The Union Station Redevelopment Corporation, together with its partners Amtrak and Akridge, have commissioned Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLP and Grimshaw Architects to create the Master Development Plan for Washington, DC’s Union Station. HR&A is excited to have been selected as part of the Master Development Plan team. Building on the initial vision presented in Amtrak’s 2012 Washington Union Terminal Master Plan, the Master Development Plan for Union Station’s 2nd Century is the next major milestone in the process and will encompass comprehensive planning, public engagement, and an environmental assessment.

Union Station is one of the busiest stations along the Northeast Corridor, and situated at the center of a rapidly revitalizing area of the District. The Master Development Plan will position Union Station to accommodate significance future multimodal use, and be a key transformational project in the city.

HR&A is the lead economic advisor for the Plan, providing market and financial analyses, development guidance, and a retail strategy throughout expanded passenger and visitor spaces. This project further demonstrates HR&A’s expertise in providing rail station master planning projects with unique visions and implementable solutions. Similar to our prior experience selecting a master lessee for the new Fulton Center transit hub, delivering a redevelopment strategy for the historic Union Depot in downtown St. Paul, and our current work on the 30th Street Station District Master Plan in Philadelphia, HR&A will support a comprehensive strategy that enhances passenger experience and contributes to the economic vitality of the city.

For more information about the Master Development Plan, see the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation, and featured articles in the New York Times and Washington Post.

As America charts its recovery from the Great Recession, certain regions throughout the country are experiencing astounding waves of growth. In Texas, home to seven of the 15 fastest growing cities in America, this positive trend is increasingly evident as cities and towns prepare to accommodate the influx of new residents and jobs with infrastructure improvements; increased housing and commercial real estate options; and attractive public amenities that add community and cultural benefits.

This week, HR&A staff will travel across Texas to contribute to an important dialogue on the state’s future; drawing on our experience within the region and expertise in real estate development and economic development advisory.

• On Thursday, May 14th, Chairman John Alschuler and Director Elissa Hoagland Izmailyan will speak at the Dallas Confab Conference hosted by the Dallas Parks Foundation and North Central Texas Council of Governments. As Keynote, Elissa will discuss the economic value of the Dallas Park System, and John Alschuler will discuss the High Line’s transformation as a template for City Building with lessons for Dallas.
• On Friday, May 15th, HR&A Principal Kaye Matheny will participate on panel at the San Antonio Housing Policy Conference. She will discuss the city’s emphasis on public realm investments and policies to spur residential growth in Downtown San Antonio.
• On May 13th and 14th HR&A Partners Eric Rothman and Cary Hirschstein will be attending the ULI Spring Conference in Houston, where they will each participate on respective Product Councils including the Public-Private-Partnership Council and the Redevelopment & Reuse Council Council.

This surge of activity presents a number of opportunities to reimagine active, engaging places for people that embed real economic benefits for communities in Texas. HR&A has worked with cities, municipalities, and organizations throughout the state to help create vibrant spaces that produce sustainable economic activity including but not limited to:

• In San Antonio, HR&A created the Strategic Framework Plan to revitalize Center City and served as a financial and implementation advisor for the redevelopment of HemisFair Park. Additionally, HR&A is currently crafting strategies to support economic development in San Antonio’s East Side Promise Zone.
• In Houston, HR&A is advising on the Menil Collection’s plan to execute a comprehensive neighborhood restoration and revitalization plan to “provide a neighborhood of art” in Central Houston.
• HR&A has also worked in Austin, where the staff contributed to the creation and implementation of the Downtown Austin Plan, which includes a plan for affordable housing development and the transformation of Downtown’s parks.
• In the Dallas-Fort Worth Region, HR&A supported the City of Grapevine’s development of a land use vision for an entertainment and hospitality anchored mixed-use district, and is currently conducting an analysis of the economic value of the City’s park system.

HR&A is delighted to have the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects throughout the state, and we look forward to continuing to support clients throughout Texas and the southwest.

