Menil Collection Neighborhood Preservation and Development

February 10, 2016 / Comments Off on Menil Collection Neighborhood Preservation and Development

Since 2012, HR&A has supported the Menil Collection in realizing its vision for a “neighborhood of art” in Houston’s urban core.

Founded by John and Dominique de Menil in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston, the 30-acre campus currently hosts four museum buildings that display modern exhibitions and select works from the Menil’s private collection of over 17,000 works of modern, contemporary, and African, Pacific Islands, and Pacific Northwest art, as well as two neighborhood parks.

HR&A was pleased to serve as a strategic advisor to the Menil Foundation to guide the organization through the development of a real estate and implementation strategy; provide solicitation and transaction support; and help secure economic development incentives from the City of Houston.  The Menil engaged HR&A at the onset of its planning effort for a fifth museum building – the Menil Drawing Institute – and a new adjoining park, to prepare for the mission, financial, and managerial implications of the expansion.

HR&A advised the Menil through a series of strategic decisions regarding the density, program and phasing of new real estate development on its campus, ultimately supporting the Menil through a real estate solicitation for the first phases of new development. HR&A also crafted a neighborhood property business plan that would ensure the restoration of the unique aesthetic form and fabric of the Menil neighborhood, which is characterized by dozens of historic Arts-and-Crafts style bungalows and a network of open spaces.

Images Courtesy of: The Menil Foundation

Los Angeles Economic Development Framework

February 10, 2016 / Comments Off on Los Angeles Economic Development Framework

HR&A worked with the City Administrative Officer and Chief Legislative Analyst of the City of Los Angeles to evaluate and recommend a new approach to citywide economic development.

Following the recent dissolution of Community Redevelopment Agencies throughout California and the lingering effects of the 2007-2009 Great Recession, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously in support of a new framework for the City’s economic development structure. HR&A prepared this framework with the following recommendations for a new public-private structure to deliver economic development services:

  • A new Economic Development Department to support the City’s businesses, industries, and communities; direct production of a citywide economic development strategy; manage and facilitate the distribution of federal and state resources; and consolidate certain economic development functions from existing City entities, including workforce development.
  • A new independent Citywide Economic Development Nonprofit partner, operating under contract with the City, to manage the City’s strategic real estate assets; advance major economic development and public-private real estate projects; manage the City’s off-budget finance entities; and provide expert research, analytic, and transaction negotiation services.
  • A Deputy Mayor for Economic Development charged with ensuring coordination among the Mayor’s office, the economic development department , the independent economic development non-profit, other related City departments, proprietary agencies, and external economic development stakeholders.

This new framework will provide the organizational platform required for the City to create new jobs, attract new businesses and industries, maintain global competitiveness in the 21st Century, and grow its tax base.

The report’s recommendations are based on the HR&A team’s analysis, which was completed in three months of intensive work. The analysis included interviews with more than 80 key stakeholders, including executives and staff from the Mayor’s office, City Council, City departments, proprietary City agencies, nonprofit and community-based organizations, and private industry leaders; an online survey distributed to more than 160 economic local development entities; detailed organizational reviews of 19 City departments and proprietary agencies; and in-depth case studies of economic development organizational models employed in eight other U.S. cities.

To date, the City Council has approved formation of, and allocated the inaugural-year budget for, a new Economic and Workforce Development Department, and Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed a new Deputy Mayor for Economic Development in 2013.

Image Courtesy: Historic Core of Downtown Los Angeles

Anacostia Waterfront Initiative

February 10, 2016 / Comments Off on Anacostia Waterfront Initiative

HR&A guided the work of six nationally renowned planning firms to create the Anacostia Waterfront Framework Plan. We also led the planning and implementation work for the Anacostia Waterfront’s newest district: Capitol Riverfront.

On behalf of the District of Columbia’s Office of City Planning, in partnership with city and federal agencies HR&A worked with urban design teams to create a development framework for a ten mile stretch along the Anacostia Waterfront. Our work included analyzing the opportunities and challenges for development, performing economic analyses to demonstrate the viability of the Framework Plan, building consensus for the vision among numerous public agencies, and coordinating substantial public outreach efforts.

