On Monday June 24th, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) launched “Staten Island Storefronts: The Race for Space!” HR&A partnered with NYCEDC to design the competition, which seeks to attract catalytic retail businesses to Downtown Staten Island, and is advising NYCEDC through program implementation.

For Staten Island Storefronts: The Race for Space, NYCEDC established a fund of $425,000 in prize funds, to be awarded to eligible businesses opening new storefronts in Downtown Staten Island on a first-come-first-served basis. A map of the eligibility zone is available here, and almost any ground floor retailer is eligible to apply.

This innovative economic development initiative is designed to fill existing storefronts with businesses committed to the neighborhood and invested in its future. The competition also builds on the momentum of other planned projects in downtown Staten Island, including the world’s largest Observation Wheel, a new city incubator space, and more than a thousand new housing units planned for the New Stapleton Waterfront.

The first round of Staten Island Storefronts will close on September 30th, 2013, or when funds are exhausted. Read more in the Wall Street Journal.

HR&A also designed and administers Take the H.E.L.M. – Hire + Expand in Lower Manhattan, another NYCEDC competition designed to encourage innovative companies to join other businesses that have recently opened or expanded office space in Lower Manhattan.

This week the City of New York set a new standard for how cities can protect their residents, businesses and most critical assets in the face of growing climate change risks by launching the Mayor’s PlaNYC Report for A Stronger, More Resilient New York. In response to the devastating impact of Hurricane Sandy and the projected impacts of climate change, the report of the Mayor’s Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency (SIRR) has more than 250 specific recommendations for rebuilding the communities impacted by Sandy and increasing the resilience of infrastructure and buildings citywide.

The City will embrace these recommendations as part of a comprehensive, multi-layered response to the risks uncovered by last October’s storm, acknowledging that New York is, and will remain, a coastal city. From a range of coastal protection measures, to initiatives that will support adaptation and redevelopment of building stock, to a call for adapting federal policy, including flood insurance, to our urban areas, to economic resiliency measures for five key community areas across the City, New York has provided an important blueprint for resiliency in urban living that will contribute to cities around the world.

We are proud that Jamie Torres Springer led the Communities Initiative for the SIRR as Deputy Director and contributed to this important effort. Jamie will discuss the City’s response to climate change at an upcoming Urban Land Institute panel, Post Sandy & Irene: How is our Industry Changing? at UCONN Stamford on Wednesday, June 12th and at the Municipal Art Society’s The Road Forward: Putting Resilience into Action event on Wednesday, June 19th.

On May 2nd, 2013, a consortium in which HR&A is the economic development lead was selected by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through a nationwide competition to launch and administer the “SC2 Network.” The Network, funded initially with HUD technical assistance resources, will provide direct assistance to cities across the U.S. in achieving locally identified priorities for economic growth and job creation. The Network will also use innovative methods of knowledge sharing, such as social media and peer networks, to communicate more widely what works in the revitalization of local economies.

Read more about the consortium here.

“HR&A is honored that our team was selected by the federal government to implement this important initiative,” said HR&A President Eric Rothman. “We’re excited to be part of this tremendous team and look forward to expanding our services to more cities.” HR&A’s partners in the SC2 Network are Enterprise Community Partners, Public Financial Management, Inc., New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service, and the International City/County Management Association.

HR&A’s participation in the SC2 Network reflects the firm’s extensive experience over three decades in delivering on-the-ground assistance to local leaders to make cities more innovative, competitive, and prosperous for more of their citizens. “For HR&A, the opportunity to help launch and lead the SC2 Network affirms that we have been good listeners to our clients,” said HR&A Principal Stockton Williams. “We know we will learn a great deal as we work with more cities across the country through the initiative.”

On April 9th 2013, the New York City Council unanimously approved YoungWoo & Associates’ plans to redevelop Pier 57, the historic 375,000 square foot former passenger ship terminal which projects into the Hudson at 15th Street and the West Side Highway. HR&A served as strategic advisor and project manager for YoungWoo & Associates’ response to the RFP for Pier 57 issued by the Hudson River Park Trust.

Plans for the pier include roughly 425,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, a concept that builds upon the successes of the adjacent High Line Park, West Chelsea District, Meatpacking District, and Hudson River Park itself. HR&A managed the developer’s multidisciplinary team to craft this exciting concept for a revenue-generating destination within Hudson River Park as proposed within the RFP response.

The Council’s approval and YoungWoo’s investment will activate an underutilized prime waterfront site and unlock a new source of revenue to support operations for the Hudson River Park.

Read more in the NY Post, Crain’s NY, and NY Curbed.

With its approval of the 2013-2014 New York State Budget on Thursday March 28th, the New York State Assembly ratified an extension of the New York State Film Tax Credit program through 2019. The extension and enhancement of the State’s highly successful and popular film and television tax credit for another 6 years will provide the stability necessary to attract more long-term investments and create more jobs for New Yorkers all across the state. The extension expands the scope of projects eligible for the credit, accommodates the rise of visual effects spending as a portion of overall budgets, and includes provisions to drive more film production and post-production upstate.

HR&A’s economic and fiscal impact study, released December 2012, found that in 2011 alone the credit program supported 28,900 jobs across all industries in New York State and generated $6.9 billion in spending and $4.2 billion in personal income in the State.

On March 20, the New York City Council approved the rezoning of Hudson Square as a mixed-use residential neighborhood. The rezoning is one of the largest ever approved at the request of a private entity in New York City history and establishes Hudson Square – the former center of the industrial-age printing industry – as a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood for creative businesses. This concludes a planning and approvals process of more than seven years to allow limited residential use and create zoning incentives for affordable housing and height limits on new development, while protecting the existing unique building stock from conversion to non-commercial use.