HR&A Senior Principal Jamie Torres Springer participated in two recent panel discussions exploring the future of cities given the need for climate adaptation. On May 5, 2015, Jamie spoke at a panel on “Financing Resiliency” in coordination with the Boston Living With Water International Design Competition, initiated by the City of Boston in collaboration with the Boston Redevelopment Authority, the Boston Society of Architects, and The Boston Harbor Association with support from the Barr Foundation and Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management. Jamie, along with representatives of MassDevelopment, Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts, and the city’s Clippership Wharf development, debated the means of and parties responsible for investing in Boston’s future resiliency to climate-related risks, particularly given the multitude of solutions generated from the competition. Jamie explained the need for coastal city resiliency funding to derive from a combination of “project financing” from new cash flow or avoided costs, and public capital investments made based on important public policy considerations, including protection of vulnerable populations and environmental quality. See the full panel here

Jamie also moderated a panel at the 2015 Waterfront Conference hosted by the New York City-based Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance (MWA) on May 7 aboard the Hornblower Infinity ship at Pier 40 in Hudson River Park. The program, themed “Shaping Your 21st Century Waterfront,” featured speakers and panelists from academia, design firms, nonprofits, and local and federal government and cut across a broad spectrum of topics relevant to the City’s relationship with the water for transit, industry, climate change, sustainability, and design. The conference examined climate change adaptation and resiliency through different lenses such as long-term recovery, greener shorelines, community engagement and capital planning, and new development. See the full presentation here.

The conference also included a presentation on the NYC Economic Development Corporation’s Coney Island Creek Tidal Barrier and Wetlands Feasibility Study, in which HR&A is currently involved. HR&A Principal, Jee Mee Kim, helped facilitate a strategy session among the participants during the presentation.

HR&A was pleased to sponsor the conference and grateful for the unique opportunity to participate in the MWA’s creative programming.

HR&A works with public, private, and nonprofit leaders to address physical, social, and economic resiliency with a focus on implementable solutions. HR&A Advisors has led resiliency planning in the Northeastern United States in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, including Jamie’s role in the Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency, our work managing NY Rising Community Reconstruction Program efforts for New York State, and participation in the innovative HUD Rebuild by Design Competition. We are proud to be working with the Rockefeller Foundation on its 100 Resilient Cities initiative to develop resilience strategies around the world and to be program managing Rockefeller’s Capacity Building Initiative in support of the HUD National Disaster Resilience Competition. We have provided key economic framework guidance for resiliency efforts and a public-private approach to implementation that draws on project value for funding. In the months and years ahead, HR&A is committed to working with partners across all sectors to learn from our common experiences and to design and implement strategies that promote resiliency in urban places over the long-term.

“Boston is home to the world’s most innovative thinkers – in science and technology, and in business, art, and architecture. Our City’s built environment should reflect this culture of imagination. Too often, in recent decades, new buildings have been merely functional. I believe Boston can do better.” – Mayor Martin J. Walsh

The IDeAS: Innovative Design Alternatives Summit emerged in response to a challenge Mayor Martin J. Walsh issued in his December speech to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. He encouraged developers and designers to “reach beyond your comfort zone” and “take design to a new level” to build inspiration into Boston’s landscape.

On May 6th and 7th, the City of Boston, the Boston Redevelopment Authority, and the Boston Society of Architects will bring together designers, community leaders, developers, city officials, and academics to jumpstart the conversation about enhancing design and architecture in Boston through an inclusive, interactive visioning process.

HR&A Chairman, John Alschuler, will be joining designers and policy leaders in a panel on May 7th at 1:45 titled “How We Share Resources”. As we engage diverse communities in design, we must consider how alternative financing mechanisms, regionalization, and new infrastructure needs can foster equitable access to economic development benefits. In this panel, John will explore how we can assess and finance community and cultural benefit through design interventions.

All panels are free and open to the public, and interested attendees are encouraged to register for one or both days

HR&A Partner, Shuprotim Bhaumik, speaks at the at the Women Executives in Real Estate Breakfast

Women Executives in Real Estate (WX) is an invitation-only association of executive-level women actively engaged in the commercial real estate industry in New York. WX’s diverse membership includes owners, developers, brokers, architects, engineers, bankers and lawyers.

On May 7, 2015, Shuprotim Bhaumik will moderate a panel discussing the state of the NYC tech ecosystem. While firms in the finance and professional services industries continue to comprise the largest share of the New York City economy and commercial office leasing market, tech and innovation firms have experienced rapid growth over the last decade. A recent study conducted by HR&A Advisors for the Association for a Better New York concluded that the New York City tech ecosystem is large and growing larger, and generates significant economic impact and opportunities for all New Yorkers. Shuprotim, who worked on the study on behalf of HR&A, will discuss the report’s findings and how they are being incorporated into the City’s workforce development strategy to offer substantive public policy direction for nurturing the future success of the ecosystem, and by extension, New York City itself.