The Capitol Riverfront is one of the District of Columbia’s most successful neighborhood transformation efforts in the last decade. This 350-acre neighborhood surrounding the Washington Navy Yard has attracted more than 12 million SF of mixed-use development and more than $3.3 billion in public and private development that is completed or currently under construction. There are currently 4,000 residents in market-rate and affordable housing living in the Capitol Riverfront, a daytime population of 35,000 workers, and new waterfront parks. The Capitol Riverfront BID estimates that 2.6 million people attended events at Nationals Park, the Navy Museum, and the Yards Park during 2012.

 

HR&A was the real estate and public policy advisor for the planning and development of the waterfront district surrounding the Nationals Ballpark, now known as the Capitol Riverfront.

  • Managed an urban design team to create a master plan for the Capitol Riverfront;
  • Prepared a development framework for The Yards, Forest City Washington’s ongoing development at the Southeast Federal Center site, immediately adjacent to the Ballpark;
  • Conducted a feasibility analysis of the development plans and identified the preferred alternative;
  • Supported the District of Columbia in creating a new Tax Increment Finance (TIF) district around the Nationals Ballpark, which provided $1.8 billion in financing for the completion of the Ballpark in 2008, further investment in public infrastructure, and a community benefits fund for neighborhood revitalization; and
  • Managed a developer solicitation process.

 
The Anacostia Waterfront Framework Plan won an AIA Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design in 2005. According to the Washington, D.C. Mayor’s Office, the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative has catalyzed over $8 billion in economic development investment to date. In October 2017, the revitalized southwest waterfront opened to the public as The Wharf – a mixed-use development by Hoffman-Madison Waterfront LLC.

Economic Value Study of the Dallas Park System

February 10, 2016 / Comments Off on Economic Value Study of the Dallas Park System

The City of Dallas identified opportunities and secured new funding to maximize the economic value of its park system.

Challenge

The Dallas Parks and Recreation Department oversees one of the largest park systems in the nation, comprised of 382 parks and 145 miles of trails. This immense portfolio not only provides community benefits, but also revenue generation and value capture opportunities. With growing municipal budget constraints, the department engaged HR&A to develop detailed analysis on the financial return of its parks to advocate for park expansion as a viable economic development strategy.

Solution

HR&A assessed the incremental impact of the park system on real estate, tourism, environmental, and city-building. After reviewing factors attributing to spending and value – including visitation and increased real estate values – HR&A found that Dallas parks contribute a seven-to-one return on public investment, which is approximately $678 million to the local economy every year. However, after reviewing the system’s assets, operations, resources in relation to peer park systems, HR&A found that the Dallas spends almost 40% less per resident on operations and 45% less on capital improvements than its peers. Working with the City, HR&A helped identify key projects and investments that would maximize the value created by the City’s parks.
 

Impact

The Dallas Parks & Recreation Department used the study as a critical piece of its advocacy for a $262 million bond proposal. The request also generated support from local public and private entities that pledged an additional $150 million in matching funds. In 2017, the Dallas City Council added the proposal as a ballot proposition, which voters overwhelmingly approved.

 

Fulton Center Implementation & Retail Strategy

February 10, 2016 / Comments Off on Fulton Center Implementation & Retail Strategy

HR&A advised the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on the retail vision for the Fulton Center, its solicitation process for a master retail operator, and a landmark revenue-sharing agreement with Westfield.

As the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) planned to enhance its transportation infrastructure in Lower Manhattan, the agency sought to incorporate retail uses and public space into its development program for a $1.4 billion transit hub. HR&A helped the MTA develop a vision for a flexible retail and commercial environment that promotes a vibrant public realm while creating a dynamic commuting experience for one of New York’s busiest transportation corridors. The resulting development, Fulton Center, connects 300,000 daily commuters to nine subway lines, and provides 50,000 SF of signature, multistory retail and commercial space operated by Westfield, one of the world’s premier retail owners and operators.

HR&A created a strategy to optimize a retail space that would serve a diverse array of shoppers –residents, workers, and tourists – and ensure the retail is in harmony with existing and future retail in the station-area. By first establishing spatial boundaries that accounted for pedestrian circulation needs and transportation functions, we were able to create an exciting space-by-space tenanting strategy that reflected physical feasibility, market potential, and fulfilled gaps in the current retail landscape. We advised the MTA to dedicate the Center’s second-floor to a destination food environment, which would activate the less heavily trafficked space, and fulfill a missing niche in lower Manhattan. To translate this strategy into an operations concept, we partnered the station architect to ensure accommodations for an appropriately-sized back-of-house space, utility provisions, and signage needs.

