"As the realization takes hold that rising energy prices are less a momentary blip than a restructuring with lasting consequences, the high cost of fuel is threatening to slow the decades-old migration away from cities, while exacerbating the housing downturn by diminishing the appeal of larger homes set far from urban jobs."
You're among the 3,608 civic leaders,
state & local officials, development professionals,
journalists and visionary citizens getting the latest
news, happenings and trends in the smart growth
movement from Grow Smart
Rhode Island.
Legislative Highlights: TIF, Transit
lead advances in smart growth agenda
Exempting Tax Increment Financing (TIF) from the
state's property tax levy cap (S-3050) is seen as
critical to several pending and potential economic
development projects in Rhode Island
Responding to a steady stream of communication
from Grow Smart, the Rhode Island League of
Cities & Towns, municipalities and the development
community, both the Senate and the House passed
an amendment to the Tax Increment Financing Act on
June 21, the last day that the General Assembly was
in session.
Grow Smart and many others, including the
League of Cities & Towns, had strongly supported the
legislation. With the Historic Preservation Investment
Tax Credit currently unavailable for new projects and
with state and municipal budgets stretched very thin,
Tax Increment Financing (TIF) offers one of the best
remaining financial tools to encourage and assist
redevelopment of blighted areas that would not
otherwise attract private investment. Thanks to the
General Assembly's passage of the legislation,
current projects in Providence and East Providence
that had already planned on using Tax Increment
Financing can now move forward, and several other
municipalities also hope to use Tax Increment
Financing for planned projects.
Tackling Your Community's Parking Challenges
is the topic of a Friday, July 25th workshop
sponsored by the Grow Smart RI Land Use Training
Collaborative and the Rhode Island Chapter of the
American Planning Association.
Nathan Kelly, AICP, of the Horsley Witten Group, and
Jason Schrieber, AICP, of Nelson\Nygaard Consulting
Associates will discuss zoning, design and
management strategies that municipalities can use to
balance public and business demands for parking
with community goals for environmental protection
and maintenance of community character.
Participants will also have the opportunity to apply
what they learn in an interactive design exercise.
The
workshop will be held at the North Kingstown Free
Library in Wickford and will run from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30
p.m. (lunch included). It has been developed to
provide information of particular use to planners and
architects, municipal staff and officials, property
owners and developers, and real estate professionals
and lenders, and is eligible for 4 AICP CM credits.
Attendance is limited, and advance registration is
required. Click here for the workshop workshop flyer and
here for the registration form.
Presidential campaign speech looks to
smart growth themes, Brookings'
"Blueprint for Prosperity"
Addressing the U.S. Conference of Mayors on June
21st, Senator Barack Obama told the nation's mayors
that current urban policy was obsolete and needed to
be replaced by a model that focused on rational
metropolitan growth.
The speech marked the first time that a presidential
candidate in this election has focused extensively on
smart growth strategies and the national importance
of shaping prosperous, efficient and sustainable
metro regions.
The Senator's speech picked up on several concepts
and strategies outlined in the recently released Blueprint for American Prosperity, a
multi-year initiative by the Brookings Institution to
promote an economic agenda for the nation that
builds on the assets, centrality and efficiencies of
America's metropolitan areas. Bruce Katz,
Director of Brookings' Metropolitan Policy Program,
presented the Blueprint as part of a keynote
presentation at Grow Smart's May 2nd 'Power of
Place Summit'.
Grow Smart was recently selected to be one of the
Blueprint's "Metropolitan Partners", providing strategic
guidance and advocacy support for this multi-faceted
initiative.
As Grow Smart learns about significant discussion
of smart growth issues by any of the presidential
candidates, we will share them with our
readers.
Job Opportunities
Part Time Land-Use Training Coordinator - Grow
Smart Rhode Island
Grow Smart is seeking an energetic, detail-
oriented individual with strong interest in community
planning to work 20-25 hours per week as
Training Coordinator. The Grow Smart RI Land-Use
Training Collaborative delivers approximately twenty
workshops annually on various subjects related to
community planning and development to municipal
officials and staff, the development and design
community and interested citizens. Click HERE for
more details.
Letter of interest and resume should be submitted to
Sheila
Brush, Director of Programs, by July 18, 2008.
Director, Community Planning & Economic
Development - Town of Smithfield
Under the direction of the Town Manager, this
individual will develop, direct, administer and
coordinate all planning and economic development
activities for the Town. Responsibilities include
supervision of the Community Development Office,
preparation and administration of requests for federal
and state grants, provision of technical information to
the Town Council, Planning Board, Zoning Board,
Economic Development Commission, and the
general public. Read More.
Community Project Manager - Neighborworks
Blackstone River Valley
Pilot 'Sustainable Communities' initiative in
Woonsocket needs a project manager. Excellent
partnership and relationship building skills and
experience. Ability to organize a diverse group of
residents, institutions, businesses, and other
neighborhood stakeholders into an active, engaged
coalition. Competitive
benefits package, salary in the mid $30's. Email
resume, references and writing sample by 7/15/08 to
Margaux
Morriseau .
LISC AmeriCorps Community Organizer -
Neighborworks Blackstone River Valley
The successful candidate will work in the Community
Building and Organizing Department. This department
is responsible for coordinating an after school and
summer youth program for children living in NBRV
housing, running a college access program for high
school students, partnering with local organizations
and the Woonsocket school district to provide equal
access to higher education, advocating for affordable
housing in Northern Rhode Island, and fostering
community engagement. Application deadline July
20, 2008. Read More.
Artist-in-Residence - Neighborworks Blackstone
River Valley
NBRV provides a rent-free, spacious, newly renovated
three bedroom apartment valued at $15,600 a year to
a qualified artist in exchange for 624 hours of arts
instruction/programming annually. We expect that this
annual commitment will be discharged weekly-
twelve hours weekly, with two hours of
planning/preparation time, and ten hours of direct
contact with program participants. The Residency will
be for at least one year, with the potential for annual
renewals up to three years. Application deadline July
31, 2008. Read More.
WSJ: The beginning of the end of sprawl?
The driveable suburb - that bedrock of post-World
War II society - is now for many a mile too far
In recent years, a generation of young people, called
the millennials, born between the late 1970s and mid-
1990s, has combined with baby boomers to rekindle
demand for urban living. Today, the subprime-
mortgage crisis and $4-a-gallon gasoline are
delivering further gut punches to remote subdivisions
nationwide and rendering long commutes untenable
for many middle-class Americans.
Christopher Leinberger, a visiting fellow at the
Brookings Institution and a developer of mixed-use,
walkable areas that combine housing and
commercial space, describes the structural shift as
the "beginning of the end of sprawl."
New service aims to facilitate improved understanding
and redevelopment of contaminated properties
across Rhode Island
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental
Management has introduced a new online tool to
help increase communication with individuals and
organizations about activities surrounding
environmentally contaminated brownfield sites. The
new Brownfields Listserve will connect a broad
network of state and local officials, land-use
professionals, developers and interested citizens.
Information about specific contaminated sites, RI's
brownfields program, meeting announcements,
regulatory changes, our environmental justice (EJ)
policy, and other alerts will be sent to you via this
listserv.
Tackling Your Community's
Parking Challenges. New workshop sponsored
by the Grow Smart RI Land-Use Training
Collaborative. Presented by Nathan Kelly, AICP of the
Horsley Witten Group and Jason Schrieber, AICP of
Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates.
North Kingstown Free Library
North Kingstown
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