Learn more about WX New York and register for the event here.

In recognition for his leadership in New York City HR&A Chairman, John Alschuler, received Coro’s Lewis Rudin Award for Civic Leadership at the Coro Awards Gala held Wednesday, April 22, 2015. This award recognizes New Yorkers who share Coro’s commitment to making the city a better place for all who live and work here. Coro also honored Suri Kasirer, the Honorable Donald H. Hips, and the Honorable Ritchie J. Torres.

Coro is a community of over 2,000 graduates who, for 30 years, have worked to improve cities nationwide by developing a network of local and regional organizations willing to create internship and project opportunities for program participants. Participants come away from Coro with a deeper knowledge of how policy is shaped, the skills to lead change in their organizations and communities, and a network of engaged and influential alumni to help them reach their goals. This award continues John’s longstanding relationship with Coro.

In accepting his award, John spoke about his appreciation for his colleagues and for the City of New York, saying, “We are deeply lucky and fortunate to practice our professions at a time of this great resurgence.” This event is a culmination of John and HR&A’s longstanding relationship with Coro. HR&A has hosted fellows for over a decade, many of which have joined HR&A staff after the program, and leading up to the gala John met with current Coro fellows to discuss leadership in urban development and New York City.

Friends of The Underline, together with Miami-Dade Transit and Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Space Department, have selected a team led by James Corner Field Operations (JCFO) to develop a vision and master plan for Miami-Dade County’s planned new feature park, The Underline. HR&A is thrilled to be on the team, which was selected from a pool of 19 applicants, and looks forward to collaborating with JCFO to transform this underutilized corridor into an iconic linear park and urban trail.

The future vision for the 10-mile Underline corridor, which runs below the Miami Metrorail from the Miami River to Dadeland South Station, is to create a vibrant linear park that will enhance connectivity, mobility, and recreation for hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors. HR&A will work with JCFO to frame a vision for how The Underline may activate surrounding real estate to encourage future development at key nodes. Our work will include a high-level review of soft development sites along The Underline corridor, identifying key opportunity areas and collaborating with JCFO to illustrate the potential for development at key locations along the corridor. HR&A will also examine potential public-private implementation concepts, framing a plan for successful implementation and long-term success.
For more information on the project, visit www.theunderline.org.

HR&A is proud to participate in the APA National Planning Conference in Seattle, Washington. The annual conference brings together planners, design professionals, and urban advocates from around the world to discuss the development of vital communities by advocating excellence in planning, promoting education and citizen empowerment, and providing the tools and support necessary to meet the challenges of growth and change.

HR&A Partner Paul Silvern will participate on a panel titled Public-Private Partnerships and Park Development on Tuesday April 21st. This session will cover the evolution of Public-Private Partnerships (P3’s) from the 1980s through today; the decision making process and impact of P3s on park planning, design and development; the planner’s role in P3 models; and the future of collaborative governance in park systems. P3s have emerged in the last few decades to support urban parks as public dollars have decreased. They are increasingly sophisticated – some taking on comprehensive management and operations in addition to fundraising – and bring much-needed financial resources. They reflect the complexity and challenges of urban park operations today that require new approaches to managing nature in densely populated areas, mitigating the effects of climate change, addressing diverse user needs, programming parks in communities at all socioeconomic levels, creating new sources of revenue, and working across sectors such as water, transportation, public health and human services departments. Paul will highlight our work on Brooklyn Bridge Park as an example of linking parks to adjacent development as a long-term funding strategy.

HR&A Partner Amitabh Barthakur will be participating on a panel titled Planning Retail that Can Really Happen on Sunday April 19th. Recognizing that retail space can activate and enliven the surrounding streetscape, planners often look to incorporate ground floor retail into their planning efforts. Oftentimes however, specific spaces are designated for retail uses without first taking into account market demand, area demographics, retail/restaurant operational requirements, project financial returns, conflicting ownership objectives and public sector incentives. This panel will shed light on what today’s retailers and developers are looking for when it comes to parking requirements, store layouts, public sector incentives and other key criteria. It will also highlight the ways in which those requirements need to fit within often conflicting municipal regulations. The panel will feature store designers who have worked with a diverse array of clients, as well as developers and economic development professionals that have lead retail revitalization efforts. Amitabh will talk about how market and demographic data can be best interpreted in a manner that relates to retailer requirements, can manage stakeholder expectations, and can lead to a retail tenanting strategies that can actually be implemented.

We hope you can join us at APA in Seattle!