 

As of January 2016, Shake Shack, Zaro’s Bakery, and Irving Farm coffee and roasters have all leased spaces in this new food destination. Additionally, co-working startup WeWork signed a 15-year lease for 38,000 square feet in the renovated Corbin Building

Equipped with a well-defined retail vision and strategy, the MTA asked HR&A to manage its solicitation process to identify a master lessee for the management the operations of the retail and public spaces. For this process, HR&A drafted the RFP, engaged developers, structured the pre-proposal conference and site tours, and answered respondent questions. The clearly articulated guidelines of the retail strategy provided confidence to RFP respondents that the space would be functional for tenants, but also ensured that the MTA would procure a retail operator that would adhere to world-class standards. HR&A actively supported the MTA through the proposal review and selection process, as well as negotiations with preferred bidders.

 

In 2013, after two years of planning and negotiation, the MTA selected the Westfield Group as master lessee, who is responsible for leasing, operating, maintaining, and dedicating private dollars to the upkeep of the retail and public space. In addition to the lessee agreement, HR&A structured an innovative public-private agreement as part of the transaction, in which Westfield and the MTA will share revenue from the retail space and the ad-revenues generated by over 50 digital screens installed throughout the station.

Times Square Economic Impact Analysis & Retail Strategy

February 10, 2016 / Comments Off on Times Square Economic Impact Analysis & Retail Strategy

HR&A Partners led New York City and State efforts to reinvigorate Times Square, and begin the process of building its strong brand.

Following World War II, through the 1980s, Times Square, while the heart of New York City’s entertainment district, suffered from crime, urban decay, pornography, social disaffiliation and general economic deterioration. Today, Times Square is the nation’s best example of the successful transformation of a symbol of urban decay into a world class center for entertainment.

HR&A conducted the first economic impact analysis of Times Square on the New York City economy since its transformation in 2007.

Beyond measuring traditional impacts, HR&A quantified how Times Square promotes the City to the world by serving as a tourist destination, global headquarters, premier public gathering space and prime event location. The Times Square Alliance used the study to engage in the City’s PlaNYC process, securing the district’s future as one New York’s most important public spaces and vibrant mixed-use neighborhoods. In 2011, HR&A completed an update of the 2007 impact analysis.

HR&A Partner Kate Coburn created a comprehensive retail strategy for Times Square.

Working with the Times Square Alliance, Kate developed a strategy to diversify the retail tenant mix in the Times Square area extending retail and restaurant opportunities to Eighth Avenue. She created an implementation plan to attract new tenants to the area, outlining a marketing strategy that included public relations, retailer outreach, outreach to area landlords and broker contacts.

Talking Transition

February 9, 2016 / Comments Off on Talking Transition

As New York City prepared to greet a new mayor for the first time in 12 years, HR&A managed a project to transform the usual closed-door process between Election Day and Inauguration into an opportunity for New Yorkers to make their voices heard.

HR&A proudly led the design and implementation of Talking Transition, an innovative new model for civic engagement. On behalf of a coalition of ten New York City foundations including: the Open Society Foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies, Brooklyn Community Foundation, Ford Foundation, New York Community Trust, New York Foundation, New York Women’s Foundation, North Star Fund, Charles H. Revson Foundation, and Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Talking Transition transformed the period between Election Day and Inauguration into an opportunity for broad public engagement, bringing together citizens from all corners of New York City to participate in public conversations about the policy issues, ideas and questions that affect their communities.

Over the course of two weeks following the 2013 mayoral election, Talking Transition created a forum for tens of thousands of New Yorkers to communicate their ideas to newly elected officials. A series of live public engagement events were held in a 15,000 square foot open “think tent” on Canal Street that served as the initiative’s Town Hall. Talking Transition also brought the discussion to neighborhoods all over NYC with “mobile tents” and more than 100 canvassers, who employed TalkNYC, a new digital survey experience.  As a result, Talking Transition revealed New Yorkers’ sentiments about their neighborhoods and the direction of the city. TalkNYC yielded one of the most expansive public opinion surveys in the city’s history. Nearly 70,000 people weighed in on City services and other quality of life issues over which City government has influence. HR&A aggregated the results of the data in the “Sentiment of a City” report, which showed that the affordability of housing, the ability to find employment, and representation in policy decisions are among New Yorkers’ highest concerns.

