lot along Northside Drive.🏩 There are also plans for a pedestrian bridge to the convention center along with pedestrian access to the Westside Beltline Connector according to Atlanta Business Chronicle.🌉 On the Yellow Lot and a marshaling yard along Ivan Allen would be a mix of office, multifamily, and a grocery store.🏢🏪 This is still an early vision and no funding has been identified but work is being done. If you keep up with my posts, you're probably aware of Centennial Yards, the $5B project in the immediate vicinity and the major Science Square project not too far.🔭💰 In other words, Downtown Atlanta will look unrecognizable in the next 5-10 years. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.🚀💭 The link for the full article is in the comments. #apartmentinvesting #commercialrealestate #multifamily #multifamilyrealestate #multifamilyinvesting

🔹 Transforming Birmingham: Real Estate Success Stories🔹 From once blighted landscapes to vibrant, thriving properties, Birmingham’s urban renewal is a testament to vision, hard work, and strategic investment. 🏗️ **Revitalization Process** Through innovative planning and collaboration between developers, city officials, and community stakeholders, Birmingham has seen remarkable property transformations. Empty lots and dilapidated buildings have been reborn as bustling hubs of activity. 🌟 **Key Success Stories** 1. **Pizitz Building**: Previously an abandoned department store, it now hosts a vibrant food hall, office spaces, and residential units, breathing new life into downtown. 2. **Avondale Brewing Company**: Once a forgotten area, now a lively community space that has become a catalyst for further neighborhood development. 3. **Regions Field**: A decrepit warehouse district now transformed into a state-of-the-art baseball park, sparking economic growth and a renewed cultural identity. 🔍 **What We Can Learn** 1. **Community Engagement**: Successful projects prioritize the needs and voices of local residents, ensuring development benefits everyone. 2. **Adaptive Reuse**: Investing in the creative reuse of existing structures preserves history while creating modern value. 3. **Public-Private Partnerships**: Collaborations between public sectors and private enterprises have proven essential in driving these transformations. 📈 **Impact on Birmingham** The revitalization efforts are not just about aesthetic enhancements. They've resulted in job creation, increased property values, and enhanced community pride. This resurgence provides a blueprint for other cities facing similar challenges. 🔗 **Getting Involved** Real Estate Professionals: Consider the potential of similar projects in your areas. Community Leaders: Engage with local developers and officials to voice your perspectives. Investors: Seek out opportunities in underutilized urban areas – Birmingham’s success shows the significant returns. Birmingham’s journey from blight to bright underscores the power of strategic vision and collaborative effort. Let’s continue to champion and learn from these exceptional transformation stories. #UrbanRenewal #RealEstateTransformation #BirminghamSuccess #CommunityImpact #PropertyDevelopmentseriousserious

During a recent Bisnow panel discussion, prominent developers in Downtown Jacksonville discussed the significance of city incentives in driving real transformation. Alex Sifakis, from JWB Real Estate Companies, highlighted the impact of the City of Jacksonville Downtown Preservation and Revitalization Program in renovating historic and underutilized buildings. “There’s been 20-plus projects that have been approved, and that’s 20-plus historic buildings that never would have been renovated. Some of them might have been torn down," Sifakis added. “Those historic buildings are so important to the fabric of our Downtown...That sense of place which drives rents are the ultimate financial success of our Downtown.” We believe the collaboration between public and private sectors, fueled by city incentives, plays a crucial role in ensuring the financial success and livability of our city. We've been honored to play a part in the renovation and salvation of some of these historic structures. #CityIncentives #UrbanDevelopment