HR&A supported Trinity Real Estate, the rezoning applicant and real estate arm of Trinity Church, throughout the process of conceiving a mixed use future for Hudson Square, formulating a rezoning proposal and gaining the approval of key stakeholders and decision-makers. Before joining the firm in 2011, HR&A Partner Carl Weisbrod led the process as President of Trinity Real Estate, where he managed and developed Trinity’s real estate holdings, largely concentrated in the Hudson Square neighborhood. HR&A provided a range of planning, real estate, environmental review and policy analysis services to support the rezoning effort from start to finish.

The rezoning of the 18-block area above Canal Street is expected to bring new mixed-use development and community amenities, including:

• New residential development of more than 3,000 new apartments of which 20% are expected to be affordable;
• Enhanced active recreation space, including $5.6 million to repair Pier 40’s roof and expand services at the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center; and
• A new 444-seat elementary school, funded by Trinity and housed in the base of a residential tower, with a community-accessible NCAA-standard size, double-height gymnasium and 2,100 square foot “flex area”.

Prior to the rezoning, neighborhood zoning allowed only commercial or manufacturing use, prohibited residential development, and lacked any height limit on new development. The rezoning won support from local community groups seeking to prevent the construction of unwanted skyscrapers, but interested in enhancing the area’s evolution as a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood.

Read more in The New York Observer, Downtown Express, and DNAinfo.

On Thursday, March 14th, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) announced 5 winners of the inaugural “Take the H.E.L.M.” competition – an innovative contest administered by HR&A on behalf of the NYCEDC. Take the H.E.L.M. celebrates catalytic companies choosing to move to or expand in Lower Manhattan. Winners were selected from 20 finalists in 5 categories: companies new to New York City, startups, tech firms, creative companies, and businesses seeking to expand their Lower Manhattan office presence.

Take the H.E.L.M. – Hire + Expand in Lower Manhattan – aims to expand the innovation economy by attracting the best and the brightest to Lower Manhattan, rebranding the district, and diversifying its employment base to complement the financial sector. More than 300 companies from around the world applied in this inaugural year for a chance to win $10,000 as a competition finalist and $250,000 as a competition winner, funded by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. The Finalists were evaluated by an esteemed Selection Committee, chaired by former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Arthur Levitt. The five Winners for 2013 were: STELLAService, Grapeshot, Paperless Post, The Flatiron School, and Booker.

As competition administrator, HR&A designed the competition with NYCEDC and managed design and implementation of the competition’s application process and website, as well as selection committee formation and the evaluation process. Building on the competition’s success, NYCEDC will launch a second year of the competition in the spring of 2013.

Read more in Forbes, Crain’s New York Business, The Real Deal, and the New York Daily News.

On February 28, HR&A Chairman John Alschuler led a lunch discussion on the “Economic Impact of the High Line” at the TED2013 Conference in Long Beach, California. The annual TED conference brings together thought-leaders from around the world to share innovative ideas on topics of science, philosophy, music, religion, philanthropy, and others.

John spoke to an intimate group of designers, philanthropists, and other individuals committed to the future of urban cities. The group explored the mission of the High Line and its role as a catalyst in transforming a former industrial neighborhood into a vibrant new economic district for New York City.

The lunch was organized by TED2013 corporate partner, The Tiffany & Co. Foundation, to celebrate The City 2.0, winner of the 2012 TED Prize. The TED Prize is awarded annually to an individual or idea with “a creative and bold vision to spark global change.” The City 2.0 is a vision for the future that promotes innovation, environmental sustainability, economic opportunity, and recognizes the vital role urban green space plays in the development of world-class cities.

On February 5, 2013, the City Council of Los Angeles voted unanimously in support of a new framework for the City’s economic development structure prepared by HR&A. HR&A was engaged in late 2012 by the City Administrative Officer and Chief Legislative Analyst of the City of Los Angeles to analyze and recommend a new approach to citywide economic development following the State-mandated elimination of Community Redevelopment Agencies throughout California, including the Los Angeles CRA, and the lingering effects of the Great Recession. HR&A led a team that included ICF International and Renata Simril.

HR&A’s report recommends a new public-private structure for delivering economic development services in Los Angeles, including strategic planning for growth, real estate-related services, and business and industry-related services. The new model would include:

1. A new Economic Development Department (EDD) to consolidate certain economic development functions from existing City entities;
2. A new, nimble, independent, transaction-oriented Citywide Economic Development Nonprofit (CEDN) partner, with majority private-sector governance, operating under a contract with the City; and
3. An empowered Deputy Mayor for Economic Development charged with ensuring coordination among the EDD, CEDN, other related City departments, City proprietary agencies, and external economic development stakeholders.

Once operational, this proposed structure would provide the organizational platform required for the City to create new jobs, attract new business and industries, remain competitive on the global stage in the 21st Century, and increase General Fund revenues.

The recommendations presented in the report are based on the HR&A project team’s analysis of interviews with more than 80 key stakeholders involved in economic development throughout Los Angeles, including General Managers of City departments, business leaders, nonprofits, developers, and community-based organizations; an online survey sent to an additional 130 local stakeholders; detailed analysis of department and agency budget documents, supplemented by additional interviews with department and agency management; review of ongoing work by local universities and non-profits; and detailed case studies of eight U.S. cities with high-performing economic development organizational structures.

Available for download are the HR&A report.