 

As Washington, DC welcomed a new mayor, HR&A worked with a coalition of civic organizations to give Washingtonians a voice in the mayoral transition process.

After the 2014 election of Mayor Muriel Bowser in Washington D.C., HR&A planned and executed a second public engagement survey initiative coinciding with the mayoral transition – Talking Transition DC – on behalf of the Open Society Foundations and a consortium of District-based grantees – including the Urban Institute, the National Institute for Civil Discourse, DC Working Families, and DC Vote. The goal of the initiative was to transform the typically insular, closed-door process that occurs between Election Day and Inauguration day into an opportunity for broad civil discourse, and ultimately a stronger, more equitable democracy.

 

Talking Transistion DC was an experiment in innovative civic engagement, policy, and grass-roots organizing. To include as many voices, perspectives, and opinions as possible, HR&A designed a survey instrument and oversaw deployment of the iPad-based survey to 8,500 respondents. We developed a canvassing strategy, trained canvasser teams, and worked closely with canvassers to execute the strategy to ensure respondents were representative of Washingtonians. The survey sample was largely representative of Washington, DC today – achieving a key goal of the initiative and ensuring that our findings were representative of a broader swath of DC residents.

 

The survey asked a wide range of quality of life questions ranging from school quality to job availability and housing affordability to transit access. During and following the survey deployment, HR&A reviewed, validated, and analyzed survey data and conducted a Ward-level analysis to better understand potential geographic differences in responses. Certain issues revealed geographic divisions in the city. For example, HR&A found that, while residents were united in their sentiments that housing in DC is largely unaffordable, residents in the Southeastern Wards tended to respond to questions more negatively than residents living in the Northwest. On questions relating to police-community relations, public safety, and job availability, residents in DC’s Southeast tended to have a much more negative outlook. HR&A synthesized the survey results into a report for public dissemination and presented the findings through a citywide 21st-Century Town Hall meeting. Following the conclusion of the project, the team also presented the report to Mayor Muriel Bowser, meeting with her to discuss the survey’s results and its potential policy implications.

Program Development and Implementation for The Lawn on D

February 9, 2016 / Comments Off on Program Development and Implementation for The Lawn on D

HR&A developed the conceptual programming strategy and business plan for The Lawn on D.

The Lawn on D is a vibrant, flexible, program-driven landscape and event space located along Boston’s rapidly revitalizing D Street Corridor. Since its opening in the summer of 2014, the 2.7 acre park has become a popular, well-loved part of Boston’s Innovation District, drawing over 30,000 visitors from all areas of Boston to experience the park’s high-impact, well-rounded programming. The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA), the public-organization that owns the space located at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, tasked HR&A with the development of a catalytic programming strategy that would serve as an innovative placemaking exercise and driver of neighborhood revitalization. To frame the park as Boston’s new go-to destination for the area’s diverse customer base of residents, workers, and conventioneers, HR&A developed a vision that emphasizes play and leisurely interaction with culture, incorporating interactive playscapes, high-impact art and design, a diverse calendar of events, and local food and drink concessions. The resulting Lawn on D delivers high-quality, interactive programming – within a flexible, experimental event space and traditional passive park – to strengthen the connection of the convention center to the surrounding urban fabric.

 

HR&A worked with the MCCA to translate this programming vision into an implementable, defined strategy, and devised the planning, implementation, and management strategy for the park’s past four operating seasons. HR&A created a business and operations plan for the MCCA, which outlined a management structure and revenue sources. We also oversaw program concept development and implementation, to ensure its alignment with the MCCA’s vision for The Lawn on D and the surrounding D Street Corridor. This included vendor selection and management. As project manager, HR&A provided ongoing analysis of The Lawn on D’s programming performance and revenue targets to inform the MCCA’s future operations and management of the space.

 

During its operating seasons, The Lawn on D is open to the public seven days-a-week, hosting a mixture of recurring public programming such as daily morning exercise classes and weekly move screenings, as well as special events and exhibitions, including food festivals, art installations, and ticketed-concerts. Since its opening in 2014, the park has gained notoriety throughout Boston, and the country, as a new model for innovative, high-impact placemaking and received numerous awards for its programming and design.

