“There are stars in the southern sky, southward as you go…”
– Seven Bridges Road, the Eagles
 
It’s been a never-ending winter here in New England but - being the intrepid and wise souls that we are - the team has been spending much of its time in warmer climates.  This marks a major geographic expansion for NP, expanding into both the Southeast and Texas, in addition to our recent work in the Midwest and Great Plains. Immersing ourselves in these places has enhanced our perspective on who is doing what, what works, and why.  
 
Comprehensive Planning in Montgomery, Alabama:  
 Montgomery (pop 200k) wears many hats - birthplace of the modern civil rights movement, state capital, home to corporations like Hyundai Motor, and the host community for Maxwell Air Force Base – home of the USAF Air University.  One thing strikes you when you drive around Montgomery - the city’s history is palpable. It lives in every building and on every tree-lined street.
 
NP is excited to be part of planningNEXT led team for Envision Montgomery 2040, the City’s first comprehensive planning process in more than 50 years. NP will be responsible for the land use and economic components of the plan. 
 
Entrepreneur & Retail Development in Downtown Macon, Georgia: 
 
Macon (pop 153k) is the urban center for Mid Georgia. It possesses a musical tradition rooted in soul and southern rock and as you walk through the city, you can hear the echoes of musicians; past and present.  Downtown Macon is undergoing a rebirth thanks to the efforts of a number of organizations guided by the Macon Action Plan.
 
NP is working on the next stage of development with a specific focus on a retail enhancement strategy for the downtown. The project is with Macon-Bibb Unified Government, Newtown Macon and is funded by the Knight Foundation.  Using our proprietary approach to retail experience analysis, NP will marry different data sets, interviews, and immersion in the community to identify actions that build upon the work already underway in creating a vibrant destination.
 
Innovation & TOD in Richardson, Texas: 
 
Richardson (pop 100k) is one of the original Dallas-Fort Worth MetroPlex suburbs. Its population is one of the most diverse in north Texas. Because of this diversity it is home to a wide range of authentic ethnic restaurants. On the innovation front, Richardson is best known for its high-tech Telecom Corridor – once the epicenter of the telecom broadband revolution. The city remains a major innovation center with an extensive corporate R&D, cybersecurity & online UX/UI presence and the University of Texas at Dallas– a fast growing, Tier 1 research university.  Most importantly, the UTD football team remains undefeated!  
 
NP is part of an Interface Studio led team that is developing a Transit Oriented Development and Innovation District Plan for a 1,200-acre parcel in this city, centered on the Collins – Arapaho DART Station. NP is providing the innovation activity, economic and real estate analysis for the study. 

One of the hallmarks of NP’s work is blending a vision that captures the imagination with enough practicality to move it toward implementation.  As part of our approach NP spends a lot of time thinking about how something might get implemented and by whom before turning it into a recommendation.  Three cities where NP recently worked are making progress moving from plans to actions:
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New Innovation Space for Athens GA:  The Athens-Clarke County government in partnership with Athens Hospitality Holdings Group signed a letter of agreement to create the Athens Creative Development Campus. According to the County's press release,  "The proposal is the result of a study provided by Ninigret Partners through a partnership between Georgia Power and the Unified Government.  Key findings from the study noted the growth of the University of Georgia as a major research institution; a need for flexible, bio-ready space; an active digital tech industry; and a vibrant creative consumer product industry that builds on the culture and vibe of Athens." 

The campus will be a mixed-use development including office, business incubation, co-work space and hotel.  The purpose of the space is to "serve as a destination for business travelers, makers, and entrepreneurs by creating a space that will encourage collaboration opportunities across a wide variety of interests." 

21st Century Mobility Solution Coming to Grand Rapids MI:  The City of Grand Rapids, MI recently proposed a bike sharing program that will put 800 bikes at 100 stations downtown and in surrounding neighborhoods over the next five years.  The program is estimated to cost $3 million and aims to be largely self-sustaining through user fees and sponsorships.  The bike share program is a direct result of the City's GR Forward Downtown and River Action Plan, which called for a 21st century mobility strategy as one of 6 core goals.  NP provided the economic analysis to the GR Forward Plan and prepared the business plan with Sam Schwartz Engineering for the bike share program.

City Commission Adoption Makes Downtown Plan the Official Policy in Fargo ND:  The City of Fargo, ND also made progress on its downtown master plan. Downtown Fargo InFocus calls for a series of actions in seven strategic areas including how to grow as a business center and thrive as a regional destination.  The City Commission adopted the plan in December 2017.  NP provided economic and development analysis with a focus on retail and entrepreneurial development strategies.  

Things are happening in Springfield, MA.  For the past several years the City and its partners have been charting a course for the downtown's future, which has led to increased investment and interest in the city. 

Recent progress includes the opening of two restaurants, a new yoga studio and construction is slated to start soon on 60 new apartments.  Just last week the DevelopSpringfield announced its second round of Lease It Local, a program aimed at attracting entrepreneurs to the city through a package of incentives.  (Check out NP's 2017 post for more info on the program.)

NP led or supported planning and implementation support for the city's downtown including the Worthington Street Corridor Study, an Investment Prospectus, and Dining District Implementation Plan.  Much of this work was completed through MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative. ​

DevelopSpringfield recently announced that is accepting applications for its "Lease It Local," a program, which will offer businesses up to half a monthly lease (up to $500) to occupy storefronts that are now vacant or underused. Eligible properties are vacant or underused ground-floor storefronts in the Springfield Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) District.  

The Lease It Local program aims to:  

• Create opportunities for residents to lease space for their entrepreneurial ventures;
• Encourage property owner reinvestment; and
• Enhance the overall vibrancy of downtown.

DevelopSpringfield's Lease It Local program will provide:

• Rental subsidy up to 50% of monthly lease with a cap of $500 / month. Subsidy can last for as little as 3 months up to 12 months with a total cap of $6,000 per business.
• Business also eligible for grants covering up to 50% of professional services with a cap of $750 per business.

Eligible applicants include independent operators (no franchises or chains), artists, or social enterprises.  While all industries are welcome, the program emphasizes uses drive daily foot traffic and preference is given to Springfield residents and those who have completed formal business training or mentoring.  For more info on the program check out DevelopSpringfield's program page.

NP performed the project consulting on the Springfield TDI Partnership’s Active Implementation Plan that worked with the Springfield TDI Partnership for the district.  A key action within the strategy was spurring retail frontage development including a subsidy program for potential tenants while the market was still being “proved.”

NP's work has been garnering some press in the past few weeks:
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• Plans Unveiled For Sustainable Development Of Uptown, West Oakland:  In a first of its kind, Pittsburgh aims to create an EcoInnovation District.  NP provided economic analysis and strategy development support for the plan.

 

• Athens faces challenges in economic development:  NP is providing the economic analysis for the community based Envision Athens project aimed at developing a course of action in Athens-Clarke County, GA over the next 20 years.

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• Where have all the HQ employees gone? NP's Kevin Hively is quoted on the state of corporate headquarters (Crain's produced a broader analysis on this topic a few years back too.

New Haven has been recognized as a place of innovation in Connecticut by CTNext. Led by the Elm City Innovation Collaborative New Haven has been designated an Innovation Place and has been awarded $2 million in implementation grants for fiscal year 2018.

New Haven is one of four communities to be designated.  Others include Hartford/East Hartford, New London/Groton, and Stamford. In total, CTNext can award up to $6.9 million to designated communities in fiscal year 2018 to augment private and public investments in aimed at attracting talent to the state and increasing cities and towns capacity for innovation.  

NP is proud to have supported New Haven with the development of its proposal for state designation and funding. ​