 

Awards
  • 2015 Honor Award for General Design, Boston Society of Landscape Architects
  • 2015 National Small Project Award, American Institute of Architects
  • 2015 Downtown Merit Award for Public Space, International Downtown Association
  • 2015 Honor Award for General Design, American Society of Landscape Architects

Images Courtesy of: MCCA

Catalytic Real Estate Development in San Antonio’s Promise Zone

February 9, 2016 / Comments Off on Catalytic Real Estate Development in San Antonio’s Promise Zone

HR&A led a multidisciplinary team to create an inclusive, place-based, and market-guided strategy for economic development in the city’s Promise Zone.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development designated the Eastside, a 22-square mile economically distressed area, as a Promise Zone in 2014, streamlining access to federal programs that could support neighborhood revitalization. San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside a nonprofit steward of the Promise Zone, also known as SAGE, engaged HR&A through a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to complete an Economic Development Strategy that aligns Eastside investments with neighborhood goals.

 

The HR&A team, which included Alamo Architects, Moore Icafano Goltsman (MIG), and Infrastructure Design Solutions Engineering (IDS), conducted a series of analyses to deliver a targeted and actionable strategy for economic development on the Eastside.

 

The team began with extensive outreach to SAGE, its public partners, neighborhood stakeholders, and the broader community to identify the core goals for economic development and opportunities and challenges related to those goals. We then analyzed the existing context of San Antonio’s Eastside to learn about the demographics, physical layout, and strengths and challenges around economic development and reviewed a set of potential policies to advance SAGE goals within this context.

 

Guided by SAGE’s focus as an economic development organization, we then identified opportunities to realize these policies with new real estate development. We conducted a site analysis of the entire Eastside to identify all vacant, underutilized, and neglected parcels, as well as “prototypical” parcels for which we created illustrative development concepts that reflect both community aspirations and market context.

 

We then conducted rigorous financial analysis to evaluate the feasibility of each concept. Based on this analysis, we identified existing incentive programs that can support development on the Eastside, as well as new policies that can facilitate a broader range of development uses and locations. Lastly, we developed an organizational implementation strategy to help SAGE prioritize among recommendations and develop the capacity needed to pursue these priorities.

 

This Strategy lays the blueprint for the next generation of growth on the Eastside, and will form the foundation of SAGE’s work plan in the coming years.

Development Management & Public Financing Strategy for Broadway Station

February 9, 2016 / Comments Off on Development Management & Public Financing Strategy for Broadway Station

Broadway Station Partners developed a market-supportable master plan and a public financing strategy to develop one of Denver’s largest and most complex transit-oriented development sites.

CHALLENGE

After acquiring the former Gates Rubber Company plant, Broadway Station Partners wanted to pursue development of one of Denver’s only remaining urban transit-oriented development sites. Located three miles from downtown and directly adjacent to one of the busiest light rail stations in the city, the site could provide much needed housing, office space, and walkable retail in one of the fastest growing cities in America.
 
Though the site’s location and immediate transit access are inherently valuable, environmental contamination and connectivity challenges associated with a freight and light rail line bisecting the former industrial site required significant capital and infrastructure improvements to make development feasible. To navigate the unique site challenges in the planning process, the landowners engaged HR&A to advise on the balance of infrastructure investment and value-generating development to inform the project’s development strategy, master plan, and public finance strategy.

SOLUTION

Working closely with an engineering and planning team, HR&A advised Broadway Station Partners on strategies to unlock and create value by identifying activating uses, infrastructure improvements, and amenities. The team’s assessment of the local real estate market and financial feasibility of different development densities, typologies, and infrastructure programs informed the master plan, which targets infrastructure investments that improve connectivity and placemaking to unlock potential for development density and value.
 
To understand the extent of public financing needed for the substantial infrastructure improvements, HR&A analyzed the potential for value-capture tools to fund infrastructure development. To do this, the team assessed the impact of the development program, phasing, local market, and financing structures among other considerations for potential capital sources – including tax increment financing (TIF) and revenues from the site’s metropolitan district, or special taxing district. This analysis formed the foundation of the landowner’s tax increment financing request, financing plan, and negotiations with local public authorities, ensuring that revenues generated by the site are sufficient to finance required infrastructure and help produce market returns for the landowner in the long-term.
 

IMPACT

The Denver City Council unanimously approved the landowner’s $140 million public infrastructure financing request, including a $90 million tax increment financing package, the second largest approved in the city. Infrastructure development on the site broke ground in 2018.